10 ways to disarm a customer
- Transfer
Presenting the project to the client is one of the most painful moments in the creative process. In this article, we will reveal the best answers to unpleasant lunges and sensitive questions, which, when asked by the client, can sometimes disrupt a generally effective solution.
- My neighbors do not like it.
Thank you for attracting friends to participate in this project; however, it is difficult for outsiders to appreciate all aspects of the work at its current stage. If you think that the opinion of these people is extremely important for us, we should include them fully in the process. Let's plan a meeting with all the new participants in our project next week to review the brief, strategy and tasks with them, and then to understand whether they will have the same ideas as they are now.
- We really liked your portfolio. Could you make our site in the style of this work of yours for Mr. X?
It's funny that you want this, because we are just trying to do the opposite. We believe that the tasks of each client should be considered individually and develop a solution for him that suits him. It's funny that you mentioned Mr. X, because he, too, was not sure of the approach we proposed, but it was this approach that suited him very well. Let's not worry about what others are doing. Think of the project as a costume that you just weren't going to try on. We are objective enough, and this will help us find something that will fully meet your requirements. After some time, you will find that the proposed solution is what suits you best.
- An employee of our accounting department has a great idea in this regard.
We are always happy to look at the ideas of other people, but sometimes this leads to an increase in time, because we need to consider more issues and hold additional meetings. If you want this, I can sketch out an addition to the plan to take into account the new conditions. At the same time, if you are worried about the budget, I would ask you to find out in advance from this employee of yours whether his approach will solve any specific problem. This can save expensive time, and also help to clarify questions so that we can answer them most fully.
“A good start, but we need to add this, and this, and this ...”
I understand your desire not to leave the slightest detail aside, and this is not such a rare occurrence. However, remember, at the very beginning of the project, you noted that you want to create something based on customer needs? In my experience, those organizations that do this best focus only on a few key areas, after which they do everything possible to provide the best possible services and products. Adding excess can be confusing, and sometimes even frightening customers. Take a look at the most successful companies on the market and you will see that they are very selective in their positioning.
- I like beige; can we add more beige here?
Personal preferences are a strong motivator; I personally like hot pink, but it is not always good for business projects. Now I would like to go back a little to the creative brief. You noted that your target audience is young men who like weightlifting. Do you think beige will attract their attention?
- I don’t even know what I think about this option ...
Right! This is quite different from what you were content with earlier, and, as it seems to me, this is a completely new direction for you. Therefore, it may take you some time to comprehend this option. So let's start with strategic issues. I made a copy of our brief, namely, those parts that relate to the project and positioning of the company. Let's go over them and see if there are any requirements that we haven’t figured out.
- I do not know. This is so different from everything ...
This is great. Differences are very good! A key aspect of promoting your firm is to find an approach that others do not use. It is clear that you are not sure about this: new things often lead people to confusion. I remember I really didn’t like espresso when I first tried it. Thank God, I gave this drink a second chance, and now I relate to it differently. Let's look at the brief and see if this option meets all the stated criteria. If so, then we could point out that we just need a little time to get used to this new direction.
- Can we increase the font size?
Yes of course! Could you show me a couple of sites where the font is exactly the size that seems right to you? We can compare them with our option to determine how much we need to increase the size. (Note. Usually after this it turns out that the text size in our version is larger than it seems to the client.)
- I will understand what I like as soon as I see it
Many people think so when it comes to sketches, but it is very difficult for us to work in an uncertain direction. Can you imagine that you order food in this way: "Bring me something good, and I will eat it if I like it. Otherwise, you will have to cook various dishes until I am satisfied? Let me ask you a series of questions that will help us determine what exactly you need. Is our option conservative or is it rather unconventional? Does it seem to you too dark or too light? Do pictures look passive or, conversely, too dynamic?(Note. You may need to ask these questions for some time. The trick is to constantly offer a choice of opposite options, so that it’s difficult to answer the client’s aesthetic inclinations.)
- I’ve been to a sandwich shop recently, and these guys have a great site. Can we do something similar?
I do not think that in this way we can come to a solution that would meet your needs. Creative strategies are usually created specifically to solve complex project tasks. Judging by what you said, the site mentioned has worked very well for you. Let's look at it and determine what exactly you liked. Perhaps this will help us better understand what feelings you, as well as your audience, would like to experience when visiting the site.
