RGD Ontario Webinar: Bridging The Client/ Designer Relationship

Webinar
BRIDGING THE CLIENT/ DESIGNER RELATIONSHIP
October 29, 2010. 12pm ET
Hello everyone. I’m Mel Lim
President and Founder of Mel Lim Design LLC & JOY by Mel Lim

BRIDGING THE CLIENT/ DESIGNER RELATIONSHIP
“It wasn’t “my idea” or “your idea”…true collaboration happens when you stimulate each other and put thoughts in each other’s minds.”
– Sohrab Voussoughi, Founder & President of Ziba Design

ASKING QUESTIONS
The question should not be why don’t they get us, but rather why don’t we get them.
// How do we take on this challenge of persuasion?
// How do we educate our clients on what is great, good and bad design?
// How do we show that great design leads to profitability and growth?
// How do we prove that design is differentiation?
// How do we convince our clients that design is NOT an after thought, but rather the very crucial step in innovation?

SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE
We cannot expect everyone to speak the “design” language, especially business peeps.
It’s okay. If they don’t understand us, let us try to understand them.
If part of our job is to help steer the direction of businesses, and use DESIGN to differentiate products and services, we owe it to our clients to understand the driving factors behind their decision making.

TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE
We have to listen, process and solve
Treat client management like another exciting design challenge!
Step 1: Truly Listen
Step 2: Process
Step 3: Solve

SHARE + COLLABORATE
Having an honest open discussion
“Some people worry that giving away too much information might undercut the value of their products. It never happens. The stuff you share proves your expertise and attracts customers.
It makes them want to talk about you and to you.”
– excerpt from Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz

TIP #1
Your client IS part of your team.
So try to make them feel that they contributed to the big idea.
// The most important element in a client/ designer relationship is COLLABORATION.
It’s about “we”, “us” and “teamwork”.
// When you remove the “I” out of the equation, and replace it with the “we”, you are no longer a vendor but hopefully an important partner in your client’s organization.

QUESTION:
How many of your clients actually become life long partners/ friends in your business?

TIP #2
Turning complexity into simplicity.
// Our role as a designer is to make the entire collaborative creative process look easy and simple even though it maybe extremely complex.
// Less sometimes IS more.

QUESTION:
In a typical project, how many design options do you normally show your clients?

TIP #3
Strategy before design.
Get to know your clients.
// Great design solutions comes from good understanding of business goals and strategies.
// Build a strong framework so that you have a metric to measure against.

QUESTION:
How many of you build strategy into your scope of work/ billable?

TIP #4
Not everyone can draw.
Not everyone cares about drawings.
// Visual communication is crucial in convincing our clients into accepting proposals and new ideas.
// Ideas may be presented in many forms including charts, case studies, ppt, videos, animations, illustrations, graphics, music etc.
// We have to think outside our usual sets of presentation methods.

QUESTION:
What is the most unique, out-of-the-box, presentation you’ve done to sell an idea to a client?

TIP #5
You have to REALLY care.
// Try to have empathy and understand where your client is coming from.
// Nurture your clients.
// When you “become” the client, you maybe able to give your most sound, honest advice that your client will truly appreciate.

QUESTION:
How many of you have spent more than $20k on your own personal branding/ marketing collateral?

QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Convince them (clients) that your solution is as conservative as they are – because it saves money, it’s more efficient, it has fewer unintended consequences, change is actually the lower-risk road to take, and it actually works.”
– Alan Webber, Founder of Fast Company, Author of Rules of Thumb

THANK YOU
Books we love //
Rules of Thumb by Alan Webber
Rework by Jason Fried
Authenticity by Joseph Pine
Spend Shift by John Gerzema
The Design of Business by Roger Martin
Twitter // mellimbace
Web // www.mellim.com
Blog // www.mellim.com/bace
Mel // mel@mellim.com
Linkedin // www.linkedin.com/in/mellim

RGD Ontario Webinar: Bridging The Client/ Designer Relationship

by Mel Lim Design LLC on Jul 05, 2011

Accessibility

Categories

Tags

Upload Details

Usage Rights

2 Embeds 8

Statistics

RGD Ontario Webinar: Bridging The Client/ Designer Relationship — Presentation Transcript

http://www.mellim.com	7
http://www.slideshare.net	1