Carole Mahoney on Shifting Your Sales Mindset From Vendor to Partner

Rapid digital acceleration and shifting buyer behaviors have led to a reimagination of the agency-client dynamic. The relationship is more than transactional; it's built around alignment and partnership.

In sectors such as IT and marketing development, this shift is even more pronounced, as innovation cycles are short and every decision must deliver measurable value. Agencies and service providers that once operated as external support teams are now invited into strategic conversations and expected to contribute to foresight and direction.

It's no longer enough to be the vendor that gets things done. Clients are seeking collaborators who understand the complexity of their environments and are committed to achieving long-term outcomes. To meet this shift, providers have to redefine their sales mindset. They must let go of the idea that the sale ends with the signature and instead build a relationship that extends beyond the sale and into post-sale optimization.

The question here becomes: What does it take to be a great and trustworthy partner for clients, not just another vendor? Let's answer it in detail with insights from Carole Mahoney, founder of Unbound Growth. 

Redefining the Agency-Client Relationship

The agency-client relationship has undergone a fundamental shift, driven by digital transformation and rising customer expectations. In the past, vendor sales models were sufficient. Agencies were brought in to complete a task or deliver a campaign, often with limited visibility into the client's broader strategy.

Today, that model falls short. B2B clients are under pressure to integrate complex tech stacks and deliver results across multiple channels.

They're looking for strategic partners who can anticipate problems and co-create solutions that align with their goals. The shift toward partner sales has altered the way agencies present their services and engage with clients after the sale.

They have to understand the client's business environment in depth. More importantly, they must take ownership of outcomes in addition to deliverables. Agencies that cling to the outdated vendor sales model will struggle to keep pace with the market.

What Does Success Mean for Your Client?

An effective agency-client partnership is based on the question: What does success look like for the client; what do they want, by when, and why? 

Too many service providers jump into execution without understanding the client's definition of success. As a result, the misalignment results in missed expectations and fragmented strategies.

In our interview, Carole Mahoney discusses the primary step they take as they approach clients. She shares “I think the first thing you need to understand, and this is something I drill into all of my agency owners, is understanding what kind of results they need to see, by when, and why it matters.”

“From there, you can figure out how to best collaborate with them or even understand if you can help them at all,” Mahoney adds. “It’s really about making sure your conversations focus on getting that piece of information.”

When you ask these questions, it helps surface what actually matters for the client. For example, are they focused on revenue growth or market share? Maybe they want to improve customer retention.

One way to ground this process is through the SMART goals framework, which requires goals to be specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and time-bound. So, the goal shouldn't be overly broad, such as "to increase traffic."

In this example, a SMART goal would be "increasing qualified B2B traffic by 10% within 60 days to support sales pipeline targets." Since the latter is clearer, it reduces ambiguity and makes it easier to track progress.

Setting Realistic Expectations

A strong partner sales approach requires guiding clients toward realistic outcomes based on current constraints and market conditions. For that, you have to translate the answer to the questions you asked them above into a specific and realistic goal.

A client may claim they want to double their qualified lead volume in 30 days solely through organic content. It's an unrealistic expectation, especially in spaces where search engine optimization (SEO) takes time.

Speaking from her experience, Mahoney explains how important it is to understand their needs when setting practical goals. “From there, you can figure out how to best collaborate with them or even understand if you can help them at all. It’s really about making sure your conversations focus on getting that piece of information.”

“If you take on a client expecting those kinds of results in such a short time, they’ll be disappointed, and you’ll lose the client.” She also warns about the impact of committing to unrealistic expectations. “So, it comes down to setting the right expectations with clients—so you can keep them happy, and they’ll refer you to others. That’s still the fastest way to grow your business.”

A more realistic expectation would be to increase qualified leads by 15% over the next 90 days through SEO, paid acquisition, and targeted email outreach. The shift frames success, making it achievable and scalable.

However, setting realistic expectations doesn't mean lowering the bar. You just have to use your expertise to ground ambitions in data, timelines, and proven strategies.

Clients rely on agencies for more than just execution. They're also looking for advice. So, you need to be candid when timelines are too short or strategies lack key components. Your honest and strategic advice may not always be easy to deliver, but it builds credibility and lays the foundation for long-term partnerships.

Building Strong Communication

Effective communication helps nurture the agency-client relationship because it goes beyond status updates and becomes a strategic channel for building trust and reinforcing alignment.

The first step is establishing a clear communication structure. This includes regular check-ins, which can be held weekly, bi-weekly, or monthly, depending on the project's complexity and pace. These meetings should be purposeful and focus on reviewing key performance indicators (KPIs), addressing any roadblocks, and ensuring everyone remains aligned.

