The 4 Types of Personalities in Client Services and How to Handle Them

Practical advice on managing client relationships

In my last article, in which I shared the six lessons I learned from running my growth agency, one comment in particular stood out to me:

“How do you manage relationships with clients? I’ve heard that keeping clients is 50% getting them results and 50% getting them to like you. Would you agree with that?”

The advice above is generally solid, although I would replace the phrase “getting them to like you” with “getting them to trust you.” No matter how well things are going with clients at any given time, you will inevitably hit a rough patch.

You might have a few down weeks or a down month. You might need to experiment with new strategies to take results to the next level and hit some bumps along the way. There may be a technical glitch or tracking problem that takes time to solve and causes results to go haywire. When these things happen, your ability to instill trust in your clients, control the narrative, and convince them to stick with you through thick and thin is the key to success.

However, one issue with nearly all advice I have seen on client management is that it is almost always cookie-cutter and seldom based on hands-on experience. Having worked closely with 100s of clients in my career, I have identified four distinct personalities you are all but guaranteed to encounter. Each personality has different characteristics and requires a different approach. I would like to add that these personalities also exist in many scenarios outside of client services. If your startup has investors, if you work in customer success, or if you have a boss, you are sure to see variants of these personalities at play, and by knowing best how to work with them, you can set yourself up for success.

The 4 different personality types

Personality #1: The Bulldozer

Background: Type-A personality. Hands-on, domineering, nit-picky, critical. They will question every decision you make and attempt to take the reins of decision-making if you allow them.

Pros/Cons: Working with the Bulldozer has two benefits. The first is that they are honest and will let you know exactly where you stand with them (usually, with them stating you are not good enough and they could do your job themselves if they desired). The second is that there is generally at least some truth to their criticisms, and working with these types can help you level up. The downside to working with the Bulldozer is that it can be exhausting and demoralizing. Their constant criticisms, nitpicking, and second-guessing can easily affect your confidence and make it hard to do your best work.

When Results Go South: When results go south, the Bulldozer will likely become increasingly critical of you, wrestle back control, and start doing things themselves, only handing back the reins reluctantly when things have calmed down, but with far less trust in you.

Solution: You must control the situation and demonstrate your superior subject matter mastery and expertise. Do your homework and ensure you are sufficiently prepared to present clear, well-thought-out plans to these types and have pre-planned answers to all objections. While allowing the Bulldozer to take control and handle certain parts of the engagement can be tempting, they will inevitably resent you for it, asking, “What am I paying you for?” before expressing frustration and threatening to hire someone else. These types enjoy a challenge, and only when they feel they have been outmatched and outmaneuvered do they feel secure in relinquishing some level of control and stepping back.

“I don’t care if you have 10 years of experience - you’re a buffoon!”

Personality #2: The People Pleaser

Background: Passive, agreeable, warm, and chatty. Everything you do will be met with, “This is great. Super happy to see the results!” and “Thanks again - I love working with you!” They rarely push back on your decision-making, and often, they don’t have a good pulse on what is happening.

Pros/Cons: Working with the People Pleaser has two benefits. The first is that while you are working with them, it is almost always a smooth and harmonious relationship. The second is that they are usually supportive and encouraging of your strategy, so you have free rein to take the actions you believe are necessary to drive results. The downside is that these types are seldom honest with you. They rarely run the show themselves due to their overly deferential style, and usually behind them is a hard-nosed boss or manager putting a lot of pressure on them to see results. This makes it hard to know how your work's quality is perceived and increases the likelihood of a surprise contract termination.

When Results Go South: When results go south, the People Pleaser will likely continue insisting everything is fine and that you are doing your best before unexpectedly ending the engagement and voicing many concerns and frustrations once it is too late.

Solution: Make sure you have objective, transparent, written goals and are holding yourself accountable to these goals, regardless of what feedback the People Pleaser gives you. If the People Pleaser has a boss, suggest roping them into the calls semi-regularly (e.g., 1x/a month) so you can start to build a relationship with them and ensure they are satisfied with your work. Always give the People Pleaser a few short bullet points highlighting your progress and wins, and repeat these points repeatedly. People Pleasers usually are not super attentive to all the details of your work, so you want to ensure they have a few clear wins they can share with their boss or broader team.

