How to run a Quarterly Business Review (QBR) that deepens client trust

You’re running the campaigns, hitting the goals, and delivering results.

But when it’s time to sit down for the quarterly business review, something’s missing.

The meeting is rushed. The slides are dense. Your client nods along politely, but you can tell… they’re not really absorbing the insights. And by the end of the call, you’re not sure if anything actually landed.

And all of that work took days out of your campaign work and years off your life. Sound familiar?

For many agencies, quarterly business reviews (QBRs) feel like a formality—a box to check rather than a strategic advantage. And let’s be honest: when preparing for them means digging through scattered dashboards, wrangling screenshots, and manually updating slides. It’s hard to blame anyone for rushing through it.

But a QBR shouldn’t be a chore—for you or your client.

We kept running out of time. It felt like we were a reporting agency more than a marketing agency.

Ruben Roel, President & Founder, Investigator Marketing

Done right, it’s a decisive moment to build trust, align on priorities, and drive smarter decisions. And with the proper structure, process, and tools, you turn your QBR into one of the most valuable meetings on your calendar.

What is a quarterly business review? (And why agencies should care)

In simple terms, a QBR is a scheduled, high-level review of a client’s marketing performance, typically held every three months (hence the name). It’s a moment to step back from the day-to-day and evaluate how campaigns are tracking against goals, how business needs may have evolved, and how your agency can continue to support growth moving forward.

But here’s the truth: not every QBR lives up to that potential.

Too often, quarterly business reviews become bloated slide decks or data-dense recaps that leave no room for the bigger conversation. And that’s a missed opportunity.

When done right, a QBR goes beyond reporting. It deepens client relationships, highlights your agency’s strategic value, and keeps everyone aligned as priorities evolve.

We prove ROI through data in a monthly, quarterly, and annual reporting process. We also track our clients’ business goals alongside our key metrics so we can ensure our efforts are in alignment.

Kerrie Luginbill, Chief Strategy Officer, OTM

For marketing agencies, quarterly business reviews are compelling because they help:

• Show impact, not activity, by connecting metrics to business outcomes

• Create space for honest feedback before minor issues turn into churn risks

• Spot new opportunities for upsells or expanded support

• Align stakeholders around what’s working and what needs to evolve

And with the right tools and templates in place, QBRs don’t have to take hours to prepare.

We used to spend at least a week on our reports, the big quarterly ones we did for SEO, at least. The whole process is streamlined now… Reporting is already there; we just need to add links and notes, and then we send it off.

Russell Brown, Director, Digital Stream Ltd

Why so many QBRs fall flat (and how to avoid that)

If quarterly business reviews are supposed to be strategic, why do so many of them feel like an awkward data dump?

The answer usually comes down to three things:

1. Too much data, not enough context

2. Generic templates that don’t reflect what the client cares about

3. No clear direction or takeaway

Instead of reinforcing your agency’s value, the meeting becomes a one-way presentation of charts, metrics, and updates—most of which your client may not fully understand or even remember the next day.

Don’t overwhelm the client by adding too many metrics and widgets into each dashboard. We find that the simpler, the more likely the client is to use and understand the information.

Amanda Caven, Digital Marketing Strategist, Vivid Image

A QBR packed with KPIs and acronyms might showcase your team’s effort—but it doesn’t communicate impact. And if your client can’t see the connection between your work and their business goals, the review loses its value.

The other pitfall? Trying to apply the same format to every client.

What matters to a marketing manager may not matter to a CEO. A high-growth startup has different concerns than a legacy enterprise brand. When your QBR format doesn’t flex with the client’s role or business stage, it’s easy for key stakeholders to disengage. But we’ll cover more on this later. 

We make time in our quarterly strategy sessions to revisit what is and isn't working and what might have changed in their business. AgencyAnalytics reporting allows us to easily adapt our reporting from this feedback.

