We are in a hole with several clients that take way more time with meetings and calls than is necessary. My team feels spread too thin. Any tips on how to tell them that we’re cutting back on their call time without seeming too harsh or telling them that we have other clients that are priorities other than them?

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Kindly remind them at the start of your meetings that you have hard stops at the end of the hour or whenever the meeting is supposed to end. You’re not in the wrong for doing this and it will make them better prepared for accommodating your time.

You may also propose reconvening for a part 2 of the meeting if there isn’t enough time. I think the most important part of all this is to respect the time block and not go over.

If you feel the time blocked is too much for the agenda then you should be able to discuss this with them. Perhaps set out the agenda if you are scheduling the call.

Bottom line:
As much as we would love to accommodate all client requests some within scope while others as courtesy, it is critical to push back when needed.

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There are numerous methods to politely inform them. Establish clear limits and treat your clients with respect when communicating. To best serve all clients, limit call and meeting time. While expressing gratitude for their collaboration, provide alternate communication channels and underline the importance of their business.

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What is the purpose of these recurring calls? To discuss ongoing projects or issues, or just to check in?

Can you present it as "Hi Mr. Client, I’d like to open a dialogue with you about our working relationship. We’ve been meeting more frequently than our average cadence, which is x number of times per [timeframe]. While I’m happy to ensure that your strategic needs are being met, I also want to be confident that we are being effective with our time together. After analyzing several of our last meetings, these are the major trends I notice. I’d love to address some of these issues, and make sure we have a timeline in place to ensure you’re confident in the platform features/etc. This will allow us to be more intentional with our meeting agendas and ensure we’re focusing on the right pieces to meet your strategic goals." Hope it helps.

This happened to me. I had to start telling people I wanted to cancel instead of asking. If there are any contracts or written agreements on meeting frequency that would be great backup but otherwise I was pretty honest. Tell them that in order to make the best use of your time to help you and your internal team, you need to cut back on the meetings. That you're still available over email and you can hop on calls ad hoc if needed.

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