Speakers
📢 Here are the current speakers we have for this event. We will also hear from you – the event is all about taking part.
How Client Conferences Can Make Your Agency Indispensable
Brightec noticed something curious about their clients – many of them faced similar problems.
As the business developer for the mobile app development agency, Simon Brading wanted to help.
His goal was to create a unique, high-value event where clients could come together, learn from each other and develop practical solutions. Somewhere their clients could feel inspired and understood – whilst enriching their network.
After discussing the possibilities, a big swing of an idea was decided on – the Brightec Exchange!
An all-day event gathering their client base and wider network together for knowledge sharing, problem solving, and community building.
The day focused solely on the client’s needs with no sales pitches or service promotions from Brightec, but the day more than paid for itself:
- They won new business – more than covering the cost of the day.
- 50% of attendees said one of the keynote speeches was “life-changing.”
- 100% said, “Sign me up for Brightec Exchange 2025.”
By facilitating a genuinely valuable event and positioning themselves as the connection point for their clients, Brightec secured their status as a key strategic, trusted partner who invests in client success.
“It helped them work out their problems, and it helped us understand them better. The day was a win-win for everyone.”
At Happy Clients, Simon will share how being a driving force for solutions can secure new business, increase value and strengthen relationships.
How a Secondment Won Our Agency a Major Client Account
Jenny kept coming up against the same problem.
Growing a major account was near impossible due to lengthy client approval processes killing time–sensitive social campaigns.
As the strategy director for Jwoo, a theatre, arts and entertainment digital agency, she’d been working with one particular client for over four years, but a larger agency had always handled the majority of their organic socials.
Then the client approached Jwoo with an idea that would change everything.
They needed an extra pair of hands in their internal marketing department and asked if a member of the Jwoo team would consider taking a secondment with them.
Only they didn’t need someone for a day, a week, or even a month. They were initially looking at a six-month stint.
While Jenny was interested in the opportunity, she had concerns about her reduced involvement at Jwoo, but ultimately realised just how valuable this level of time spent with the client could be.
While on her secondment, she presented to the leadership board, was involved in high-level meetings, and played a key role in decision-making.
“I learnt to speak their language – understanding their priorities, challenges, and ways of working. Once I adapted to their communication style, everything became more efficient. Conversations flowed better, decisions were made faster, and we were able to collaborate more effectively to drive results.”
Communication became more efficient, and approval processes were streamlined. As a result, Jwoo now manages 100% of the client’s organic social.
At Happy Clients, Jenny will share how a secondment can increase trust, improve efficiency and make your agency the ‘go-to’ for key clients.
Workshop: Turn Difficult Conversations Into Win-Win Outcomes
Trenton was facing the dreaded scope creep.
Unbillable hours were piling up as a client kept shifting the goal posts by requesting “small” amends, which had a big impact on the overall project and budget.
He knew a difficult conversation was on the horizon.
Or was it? Trenton had a brilliant idea – what if the key to tricky client conversations was listening like a counsellor, not a project manager?
Drawing on years of coaching and his time as a Samaritans volunteer, Trenton used deep listening and guided discovery to uncover what the client truly needed.
“By getting to the real issue, we were able to stop the revision cycle and agree on what success looked like – for them and for us. You’re not saying, ‘Sit on my couch and tell me how you feel’ – but it’s still the same techniques a counsellor would use, just in a client meeting.
You can’t create a win-win if you don’t know what a win looks like for both sides.”
Trenton’s methods had a massive impact on his agency:
- Prevented scope creep.
- Minimised rounds of revisions.
- Reduced unbillable hours.
- Sped up sign-off.
“Normally, we’d say, ‘We’ve done 17 amends; we can’t keep going.’ But instead, we said, ‘We’re committed to your outcome and also to us getting what we need – let’s work out a win-win.’ And it changed everything.”
At Happy Clients, Trenton will run a highly interactive workshop to equip you with everything you need to truly understand your client’s needs, turn tricky conversations into productive ones, and create an outcome that works for everyone.
How to Manage Difficult Client Behaviours
Catherine knows about challenging client behaviours.
From confusing briefs to unrealistic deadlines – she’s familiar with the impact these habits can have on an agency, but what about their root cause?
As the client partner for digital agency Numiko, Catherine’s focus is on making sure their clients are happy. To do this, she needs to know what makes them unhappy.
Luckily, she had the perfect opportunity – Numiko’s client conference.
They gathered over 100 clients together to discuss innovation, strategy, and sustainability, while in a setting that encouraged idea sharing and relationship building.
Catherine ran a segment focused on identifying and addressing the client behaviours that often lead to project challenges. Her goal was to understand what internal problems were causing tricky client behaviours.
How she approached this was genius.
Instead of telling clients about their challenging behaviours and risk offending or alienating them. She instead asked what behaviours they thought might make a tricky client.
Amazingly, their answers aligned with hers!
Once the conversation had been opened up, she was able to ask them about the cause of challenging client behaviours.
