Comments on: Free Advice Friday: Becoming a Client Advocate

By: Devon Ellington

Devon Ellington — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 20:25:39 +0000

And all of those things will allow them to trust you and want to keep working with you.

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 19:21:50 +0000

Great advice, Eileen. I think it's important to be frank with clients. If you tell them and they ignore you, so be it. But you told them.

By: Lori Widmer

Lori Widmer — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 18:56:39 +0000

It was fear of losing them, Meryl. I wonder how many of them I would have kept longer had I spoken up?

By: Meryl K. Evans

Meryl K. Evans — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 18:53:11 +0000

This is one of my favorite parts of the job. Love helping them beyond the writing part. Fantastic post, Lori. Was surprised to read you were silent in the early days … but then it makes sense as we have to learn the business and our way around.

By: Eileen

Eileen — Fri, 07 Nov 2014 14:25:36 +0000

And don't be afraid to tell clients you think they're wrong – about an approach, an angle, a pitch, a format … whatever. That, too, is advocating for them because you want to save them pain down the road. Be able to tell them why you think so, and offer them a sound alternative. If they decide to go with their original idea, so be it; they'll have made an informed decision.