Do not take the People Pleaser at their word on how things are going. Poking and prodding will also not get you anywhere, as the People Pleaser is sure to insist that “I’m thrilled” and “Things look good.” If you do take the People Pleaser’s proclamations seriously, you are sure to be blindsided in the future, notified that the engagement is over and that, “Actually, there were a lot of concerns and things I was not happy with.”

“Woot, I <3 these results! Let’s do a high five to celebrate!”

Personality #3: The Team Player

Background: Friendly, accommodating, and reasonable, but with a good sense of boundaries and a strong backbone. The Team Player is usually someone with competency in their respective domain. Still, they are not as knowledgeable as you in your domain and thus defer to your authority. These types are likely to come to meetings with ideas or fresh perspectives but usually approach it from a curious mindset: “I have heard _____ from my friend who has been in business for 5 years. Does this square with your experience?” This contrasts sharply with the Bulldozer, who will likely bring up the matter by saying, “I read that we should be doing _____. Why are you not following best practices?”

Pros/Cons: Working with the Team Player has two benefits. The first is that the relationship is far more collaborative than the other three types, and you often get good ideas or fresh perspectives from the partnership. The second is that the Team Player effectively straddles the line between being direct/honest and supportive/encouraging, so you get the best of both worlds. The downside of working with the Team Player is that your relationship can feel much more personal, and poor performance or a contract termination can sting a lot more.

When Results Go South: When results go south, the Team Player will likely be upfront with you at each step, letting you know they are frustrated and giving you a timeline to turn things around before they need to look into alternatives.

Solution: The Team Player really appreciates the chance to come with you on the journey and learn. Make sure to be vocal about explaining why you are making the decisions that you do and seek their input at each step so it feels like a collaborative partnership rather than you making executive decisions. No matter the outcome, if these types feel like they are learning and improving themselves because of your partnership, they are highly likely to continue working together.

“I like what I’m seeing. What’s our plan for the next 2-3 months?”

Personality #4: The Silent Partner

Background: Private, impersonal, calculating, and highly data-driven, these types tend to be very straight shooters. While the other three types are likely to build a personal relationship with you to some extent, the Silent Partner could not care less. Their message is: “Hit the numbers, and I am happy. Miss the numbers, and I will fire you and find someone else.” They are often busy or preoccupied with other parts of their business or work and see your working relationship as a means to an end so they can make more money. They usually refuse to hop on consistent calls or frequently dodge them.

Pros/Cons: Working with the Silent Partner has two benefits. The first is that of all the types, they are the most brutally honest; thus, you are rarely surprised or blindsided. The second is that working with them requires you to be honest with yourself and assess your skills and capabilities. There is no place to hide, no spinning the narrative or dressing up the results. You either succeed or fail based on objective criteria, which can be humbling. The downside of working with the Silent Partner is the black-and-white nature of the engagement. Even if your results suffer because of factors outside your control, they are rarely sympathetic and have no hesitation in firing you and moving on.

When Results Go South: When results go south, the Silent Partner usually warns you, “30 days or less. We better be hitting [specific results], or I will cut the contract.” This sounds superficially like the Team Player, but it is a lot more precise, direct, and with far less sympathy.

Solution: With the Silent Partner, you need to have clear, objective performance goals and provide them with regular updates on your progress toward hitting those numbers. Set goals on a longer-term basis (e.g., quarterly or bi-annually) so the Silent Partner is not inclined to overreact to short-term performance fluctuations.

Ultimately, the be-all and end-all with these types of people is hitting performance metrics. If you hit the numbers, they keep paying you, and if you do not, no amount of rationalizing or explaining yourself will change their minds.

“You have 5 minutes. Tell me if we hit the numbers or if I need to fire you”

Conclusion

This article covered the four personality types in client services and how best to manage each. Hopefully, you will now be better equipped to recognize and handle each personality and will have better working relationships as a result.