Courier, protector or closet killer: Six types of client - and how to deal with them

Joseph Clift

This event report discusses six types of client that agencies are frequently required to deal with. They include: the courier (who has to discuss any potential decision with their superiors); the ex-agency (who has shifted to the client-side, and is often struggling with unfamiliar demands in their new role); the protector (a collaborative client and a champion for the agency); the closet killer (who finds it hard to reject work while speaking face-to-face); the miser (with an eye on the purse strings, and who is unwilling to share data); and the sage (who mixes the role of the protector with their own clear vision).

Courier, protector or closet killer: Six types of client – and how to deal with them

Joseph CliftWarc

What do clients really want? That, needless to say, is a big question with many answers.

One somewhat tongue-in-cheek solution was presented by Suresh Balaji, global head of marketing strategy at financial services giant HSBC, and Marco Rimini, CEO of media agency Mindshare’s Worldwide Central Team, at the International Comms Planning Seminar, held in London in March 2014.

Their project was to divide a total of 76 clients they have known and dealt with in their careers so far into six...

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