How to Run Effective Client Meetings That Don't Waste Time

The Meeting Problem

You schedule a 1-hour client call. You prepare slides. You clear your afternoon.

The meeting:

• First 15 minutes: Small talk and catching up
• Next 20 minutes: Client goes off on tangents
• Next 15 minutes: Circular discussion with no decisions
• Last 10 minutes: "Let's schedule another call to discuss this"

Result: You wasted an hour and made zero progress.

Sound familiar?

The truth: Most client meetings are theater. They make everyone feel busy without actually accomplishing anything.

This guide will fix that.

The 3 Types of Client Meetings (And When to Use Each)

1. Decision-Making Meetings

Purpose: Get approval, make choices, move forward

When to use:

• Client needs to choose between design options
• Budget allocation decisions
• Timeline/scope changes
• Launch decisions

Duration: 30-45 minutes max

Outcome: Clear decision made, action items assigned

2. Status Update Meetings

Purpose: Report progress, surface issues

When to use:

• Weekly/biweekly project check-ins
• Monthly retainer updates
• Quarterly business reviews

Duration: 15-30 minutes

Outcome: Everyone aligned on status, blockers identified

Pro tip: Most status updates shouldn't be meetings. Send an email or dashboard link instead. Only meet if you need discussion.

3. Strategic Meetings

Purpose: Planning, brainstorming, big-picture thinking

When to use:

• Kickoff meetings
• Campaign planning
• Quarterly strategy sessions
• Annual planning

Duration: 60-90 minutes

Outcome: Strategy document, plan of action, agreed direction

The Perfect Meeting Structure

Before the Meeting (Preparation)

1. Send an agenda 24 hours ahead

Bad agenda:

Meeting agenda:
- Project update
- Discuss next steps
- Q&A

Good agenda:

Meeting agenda (30 min):

1. [5 min] Quick wins from last week
   - Social engagement up 40%
   - New blog post published

2. [15 min] DECISION NEEDED: Choose ad creative direction
   - Option A: Bold and edgy (see attached)
   - Option B: Clean and professional (see attached)
   - We need a decision today to hit deadline

3. [5 min] Upcoming deadlines
   - Draft copy due Friday
   - Your feedback needed by Monday

4. [5 min] Open issues/questions

Expected outcome: Decision on ad creative, confirm deadlines

Why it works:

• Time-boxed (people know it's 30 min, not endless)
• Specific decisions listed
• Attachments sent ahead (no surprises)
• Clear expected outcome

2. Send pre-reading materials

Don't use meeting time to PRESENT information. Send materials 24 hours ahead:

• Design mockups
• Data reports
• Strategy documents

The meeting is for discussion and decisions, not presentation.

3. Confirm attendance and timing

Send a calendar invite with:

• Zoom/meeting link
• Agenda (in description)
• Attachments
• Expected duration

During the Meeting

Minute 0-2: Set the stage

"Thanks for joining. We have 30 minutes. Our goal today is to decide on the ad creative direction so we can launch on Friday. I'll cover the two options, we'll discuss pros/cons, and you'll make a decision. Sound good?"

Why it works: Everyone knows the goal, timeline, and what success looks like.

Minute 2-25: Follow the agenda

Use a timer. Actually. Set a phone timer for each section.

When someone goes off-topic:

Polite redirect: "That's a great point about [topic]. Can we table that for now and come back to it if we have time? I want to make sure we get to the decision on the ad creative."

Minute 25-30: Recap and next steps

"Okay, let's confirm what we decided:

1. We're going with Option B (clean and professional)
2. You'll send final copy by Friday
3. We'll have ads live by Monday

Any questions? Great. I'll send a recap email in the next hour with these action items."

Why it works: No ambiguity. Everyone knows exactly what happens next.

How to Handle Common Meeting Derailers

Derailing Scenario #1: The Rambler

What happens: Client tells a 10-minute story tangentially related to the topic.

How to handle: "I love that story. To keep us on track, can we jump back to the ad creative decision? We have 15 minutes left."

Key: Acknowledge, then redirect.

Derailing Scenario #2: The Indecisive Client

What happens: You present 3 options. They say "I need to think about it."

