Practical Sales Training™ > How To Keep Your Clients Happy > Emergency Action Plan
Emergency Action Plan
What Is It
An emergency action plan is built to cut down the shock and worry your buyer feels. That happens when things don’t go to plan.
Why Does It Work
It works because it takes away some of the unknowns. It brings back a sense of confidence, certainty and expertise. Things may well go wrong, but being ready for them makes all the difference. It matters to the outcome, and to your buyer.
How Can You Use It
You just need to think through a few practical steps for how you’d fix certain problems. For each issue, work through three simple questions. Then build a (one pager) style plan you can share with your client. That plan alone can reassure them that everything is under control after all.
Stop it from continuing
How do you stop the issue at its source, before it does any more damage?
Minimise the impact
How do you cut down any harm it’s already caused, right now, while a full fix is still in progress?
Prevent it happening again
How do you stop the same problem from repeating, so this becomes a one time issue rather than a pattern?
When It Works Best
This works best on issues that are likely to happen, but rare enough that a full policy would feel like overkill. Think platform changes, supply delays, or the odd technical fault.
It also works best when it’s ready before anything actually goes wrong. A plan built in the middle of a crisis rarely feels calm or confident.
When It Becomes Dangerous
It backfires if the plan is too vague to act on when something genuinely breaks. A client can tell the difference between a real plan and a reassuring sounding paragraph.
It also becomes risky if you never actually follow it during a real problem. A plan that exists but doesn’t get used just becomes an empty promise.
Common Mistakes
Writing a plan with no real actions in it
Writing a plan that sounds good but skips the actual steps wastes the whole exercise. Each step needs a genuine action behind it, not just a comforting sentence.
Keeping the plan to yourself
Keeping the plan only in your own head, rather than sharing it with the client, misses half the value. The reassurance comes from them seeing it too.
Letting the plan go stale
Never updating the plan as your business changes means it can quietly go stale. Revisit it whenever your offering or your risks shift.
Emergency Action Plan – An Example
A Digital Marketing Agency’s Ad Cost Spike
Hypothetical Example: A digital marketing agency runs Facebook ad campaigns for a client. One month, the cost per lead suddenly doubles, due to a platform algorithm change. Without an emergency plan, the client might panic and lose trust in the agency.
Instead, the agency has a pre-prepared Emergency Action Plan. First, they immediately pause the underperforming ads. Then they shift budget to high performing campaigns, while testing new creatives. Finally, they set up automated alerts to flag rapid cost increases, so future issues get spotted early.
The agency shares this simple one-pager with the client, saying, “We’ve already implemented our emergency plan, and we’re confident this will get things back on track.” The client feels reassured, and stays on board.
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