David Metcalf, Managing Director, Distl

When you miss that opportunity to course-correct, re-align, or surface new priorities, it becomes harder to retain clients—especially if competitors are offering more strategic guidance.

What clients want from a QBR:

• Precise, visual data that connects to business outcomes

• Honest insights on what’s working (and what’s not)

• Strategic recommendations for the next quarter

• Confidence that you understand their goals and are adapting with them

The takeaway?

A successful QBR doesn’t overload your client. It orients them. It helps them feel supported, informed, and ready to act.

Shift the mindset: From reporting results to driving strategic growth

The default approach to QBRs often centers on what happened in the past quarter, including impressions, clicks, conversions, and cost per result.

Useful? Sure.

But if that’s where the conversation stops, you’re missing the real value of the quarterly business review.

The ease of use has been a major advantage. Automated data connections and customizable dashboards mean our team can focus on interpreting the results rather than collecting them. This means our bi-weekly, monthly, or quarterly strategy meetings with the client can be focused on strategy rather than finding the data.

Keenan Beavis, Founder, Longhouse

Think of it this way: your client isn’t showing up to hear numbers—they’re showing up to make decisions.

They want to know:

• Are we on track to meet our goals?

• Where are we underperforming or at risk?

• What should we double down on next quarter?

• Where can we save costs or drive more value?

The QBR is your chance to lead that conversation.

When you connect marketing performance to the client’s business priorities—whether it’s revenue growth, lead quality, or customer retention—you shift the meeting from “here’s what we did” to “here’s the next chapter in the strategy.”

We have a client services team made up of senior strategists... who are specifically responsible for identifying growth opportunities for clients on a quarterly basis. This involves keyword/topic identification, mapping gaps, UX optimization, advertising opportunities, and ways to increase reach.

Matthew Taylor, Director, Common Ground

This shift in mindset changes how your agency is perceived—from vendor to strategic partner, driving the customer success strategy. And that perception has a direct impact on retention, referrals, and revenue growth.

Anatomy of a successful QBR (agenda + format that works)

There’s no one-size-fits-all QBR. But the best ones all share a few traits: they’re well-structured, easy to follow, and focused on what matters most to the client.

The goal isn’t to overwhelm with information—it’s to guide a clear, confident conversation about progress, priorities, and what’s next.

Here’s a structure you can adapt to fit your agency’s needs:

QBR agenda structure

1. Executive summary

Begin with a high-level overview of results, highlighting key wins, areas that fell short, and areas where to focus next. Keep this tight—just a few bullet points or one slide is enough to orient the client before diving deeper.

2. Performance against KPIs and goals

Revisit the goals set at the start of the relationship or previous quarter. Show how campaigns tracked against them using concise visuals and commentary.

A quick glance at important trends and key custom metrics is the most important aspect for our client users. We create a summary dashboard for each client to give an accurate glimpse into overall brand health in just a few seconds.

Adam Palmer, President, Inertia Digital Marketing

3. Wins, learnings, and blockers

Don’t just list the wins. Add commentary that answers:

• What did we learn?

• What should we repeat or scale?

• Were there any unexpected challenges, and how did we respond?

Being honest here builds trust.

We’re big believers in transparency. We’ll never bend the truth or cover up a mistake—we’re human after all—and we’ll work twice as hard to get the results we promised.

Claire Aldridge, Digital Marketing Specialist, Victory Digital

4. Use built-in benchmarks to strengthen your strategy (optional, but powerful)

This is where you elevate your QBR from a performance recap to a strategic business review.

Clients often struggle to determine whether a 4% conversion rate is good or bad. By bringing in industry benchmark data, you provide them with context—and demonstrate that you’re plugged into the broader picture.

For example:

• “Your email open rate is 22%, compared to a 19.5% average for your industry.”

• “Your optimized CPC is now below the industry benchmark for SaaS brands.”

Use this data to highlight successes, identify areas for improvement, and frame your recommendations.

