10 Ways to Handle Disagreements With Clients About PR Strategies
Navigating disagreements with clients about PR strategies can be a delicate balancing act. This article presents expert-backed approaches to address and resolve conflicts effectively, ensuring both client satisfaction and campaign success. From aligning campaigns with core brand values to showcasing data-driven alternatives, these insights offer practical solutions for PR professionals facing challenging client interactions.
- Shift Focus to Compassionate Solutions
- Address Concerns Proactively for Successful Sales
- Align Campaigns with Core Brand Values
- Showcase Local Authenticity in Advertising
- Provide Honest Long-Term Advice to Clients
- Reframe Messages to Highlight Customer Benefits
- Balance Statistics with Personal Impact Stories
- Present Data-Driven Alternatives to Exaggeration
- Build Reputation Through Operational Expertise
- Emphasize Personalized Solutions for Life Transitions
Shift Focus to Compassionate Solutions
I faced this situation when my team wanted to highlight our 'fast cash' offers with language that felt pushy, especially knowing many of our sellers are dealing with inherited properties or life transitions similar to what my parents went through. I shared how my father taught me that good business comes from treating people the way you'd want your own family treated. As a result, we shifted our messaging to focus on 'compassionate solutions' and 'no-pressure consultations.'
This approach actually brought us better clients who appreciated our genuine care. Ironically, many chose to move faster because they trusted our process rather than feeling rushed into it.
Address Concerns Proactively for Successful Sales
I once encountered a client who wanted to portray their property as perfect, overlooking some evident structural issues. This approach didn't align with my commitment to transparency. Rather than directly contradict them, I gently highlighted that my role, as their advocate, was to identify challenges early so we could strategize around them. I emphasized how integrity upfront actually builds greater trust and leads to smoother transactions.
We ended up conducting a pre-inspection that allowed us to address concerns proactively. This approach led to a much more confident and successful sale than if we had tried to hide flaws.
Align Campaigns with Core Brand Values
There was a moment when leadership wanted to launch a PR campaign that emphasized luxury appeal, highlighting upscale features of certain tracts. While the idea aimed to attract a new segment, it conflicted with our core identity of providing accessible land for working families. Pushing that angle risked alienating the very community we had built trust with over decades.
The solution was to adjust the campaign narrative. Instead of leading with exclusivity, we reframed the messaging to show how some properties offered both affordability and room for long-term improvements, including custom homes or agricultural projects. This kept the aspirational tone while staying true to our mission. The compromise worked because it met leadership's desire to broaden appeal without losing alignment with our values. It reinforced the importance of protecting brand identity even when exploring new directions.
Showcase Local Authenticity in Advertising
I once disagreed with a team proposal to use stock photography and generic city skylines in our ads to look more like a 'national player'--that would undermine our Myrtle Beach identity. Instead, I insisted we showcase actual deals where park benches and local landmarks became our backdrop, telling sellers' stories of relief. This authenticity doubled follower engagement overnight because neighbors recognized their community in every frame.
Provide Honest Long-Term Advice to Clients
I don't deal with "PR strategies" or professional disagreements in a corporate way. My business is a trade. The closest I get is when a homeowner insists on a cheap, quick fix for a roof that I know needs a full replacement. My "disagreement" is with a client's short-term thinking. My "solution" is to be a person who is honest with them about the long-term cost of their decision.
A while back, a client had a few small leaks in a roof that was over 20 years old. He told me he just wanted me to patch the leaks. He had gotten a cheap price from another contractor. My "disagreement" was simple. I knew that a simple patch would be a short-term fix for a long-term problem. My "solution" was to tell him the truth.
I told him, "I can fix this for you, but I'm not going to give you a quote for a full roof. A simple patch is going to be a short-term fix, and you're going to have a new problem in a few years." I showed him the age of the roof and the condition of the plywood. The "compromise" was a simple, hands-on one. I agreed to do the repair, but I made it clear that I wasn't happy about it, and that he would need a new roof in a few years.
This approach has led to a much more resilient business. My advice is to stop looking for a corporate "solution" to your problems. The best way to "handle a situation" is to be a person who is honest and transparent. The best "compromise" is a simple, human one. The best way to build a great business is to be a person who is a good craftsman.
Reframe Messages to Highlight Customer Benefits
I once had a team member suggest a campaign that leaned heavily on the idea of buying properties "as-is, sight unseen," which I felt could come across as careless. Instead of dismissing it, I shared an example of a home we bought where hidden repair issues were actually what won the family's trust because we were upfront from the start. We ended up reframing the message to highlight how we take on the stress of repairs so sellers can move forward easily, which resonated much better and kept the integrity of our brand intact.
Balance Statistics with Personal Impact Stories
At one point, there was interest in launching a PR campaign that centered heavily on statistics about the number of children served. While the data was accurate, I felt the approach risked reducing children's stories to numbers and could unintentionally distance supporters. I raised the concern by sharing examples of past campaigns where personal narratives led to stronger engagement than raw figures.
The compromise was to weave both elements together. We moved forward with the statistical framework but paired each milestone with a child or family story that gave the numbers context. Instead of saying only that we served a certain number of families, we highlighted what that support meant in real terms. The result was a campaign that satisfied the desire for measurable outcomes while keeping the focus on human impact, preserving dignity and connection.
Present Data-Driven Alternatives to Exaggeration
I had a client who wanted to run a PR campaign that was all about exaggerating product claims, and I felt that could be a legal and credibility killer. I approached it by presenting a data-driven alternative that showed real customer success stories and verifiable product benefits. I scheduled a meeting and walked them through examples of similar campaigns in the industry and the risks of over-promising. By framing my concerns around long-term brand trust rather than just my opinion, the client was receptive. We ended up with a hybrid approach: the campaign was still strong on messaging and excitement but transparent and with clear disclaimers. This compromise allowed the client to get the buzz without the reputational risk, and in the first quarter of the campaign, engagement was 20% above target with no negative feedback. You can still get great results with an ethical approach.
Build Reputation Through Operational Expertise
You know, I once had a situation where a new, aggressive salesperson wanted to pursue a PR strategy I disagreed with professionally. The strategy was to use a lot of exaggeration and hyperbole to get a lot of attention. The goal was to get our name in a lot of publications, but I knew it would be a huge risk to our brand's credibility and our reputation.
My old way would have been to just let them do it, and I would have hoped for the best. But I realized that that's not a leader's job. My compromise was to change the goal of the PR. We stopped trying to get a lot of attention and started trying to build a reputation.
I sat down with the salesperson, and I said, "I understand you want to get a lot of attention. But what if we used that energy to build a brand that is trustworthy and is a direct reflection of our values?" I showed them a new, data-driven approach. We would use our operational data to create stories about our expertise and our commitment to our customers. The stories were not about our products; they were about a problem we had solved.
The impact this had was a massive increase in our brand's credibility and our profitability. We were no longer a company that was just getting a lot of attention. We were a company that was building a reputation. My advice is that the best way to handle a PR strategy you disagree with is to change the goal. Stop seeing PR as a megaphone for your message and start seeing it as a tool for building a brand that is trustworthy.
Emphasize Personalized Solutions for Life Transitions
When a marketing partner pushed to target only 'distressed properties' in our PR, I knew that approach would miss the mark for families like the one I helped last month who inherited a well-maintained home but needed to relocate quickly. I explained that our real strength lies in understanding coastal North Carolina's diverse seller situations--whether it's a job transfer, divorce, or inherited property--so we shifted the campaign to emphasize our respectful, personalized solutions for any life transition. This approach actually brought in more serious sellers who valued our local expertise.
