Clients don't know what they want
Clients don't know always know what they want.
They think they know, so they'll ask for something and you'll give it to them and you'll get a lackluster response.
There are a couple of things you can do to avoid this situation:
- Get more context up front. Ask why they need it (is it for a meeting with their boss, is it to get funding, etc.)
- Work iteratively and deliver rough products faster to get feedback
If you're a data analyst for example, instead of analyzing all possible scenarios, you can deliver one or two pieces of analysis and a suggestion on how to use this information. This will generate some feedback to act on.
Tom Critchlow, a consultant whose writing I follow, outlines a decent approach.
Instead, consider a way of working that’s more collaborative and more iterative. It might go something like this:
- Client request for a deliverable
- Consultant sketches out possible outcomes, possible value - using back of the envelope data analysis or estimates
- Check in and review with the client - with a focus on “how do we act on this information?”
- Adjusting our final expectations and beginning work on implementation even before we’ve finished our initial formalized deliverable
- Refining and polishing only those ideas that need formal presentation - and leaving the rest as estimates or outlines.
Four key advantages of this approach:
- Collaborate and uncover the information you need (you shape the deliverable with the client) and understand why they need it
- By the second or third check-in you’re already moving forward, adding other people in the org to focus on the next steps as there’s enough clarity with the deliverable to move forward to the next step
- Less elapsed time for the client - it’s faster
- Less work time for the consultant - it’s more efficient
Your clients will be impressed with how quickly you work and more importantly, they'll feel like you understand them.
Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.