5. Strategic recommendations for the next quarter

Keep this to 3–4 focused action items. Think:

• Where should we double down?

• Where will the agency look for cost savings? 

• What needs to be reworked or tested?

• What new opportunities align with the client’s goals?

Tie each recommendation back to business outcomes whenever possible.

Need help generating those recommendations?

That’s where AI reporting tools come in handy. AgencyAnalytics' AI data analysis tools automatically turn your client’s performance data into actionable insights. Whether you’re looking to identify underperforming channels, suggest A/B testing opportunities, or spot upward trends worth scaling, Ask AI transforms raw metrics into clear, data-backed recommendations—ready to present during your QBR.

6. Open discussion and client feedback

Make space for dialogue. Let clients ask questions, share updates, or express concerns. A QBR works best when it feels collaborative, rather than one-sided.

Establishing expectations isn’t just about outlining deliverables; it’s a comprehensive process that encompasses communication timelines, performance metrics, reporting methods, and even the nature of feedback.

Adam Stewart, Founder, Digital Bond

📋 Sample Quarterly Business Review (QBR) agenda

This sample QBR agenda is designed to keep the meeting focused, strategic, and client-friendly—whether you're reviewing three accounts or 30. Feel free to tailor the sections based on the client’s size, business goals, and stakeholder roles.

Who should attend the QBR meeting?

Tailor the attendee list to the purpose:

• For tactical optimization → your account manager + the client’s marketing lead

• For big-picture strategy → senior stakeholders on both sides

• For long-term retention → include exec sponsors or strategic planners

Some agencies also run internal QBRs to evaluate performance before the client-facing meeting—great for identifying issues and preparing unified messaging.

How long should a Quarterly Business Review be?

Most fall into the 30 to 60-minute range. Longer isn’t always better (for both your team and the client)—a strategic meeting will focus on clarity, not volume. If you send a pre-read or embed notes/video summaries, the actual meeting can be even shorter and more focused.

Customize the QBR for each client (without reinventing the wheel)

Every client is unique—each with distinct goals, priorities, reporting preferences, and stakeholder needs. Which means that a one-size-fits-all QBR format simply doesn’t work.

But customizing doesn’t mean starting from scratch every time.

With the right tools and processes, you can create a repeatable QBR framework that adapts to each client’s business while saving your team hours of prep time.

By customizing dashboards, we can highlight and prioritize the client KPIs that are most relevant to them, ensuring that we're delivering data that's both actionable and meaningful to them.

Michelle van Blerck, Communications Manager, Digital Freak

Start with a flexible quarterly business review template

Building a QBR template in a tool like AgencyAnalytics allows you to:

• Define a clear, strategic agenda that keeps meetings on track

• Reuse layouts, widgets, and sections across clients

• Customize data views based on client-specific KPIs and goals

That means fewer hours formatting and more time interpreting the results that matter.

Tailor reporting to the client’s role

Executives want to know if the business is growing. Marketing managers want to know which channels are working. Customize the QBR experience based on who’s in the room.

For example:

• CMO or CEO: Needs more of an executive business review with a focus on business objectives, budget efficiency, and high-level insights.

• Marketing manager: Dive deeper into platform performance, testing results, and usage trends.

• Sales-adjacent roles: Highlight lead quality, conversion performance, and alignment with pipeline goals.

This targeted approach makes clients feel like the meeting is for them—because it is.

We prove ROI through data… We also track our clients’ business goals alongside our key metrics so that we can ensure our efforts are in alignment with their overarching business goals.

Kerrie Luginbill, Chief Strategy Officer, OTM

Reflect on the client’s evolving business context

Strategic QBRs allow you to step back from execution and explore what’s changed in your client’s business:

• Has their target market shifted?

• Are they pursuing new strategic accounts?

• Has senior leadership changed or restructured internal teams?

• Are you dealing with at-risk accounts? (This is especially important if you’re heading into an annual renewal process). 

