How to Navigate Client Expectations

Commercials aren’t just for TV anymore. Any screen can be an ad space, and spots now come in every size, shape, and length.

In a perfect world, every variation would be planned and listed as a deliverable before production begins. In reality, clients often shift expectations late, forcing costly scrambles, delays, and compromises.

To help you avoid that, we spoke with producer Danny Rosenbloom about setting expectations and building stronger deliverables lists. Below, we’ll share practical principles to create win-win outcomes for you and your clients.

Expert insight from Danny Rosenbloom

Danny Rosenbloom is a veteran producer and longtime AICP board member. Over the years, at companies like Psyop and Brand New School, he built a reputation for delivering innovative commercial filmmaking solutions through cutting-edge technology.

He also played a key role in shaping ABID, the AICP’s bid management platform, where he helped merge technology with the organization’s deep institutional knowledge to streamline and optimize the bidding process for producers and their clients.

For this post, Danny drew on his decades of experience to give us a behind-the-scenes look at the politics of commercial production. In the sections that follow, we’ll dive into his insights on deliverables and client expectations—practical principles you can apply directly to your next production.

Why do expectations matter?

In commercial production, expectations can make or break a project. The gap between what happens on set and what a client thinks will happen often determines whether a job feels like a success—or a failure. Misaligned expectations at the start almost always lead to bigger problems later.

Poorly managed expectations can trigger spiraling costs, overworked crews, and strained relationships that put both the project and the production company at risk. For producers, the pressure is most acute when it comes to deliverables.

As Danny explains, post-production houses face a common—and costly—challenge when clients’ expectations don’t align with reality:

“You’re doing a 60-second spot and sitting in the edit bay waiting for notes from the client. Then the creative director says, ‘Hey, what would this look like if we turned it vertical and did it for Instagram?’ Next thing you know, you’re doing seventeen Instagram versions.” 

In that moment, the producer has a few unappealing options: absorb the extra cost themselves, refuse and risk losing the client, or move forward and charge overages that could strain the relationship.

None of these paths are ideal. Each carries a significant risk—financial loss, reputational damage, or a weakened client bond. The good news? They’re also avoidable. By setting expectations upfront and locking in a clear deliverables list, producers can sidestep these traps before they ever appear.

Keep communication clear

Clear communication is the single most effective way to set expectations and ensure a project’s success. Obvious? Maybe. But in the heat of a commercial production, it’s easier said than done.

Picture this: you’ve just nailed the creative call and are on the verge of winning a major bid. At this moment, your instinct is to impress, to reassure, to keep potential clients excited. A little budgetary optimism feels harmless.

The truth is, it all depends. Optimism can build confidence, but it becomes dangerous when it stretches reality. Saying what clients want to hear might win you the job, but it also plants the seeds for failure. Eventually, you’ll face underdelivery, blown budgets, or both.

And that hurts everyone. Miscommunication is a disservice to both producer and client. But when communication is clear and honest, it strengthens collaboration and paves the way for long-term trust.

In his post on producer-client transparency, Danny puts it like this:

“[T]ransparency can do much more than offer peace of mind to the buyer of creative services. When an advertiser truly understands what they’re getting—and how the money being spent will provide it—the conversation changes.”

Transparency, in other words, works as both offense and defense. It shields you from the risks of poorly set expectations while strengthening your ability to deliver on well-defined ones.

It also keeps you aligned with your clients’ needs, creating long-term benefits that compound over time. Budgetary optimism might inspire confidence in the short term, but transparency builds the kind of trust that lasts.

Clear communication is the foundation for setting expectations and negotiating a healthy deliverables list. The question is: how do you get the most value out of that communication?

Ask questions

The best way to understand what a client expects is simple: ask them. It may sound basic, but curiosity is one of a producer’s most powerful tools. A few well-placed questions early on can prevent a deliverables disaster down the line.

Sometimes the solution is as straightforward as it seems. If a client had been asked about social media cutdowns during bidding or pre-production, Danny’s example of last-minute vertical video edits might never have happened. One early question can turn a looming problem into a planned opportunity.

Of course, expectations aren’t always so clear. When clients are vague or their needs are complex, a producer has to dig deeper. Think of it like an investigation—your goal is to collect enough information to form a complete picture of what’s required.

