“The best agency account manager ever? 6am. Coffee. Croissant. Everyday.”

That was the opening line from the CMO briefing for one of the biggest public tenders I’d ever attended.

And from that moment, the alarm bells were ringing loud and clear.

My agency was flying: 30% growth year on year.
Great creative reputation.
Clients loved us.
70% new biz strike rate.

So when the invite came to pitch for this huge account, it felt like our moment.

Only a handful of top agencies were in the room. And all of us were doing the polite, awkward shuffle, pretending not to care while clocking each other.

Then the CMO arrived late. Alarm bell #1.
He shook hands with agency leads he knew and ignored the rest of us. Alarm #2.

Then that line about the 6am coffee & croissant, delivered from a small stage like we were at a revival meeting. Alarm #3.
And it only got worse.

Back at the ranch, my team and I called it:
This had all the signs of a toxic client.
One that drains your team, erodes margins, and leaves you trying to fix a broken relationship that was never right.

But here’s the thing:
We weren’t independent anymore and were part of a group.
And this was a trophy client for them.

And if I’m honest?
I didn’t stand my ground hard enough with the holdco.

So we caved. And we pitched.
And, surprise, we won.

High fives all round. Champagne.
Victory emails from big cheeses. Internal whoops.

But I still had a sinking feeling.

And for good reason.

After we pitched, the client changed the rules.
They split the role across multiple agencies.
What was promised as a big, coherent piece of business suddenly became fragmented, vague scopes, turf wars baked in.

Then it started.

The client was erratic.
Difficult. Demanding.
The revenue didn’t match the pitch promise.

We’d sold our soul on hourly rates just to win, so margins were paper-thin.
We couldn’t invest properly.
The team were overworked.
Morale was tanking.

Then the final blow:
The CMO left under a cloud of suspicion.
The entire marketing budget was frozen.

It was like watching a car crash in slow motion.
From that first sentence,
he alarm bells had been right.

Here’s what I learned:
🔔 Trust your instincts. Those bells ring for a reason.
🏆 Trophy clients mean nothing if they destroy your team.
📉 Low-margin wins often cost more than they earn.
💬 Be crystal clear with your board when a pitch feels wrong.

I help leaders navigate decisions like this.
Ones where the stakes are high, trade-offs messy, and the right answer isn’t obvious.
Do we chase short-term revenue or protect long-term value?
Do we say yes to growth, or no to burnout?
Do we follow pressure, or follow principles?

It’s about staying clear on what matters most, so you can act with conviction.