Let’s be honest: marketing agencies and media sellers feel recessions too.
Client churn goes up. Ad budgets shrink. Campaigns stall. And if you’re selling into the SMB market, you’ve probably heard some version of this lately:
“We’re going to pause for now. Just need to see how things go.”
In my career, I’ve sat on both sides of the table—as a seller, as a buyer, and as a consultant. And I can tell you—the agencies and reps who survive recessions don’t just cling to revenue. They lead.
They help their clients make smarter decisions. They stay present when others ghost. And they turn “vendor” relationships into true strategic partnerships.
This final post is for the marketers, sellers, and agency folks who don’t want to retreat.
It’s about how to protect your top-line revenue—and help your clients do the same.
1. Don’t Panic—Realign and Protect Your Core
The biggest mistake I see from agencies in a downturn? They panic.
They start discounting to keep deals. They accept bad-fit clients out of desperation. They overpromise, underdeliver, and spiral into churn.
Instead, step back and re-evaluate:
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Which clients are still committed to growth?
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Which services are delivering real value?
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Where are we overextended?
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What’s our unique strength—and are we selling it well?
Downturns force clarity. They expose bloat. And they reward discipline.
Tighten up your positioning. Get lean where you need to. But stay focused on helping the right clients win—and you’ll protect your own revenue in the process.
2. Be a Partner—Not Just a Pitch Deck
When clients are nervous, they don’t need more buzzwords.
They need someone who can help them cut through the noise and make smarter marketing decisions.
You have to show up like a strategic advisor—even if you’ve only ever been seen as a service provider.
That means:
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Leading quarterly strategy calls (even if not required)
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Offering real market insight, not just reporting screenshots
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Asking better questions: “What are your goals this quarter?” “What do you need to protect right now?”
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Helping clients understand the math behind patient or customer acquisition
If you work with medical or dental clients especially, they need this guidance. Many of them are smart, successful professionals—but they’ve never been trained to evaluate marketing performance.
Don’t just send them a report. Help them interpret it.
3. Adapt Your Offer to Today’s Reality
If your agency’s service model hasn’t evolved in the past few years, a recession will make that pain point obvious.
Clients don’t want long contracts, bloated bundles, or generic packages right now.
They want flexibility. Focus. Performance.
What you can do:
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Introduce lower-risk entry points (e.g. audits, month-to-month offers, performance check-ins)
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Reposition services around outcomes—not tasks or deliverables
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Offer tiered solutions for different client maturity levels
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Use downturns to prove agility: “We’re adjusting this strategy because patient volume is trending down—here’s how we’ll compensate.”
Show that you’re not stuck in your process. You’re responsive to what the client needs today—not what they bought six months ago.
4. Keep Clients Visible (But Smarter About It)
One of your most important jobs in a recession is helping your clients stay visible without wasting money.
Because if they go dark? They fall behind. And you lose the account anyway.
This means helping them:
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Stay strong in Google Maps and organic search (local SEO matters more than ever)
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Shift ad dollars to highest-performing campaigns
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Improve website conversion rates to squeeze more from existing traffic
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Communicate consistently with existing customers through email or retargeting
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Understand what their competitors are doing—and how to respond strategically
If you can prove that your agency is helping them stay top-of-mind while others go quiet, they’ll keep you around. And they’ll remember who helped them hold the line.
5. Retention Beats Acquisition. Serve Who You Have.
This one is simple.
In a recession, the best revenue protection strategy isn’t lead gen.
It’s client retention.
Who already trusts you?
Who’s still paying your invoice every month?
Who can you surprise with extra value, proactive support, or real results?
The clients you keep during the downturn will become your best case studies, referral sources, and revenue base when things rebound.
So don’t just chase new deals—serve the hell out of your current ones.
Final Thought
Recessions reveal what kind of partner you really are.
You can be the kind that disappears, discounts, or dilutes your value.
Or you can be the kind that leads with clarity, steadiness, and performance.
You’re not just selling ads. You’re helping small businesses survive.
And if you do that well, you’ll come out of this thing stronger, leaner, and more trusted than ever before.
This wraps our Recession-Proofing Your Small Business series.
If you’ve made it through these eight posts—thank you.
If you want to go back to the beginning, here’s our first post.
And if you’re ready to talk strategy for your own business, reach out. That’s what I’m here for.