Setting Expectations & Why You Should Question Your Clients.

One thing that I truly love about Mad Men season 1 has been the amount of focus given towards pitching clients and maintaining good working relationships. The character Don Draper is portrayed as an insanely creative copywriter but it is in front of clients where he really shines. His no bullshit take it or leave it mentality (see the embedded clip below around 37 seconds in) towards Sterling Cooper’s work is so inspiring that I too want to dismiss clients who are “non-believers.” If still you don’t know what I am talking about I highly suggest you quickly rent the first season, and check out this article on design observer for reference.

Power trips aside, the reason I bring up Mad Men is because of a small piece of dialog that takes place between Pete Campbell and Don Draper. Pete, a young account exec explains how he does not question the wishes of the clients, and Don replies that it is their job to set expectations. He is referring to the possibility that Nixon may not win the election. History tells us how that battle unfolded.

SETTING EXPECTATIONS IS LIKE INSURANCE

If you have ever been behind a new business pitch then you are aware of the unbridled optimism that may be floating around the table. While it may not be the best time to being talking about limitations it is very important that it is done prior to the work being started. Often times I find it easiest and the most productive to do during the discovery phase of a project. I find that by taking a proactive approach is usually the best as it leaves time for you to really show your strengths. Project life spans are a tricky thing, choosing to deliver less than optimistic news towards the end leaves your client forgetting the things that did go well.

But why set expectations at all?

No doubt you have heard the dreaded “but I though,” or “but you said?” statements come up. By setting expectations early you can avoid the potential damage caused by miscommunication or just plain unreasonable goals. One thing that I choose to live and die by is the idea of under promise and over deliver. Freelancers and designers new to the business side of design tend to take the opposite route, promising the world and falling short. As a freelancer or small studio it is your reputation that is going to allow you to thrive or perish, and people love other people who say what they do and do what they say.

Early on it may appear that the only way to land new clients is to lie about what you can do for them. If you hope to remain in business long this is absolutely not the correct way to approach landing new accounts.

QUESTION THE CLIENT

One thing about questions is that they will always say more than your assumption of their needs ever could. Questions not only show that you are devoted to getting to the root of the clients problem, they also show that you have a deep understanding of what it takes to sell their product / service. Questioning a clients wants is also the only way to get at what they really need.

Take for example a client that comes to you looking for help marketing their business to business product. Asking a question like “how does your team approach selling this product?” tells the client that you are aware of the fact that their materials will ultimately support their sales process. If they want a new website but make 90% sales through tradeshows and industry events then that website probably isn’t the most effective solution. If their project is not going to generate the results they are hoping for then you are sure to take the blame and destroy any chance for future work. While this may seem like a common sense, it often gets forgotten amongst the optimism of a new project and the accompanying check.

ESTABLISHING LONG TERM RELATIONSHIPS

By using these tactics in unison you should be able to land new accounts that not only stay on past the first project, but are actually happy with the result. The hard part is obviously the risk involved, there is always the chance the client just want the deliverable no matter what and may but put off by the fact that you are questioning their needs. While this is possible I would argue that this type of client will eventually find out that they are the unsuccessful part of the process. Probably not until after they have gone through a substantial number of agencies and dollars though. Either way delivering good work rests firmly upon your ability to set realistic expectations and deliver based upon the client’s needs.

For those interested, Mad Men season 2 starts July 27th, see the details and trailers on the amc website