Most of you probably don’t know, but I (Grace) started out my career in advertising. I often had two roles (albeit with only one salary) — as Account Executive (liaison between client and creatives) and as Project Manager (internal timeline and budget management). I think this is where I started down the career path of continually trying to “do it all.” (DIA instead of DIY, anyone?) This is also when I acquired my constant anxiety of figuring out the “worst-case scenarios” of every project to make sure they ultimately don’t occur.
While I knew pharmaceutical advertising was not where I was supposed to be in life, I learned a lot of valuable lessons that I have applied to our company, Crawford Modern. I think these lessons, regardless of your career, can be extremely valuable.
And here they are…
Predict client needs and anticipate changes.
If you’re a nurse, you may recognize this idea for working with a patient. It also works with clients outside of a hospital. When I first started in advertising, I had this drummed into me. I remember running my first convention for a client in pharmaceuticals. My supervisor was disappointed that I hadn't ordered some specific brochures for our booth. As a novice, I didn’t understand—the client didn’t ask for these brochures—why should I have proactively ordered them? My supervisor explained that while the client didn’t ask for them before, they’re going to need them later. She was right. After being humbled by this experience, I learned that sometimes clients don’t know what they want until it is too late to fix. And even if you're not in the wrong, it doesn't help to be caught by surprise. So, always try to be two steps ahead of your client at all times. While pretending to be Miss Cleo with her crystal ball can naturally provoke some anxiety, in the long run, it is wiser to anticipate needs and avoid backpedaling / retrofitting when clients change their minds—or when they remember something they need at the eleventh hour. Ultimately waiting until the end to fix issues that could have been simply avoided is more stressful in the long run. It’s always good to put on your pretend client hat and add value by grasping needs and challenges they aren’t even aware of yet. With that said, in order to accurately anticipate your clients’ desires and challenges, you need to understand them fully and as individuals with unique needs—which brings us to my next tip…Always adapt.
Every client is different. You may be thinking, “Well, I run my company in a certain way, and if clients want to work with us, they need to work within our policies.” And yes, while you should remain true to the core principles of your business, it is helpful to adapt to each individual client and his or her unique needs. Some examples in personalizing your client’s experience: if they are timeline- and budget-conscious, take the extra step to proactively share financial reconciliations and status updates on a routine basis. If they are new to the process (or the services you may provide), take the time up front to educate them on all the steps from conception to completion. If they have trouble seeing the vision—provide renderings, mood boards, photos, or even draw them a picture. Recently we quickly comped up a physical prototype of a kitchen island for our client to react to. Renderings are super helpful in visualizing the end product; however sometimes a client needs to literally experience it before buying it—similar to test driving a car. That extra 30 minutes spent putting together a prototype island before fabricating the real deal will pay off in the long run as the client was able to fully understand the exact location and size of it. It would have been a nightmare to spend hours constructing this beautiful island if the client ultimately decided the exact location and size were not suitable for their needs. It’s obviously unrealistic to do this for every client as every case is different, but it was certainly helpful in this particular instance. In sum, the time you spend adapting and anticipating in a meaningful way will not be wasted and will ensure your client has a great experience working with your company.Provide a “$100 experience.”
One of the smartest people I met in my marketing career was a partner at my last job. His Minnesota-based company had just acquired our NYC start-up. He wanted to make sure we were all aligned with his expectations of client service.
In a conference room, he told us that the envelopes he held each contained a $20 bill. He handed an envelope to everyone in the room and told us to open them.
He asked how many of us got $20 in our envelope. Only a third of the room raised their hands. He asked how these people felt: “Good. You told me you’d give me $20, and you delivered on that promise.” He then asked how many people got $1 in their envelopes. Pretty much the remainder of the group raised their hands: “Ripped off — you told me you were giving me $20, and I only got $1.” Finally, he asked who got the $100 envelope. It was only me. Well, obviously I felt great—he told me he was going to give me $20, but I got five times what was promised.
The moral of the story was this: always aim to give your clients a $100 experience. Promise them $20, but with the goal of giving them $100. And, never, ever over-sell and give the dreaded $1 experience. Better to under-sell and over-deliver than the other way around.
It’s been quite a few years since I experienced this lesson and it has stuck with me. The $100? Not so much.Better to over-communicate than under-communicate.
Even though you’re working on a project that is right under your client's nose — a kitchen remodel in their very own home, for example — you don’t want to assume they know where the project is at any given time. It’s important to take the time to update your clients frequently and give them the peace of mind that things are moving along and of course, within budget. You do not want to go days—or worse weeks—before telling them in detail how everything is moving and what the next steps are. Projects, especially ones at a client’s home (such as renovations) can be extremely stressful and unpredictable—especially to those who don’t live it every day as a business. So it’s good to keep communication open and frequent.Hold “Daily Stand-ups” (status meetings) internally to benefit your clients externally.
At my previous job I became a certified Scrum Master to beef up my project-management game. While the role of being a Scrum Master is definitely not as applicable to renovating a home as it is to developing a web site (long story), the daily stand-up meetings facilitated by a Scrum Master are a huge plus with any company. You’re supposed to stand to ensure it is in fact a quick meeting. It should really only be 15-minutes max. You discuss with your colleagues three things: 1) What you did yesterday 2) What you're going to do today 3) Any impediments that are preventing anyone on the team from meeting a goal.
If it’s only you, it’s still essential to go through this exercise with just yourself. Sometimes when running a business, fires need to be put out so other “to dos” or projects get put on the back burner. It’s always good to review what you did that day and think about what didn’t happen as well as why it didn’t. That way you’re able to prioritize what needs to get done the following day. Again, while you may have your priority projects straight, the little ones may get pushed to the wayside—ultimately giving those clients and their smaller projects that $1 experience nobody wants.
Jim and I touch base everyday with our projects as things are always evolving. There is never a day that goes exactly to plan. While Jim is focused on the bigger picture—plus what tools, laborers, and subs he needs—I am tasked with figuring out the minutia of how we get to the end goal and of course, within budget.
Those are my top, general insights for running a company with solid client management. While you can’t always please everyone, these tips can help alleviate some of the inevitable strains projects can create with clients.
The other important thing to realize is this: any experience you had in a previous job can be leveraged for your benefit in your current career.
…And if your client wants you to sing karaoke in New Orleans 3 hours before you need wake up and set up for a huge convention, YOU DO IT.