Your client now has a second opinion. On everything. “AI says we should increase
By Simon Ellicott · October 27, 2026 · Curated by George's Blog
Your client now has a second opinion. On everything.
“AI says we should increase our advertising budget. Why aren’t we?”
Imagine that arriving before your next account review.
The recommendation may be sensible.
It may also be based on a different objective, incomplete information or assumptions nobody has checked.
Dismissing it because “AI doesn’t understand your business” is a weak response.
Especially if your agency cannot explain what it understands that changes the answer.
Suppose you have held spending steady because stock is limited and the next shipment is delayed.
Or because the client agreed to prioritise contribution profit over revenue.
Or because the product’s economics do not support the proposed acquisition cost.
Those are reasons the client can assess.
But were they recorded?
Discussed?
Reflected in the plan?
If they only exist in the account manager’s head, the client sees an agency standing still beside a tool suggesting action.
This is where I think AI advice becomes particularly consequential: after the sale.
A vague service promise leaves room for every new recommendation to become an expectation.
“Why aren’t you doing this?”
“Isn’t that included?”
“Should we have been looking at this already?”
Sometimes those questions expose a real delivery gap.
Sometimes they reveal a misunderstanding about scope.
Sometimes the new recommendation is better than the existing plan.
The agency needs to establish which, and be willing to change its advice.
A useful response might be:
“That could help if revenue growth is the priority. Our current plan protects margin while stock is constrained. Here’s what would need to change before we recommend increasing spend.”
Now there is a commercial conversation.
For agency owners, the preparation starts before the challenge arrives: agreed objectives, clear responsibilities and recommendations with visible reasoning.
Your client having another source of advice can strengthen that conversation.
Can your team explain why its recommendation fits this client, and what evidence would change its mind?