Whenever asked, clients most commonly share a similar answer when asked what they most want from their agency: “We wish they were more proactive.”
It’s striking that this remains the core frustration. After all, proactivity is in the DNA of any good client service professional. Project managers, in particular, are wired for forward planning and risk anticipation. They instinctively look for roadblocks, head them off, and keep momentum alive. They are proactive by design.
Of course, project management-style proactivity is only one layer of the full spectrum. In client service, true proactivity goes further — into optimisation, insight, and strategic connection.
What Clients Really Mean by Proactivity
When clients talk about proactive agencies, it’s rarely about headline-grabbing ideas. What they value are the everyday behaviours that show someone is thinking a step ahead.
- Care. Clients want to feel their agency is paying attention. 78% say they’d prefer us to focus on improving what already exists before chasing the shiny new. Optimise their current investment first.
- Foresight. Almost half (45%) of clients say account management feels too transactional. They don’t want another supplier; they want a partner who sees around corners, spots risks, and saves them time.
- Making the job possible. This is harder to define but easy to recognise. A proactive partner understands the client’s pressures and accountabilities, easing the load and sharing responsibility. It signals you’re invested in building something together, not just taking orders.
So What Does Proactivity Look Like?
It’s not a recipe or a set of rigid rules. It’s a blend of skills, attitudes, behaviours — supported by a toolkit of practical actions.
Being proactive means being curious. It’s going beyond the surface to find meaningful insights — and then acting on them. It’s having the courage to suggest a fix, propose an idea for an impossible challenge, or take steps that move a project or relationship forward.
It’s also about emotional intelligence: reading the room, spotting subtle cues, interpreting what isn’t said. By noticing these signals, you can reduce risk, reframe problems, and prevent conflicts before they escalate.
Adaptability is another hallmark. Proactive people stay open to change, listen closely to feedback, and pivot when needed. This creates space for fresh thinking — sometimes uncovering solutions no one had previously considered.
And yes, it also involves practical tools: running “What’s Working / What’s Wobbly” workshops, scheduling review meetings, keeping idea backlogs alive. These initiatives demonstrate care, build trust, and keep momentum.
The benefits are significant.
Agencies that consistently act proactively see retention rates jump by as much as 35%, and as we know, keeping a client is far cheaper than winning a new one.
86% of clients say they’ll pay more for a better experience. Proactivity is one of the clearest signals of quality service — it naturally uncovers upsell and cross-sell opportunities.
Clients refer agencies that they know won’t let them down, or embarrass them for making the introduction. Consistently demonstrating proactivity and delivering that client experience as core to the relationship reassures the referring client.
Why It Matters
Research shows 70% of creative-industry clients say their relationship experience whether they’ll give repeat business. With proactivity being a key factor, only one-third feel their agency delivers it consistently, and that’s the gap where trust is lost, relationships stall, and opportunities vanish.
The message couldn’t be clearer: clients have been asking for proactivity for years. The good news is, it doesn’t mean endless pitching or dramatic reinvention. It means care, momentum, and foresight. Helping clients succeed with what they already have.
For clients, proactivity brings reassurance and progress. For agencies, it builds trust, resilience, and opportunity. So here’s the real question: how proactive are you and your team, really?
Find out how you score
Take our free Proactivity Assessment to see your style, uncover gaps, and get practical next steps to grow.
Contact me on hello@joannaanthony.com for the link!
I work with creative agencies and inhouse creative operations teams translate strategy into systems, behaviours, and results. As a client service and change specialist with 30+ years’ experience inside agencies, I am skilled at ‘making it happen’.