Equally important is defining the right reporting cadence. Data overload can be just as detrimental as underreporting. Ask your client how they prefer to receive updates and how frequently they would like to review progress. Then, tailor your reporting structure to their needs.

Additionally, it's best to assign a dedicated account manager to handle the communication channels. This individual will serve as the primary point of contact to facilitate day-to-day communications and translate client feedback into actionable internal priorities.

Mahoney advises agency owners and executives to be more involved and to exert more effort into checking in on their clients. She explains “As the agency owner, if you’re the one who sold them, I recommend checking in at least once a month to see if the promise you made is being delivered. Also, find out what improvements can be made.”

These meetings don't need to be long, but they are invaluable for identifying gaps and assessing satisfaction. They also signal to the client that leadership is invested in the partnership.

Communication Allows for Quick Action

Besides scheduled meetings, strong communication is also intended to foster a culture of transparency, where issues and opportunities, regardless of size and complexity, are brought to light early. A proactive mindset reduces the risk of misalignment and allows your team to pivot quickly when needed.

For example, if a campaign isn't hitting the expected benchmarks, waiting until the next quarterly review isn't an option. Proactive communication keeps your agency agile and responsive. In simple terms, you can solve problems in real-time, not after the damage has been done.

5 Practical Tips for Nurturing Agency-Client Relationships

Agencies have the power to nurture meaningful and results-driven relationships with their clients. These relationships can be built on trust and consistent value. Rather than just delivering excellent work, the relationship is about being a proactive and collaborative partner who supports the client's goals.

1. Begin by establishing a strong agency-client relationship for a seamless onboarding process. In the first few weeks, you set the tone of the relationship. So, walk your clients through your process, introduce them to key team members, set clear expectations early, and share timelines in a concise and easy-to-understand format. Onboarding is the immediate signal that your agency is organized and prepared to deliver.
    
2. Next comes customizing reports for your clients since generic dashboards often fail to show the full picture. Learn which metrics your client values most and how they prefer to consume data, such as through visual dashboards, a monthly deep dive, or a quick executive summary. Customized reporting further deepens agency-client alignment and supports strategic conversations.
    
3. Proactively suggest recommendations to help your clients make informed decisions about their next move. Use your insights into their business to recommend optimizations or campaign pivots to drive growth. Even a small idea like testing a different call-to-action (CTA) can signal attentiveness and strategic thinking. Proactivity indicates that you've moved from a vendor sales role to a partner sales mindset.
    
4. Remember to celebrate your client's success. If they achieve great results or reach a milestone, send them a note, share a shoutout on LinkedIn, or create a brief internal report that highlights how your collaboration contributed to those results. When you recognize their success, it demonstrates that you're invested in your client's wins, not just the deliverables you promised to provide.
    
5. Get to know your clients personally by checking in during calls or meetings, as strong relationships are built on more than just metrics or deliverables. For example, ask about their team or a recent conference experience to create small, informal touchpoints that humanize your interactions and create rapport beyond business.

Each of these tips contributes to a deeper agency-client relationship, where communication is effortless and both sides work equally toward a common goal. As a result, clients turn to such agencies for growth and guidance, not just output.

Key to Agency Success? Happy Clients

Issues will inevitably arise in any agency-client relationship. You miss deadlines, strategies underperform, or internal priorities shift. It's a part of business.

As Mahoney shares, “The reality is something’s going to go wrong. Somewhere along the line, something won’t go as expected. The true test of the relationship isn’t when things are going perfectly, but how you react when they go wrong. That’s what actually builds trust.”

The key takeaway is what differentiates successful agencies from those stuck in constant churn is how they handle these moments. Strong communication and mutual trust make challenges manageable. Your clients aren't expecting perfection from you, but they do require responsiveness and accountability.

Cater to this requirement by shifting your sales mindset from vendor to partner. Define success from the client's perspective and set realistic expectations based on data and resources. Plus, foster strong communication and establish relationship-strengthening habits, such as personalized reports and genuine human connections.

All these efforts will pay off when you realize how cost-effective it is to retain existing clients instead of acquiring new ones. Happy clients renew contracts, refer peers, and often become advocates, which ultimately brings in more business.

About Carole Mahoney, Founder of Unbound Growth

Carole Mahoney, the Founder of Unbound Growth, is a sales coach for the Entrepreneurial MBA program at Harvard Business School, where she’s been called “the Sales Therapist.” She draws on cutting-edge science, statistics, and data from 2.2 million sales professionals to inform her sales coaching work with clients.

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Elaine Margrethe Alcantara Content Writer at Clutch

Elaine Margrethe is a part of Clutch’s global team of writers. She is responsible for writing blogs, supporting blog processes, and content creation efforts.

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