These questions open the door to meaningful conversations—and position your agency as a partner who’s paying attention.

Use the reporting platform usage alongside campaign data to personalize insights

Tracking how clients interact with their reports or dashboards can surface powerful trends:

• Are they regularly checking performance metrics?

• Do they revisit past campaigns or compare quarters?

• Have their usage habits shifted over time?

This information helps you meet them where they are—and proactively suggest improvements or simplifications.

Embed client feedback into your QBR process

QBRs should never be a monologue. Provide valuable insights and invite honest discussions, then fold it into your next review.

Ask questions like:

• “Were there metrics that felt unclear or less useful last time?”

• “How will we engage executives beyond providing the latest performance metrics?” 

• “Is there anything we’re not showing that would help you assess progress?”

• “Do you want to involve additional stakeholders next quarter?”

This ongoing refinement process helps keep everyone on the same page—without bloating the report with irrelevant data.

Impress clients and save hours with custom, automated reporting.

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The power of data visualization and centralized dashboards

Data is only as valuable as your client’s ability to understand and act on it. That’s why your QBR shouldn’t rely on scattered spreadsheets or manually updated slide decks.

When you centralize your data and present it visually using data visualization software, you do more than make it “look nice”—you reduce cognitive load, spark better conversations, and make complex performance trends easy to grasp at a glance.

A quick glance at important trends and key custom metrics is the most important aspect for our client users. We create a summary dashboard for each client… It gives an accurate glimpse into overall brand health in just a few seconds.

Adam Palmer, President, Inertia Digital Marketing

Centralized dashboards give you and your clients the same source of truth

A live, centralized dashboard eliminates the version-control issues that come with slide-based QBRs. 

Everyone’s looking at the same data—updated automatically, organized by priority, and filtered by relevance.

This helps your team:

• Evaluate performance quickly across multiple clients

• Align internal QBRs around a shared understanding of progress

• Prepare more efficiently for strategic planning conversations

And for your clients, it ensures they stay informed continuously, rather than relying solely on quarterly updates.

Use visual storytelling to highlight what matters

Your QBR should show the story behind the data:

• Is lead quality improving?

• Are conversion rates holding steady despite rising ad costs?

• Did bounce rate spike after a site redesign?

Charts, graphs, and comparisons over time help your clients see the answer—without needing to interpret raw numbers or trend tables.

Add simple annotations or directional cues (↑ ↓) to help reinforce meaning, and include commentary where needed to explain why the numbers moved.

Clear, concise, and visually engaging reports enable our clients to understand the data, metrics, and insights effectively, fostering better communication and alignment.

Alexa Rees, SEO Manager, seoplus+

Save hours of prep with automated data connections

Manually pulling platform data, checking for errors, and formatting slides will burn through your team’s bandwidth—especially when you’re prepping dozens of QBRs at once.

Automated dashboards change that.

AgencyAnalytics connects directly to your clients’ tools (Google Ads, GA4, Meta Ads, HubSpot, and more), so all your data is automatically pulled in and visualized. Just drag, drop, and comment.

Personalize dashboards without losing consistency

The ability to customize without chaos is critical. Use templates to standardize your layout, then tailor the key data points, KPIs, and commentary to each client’s specific goals.

AgencyAnalytics makes it easy to:

• Build reusable dashboard templates

• Segment views by service line, business objective, or stakeholder role

• Track product usage analytics to see what clients are engaging with

And don’t forget to brand the quarterly business review templates to match your agency’s aesthetic.

Real talk—Addressing challenges and setting the stage for what’s next

Not every quarter is a slam dunk. Campaigns underperform. Budgets get cut. Algorithms change. Client expectations shift mid-stream. And that’s okay—as long as you talk about it.

The QBR gives you space to recalibrate with the client—openly, strategically, and with shared direction. That means being honest about what didn’t work, clear about what you’re doing to fix it, and proactive about where to go next.

