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A good friend of mine has a sign over his desk that reads, "Beware the lollipop of mediocrity. One lick and you'll suck forever." I think this is pretty much how creatives feel about thinking like a client. Do it once, and you'll be a hack forever, your creativity will vanish and your AIGA membership will be revoked. But thinking like a client isn't the same thing as mediocrity. Honest. Thinking like a client is about crating better work. Thinking like a client is about selling better work. Think like a client and you can figure out what your client is really looking for, even when he can't figure it out for himself. Think like a client and you can convince him that what you've designed is what he's looking for. Hell, think like a client and you'll know ho he's going to react to what you're going to show him before you show it to him, so you can figure out how to get him to buy it. Think like a client and you make the conversation about the things the client knows - the strategy, the product, the problem - and not about the stuff he doesn't know - namely the design. Those questions he leaves for you to answer. And isn't that the point?
What is he thinking?Right now, the phrase "Easier said than done" is probably floating through your head. So how do you think like a client? Start by putting yourself in the client's shoes and asking yourself, "What am I think about?" Too hard? OK, try this: You take your car to a garage to get it fixed. Now, what are you thinking about? The intricacies of the overhead cam? The latest engineering innovations out of Detroit? The value of 10W30 over 10W40? I'll bet you're thinking about the following things in the following order: yourself, your car and not looking stupid. Your client feels no differently when he's talking to you.
How do you do?It also helps to imagine this scenario: You walk into a party. Two people approach you. One talks about himself - hoe much he makes, who he knows, what he did today, where he want to school. The other asks about you - how your day was, why you chose to wear what you're wearing, if you like it, what you think of what the other guys is wearing. Now, all other things being equal, which one of these people are you more likely to talk to? Clients - like human beings - have a natural inclination to talk to people who show an interest in them. So if your capabilities presentation or direct-mail piece or, God forbid, your work, is all about you instead of your client, then chances are you're only going to impress yourself. Which is fine, as long as you can afford your own fees.
Why are we here?I'd like to believe that clients call on me because they really enjoy my conversation skills. But I know that I'm just a blip on their radar. Their world is consumed with whatever it is they sell - a product, a service, an image. My involvement in their world is directly related to how I can help them do that. A client once said to me, "If it weren't for the product, neither one of us would be in this room." So learn about the product. But it, use it, ask people about it. For one of our clients, the whole creative team went to his largest market and spread out across the state to gather info on how his product was really doing, what kinds of problems it was facing and what kinds of opportunities it had. The result? Not only was the client impressed, but we also produced better, more informed work than we had before. And the client listened to us more.
Does this layout make my butt look big?Once you start thinking like a client, you begin to realize how daunting a task this can be. But look at it this way - at least you ain't paying for it. Once you grasp this concept, you really begin to understand your client. He doesn't know about design - that's why he hired you - and yet he has to make design decisions. It's like your situation with the mechanic. You have to make decisions about stuff you really don't understand. That's how your client feels. Position yourself as your client's guide though the process by understanding what he's looking for from a strategic standpoint and by showing him how your design interprets that. Nobody actually wants to buy bad design; they just want to buy what they understand. If you don't explain y our design to the client in terms he can understand, he won't buy it. And what's worse, he'll look at you as part of the problem.
Who's the boss?If you look like part of the problem, so will the client. Because yes, or client is the one who brought you in. yes, your client is the one made all the changes. And yes, your client is the one who's gong to sign the invoice. But unless you're operating at the very highest levels of the corporate stratosphere, your client invariably has to answer to someone else. That fact needs to weigh on your mind the way it does on your client's.
He's thinking about how he's going to explain to his boss what you're explaining right now. He's trying to figure out how to justify the nuances of your design to someone who's probably even less design-savvy than he is. And he wants to do it in a way that will make him look smart. Figure out some way to help him look smart to his boss. Sometimes it's a matter of giving him sound bites. Sometimes you can actually discuss what kinds of things boss will be looking for. Whatever your relationship, the more you can do, the better off you'll all be.
When to say when?Now that you know what to do, also know when to stop. While the client will appreciate your insight into his business, you don't want to lose your creative foothold by stepping too squarely into his shoes. He's already got a building full of people who think just like he does. He doesn't need one more. In fact, one of the reasons a client pays you is precisely because you're not like the other people who talk to him about his product. I learned this the hard way when a client whose business I'd sweated over for months finally turned to me and said, "I already have a brand manager. What the hell am I paying you for?" I had taken the "think like a client" concept too far. In truth, forming a better client relationship is a two-step process. Step one is to think like a client. Step two is to apply that thinking to what you know. Look at it this way: You want a doctor who will listen to you, who will understand what you mean when you say you have an ache or a pain. Otherwise, how will he know what to prescribe? What you have to do is take all that good information that thinking like a client brings you and apply it to what you do best. That way, you can create better, smarter work. For you, for your client, for your portfolio. And where's the risk in that? |
