What does your client really want?
How a cabinetmaker confirmed my philosophy on client/partner-based relationships.
One of my life goals is to have a place for everything. I could, of course, just have less things. That would be an effective (and cheaper) way to achieve that goal. I’ve long been enamored of the concept of Minimalism, but I have two personal challenges that conflict with that ideal.
One, I have a hard time throwing things away. I live with the constant fear that I will “need that thing someday.” And two, I’m really into stuff like cameras, tech gadgets and musical equipment (particularly guitars). Those can take up a lot of space.
So in lieu of a minimalist lifestyle, I am opting for the appearance of a minimalist lifestyle by hiding all my crap (in a neatly organized manner) inside of a cabinet or drawer.
Because of this, I’m obsessed with building cabinets. My garage is filled with cabinets that I either built, or bought at Home Depot and installed, all in the name of finding a place for everything.
Hire a brain. Not just a pair of hands.
I got the bright idea a few years ago to install a bunch of cabinets in my house. Since they were inside the house, they needed to look good so that ruled out me building them.
So I tracked down several local cabinetmakers and talked to them about my project.
I had some strong opinions about what I needed, and how I wanted them designed. Most of the people I talked to wrote down everything I told them, made drawings that exactly matched my descriptions, and then told me how much it would cost to build my cabinets.
Except for one particular cabinetmaker.
He came back with drawings that did not match the designs I had in my head. Instead, he took the time to understand the problem I was trying to solve. He took note of the long inventory of items that I wanted to put into these cabinets. Then he went away and developed his own solution to my problem.
It was so much better than what I had in my head. Turns out he was also the most expensive cabinetmaker I talked to. And he could be a little grouchy.
I immediately made the decision to work with him.
You are paid to have a point of view.
If you are paid by clients to come up with ideas and strategies to solve their business, marketing, product or logistical problems, have you or someone you worked with ever asked this question: “What does the client want?”
Like, “what do they want the copy in the video to say?” or “what do they want on the home page?” or “do they like the color brown?”
In other words, the intent of the question is “HOW do they want us to solve the problem?”
Trying to guess the solution your client has in their heads is a complete waste of time, and immediately de-values you and your company.
The question you need to be asking is “what is the problem they need our help to solve?”
Like me and my cabinets, your client may believe they have the solution. But chances are, they are open to (and actually desire) a better one. Or perhaps the reason they hired you in the first place is because they don’t HAVE a solution.
They’re PAYING YOU because they want you to come up with the answer. To dream up a solution they don’t have the time or resources to figure out.
In fact, your value as a creative thinker and a company is completely contingent on your ability to come up with solutions to problems in ways no one else (or very few others) can.
(Your value is also tied to your ability to convince someone that your solution is the right one, which is a topic for another day).
Dyadic Relationships (a fancy way to say two-way).
We’ve all experienced client/partner relationships that went south. Where one side says “I don’t like any of the ideas they’ve shown us!” and the other says “they keep killing all of our great ideas!” And inevitably someone finally cries out “just tell me what you want!”
By that point they should both just call it quits. If you don’t have the ability to think for yourself and express your opinions, you are not in a healthy relationship. There’s no value or reward in being a parrot.
And on the flip side, the relationship is clearly broken when one person is trying to please the other by attempting to anticipate what the other wants. If you’ve ever been in a personal relationship like that, you know how awful that can be.
Experience enough relationships like the above, and it’s easy to understand how someone can default to a behavior of trying to guess or anticipate what a client wants.
While that’s understandable, it’s also wrong. And it’s a very difficult thing to unlearn. What’s really frustrating about it is that the person who thinks this way isn’t actually thinking for themselves. It literally limits your potential as a creative, thoughtful human being.
As a client, you should demand a strong point of view from the companies you work with. Even if it’s one you disagree with. Especially if it’s one you disagree with.
Because we NEED people to disagree with us. To challenge us. To be honest with us. This is critical for a strong relationship. Any relationship. Debate makes us all better. That struggle and conflict is where the best, most unique, most surprising solutions come from.
A strong relationship is based on two individuals (or two companies) who rely on each other’s complimentary strengths. In a strong relationship both parties benefit. One person gets something from the other that fills in the gaps and makes both of them better.
What does your client really want? They want something from you they don’t have.
About me: I’m a Partner/Creative Director at Teak in San Francisco. I’m from Colorado, moved to Chicago for 8 years then settled down in San Anselmo, California (the birthplace of mountain biking) with my wife to raise two amazing kids. I’m a huge fan of the Chicago Cubs, Denver Broncos and Peet’s Coffee. This is me on Twitter and LinkedIn.
Read my previous Medium article here
