I dunno, xeno ...
Clients are paying customers in most businesses -- ask pookie! Interchangeable terms, usually. At least til malcbaby chose to interject "select" into it. Then it all got a little murky.
Cautious CEOs (is he the CEO? I know he let that reference slide by without correcting it but still I don't know what he is or isn't) would use either word more precisely.
Frinstance, if they weren't paying customers/clients, what could malcbaby more accurately say? That interest has been expressed by whatevers? Yes, that would be okay. But not nearly as forceful as calling those whatevers clients/customers.
And you're right ... malc will go forth and multiply the suckers.
Gotta cut daBeez some slack on this one, give them a few points for not having called the Norwegians' invitation to present some serious facts about elf (and join them in their landmine detection/clearance efforts) a client waiting for the next generation of that remarkable technology.