In a word? Trust. Trust in one’s own abilities and trust in ours.
We have a lot of good clients, but one of them deserves to be singled out for praise. Naturally, I won’t name names, but when we were discussing the color scheme of an email template, the client said, “That color is driving me crazy, but I’ll take your word for it.” It so happens we were recommending a color scheme that flies in the face of this client’s industry–an industry known for conservative layout, fonts and color choices. While we weren’t being irresponsible, or contrary for its own sake, we told this client that the materials had a better chance of standing out if they didn’t default to the “prescribed design notions” of the industry.
The client responded: “I’m smart enough to know what I don’t know. I know my business, but this is your business, so I’ll trust you.”
In a word? Trust. In two words? Trust and self-confidence. (Is a hyphenated word one word?) A perfect client will know their business inside and out and trust us to know ours. Does that mean there isn’t room for give-and-take, for challenging each other’s thinking? Of course not, and we don’t presume to be the final word on any matter–we just presume to have an edge, an educated opinion that comes from years of schooling or experience or even trial-and-error. Chances are, we’ve been at this a lot longer than any one of our clients. There’s a reason we got into this business. And, despite what a lot of your relatives think, not just “anyone can do it.” True, many think they can.
But I digress. I’m talking about the perfect client.
Bill Cokas
Creative Director
Strategic Insights
Subscribe to RSS »
Subscribe to Email »
wevegotideas
Chris Griffin
Josh Gibbs
Bill Cokas
Jenn Soloway
What can I say, other than this is awesome! I have been in that situation so many times, and think your client deserves an award for admitting where his expertise ends so that you can do what you do best. Congrats!!
We were considering a full spa treatment for this client whenever he/she visits the office, but didn’t want our other clients to get jealous…
We can give out consolation prizes to the other clients…like manila envelopes or some staples.
I LOVE your client. It is so refreshing for a client to truly get that they don’t know design and they should trust their agency. You are right. It is all about trust. When the clients trust the agency, then the agency is able to spend more time creating great work and less time having to defend it. Your client definitely deserves a spa day.
Make the others jealous, I say! Some healthy competition to have them all vying for that coveted “perfect client” title!
Why not institute a “Client of the Month” designation? Frame their picture and hang it in the break room next to the vending machine? Who wouldn’t bend over backwards for THAT kind of recognition? Seriously, though, the appreciation should flow both ways, and more often.