What does the client really want?

A client a few months ago asked about getting usage metrics for the dashboards our team makes.

Basically he wants to know how many people are using our products which is helpful.

Unfortunately we couldn't get them yet because the Tableau server team needs to turn on that feature which ostensibly will take a while.

He asked again this week and we told him the same thing.

Does the client actually care about Tableau usage metrics? No.

What he does care about is getting his office more money.

He wants to show that the money already invested is being put to good use (everyone is using our dashboards!) and then say, "Hey if you want more of where this came from give us another $1 million for contracts."

Now, there's nothing I can do about the specific ask. But, I can potentially provide other products that show clear, measurable wins which helps the client make the business case for more money.

When your client repeats requests or asks for things that don't seem to matter, figure out what they are really asking for.

Then, help them get what they want.

This is how you become invaluable to a client, which will help you get 1099 gigs.

Want the full playbook? Check out Going 1099.