Many people advise turning lemons into lemonade when life throws them your way. But when dealing with difficult clients, is it better to avoid the lemons altogether?

Our team consults for numerous small AdWords agencies, and we’ve observed a recurring theme among newer agencies: they jump at the prospect of bringing on new accounts, regardless of whether or not these clients are a good fit for them. These relationships often turn sour quickly, leaving the agencies in tough situations. In many instances, the time and effort invested in acquiring and onboarding these clients’ accounts exceed the actual fees paid to the agency, ultimately harming long-term client retention.

At nexus-security, our agency team conducts a comprehensive account assessment for every potential client interested in our paid search services. We evaluate not only our ability to achieve their goals but also watch for “red flags” that might indicate they wouldn’t be successful, long-term clients.

Our need for a formal RFP process became clear through hard-won experience. When we first started offering management services, we encountered our fair share of nightmare accounts. We poured our hearts and souls into these accounts, trying to prevent client churn, only to realize later that our efforts were in vain. As a result, we implemented an RFP checklist outlining all requirements for new accounts. If a prospect does not meet these standards, we walk away from the sale, regardless of how lucrative it may be.

Most successful AdWords agencies can readily identify “problem clients.” To assist new agencies in developing this intuition early on, I reached out to agency experts, asking them to share their insights on this topic.

Fortunately, several agency owners, seasoned account managers, and PPC sales executives were willing to share their thoughts. Participants included Aaron Levy, Andrew Miller, Bryant Garvin, Heather Cooan, Julie Bacchini, Kirk Williams, Mark Kennedy, Sakis Rizos, and nexus-security team members Rich Griffin and Elliott Reid. Together, we compiled a list of the top warning signs that you might be getting involved with a nightmare client. To save yourself future headaches, think carefully before taking on clients who exhibit any of these traits!

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Red Flag #1: They have a history of bad behavior in AdWords.

If an account has accumulated multiple warnings for policy violations or has been temporarily suspended in the past, it’s likely on the verge of permanent suspension. Even a minor misstep, like a disapproved ad or missing landing page disclaimers, could trigger account termination, which is incredibly difficult to recover from. Encourage potential clients to be completely transparent about their account history so you understand their standing with Google. If you’re considering taking on someone with a somewhat troubled account history, exercise extra caution when managing their campaigns. Additionally, avoid working with businesses that advertise restricted products and services, such as gambling, political campaigns, or fireworks. While their ads may have slipped past Google’s bots previously, they’ll likely be flagged by Google’s Policy enforcers once you begin making large-scale changes to their accounts.

Red Flag #2: They don’t trust you.

This was, by far, the most common response from the PPC community on this topic. Because clients entrust you with a significant portion of their advertising budget, it’s crucial that they have confidence in your skills and respect your expertise. Kirk Williams, founder of ZATO, cautions new agencies to be wary of clients who constantly question everything you say about PPC. These situations often require so much time spent defending your actions that you can’t focus on making the best decisions for the account.

Red Flag #3: They have a poor reputation online.

If your clients have numerous negative reviews online, it can significantly hinder your paid search advertising efforts.

While you may be able to generate interest in the business and drive traffic to their website, users might hesitate to convert due to the negative reputation. We recommend conducting a quick background check on the company before signing them on to ensure they have a good BBB rating and positive Yelp reviews. If their reputation is terrible, they’ll likely be a challenging account to manage. In some cases, this can also help you determine if the company is financially stable. We’ve observed some struggling companies using PPC as a last-ditch effort to attract new business, which often results in very short-term clients.

Red Flag #4: They’re opposed to testing new strategies on the account.

Prospective clients are approaching you because they’re unhappy with their current PPC management solution, so they should welcome your proposals to explore new techniques within their accounts (as long as your experiments are reasonable). If they’re overly inflexible from the outset, it may be difficult to earn their trust and convince them to be more open to testing in the future. This will not only restrict your management style but could also prevent you from achieving success within the account and retaining the client long-term. A good client understands that not all tests yield exceptional results but remains receptive to trying new PPC strategies.

Red Flag #5: They’re commitment-phobes.

Julie Bacchini, founder of Neptune Moon, compares the pre-sale process to dating. If I went on a date with someone who spent the entire evening complaining about their numerous exes AND couldn’t commit to a second date, I certainly wouldn’t pursue a relationship. Agencies encounter similar red flags while courting potential clients through the sales cycle. Don’t ignore these warning signs. Be cautious if the prospect has worked with numerous agencies in the past and has never been satisfied. In such cases, they’re likely impatient, temperamental, or have unrealistic expectations. If the prospect hesitates to sign a contract altogether, it’s best to walk away.

Red Flag #6: They refuse to acknowledge that their website is a disaster zone.

We all know this—our PPC efforts are pointless if we’re directing searchers to a terrible AdWords landing page.

We can identify the perfect keyword combinations, attract visitors with compelling ad copy, achieve a click… and then BAM, the moment they land on the disastrous website, they bolt back to the search results page and click on your competitors’ ads. If your prospect’s website is subpar and they’re willing to make improvements, they could be a good fit (especially if you offer web development/design services). However, if they’re adamant about sticking with their current site, decline the sale.

Red Flag #7: They can’t define their goals.

A potential client without concrete PPC goals sounds like a goldmine, right?

Wrong—just because they struggle to articulate clear goals doesn’t mean they don’t have expectations about what they hope to see the PPC account achieve. Often, when prospects fail to provide clear benchmarks for success, it means they need some education on paid search. Take the time to explain KPIs to them and help them understand what you can realistically achieve in their account. Without this initial alignment, you may lose the client early on because they don’t grasp the value you bring to their overall advertising campaigns.

Red Flag #8: Their goals are wildly unreasonable.

AdWords agency experts cited this as a frequent problem. In some cases, prospects fixate on the wrong metrics and remain unwilling to budge on these requirements, despite attempts to shift their perspectives. For example, I’ve encountered numerous prospects obsessed with their Quality Scores rather than more tangible measures of success like cost-per-acquisition (CPA) or conversions. Even more common are clients who expect guaranteed results from the get-go. Anyone familiar with paid search knows this is an absurd expectation, as significant account changes often take months to implement and optimize. If you can’t realistically adjust your prospects’ expectations in these situations, they’re probably more trouble than they’re worth.

Red Flag #9: They don’t respect your schedule.

Undoubtedly, it’s crucial for clients to build strong relationships with their account managers. They should have regular meetings to discuss changes in the business model, upcoming promotions, account trends, and more. However, it’s a major red flag when prospective clients miss scheduled meetings or constantly call and email with questions about their accounts. If they disregard these boundaries during the sales process, things will likely worsen once you take over their account. Time spent managing the client detracts from the time you have to work on their account. Bryant Garvin also advises new agencies to watch out for potential clients who “want to set expectations for the ‘quantity’ of communication (especially by phone/video chat) without valid reasons why.”

Red Flag #10: Your gut says no.

I’ll conclude with this insightful advice from Julie Bacchini—if a potential client doesn’t feel like the right fit, have the confidence to walk away from the sale. Even if your reasoning isn’t entirely concrete, if you’re not enthusiastic about working on the account, decline the sale. Otherwise, you’ll find yourself dreading the time spent on it and feeling like it’s distracting you from other clients. Focus your energy on accounts you genuinely enjoy managing!