Guest Article - "Educate The Client"
I am sure that many of us have come across situation where we have had clients or employers that don’t “get it” when it comes to the projects that we are working on for them.
Sometimes they don’t understand the design process, or what the marketing plan will accomplish, and most of them usually get the deer in the headlights look when we mention social media.
Now by no means is this a client/employer bashing festival, but if we are all honest we have experienced one or all of these frustrations in the past, and possibly on a regular basis. There are a number of responses that I am sure we have thought of or even tried in these situations (some good, some bad).
In my experience it seems to work out for both parties when we take the approach of educating the client. Does this mean we crumble under client demands, or put on the handcuffs of misunderstanding? By no means!
Figure out what the client is missing (this means communicating with them, and yes even listening). Once we have listened to their concerns, or what they are having a hard time grasping, we can then go on offense, and work on a plan to educate them about the design process, realistic deadlines, or whatever it is that is causing them to be unsure. This will require us to step down off of our designer high horses, be relatable, re-assuring, and patient. This isn’t always easy, but it can go a long way with the client, and more times than not will lead to future referrals. Good design, and great client relations make for a great way to secure return clients, and solid referrals.
With that said here are a couple of approaches to educating our clients/employers effectively.
- Be Bi-lingual Don’t just speak nerd speak… help them understand in their terms what you are trying to convey about the project. They will feel a lot more comfortable about the relationship when they understand you.
- Show them the value I have always found it valuable to not just explain what is going on, but to explain how it will benefit them in accordance with their business plan or vision for the project. You can talk until you are blue in the face about the value of good design, but until it converts to dollars or exposure for them, it usually doesn’t hold as much weight.
I would like to thank Aaron Irizarry for this wonderful and informational article.
