Eric Reiss shares 10 war stories from his experience as a consultant to provide lessons for working with clients. The stories cover challenges such as a client who doesn't care, getting "screwed" by agreeing to a no-cure-no-pay contract without proper terms, dealing with bureaucrats who say contracts are a formality, and avoiding "deliverables creep" where the client expects more than was agreed upon. The key lessons are to maintain control over project details, get agreements in writing, understand clients' needs and motivations, and clearly define expectations and deliverables to avoid scope creep.

1. 10 war stories you (probably)
won’t see on Slideshare
Eric Reiss
Smashing Conference
June 14, 2017
New York, USA

2. 1 slot
10 stories
20 slides
30 suggestions
40 minutes

3. Caveat
Tweet and blog with discretion
Highlight the the generic lessons,
not the gory details
Don’t betray my confidence
(I have the memory of an elephant)

4. What to do when the client doesn’t care
(a story from the public sector)
“What shade of lipstick can you put on our pig?”

5. Nota bene
Do something quick and easy that makes your
client look good
(show that positive change is not impossible)
Seek a true champion within the organization
If you’re going to be a whore, make sure the
money is really, really good

6. How to get screwed in one easy lesson
(a story from the airline industry)
“Would you consider a no cure, no pay agreement?”

7. Nota bene
Don’t let your enthusiasm get the better of you
Always maintain control of the “cure”
(and make sure the “cure” is well-defined)
Ensure you establish your rights to the “cure” if
the client gives your work to someone else for
execution
(and be prepared to sue)

8. How to avoid meetings from hell
(a story from the financial sector)
“Who called this stupid meeting?”
“Who are you guys?”
“Why am I here?”

9. Nota bene
Write out a clear agenda and make sure
everyone gets it prior to the meeting
(hold the client-side organizer hostage)
List your expected outcomes / decisions
Provide short background documents if
necessary

10. The truth behind social-media marketing
(a story about B2B)
“But social media is free…”

11. Nota bene
Don’t be greedy and accept a project unless
proper internal resources have been allocated
Understand that social media are not marketing
tools, they are communications devices
Focus on communications goals, not projects
(and don’t be seduced by false metrics)

12. What to do when the key decision-maker leaves
the team a week before the contract is signed
(a story from the private sector)
“BTW, I’m no longer in charge of this project…”

13. Nota bene
Make sure the new person knows that you
know they are calling the shots
(Don’t threaten, be supportive)
Find out what the new person has in terms of
personal goals and hidden agendas
(and find out why the other guy left/got fired)
Avoid talking about legacy decisions
(even when the new leader is clearly looking for
a scapegoat)

14. What to watch out for when dealing with bureaucrats
(a story about charities and NGOs)
“Oh, the contract is just a formality…”

15. Nota bene
A contract is always a contract
Cover Your Ass.
Get something in writing from the client (an e-
mail, for example) that shows they understand
the true backstory and are gaming their system
Be wary of contracts that appear after you’ve
started the work

16. How to give clues to clueless clients
(a story about B2B)
“We want the best damned site in our industry.
Can we have it Thursday?”

17. Nota bene
Try and put the project into a familiar perspective
(e.g. print: compare preparation needs and
budgets with those for their annual report)
Show how a proper development process works
(e.g. www.fatdux.com/how/our-process)
See if there is a link to an internal process
(e.g. LEAN – muda, muri, mura)
muda = elimination of fluctuation (e.g. quality)
muri = eliminating unreasonable work (planning)
mura = reactive elimination of causes

18. How to avoid “deliverables creep”
(a story from the private sector)
“You didn’t deliver what you promised…”

19. Nota bene
Don’t be vague just to get the contract.
Vague proposal language will return to
bite you in the ass.
Make sure you specify your deliverables – and
that the client understands exactly what you
mean (not everyone has the same definition of
stuff, e.g. wireframes)
Always be prepared to give more than you
planned on giving.

20. What to do when the CEO pulls rank
(a story from the industrial sector)
“My wife says links should be blue…”

21. Nota bene
Pick your fights with care. Don’t waste time
discussing the home page if you can win on stuff like
better forms design.
In a battle with the CEO’s spouse, statistics will lose
Get the CEO to choose between their personal
business success and their spouse
(“You might become more profitable if you…”)

22. How to read between blurry lines
(a story from the private sector)
“But your proposal doesn’t contain all the stuff
we want but didn’t ask for.”

23. Nota bene
Find out how you got on the short list
(probably because you are qualified)
Don’t spend too much time proving your
qualifications. Instead, show that you can think
outside whatever box you’ve been given.
Show folks success, not just process
(People don’t want a drill, they want a hole.)

25. You can (usually) find Eric at:
The FatDUX Group ApS
Strandøre 15
DK-2100 Copenhagen
Denmark
www.fatdux.com
Office: (+45) 39 29 07 07
Mobil: (+45) 20 12 88 44
er@fatdux.com
skype: ericreiss
twitter: @elreiss