Start with broad questions, then follow up. Reframe the same question in different ways. Compare notes with your director and agency collaborators. Let each answer guide the next round of questions. Keep probing until you’re confident you’ve nailed down the client’s expectations.

This process also creates space for your creatives to lead. They know best what materials they’ll need and how they can be repurposed. If a creative flags a potential deliverable early, you can budget for it upfront—turning what might have been a costly surprise into a planned return on investment.

Yes, it takes extra effort. But that diligence pays off. With thorough questioning, you can build an accurate, achievable deliverables list—even with clients who struggle to articulate what they want.

Negotiate a realistic budget

A direct line connects your communication, your client’s expectations, and the budget. The budget should serve as a tangible reflection of what the client needs—a financial map showing exactly how their expectations will be met. When the budget doesn’t align with those expectations, you’re inviting overages, tough conversations, and strained relationships.

The key to keeping budgets realistic is transparency. Clients deserve to know how their money is being spent, and it’s your responsibility to make that clear. When additional deliverables come into play, it’s not enough to simply add them on—you need to show your client what they cost and why they matter.

Danny sums it up succinctly:

“The best way to ask for overages is to ask before you incur the cost.”

For producers looking to sharpen cost transparency, tools like Wrapbook can make all the difference. With on-demand reports and customizable outputs, Wrapbook turns payroll data into actionable insights. You can drill down into expenses with precision, generate clear reports tailored to client needs, and streamline communication across the entire production. In short, your team gains real-time visibility into where every dollar is going—and why.

The ultimate goal is to make the budget more than a spreadsheet. It should function as a shared roadmap, a concrete plan that shows how a defined set of deliverables will be achieved with the resources at hand. When budgets are this clear, they stop being a point of friction and start becoming a foundation for trust.

Provide solutions, not problems

One of the toughest challenges in setting clear expectations is the fear of disappointing or offending a client. Producers know that pushing back in the wrong way can jeopardize future business. That raises an important question: how do you create realistic expectations without damaging the relationship?

The answer lies in framing. Instead of focusing on problems, focus on solutions. It’s a very different conversation to say, “We absolutely cannot do that because we don’t have the money,” versus, “We can absolutely do that—it’ll just require some additional budget.”

Often, providing solutions means providing options. When you give clients choices, you empower them and position yourself as a collaborator, not a roadblock. One of the primary responsibilities of an executive producer is articulating those options clearly in terms of priorities.

For example, you might present an option as an opportunity, not a guarantee: “If we get the chance to create this deliverable, we will.” By framing it this way, you leave room for negotiation later without overpromising now. Alternatively, you might present an option as an objective, budgeting for it upfront so you can deliver it with confidence when the time comes.

This collaborative approach not only manages expectations—it strengthens creative relationships. Over time, it can turn first-time clients into long-term partners.

Make alternatives unappealing

To outsiders, media production often looks glamorous. Clients may not realize how much time, effort, and money goes into even a short commercial. While producers don’t want to spoil the magic, there are moments when it’s necessary to reveal some of the realities behind the process.

When client expectations start to escalate, it’s important to highlight the practical consequences of their choices. Producers play a key role in helping clients understand that every decision carries trade-offs.

Take Danny’s vertical video example. A client might casually suggest creating vertical alternatives because it seems simple from the outside. But they’re not aware of the real work each new version requires. One effective way to handle this is to make the effort visible. When clients understand the costs involved, they’re less likely to make requests on impulse.

Specificity matters in these conversations. A rough proof of concept may look “finished” to an untrained eye, but you know that delivering a polished version could require additional editing, audio mixing, VFX, and color work. Remind your client or agency partners that each of these steps adds to both time and expense.

This isn’t about winning an argument—it’s about building alignment. By being transparent about potential costs, you create opportunities for clients to make informed decisions that serve their larger goals. The result is a win-win: better outcomes for the client and a smoother production for your team.

Wrapping up

Managing client expectations isn’t just about avoiding headaches—it’s about building trust that leads to stronger work and lasting partnerships. By asking the right questions, setting clear budgets, and framing solutions instead of problems, producers can turn potential conflicts into opportunities for collaboration.

And when it comes to managing budgets and payroll with transparency, Wrapbook can help. With real-time reporting, customizable insights, and streamlined tools for commercial production, Wrapbook makes it easier to keep clients informed and projects on track.

Ready to simplify production finance and keep your clients confident every step of the way? Learn more about Wrapbook’s solutions for commercial producers.