How to handle: "I understand you want to be sure. Help me understand—what specifically do you need to think through? Is it the budget, the messaging, or something else?"

[They explain]

"Got it. What if we do this: You choose your top 2 right now. We'll mock up both, and you can make a final decision on Friday. That way we keep moving. Does that work?"

Key: Break decision into smaller chunks. Create forcing function (deadline).

Derailing Scenario #3: The "One More Thing" Person

What happens: You're wrapping up. Client says "Oh, one more thing..." and opens a 20-minute discussion.

How to handle: "That's important. We're at time for this call, but let's schedule 15 minutes tomorrow to dive into that. I'll send a calendar invite after this. For now, let's confirm our action items from today."

Key: Respect the scheduled time. Create new meeting for new topics.

Derailing Scenario #4: The Non-Responder

What happens: You ask "Does that make sense?" Silence. Crickets.

How to handle: Bad: "Okay, moving on..." Good: "Sarah, what's your take on this approach? Does it align with what you're thinking?"

Call on people by name. Direct questions get responses.

"We cut meeting time by 60% with one change: we started ending meetings at :25 or :55 instead of :30 or :00. Forced us to be efficient. Game-changer."

Meeting Alternatives (For When You Don't Need a Meeting)

Use Loom/Video Instead

Scenario: You need to walk through a design mockup.

Instead of: 30-minute Zoom call

Do this: Record 5-minute Loom video explaining the mockup. Ask client to comment with feedback. Save 25 minutes.

When it works:

• Presenting information (not discussing)
• Walkthroughs
• Tutorials
• Status updates

Use Async Communication

Scenario: Client needs to approve something simple.

Instead of: Scheduling meeting next week

Do this: Send email with approval link. Get answer in 2 hours instead of 5 days.

When it works:

• Simple yes/no decisions
• Quick approvals
• Status updates
• Non-urgent questions

Use Shared Dashboards

Scenario: Weekly status check-in meeting.

Instead of: 30-minute call to go through metrics

Do this: Client checks dashboard when they want. You only meet if there's an issue.

When it works:

• Reporting metrics
• Project status
• Timeline tracking

The Meeting Follow-Up Email Template

Send this within 1 hour of every meeting:

Subject: Meeting Recap - [Project Name] - [Date]

Hi [Client],

Quick recap of today's meeting:

DECISIONS MADE:
✓ Going with Option B (clean ad creative)
✓ Budget approved at $5,000
✓ Launch date confirmed for March 15

ACTION ITEMS:
→ You: Send final copy by Friday 3/10
→ Us: Mock up 3 ad variations by Monday 3/13
→ You: Review and approve by Wednesday 3/15

NEXT MEETING:
Monday 3/20 at 2 PM - Campaign performance review

Questions? Reply to this email or Slack me.

- [Your Name]

Why it works:

• Confirms decisions (no "I thought we agreed on something else")
• Clear owners for each action
• Next meeting scheduled
• Creates paper trail

Red Flags: When Meetings Are the Problem (Not the Solution)

Red Flag #1: You're meeting more than working

If you spend >50% of your week in meetings, something's broken.

Fix: Batch meetings (Tuesdays and Thursdays only). Protect Monday/Wednesday/Friday for deep work.

Red Flag #2: Same topics every meeting

If you discuss the same issue 3 meetings in a row without resolution, you have a decision-making problem, not a communication problem.

Fix: Force a decision. "We've discussed this for 3 weeks. Today we're deciding. Option A or B?"

Red Flag #3: Meetings to schedule meetings

"Let's schedule a call to discuss when we should have a kickoff meeting."

Fix: Just send an email with 3 proposed times. Skip the pre-meeting.

Red Flag #4: Everyone's on their phone

If attendees are multitasking, the meeting isn't valuable.

Fix: Make meetings shorter and more focused. If someone doesn't need to be there, don't invite them.

Your Meeting Audit Checklist

The Bottom Line

Good meetings:

• Have clear goals
• Start and end on time
• Result in decisions
• Have action items with owners

Bad meetings:

• "Just to touch base"
• No agenda
• Go overtime
• End with "let's schedule another meeting"

Your job as agency: Lead efficient meetings. Respect client's time. Get decisions made.

The best agencies don't have more meetings. They have fewer, better ones.