The relationship between client and service provider is a two way street. A lot has been written about how your provider can help you better, but what about how you can help your provider to help you? What can you do to change this relationship for the better?
I’m sure there’s a lot of different things you can do, but the most important one, and the one that everything comes down to, is communication.
On A Clear Day
The main job of any service provider is to help you with your project. More specifically, help you gain clarity with your project. You have a vision. You may know how you want it all to turn out, but you’re unsure how to get from point A to point B in the most efficient manner.
Your provider is there to interpret what you tell them and be your hands to manifest this vision into something real. In order to do this, both sides have to communicate. This open communication means not telling your provider what you think they want to hear, but what they need to hear. Trust me, you won’t hurt anyone’s feelings if you don’t like the design or rough draft on the first go ’round.
We often tell clients that what they don’t like is as important as what they do like. It’s all a process of elimination and discovery for everyone. The more transparency you have between you and your provider, the smoother everything will go.
The First Project Is Always The Hardest
The first project always has the biggest learning curve. You’re both learning about one another and it’s almost like a first date. You’re both on your best behavior, you don’t want to offend or step on toes, and everyone wants the project to turn out well.
As time goes on and the more you work together the easier the process becomes. If you’re totally open with your provider, you give them the opportunity to learn your likes and dislikes, the way you work and communicate best and most importantly, the provider will become very familiar with the true essence of your brand.
This is important if you’re going to grow as a business. You want a provider who’s familiar with your brand and someone you can return to time and again for all your projects. This is especially true in the area of design. Think of how much easier life is when you have one designer who knows you and your brand, who you don’t have to explain your business to over and over each time you want something new.
The Red Flags of Miscommunication
Open communications takes some practice. It’s not easy knowing when to speak up, but there are signs you can look for that might help.
- Hesitation. We’ve noticed that when one of our clients absolutely LOVES a design, they respond with an exuberant email because they just can’t believe their design could look so good. A red flag for us as providers is when we send out the first draft and are met with silence. Nine times out of ten, this tells us this is not what the client expected and they don’t know how to say so. If you find yourself hesitating, trying to convince yourself you like it, then it’s not right. You don’t have to settle. The worst thing you can do is slap a smile on your face and say through gritted teeth “It’s great.” This will not help the designer and it will definitely not help you.
- If I Ignore It, Maybe It’ll Go Away. Along the lines of hesitation is avoidance. Some people avoid saying what they really feel and the whole project goes through to completion without the provider ever knowing it wasn’t right. There’s no worse feeling for a provider when a client comes back a year later and says, “You know, I can’t use this. I don’t like it.”
- The Guessing Game. Revisions and sometimes scrapping an idea are a part of life. They happen. But when they happen too much, there’s a problem. Not everyone can visualize the way a project will look. Designers are very good at seeing these things in their heads and know that some people need to see it for themselves. This is the reason for samples. The warning signs that the client needs more clarity comes when the provider is churning out dozens of samples or constantly starting from scratch at the client’s request. This means someone isn’t getting it. It could be the client still hasn’t communicated what they do as clearly as they could have, or they’re still in a state of limbo with their business and don’t know what they’re doing themselves. At this point just stop. Seriously. More samples and choices aren’t going to help. You and your provider need to really talk and figure out what’s going on.
What Now?
Once you’ve both realized something isn’t working, it’s a good point to step back, take a breath and re-assess. Options here may include:
- Let the designer show you how they see your project. It may not be what you asked for, but you may end up loving it. Or at the very least, it may provide some ideas you hadn’t considered before
- Scrap what was already done and go back to the brainstorming phase with clearer communications.
- Decide it’s not working and either put the project on hold or go your separate ways.
There’s nothing wrong with putting a project on hold, especially if you, the client, still aren’t clear on what your business is about. We often see this with start-ups where the client is in a state of evolution.
Remember, your provider wants to help you and see the very best for you. Perhaps it’s too early for your to be thinking about design at all and what you really need is a business coach? Maybe your target audience has changed, or you’ve unconsciously changed your business model? Nothing is fitting your vision because you haven’t discovered yet the vision has changed.
Listen to what your instincts are telling you. Branding your business and creating the graphics that go along with it should be fun, not a chore you’re dreading. Nor should you have to fight with your provider to get the results you want. Be as clear and open as you can from the start. Don’t wait for things to get so far out of control before you decide to start really communicating.