Why Agencies Are Being Fired in 2026 and The Post Scope Era with Raul Hernandez Ochoa

Why are agencies getting fired more often in 2026, even when they’re doing “good work”?

In this episode of The Happy Clients Podcast, I sit down with Raul Hernandez to break down what’s really changing in the agency world, and why traditional scopes, services, and delivery models aren’t enough anymore.

In this episode, we cover:

• Why agencies are being fired (even when results look “fine”)
• What clients actually expect from agencies in 2025
• The difference between being a vendor vs. a strategic partner
• How top agencies build trust beyond deliverables
• Why “just fulfilling the scope” is no longer enough
• What sustainable agency growth looks like right now

This episode is for agency owners who want to retain clients, increase lifetime value, and build relationships that last, not just close deals.

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[HELPFUL LINKS]

Onboarding Checklist: Grab⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠our⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠ onboarding checklist here⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠. ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠

[ABOUT THIS PODCAST]

Welcome to the Happy Clients Podcast, brought to you by DOT and Company-- the world's best and only team of client account managers for digital marketing agencies. Whether you're a virtual assistant, an agency owner, or a client-facing account manager, we all deal with clients. Lucky for you. client management is what we do best. On the happy client's podcast, we won't shy away from the ups and downs of managing clients in the agency world, but we'll be right there alongside you to learn together and share the real juicy stuff we'll undoubtedly face when it comes to client management. Now, let's dig in, chat CAM life and have some fun along the way.

Cheers, to happy clients!