I recently had a conversation with a good friend who is a marketing consultant. She relayed a story about a client who hired her to help her with her marketing efforts but then blocked every attempt to implement a new approach.

If this client wasn’t blocking progress, she was complaining incessantly about all the changes that were occurring. Bottom line: she wasn’t comfortable with change and could not adapt.

Unfortunately, this scenario is not uncommon with consultants. Nor is it uncommon for copywriters and many other types of service providers.

Clients make the decision to improve their business by hiring experts. But many times, those same clients who want different results are hesitant to try something new.

Although deep inside they know their business could improve, they are uncomfortable with the transition to a new approach, a new perspective, or a new model.

When a client hires someone to help them with marketing their business, whether it’s a consultant, a web designer, a graphic designer or a copywriter—there needs to be a frank discussion about change and the client’s expectations.

Many client/service provider relationships have soured because of the client’s resistance to change. Constant micro-managing, faultfinding, and questioning a provider’s intentions wastes resources, not to mention being counter-productive.

So what is the solution?

For the client

First, if you’re someone seeking to hire an expert, you need to do due diligence to ensure the expert is indeed skilled in the area you need.

Ask yourself: What do I need to know and see in order to trust this person?

Look at a service provider’s portfolio, testimonials, recommendations, or case studies if available. You want to examine as much proof as possible that they know what they’re doing.

Second, you need to have an honest discussion with yourself. Realize that doing things the way you’ve usually done them has only gotten you so far. If you want to reach your business goals, you need a new strategy. That is what a vendor can provide.

Accept that having someone else’s eyes look at your business is a good thing. A good vendor seeks to help your business and help you achieve success.

Look for ways to establish trust in the relationship. Be forthcoming about what you’ve tried, what has worked and what hasn’t worked. Give your service provider everything they need to do their job. You chose them for this purpose. Now let them help you.

For the service provider

You are in business to help people. With your expertise, you can help a client understand the decisions that got them to where they are today—and give them a blueprint for how to get to where they want to be.

You are in the “change-making” business. You are also may be more of a risk-taker than your client. Understand that pointing your client toward a new direction requires sensitivity and diplomacy. Most people who have a difficult time dealing with change are coming from a place of fear.

Your client may be afraid that:

• His investment isn’t going to pay off
• Customers won’t adapt to the change
• She’ll look stupid or misinformed
• You’ll take advantage of his lack of knowledge or experience in this area
• Change will ruin the status quo, even if she realizes she wants more, she doesn’t want to lose what she currently has

Those are just a few of the concerns and there are probably more. It’s your job to reassure your client as much as possible with the answers she needs while emphasizing your expertise.

Some clients need a little more hand-holding than others. Remember the times you have been on that end and wondered if your car mechanic was over-charging you or if your accountant really knew what he was doing.

Remind yourself that you’re in the business to help people. If you’re involved in marketing, you’re there to help your client get results. Show patience in communicating with your client. Try to figure out their biggest concerns and then find a way to professionally respond to them.

Finally, some client/service provider relationships simply aren’t a good fit. If a client is sapping your energy, it’s time to cut her loose and wish her well.

Ultimately, both parties need to be comfortable with change. The client needs to change their mindset in order to get what they want. The service provider needs to change their strategy at times to accommodate the client.

As it’s been said, change is never easy. But one way we can make it more palatable is by communicating with one another and clearly defining what needs to happen for the changes to succeed. We also need to manage expectations.

Otherwise, it just gets messy and the potential for accomplishing big things gets flushed down the toilet.

Success doesn’t happen when you stay in your comfort zone. It happens after you’ve embraced change. Make sure to have these conversations often with yourself so you can achieve the most for your business.