When you visit a doctor, you don't tell them which medicine to give or how to perform an operation; you trust them to know what’s best for you. However, when it comes to training, clients often try to dictate every detail. They choose the topics, the session length, and even the teaching methods. But what they ask for isn’t always what truly works.
We pride ourselves on customizing training to make it relevant and engaging. However, when a client’s requests start to sound more like a “do it my way” list, almost like a patient trying to micromanage a surgery; we face a tough choice. Do we follow their ideas, suggest a better alternative, or find a compromise between the two?
Why Clients Insist on Their Own Way of Customizing Training
Clients want the best training solutions and expect them to be worth every penny they invest. You should respect both their challenges and their understanding of training. Keeping the following aspects in mind can be extremely helpful.
Familiarity Bias: I once had a client who said role-playing exercises were a waste of time because, in their mind, their experienced employees only needed theory. We ran one session with role-playing and one without. The group that participated in role-playing, of course, remembered more. Just like many patients, clients sometimes stick with what they already know, even if there’s better evidence available.
Short-Term Focus: A retail company planned a one-day customer service training and skipped any follow-up sessions. Six months later, they admitted that the improvements had faded over time. We later introduced a spaced-learning approach that really boosted their long-term customer satisfaction. Much like expecting a single doctor’s visit to solve a chronic problem, one quick session isn’t enough.
Perceived Control: A manufacturing company wanted to control every part of the training and didn’t want our recommended flow. We ended up mixing their ideas with our proven methods. It’s similar to a patient insisting on a specific treatment plan even when the doctor’s advice is based on years of experience. Sometimes a blend of both ideas works best.
Budget Constraints: One client cut out post-training follow-ups to save money. When employees struggled to apply the new skills, they were forced to spend even more later to fix the gap. It reminds me of a patient skipping important follow-up care only to require more treatment down the road.
Resisting Change: Some institutions expect that one short workshop will magically transform their students’ communication skills. Like a patient thinking one visit will cure them, effective training takes time. A semester-wise approach produced much better results in confidence and readiness for the job market.
Mixing Up Teaching with Training: Many educators ask for a "soft skills syllabus" complete with chapters and exams, treating training just like a classroom lecture. But training is about building skills through practice. When we helped one university switch to a more hands-on, experiential model, student engagement and job placements improved a lot.
How We Can Educate the Clients
Here are a few ways to help the clients see a better path forward:
Share the Data: I always back up my suggestions with simple facts and examples. For instance, if a client doubts the power of interactive learning, I explain how gamification boosted engagement by 60% for another company. It’s a lot like a doctor showing test results to explain why one treatment is better than another.
Run a Pilot Program: Sometimes, a short test session does wonders. A financial services firm was unsure about interactive methods until we ran a small session, and the employees loved it.
Reframe the Conversation: When a client says, “We don’t need soft skills training,” I often rephrase it as “strategic communication skills for leadership.” This small change can open their eyes to the true value of what we offer.
Hold Client Workshops: When faced with a company that values text-heavy content, we organize a quick workshop on adult learning. Once they see how interactive methods work, they’re much more open to change.
Share Success Stories: Hearing about real changes can be very persuasive. I often tell stories of teams who turned things around with a training approach that was backed by research, rather than simply what the client initially wanted.
When to Push Back and When to Comply
Sometimes you have to decide how firmly to stick to your methods:
Push Back: There are times when client ideas can really harm the learning process. In one situation, I had to refuse to remove practical exercises from a leadership program. Just as a doctor wouldn’t let a patient pick their own treatment, some parts of training just aren’t up for negotiation.
Comply: Other times, the adjustments are minor. For example, if a client wants to change a few survey questions before a session, it doesn’t impact the overall quality, and we can easily accommodate that.
Find a Middle Ground: Often, a compromise can be reached. A BPO client wanted more theory, e.g. policies, procedures etc., and less practical work. We decided to mix in real-world scenarios with their preferred approach, keeping the program effective while respecting their wishes.
To Deliver or Not To Deliver?
At the end of the day, if a client sticks to an approach that clearly won’t work, you have two choices:
Do what they ask for, take the paycheck, but risk a poor outcome.
Stand by your methods and walk away to preserve your company’s credibility.
I’ve done both. Early in my career, I let clients dictate the entire training plan, and the lack of results hurt my reputation. I knew what was wrong but couldn’t muster the courage to share it with them. Over time, I learned that it’s better to protect the quality and effectiveness of the training; even if it means losing a client.
Training should always be about making the learning experience better, not just following orders. Just like you trust a doctor’s expertise for your health, clients need to trust the proven methods we use. By using data, pilot programs, and clear success stories, we can help clients understand what really works. Sometimes that means compromising, and other times it means standing firm. In the end, delivering training that truly helps people grow is what matters most.
What do you do when faced with similar situations? Please share your thoughts in the comments now!
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