We’ll never bend the truth or cover up a mistake—we’re human after all—and we’ll work twice as hard to get the results we promised.

Claire Aldridge, Digital Marketing Specialist, Victory Digital

Acknowledge setbacks—and pair them with next steps

Clients don’t expect perfection. But they do expect transparency. If a campaign stalls, engagement dips, or the budget doesn’t stretch far enough, bring it to the attention of the relevant parties. Explain what happened in plain terms. Then move quickly to what you’re doing about it.

Examples:

• “Traffic dropped this quarter after a change to the algorithm—we’re testing new content angles now.”

• “Ad performance declined after the budget was reallocated. We’ve shifted targeting and expect to recover next month.”

This kind of honesty fosters long-term trust—especially with strategic accounts or clients at risk.

Turn blockers into opportunities

A strong QBR highlights obstacles—but more importantly, it helps map out a focused plan.

Common QBR discussion points:

• What’s slowing us down?

• Are we waiting on approvals, assets, or strategy pivots?

• Is there a better way to allocate resources next quarter?

We always look at data and ask ourselves, ‘So what?’ If the report doesn’t answer that question, don’t send it.

Cheryl Ingram, Managing Director, TDMC

Involve the right people to move things forward

Sometimes, moving from insight to action means involving more than the marketing manager. Invite the decision-makers who can approve the budget, shift priorities, or help drive results.

This could include:

• Senior leadership from your client’s team

• Customer success teams or sales counterparts

• Your own internal strategists or specialists

QBRs also serve as a trigger for more significant discussions—such as updating service level agreements (SLAs), reassessing goals, or expanding your scope of work.

Set priorities with clarity—not a laundry list

Instead of leaving the meeting with vague intentions, align on:

• What matters most in the next 90 days

• Who owns what

• What success will look like

These don’t need to be massive changes. In fact, 2–3 focused goals often drive more value than 10 scattered ideas.

QBRs that address challenges head-on—and leave the client feeling heard, supported, and aligned—are the ones that drive retention and growth. No fluff. Just clear direction, honest conversation, and next steps that matter.

Post-QBR follow-up—How to turn insight into action

The QBR might end after 60 minutes, but the real work happens afterward.

What separates a great quarterly business review from a forgettable one is what you and your client do next. A strong follow-up process turns shared insights into measurable progress—and makes it easier to deliver results that matter.

Recap key takeaways and next steps

Send a short, clear follow-up within 24–48 hours of the QBR. Include:

• The top 3 takeaways from the meeting

• Any agreed-upon priorities for the upcoming quarter

• Who’s responsible for what (and when)

You can send this as an email, or better yet, embed it directly in the reporting dashboard using AgencyAnalytics annotations, shared notes, or project tasks.

Track progress between QBRs

The QBR shouldn’t be the only moment your client hears about performance. Use the follow-up to:

• Schedule brief monthly or mid-quarter check-ins

• Share updated metrics tied to QBR goals

• Revisit whether your recommendations are tracking toward results

This builds momentum—and keeps your agency top of mind without adding unnecessary meetings.

AgencyAnalytics gives our clients clarity and confidence because of how easily we can communicate our efforts and results to them on a frequent, consistent basis.

Lane Anderson, Founder & CEO, London Road Marketing

Revisit and adjust if needed

Not every QBR plan survives contact with reality. That’s normal.

Use check-ins to assess:

• Are we seeing traction?

• Are there any blockers we didn’t anticipate?

• Has anything changed in the business that we should take into account?

Demonstrating both strategic vision and responsiveness helps build the kind of long-term trust that keeps partnerships strong.

Keep the momentum going

By following up intentionally, you:

• Show clients that you’re organized and proactive

• Keep the QBR outcomes from gathering dust

• Build a habit of continuous improvement—not relying solely on quarterly check-ins

Even simple touches can make a significant difference.

And when the next QBR rolls around, you’re not starting from scratch—you’re building on what’s already working.