Their answers were invaluable:
- Lack of internal stakeholder alignment.
- Absence of a clear, long-term strategy.
- Changeable budgets.
- Ineffective briefing processes.
This information allowed her to implement changes that improved Numiko’s internal processes and in turn, helped her clients.
She brought in:
- Stakeholder mapping.
- Structured project frameworks.
- Budget guidelines.
- Clearer briefing templates.
“When you invest time in truly understanding what your clients are going through, you’re not just solving a problem – you’re building a partnership.”
By addressing these issues head-on, she helped the agency provide better support, ultimately leading to improved client satisfaction scores.
At Happy Clients, Catherine will share how to uncover the root causes of your client’s woes and implement practical changes that improve both your agency’s processes and your clients’ happiness.
How to Scale Your Agency and Land Bigger Clients
Mike has some advice that you might not be ready to hear.
As the chief executive officer of B2B sales consultancy Piscari Ltd, Mike’s seen time and time again that if you want to attract bigger clients, the answer is clear: you must be willing to shrink in order to grow.
“If you work with smaller clients, you get referred to smaller clients, and then you’ve got a portfolio of small clients. Unless you deal with the historical culture of working with 10 small clients, it’s pointless.”
Agencies can get stuck with small-fry clients when they dodge the bold moves needed to snag the bigger, fatter accounts.
To make the switch and scale up, Mike says there are several key steps every agency leader must take:
- Identify and remove low-profit clients.
- Rehire and restructure to ensure your team is capable of managing bigger and more demanding clients.
- Ensure there’s enough capital and cash flow to see you through the transitional period.
- Be willing to make tough, strategic decisions that initially shrink the business before enabling sustainable growth.
“If you plan carefully, you can make it work. It’s all about a measured approach, client by client, to create a healthier, more profitable business.”
At Happy Clients, Mike will be joined by Kevin Gibbons, founder and CEO of Re:signal, a specialist e-commerce SEO agency. Together, they’ll present a real-life case study illustrating how Re:signal successfully transitioned to landing bigger clients through the co-development of a tailored systematic approach. Mike will outline a repeatable, structured framework, offering actionable and practical guidance for agencies aiming to scale effectively and avoid the over-servicing trap.
How to Be a Client Chameleon: Build Stronger and More Profitable Relationships
“The more we tried to appease her, the worse her behaviour got.”
Rachel Raphael, co-founder of outskirt collective, knows that clients come in all tones and temperaments.
From warm and fuzzy to cold and direct – it can be nearly impossible for client service professionals to adapt to each personality type while maintaining boundaries and demonstrating value.
In her over 25 years of experience, Rachel has developed a simple yet effective solution – she aligns her communication style with their personality.
“It takes the mental load off. You still get to be yourself – you’re just delivering it in a format they actually want.”
Through recognising that how a client communicates is often a direct reflection of how they wish to receive information, Rachel has created an emotionally intelligent way of adapting her team’s approach while building trust and protecting morale.
“If a client is no-nonsense, I become no-nonsense. I tailor my delivery to their personality and they actually respected me more. It completely changes how they engage.”
In this session, you’ll learn how to:
- Recognise different client personality types using tools like DISC.
- Equip your team with emotional intelligence skills to confidently adapt to client communication styles – reducing stress and improving rapport.
- Professionally handle challenging scenarios without losing clarity or authority.
At Happy Clients, Rachel will share how to implement a more flexible and effective approach to communication by identifying your clients’ personas and training your team to confidently adapt to them. By doing this, your agency won’t just strengthen client relationships – you’ll unlock greater retention, revenue growth, and an enhanced reputation.
Complaints Are a Compliment: Why All Client Feedback Is Good
“There’s another agency that can do it for half the price.”
It’s the last thing most agency leaders want to hear – but for Fiona Skilton, it’s a compliment.
As client services director at Collective Content, Fiona welcomes uncomfortable conversations with her clients.
“Weirdly, I do take it as a compliment if they say, ‘I’m not happy about this,’ because it indicates that they want to fix it. Otherwise, why would they bother saying anything?”
For example, one client came to her with cost concerns. Under pressure to justify spend, they’d found a cheaper agency abroad – but instead of walking away, they came to Fiona first. That gave her the chance to adjust: she streamlined internal processes and limited rounds of feedback, all without sacrificing quality.
The result? The agency retained the business and proved to the client that they were willing to adapt to their needs.
But great client service isn’t just about giving clients space to speak up – it’s also important to never mistake silence for satisfaction.
“If they go quiet, it’s not necessarily initially an indication of unhappiness. But the longer you leave them, the more likely they are to think, ‘Does my agency care about me?'”
In this session you’ll learn:
- Why client complaints can be a positive sign.
- How to respond to feedback without defensiveness.
- Ways to stay proactive and avoid client drift.
At Happy Clients, Fiona will share her unique take on negative client feedback and offer tangible advice on how to implement a system that keeps you and your clients on the same page.