Telling people to “push back more” doesn’t fix scope creep.

It’s usually said with the best intent. If projects are running over, the instinct is to ask teams to be firmer, to challenge more, to hold the line. But in reality, it’s never that simple.

Most of the time, the issue shows up when the account team feels on the back foot. The client isn’t happy, the balance of value has shifted, and the last thing anyone wants to do in that moment is raise the topic of money.

So the work carries on. Budgets stretch. Margins slip. The data is there; people can see it happening. But they don’t always know how or when to step in.

That’s something you learn over time. You learn it by seeing senior people call things early. By hearing how those conversations are handled, how they land. And by knowing that if you do step in, you won’t be left to deal with the consequences on your own. Or that you’ll damage the relationship.

It’s very easy to let things run. To let it slide. But then, instead of dealing with it in the moment, it happens after the fact. Then someone has to go back to the client, cap in hand, to explain why things have gone over. That, or the agency takes the hit. Neither is a good outcome.

One thing I’ve found useful in the past is thinking about a “goodwill pot”.

Some clients build it over time. They bring profitable work, create opportunities to grow, and there’s a decent working relationship. In those cases, a bit of flexibility is natural. Things don’t always go exactly to plan, and there’s enough in the relationship to absorb that.

More importantly, that goodwill tends to flow both ways. 

Other clients are different. The work is harder, scope moves more often, delivery is hard, and there’s little in the way of growth or upside. They’re effectively operating in a goodwill overdraft.

Those relationships don’t usually last. Or at least, they shouldn’t.

Where it gets interesting (and frustrating!) is when overspend in those situations gets reframed as “investment in the relationship”. Sometimes that’s true. But often, it’s a story told afterwards.

If you had to make that decision upfront, consciously choosing to invest more time and money into that piece of work, it’s a harder call.

I’m not sure I’d be able to justify it.