Bonus: How to create a quarterly business review template using AgencyAnalytics

If you’re running QBRs without a repeatable process, you’re probably spending way too much time preparing—and not enough time strategizing.

The good news? You only need to build a quarterly business review template once. After that, it becomes a scalable asset your entire team can reuse and customize for every client, every quarter.

Here’s how to create your QBR template inside AgencyAnalytics:

🧱 Step 1: Choose a customizable dashboard or report layout

Start with a reporting format that fits your agency’s QBR style:

• Dashboards for ongoing, up-to-date data

• PDF/slide-style reports for structured presentations

AgencyAnalytics offers dozens of pre-built templates that make it easy to drag and drop widgets, goals, annotations, and text summaries, allowing you to control the flow of information.

📊 Step 2: Add widgets for your clients’ key performance indicators

Only include what matters. Use:

• Channel performance overviews (PPC, SEO, email, social, etc.)

• Visual charts for top-line metrics and trends

• Custom goals that reflect the client’s business objectives

Layer in annotations to explain the “why” behind the numbers—or use AI-generated insights to speed things up.

🧭 Step 3: Create summary sections that tell the story

Use headings like:

• Performance overview

• Wins & challenges

• Strategic recommendations

• Next quarter priorities

This gives structure to the meeting and makes it easier for clients to follow along.

📈 Step 4: Include benchmarking and product usage insights

If applicable, build in:

• Industry averages for comparison

• Campaign timelines or milestones

• Notes on usage trends or platform engagement

These help you evaluate performance in context—and support conversations around optimization or upsells.

🔁 Step 5: Save it as a template

Once your QBR layout is built, save it as a reusable template in AgencyAnalytics. From there, your team can:

• Apply it to any new client with one click

• Tweak metrics, comments, or visuals as needed

• Keep the format consistent across accounts and strategists

By building your QBR workflow directly into AgencyAnalytics, you save hours each quarter—while delivering a more professional, consistent, and valuable experience for your clients.

Impress clients and save hours with custom, automated reporting.

Join 7,000+ agencies that create reports in under 30 minutes per client using AgencyAnalytics. Get started for free. No credit card required.

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Final thoughts—Make your QBRs less work and more impact

Running a successful quarterly business review meeting doesn’t have to mean more manual work or longer slide decks. When done right, it becomes one of the most powerful tools in your agency’s retention, upsell, and growth strategy.

Here’s what to keep in mind as you build out or improve your QBR process.

• Focus on what matters to the client’s business. Every QBR should tie back to your customer’s business objectives, future strategies, and strategic goals—not solely on past performance. 

• Use QBRs to strengthen customer relationships. QBRs are a great time to solicit customer feedback and discuss changes in customer needs or strategic direction.

• Deliver insights, not a data dump. Use the QBR to distill your data analysis into key insights, including benchmarking data on industry standards.

• Use QBRs to align on future growth.  Wrap every meeting with clear next steps tied to future growth, alignment around the company’s progress, and a plan to evaluate progress over the next 90 days.

• Make QBRs scalable for both you and your clients. Build QBR templates and automate data connections to create a repeatable process that works for internal teams and clients of different sizes and with different goals.

When you treat regular QBR meetings as an essential part of your service—not a formality or grueling task—you build long-term trust, improve customer satisfaction, and consistently identify opportunities that move the needle.

Ready to build better QBRs?

With AgencyAnalytics, you:

• Create templated dashboards tailored to each client’s goals

• Automate reporting to save hours per quarter

• Embed commentary, track client engagement, and surface trends faster

No more last-minute scrambling. No more scattered spreadsheets.

Just clear, confident QBRs that show the whole story—and keep your agency and your clients moving forward, together.

Our new and improved reporting process is a slam-dunk, outta-the-park home run, hat trick after hat trick, the very best thing we’ve done for our agency.

Lisa Cutter / President

👉 Start your free trial and build your first QBR template today.

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