Client relationships continue to be a central part of how agencies experience stability, growth, and risk. In the Agency Core 2025 Research, agency leaders consistently reference client-related challenges when describing uncertainty, pressure, and change across the industry.

This blog surfaces the client relationship challenges agencies report most often, drawing directly from aggregated survey findings and segment-level patterns. It reflects what agencies say they are experiencing in 2025, without evaluating outcomes or suggesting responses.

Many agencies report increased difficulty maintaining long-term client relationships. Client retention appears more fragile than in prior years, with a growing share of agencies noting client losses and heightened concern about defection.

The research shows that client churn is not limited to one agency type or size. Instead, retention challenges are reported across segments, with differences in severity and frequency depending on agency mindset and operating model.

• Reported Increases In Client Loss

  A majority of agencies indicate they lost clients in the prior year, marking a notable increase compared to earlier research. Alongside this, more agency leaders identify the risk of client defection as a severe challenge than in 2023.

  Reported patterns include:

  • Higher incidence of client loss across multiple segments
  • Increased sensitivity to relationship stability
  • Fewer agencies reporting strong confidence in long-term retention

• Variation In Retention Challenges By Segment

  Retention challenges vary by attitudinal segment. Some segments report relatively lower defection risk, while others experience significantly higher concern.

  Segment-level differences observed in the data include:

  • Change Seekers reporting the highest concern about client defection
  • Loyalty Builders reporting lower relative concern, though not immunity
  • Thought Leaders and Cobblers’ Kids showing moderate variation

  These differences suggest that client relationship challenges are not evenly distributed, even when agencies operate in similar markets.

Beyond retention, agencies report difficulty growing existing client relationships. Increasing client spend year over year is widely cited as challenging, even among agencies that retain clients successfully.

The research indicates that account expansion is often more difficult than client retention, with very few agencies reporting strong effectiveness in this area.

• Reported Effectiveness In Increasing Client Spend

  Only a small share of agency leaders describe their agencies as highly effective at increasing spending within existing accounts. This holds true across most segments, including those that report stronger retention outcomes.

  Commonly reported observations include:

  • Limited success with upsell or cross-sell efforts
  • Lack of structured processes to expand accounts
  • Difficulty introducing additional services or strategic work

• Segment Differences In Account Growth Challenges

  Account expansion challenges are reported across all segments, though severity differs.

  The data shows:

  • Loyalty Builders reporting comparatively higher effectiveness, though still limited overall
  • Change Seekers, Staffing Strugglers, and Cobblers’ Kids reporting the greatest difficulty
  • Few agencies in any segment describing consistent success

  These patterns highlight how account growth remains a widespread challenge, regardless of agency maturity or positioning.

Many agency leaders report ongoing tension around how clients perceive the value of agency work. These challenges often appear alongside concerns about pricing, scope, and expectations, and are closely tied to how agencies describe their client relationships.

The research suggests that value perception issues are widespread, affecting agencies across sizes and specialties. They are frequently mentioned in connection with both new engagements and long-standing client relationships.

• Client Understanding Of Agency Work

  A significant share of agencies report that clients underestimate the amount of work involved in delivering services. This perception gap is cited most strongly among certain segments, but appears across the full respondent pool.

  Reported patterns include:

  • Clients expecting strategic input without corresponding scope or compensation
  • Misalignment between delivered work and client expectations
  • Increased effort required to explain agency contributions and impact

  These perceptions contribute to broader relationship strain, particularly when combined with economic pressure or changing client priorities.

• Reported Challenges Getting Paid Appropriately

  Pricing tension is another recurring theme tied to client relationships. Many agency leaders identify difficulty getting paid what they believe their work is worth as a severe challenge.

  The research highlights:

  • A substantial portion of agencies citing pricing pressure as a major concern
  • Variation by segment, with Change Seekers reporting higher levels of difficulty
  • Continued overlap between pricing challenges and value perception issues

  These findings suggest that conversations about price and value are a persistent source of friction within client relationships.

Agencies also report that client expectations are shifting, often in ways that feel unpredictable or difficult to navigate. These shifts contribute to broader uncertainty around relationship stability and long-term engagement.

The research reflects a sense that client needs, demands, and behaviors are changing faster than many agencies anticipated.

• Uncertainty Around Client Needs And Demands

  Many agency leaders indicate uncertainty about what clients expect from agencies today. This includes questions around service mix, strategic involvement, and long-term partnership roles.

  Reported observations include:

  • Clients requesting broader capabilities without expanding budgets
  • Increased demand for flexibility and responsiveness
  • Less clarity around long-term commitments

  This uncertainty adds complexity to managing and sustaining client relationships.

• Differences Across Attitudinal Segments

  Shifts in client expectations are not experienced uniformly. The data shows clear variation across attitudinal segments.

  Segment-level patterns include:

  • Change Seekers reporting the highest levels of uncertainty and instability
  • Loyalty Builders reporting greater consistency, though still noting change
  • Thought Leaders expressing more clarity, but not absence of pressure

  These differences illustrate how agency mindset and structure may shape how client relationship challenges are experienced, without eliminating them entirely.

Taken together, the Agency Core 2025 Research surfaces a picture of client relationships under strain across the industry. Agencies report higher retention risk, difficulty expanding existing accounts, persistent value and pricing tension, and shifting client expectations.

While the severity and combination of these challenges vary by segment, they appear across the agency landscape. The data reflects shared pressure points rather than isolated issues, offering a clearer view of how agency leaders describe client relationships in 2025.