- My neighbors do not like it.
Thank you for attracting friends to participate in this project; however, it is difficult for outsiders to appreciate all aspects of the work at its current stage. If you think that the opinion of these people is extremely important for us, we should include them fully in the process. Let's plan a meeting with all the new participants in our project next week to review the brief, strategy and tasks with them, and then to understand whether they will have the same ideas as they are now.
- We really liked your portfolio. Could you make our site in the style of this work of yours for Mr. X?
It's funny that you want this, because we are just trying to do the opposite. We believe that the tasks of each client should be considered individually and develop a solution for him that suits him. It's funny that you mentioned Mr. X, because he, too, was not sure of the approach we proposed, but it was this approach that suited him very well. Let's not worry about what others are doing. Think of the project as a costume that you just weren't going to try on. We are objective enough, and this will help us find something that will fully meet your requirements. After some time, you will find that the proposed solution is what suits you best.
- An employee of our accounting department has a great idea in this regard.
We are always happy to look at the ideas of other people, but sometimes this leads to an increase in time, because we need to consider more issues and hold additional meetings. If you want this, I can sketch out an addition to the plan to take into account the new conditions. At the same time, if you are worried about the budget, I would ask you to find out in advance from this employee of yours whether his approach will solve any specific problem. This can save expensive time, and also help to clarify questions so that we can answer them most fully.
“A good start, but we need to add this, and this, and this ...”
I understand your desire not to leave the slightest detail aside, and this is not such a rare occurrence. However, remember, at the very beginning of the project, you noted that you want to create something based on customer needs? In my experience, those organizations that do this best focus only on a few key areas, after which they do everything possible to provide the best possible services and products. Adding excess can be confusing, and sometimes even frightening customers. Take a look at the most successful companies on the market and you will see that they are very selective in their positioning.
- I like beige; can we add more beige here?
Personal preferences are a strong motivator; I personally like hot pink, but it is not always good for business projects. Now I would like to go back a little to the creative brief. You noted that your target audience is young men who like weightlifting. Do you think beige will attract their attention?
- I don’t even know what I think about this option ...
Right! This is quite different from what you were content with earlier, and, as it seems to me, this is a completely new direction for you. Therefore, it may take you some time to comprehend this option. So let's start with strategic issues. I made a copy of our brief, namely, those parts that relate to the project and positioning of the company. Let's go over them and see if there are any requirements that we haven’t figured out.
- I do not know. This is so different from everything ...
This is great. Differences are very good! A key aspect of promoting your firm is to find an approach that others do not use. It is clear that you are not sure about this: new things often lead people to confusion. I remember I really didn’t like espresso when I first tried it. Thank God, I gave this drink a second chance, and now I relate to it differently. Let's look at the brief and see if this option meets all the stated criteria. If so, then we could point out that we just need a little time to get used to this new direction.
- Can we increase the font size?
Yes of course! Could you show me a couple of sites where the font is exactly the size that seems right to you? We can compare them with our option to determine how much we need to increase the size. (Note. Usually after this it turns out that the text size in our version is larger than it seems to the client.)
- I will understand what I like as soon as I see it
Many people think so when it comes to sketches, but it is very difficult for us to work in an uncertain direction. Can you imagine that you order food in this way: "Bring me something good, and I will eat it if I like it. Otherwise, you will have to cook various dishes until I am satisfied? Let me ask you a series of questions that will help us determine what exactly you need. Is our option conservative or is it rather unconventional? Does it seem to you too dark or too light? Do pictures look passive or, conversely, too dynamic?(Note. You may need to ask these questions for some time. The trick is to constantly offer a choice of opposite options, so that it’s difficult to answer the client’s aesthetic inclinations.)
- I’ve been to a sandwich shop recently, and these guys have a great site. Can we do something similar?
I do not think that in this way we can come to a solution that would meet your needs. Creative strategies are usually created specifically to solve complex project tasks. Judging by what you said, the site mentioned has worked very well for you. Let's look at it and determine what exactly you liked. Perhaps this will help us better understand what feelings you, as well as your audience, would like to experience when visiting the site.