WHEN YOUR CLIENT DOES NOT FOLLOW YOUR ADVICE, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

Posted on by Contributing Writer

Image created with canva

 

By staying empathetic, setting boundaries, and protecting your work through documentation, franchise consultants can navigate these challenging situations while preserving their professional standing and reinforcing the value of their expertise. Each of these elements helps franchise consultants protect their roles and deliver the best possible outcomes despite client challenges.

 

WHEN YOUR CLIENT DOES NOT FOLLOW YOUR ADVICE, WHAT CAN YOU DO?

 

By FMM Contributor

 

When clients ignore advice, it poses unique challenges, especially in franchise consulting, where clients depend on professional insight for success. The core strategies for managing this situation include clear communication, setting boundaries, and documenting concerns—each essential for maintaining professionalism and protecting your reputation as a consultant.

 

Document All Communications: Documenting recommendations is crucial when a client disregards advice. Written communication can indicate if a project’s outcomes falter due to a client’s choices. This approach is common in architecture and finance, where clients are regularly reminded of the risks of diverging from the initial plan and asked to acknowledge the impact of their decisions in writing.​

 

Set Boundaries Early: Reinforcing boundaries can prevent misunderstandings about the consultant’s role. Coaches, for instance, clarify their advisory role early on, ensuring clients understand the importance of staying aligned with strategic advice. This can also help the client evaluate the financial implications of ignoring expert recommendations, aiding in maintaining project integrity​.

 

Highlight the Benefits of Following Recommendations: Another practical approach is to use solid examples to illustrate the impact of adhering to or ignoring professional advice. For example, financial consultants may compare a portfolio’s performance with and without diversification to demonstrate the tangible benefits of following strategic advice​.

 

Withdraw if Necessary: When clients consistently resist advice to the detriment of the project, consultants sometimes opt to withdraw their services. This can be a difficult choice, but one that protects both the consultant’s reputation and integrity. In high-stakes industries like architecture, where noncompliance could result in liability, withdrawing can be the best way to mitigate risk​.

 

Helpful Summary

By staying empathetic, setting boundaries, and protecting your work through documentation, franchise consultants can navigate these challenging situations while preserving their professional standing and reinforcing the value of their expertise.

Each of these elements helps franchise consultants protect their roles and deliver the best possible outcomes despite client challenges.

 

Sources:

Here is a list of sources used for the article on managing situations where clients do not follow advice:

  1. Creative Boom – Article on handling clients who ignore advice, emphasizing setting boundaries and documenting conversations.
  1. Boss Project – Discusses managing client expectations and overcoming imposter syndrome when clients disregard advice.
  1. Pro-Demnity – Covers the importance of documenting advice, setting clear client boundaries, and withdrawing services when necessary to avoid liability.
  1. International Coaching Federation – Provides insights on coaching ethics, managing client resistance, and establishing boundaries.
  1. Investment News – Examines financial advisers’ strategies to guide reluctant clients, including the importance of patience and documented examples to illustrate advisory value.

 

LEARN MORE HERE

 

This article was researched, outlined and edited with the support of A.I.

Leave a Reply