This post is for those of us in marketing. So often you can begin to see the client as the enemy of your creative and strategic ideas. You’ve thought it through, done the research and have the experience behind you to warrant feeling confident in your recommendations. But, alas, marketing it public. This means your client has to trust you. They have to feel comfortable with what you are recommending because it is “out there” for everyone to see and judge. Remember it is out in the forefront with your client’s name on it (not yours) and their hard-earned dollar behind it. That makes it really hard for a client to just unilaterally agree to all your recommendations. So the next time you think, “Isn’t this what you are paying me to do?” or worse, “Forget it then. We’ll do it your way and it will fail.” – reevaluate. Keep a positive attitude about the client. They are your partner in this. Listen to their suggestions. Find something to agree with and then something to suggest alternate options. Pick and choose what you push back on. Think through it with the client. Documentation is important. But, pick up the phone or stop by in person when things get tenuous. This can often solve something that 15 emails will not. Choose to be positive. Life is short. And, you are spending a lot of time and sharing a lot of yourself for your clients. Try to have fun while you’re at it. After all, marketing is such fun when it begins to roll and generate interest. Get there with your client, not despite them.
