Clients often come to us with a specific requirement in mind, but when we drill down to objectives, delivery mechanism, budget and timescale we often find that an issue or communication need can be resolved more successfully in a different, and often less expensive, way.
This blog post then is a plea to ask us for our thoughts earlier in the process, and preferably before you have decided exactly what you need – there are likely to be other, better ways of killing your particular cat.
I always try to uncover what is behind what is being asked for, but when, as happened this week, I’m confronted with an apparently clear requirement, it doesn’t seem appropriate. The frustration in those circumstances is that what could have been a conversation leading to the development of a bunch of workable ideas, becomes a simple costing exercise.
So my learning point for myself this week is to remember to delve a little deeper every time, to try and get to the heart of the issue.
And it’s so much more fun when clients are open to a discussion much earlier in the process. I love to chat through different approaches, often bringing something out of left field and sometimes even finding that the right solution means we have no further involvement.
In an age when everyone seems to be desperately clinging on to every piece of business no matter how small, this might seem strange, but we need to enjoy our work too. And a client who goes away happy with a free solution is a client who’ll come back one day.
So if I ask an irritating number of questions next time we speak, I’m just delving. Remember…it’s more fun if you ask us ‘How?’ rather than ‘How much?’.
