What 30 Years With One Client Can Teach You About Client Retention

When The McRae Agency opened its doors in 1995, one of our priorities was simple: build meaningful relationships with the clients we serve. Thirty years later, that priority continues to shape how we work. We've had the opportunity to work with a variety of clients over the decades, building lasting relationships and success stories along the way. We've also watched the communications landscape change dramatically, learning and adapting with every new tool, approach, and shift in the PR industry.

Our 30-year relationship with Solatube is one example of what that longevity can look like.

Keeping a client for 30 years isn't about doing the same thing well for 30 years. It's about continuing to be valuable as the client's business, industry, and communications landscape change.

Understanding Your Client’s Business

Nothing strengthens a relationship more than a genuine understanding of your client's business and goals. It isn't just about what your agency wants to accomplish; it's about understanding where your client wants to go and determining how you can help them get there.

Understanding their business, industry, audience, challenges, and brand is vital to creating meaningful communications. Without that foundation, it's difficult to know what the message should be, who needs to hear it, or why it matters.

What we've learned: The longer you work with someone, the deeper your understanding should become. As your client grows and changes, your understanding of them should grow and change, too. A 30-year relationship doesn't mean you've spent 30 years learning the same thing. It means you've spent 30 years learning the client.

Keep Bringing New Ideas To The Table

Nothing grows old faster than falling into a routine—especially when the world around you is changing rapidly. While consistency isn't inherently negative, an agency can't allow familiarity to become stagnation. Your client needs a reason to continue choosing to work with you.

That means paying attention to new concepts, media opportunities, emerging tools and platforms, and anything else that could create opportunities for your client. A strong agency isn't simply repeating what worked yesterday. It's looking for what could work tomorrow.

What we've learned: We've seen firsthand how quickly the media landscape can change. As new technologies and tools– including generative AI– have emerged, we've continued adapting our approach to help our clients stay visible and relevant. Evolution is part of staying valuable.

Adapt To Your Client’s Changing Needs

Businesses don't stay static for 30 years, and neither should their communications strategies. As trends change, so do the ways clients approach their brands, audiences, and goals. A good agency should be willing to adjust its strategy, approach, and recommendations as those needs evolve. That might mean adapting to changes in leadership, audiences, messaging, branding, or business priorities.

Your job is to help your client remain visible and memorable, even as the brand itself changes.

What we've learned: Long-term relationships require consistency in trust, not consistency in tactics. Your client should be able to trust that your team will do what is needed to support their success, whether their style, messaging, branding, or goals have changed.

Be Honest, Even When the Answer Isn't What They Want to Hear

The strongest client relationships aren't built on an agency blindly approving every idea that comes its way. Not every idea will be the right one, and an agency shouldn't be afraid to say so. A trusting relationship allows both sides to have honest conversations and say, "Here's what we're seeing, and here's what we think you should consider." That means being willing to challenge an idea, recommend a different approach, explore a new path, or set realistic expectations.

What we've learned: Over 30 years, honesty becomes part of the relationship. PR especially depends on trust because clients are trusting their agency with something incredibly important: their reputation.

Communicate– Especially When Things Get Difficult

Things aren't going to be perfect 24/7. A pitch won't always land, a campaign may not perform as expected, or a deadline may change. What matters is how those situations are handled.

Clear, proactive communication should be at the forefront of the client relationship. That means being transparent about what's happening, responding when questions arise, and keeping clients informed rather than leaving them guessing.

What we've learned: A long-term partnership isn't one where nothing ever goes wrong. It's one where both sides know they can talk honestly when something does. Don't hide behind jargon or avoid difficult conversations. Address issues when they arise and keep your client informed about where things stand. That transparency helps keep the relationship strong and level.

Think Of The Relationship As A Partnership

A client-agency relationship works best when both sides bring something to the table.

The client brings their business expertise, industry knowledge, goals, and internal perspective. The agency brings communications expertise, strategy, outside perspective, and an understanding of how to connect the client's story with the right audiences.

When both sides contribute, the relationship becomes a collaboration rather than simply a hired service. Over time, the two sides can develop something that wouldn't exist if they were working separately. Client retention ultimately comes from both sides feeling heard, respected, and valued for what they bring to the relationship.

What we've learned: The McRae Agency's 30-year relationship with Solatube is an example of what that kind of partnership can look like in practice. Over three decades, the companies have navigated changes in the business and communications landscape while continuing to work together.

Thirty years with one client doesn't happen because an agency finds the perfect formula and never changes it. It happens because the agency keeps changing, learning, and finding new ways to be useful while maintaining the trust that made the relationship work in the first place.

Want more PR tips and advice? Subscribe to The McRae Agency's Buzz-Building Blog through our website. Looking to build a long-lasting relationship with a PR team that can grow alongside your brand? Contact beth@mcraeagency.com for a complimentary consultation.