When I last worked for a corporate firm, the CEO met with me regularly to see how things were going. One of her questions was always, “What keeps you up at night?”
I love this question. My answer changed at least every quarter and she was quick to point out how that demonstrated that I was growing in my role.
That was awesome for me then, but here’s a twist for you: why not ask your clients this question?
I’ll bet they’ve never been asked this question by someone who was helping them with their creative projects.
Their answer accomplishes two things:
You’ve forged a tiny bond with your client. They’ve shared something with you about their business and you’ll be fighting the forces of insomnia with them.
You now know what kind of stuff you should avoid doing with this client.
In other words, help your client get a good night’s sleep. At least where you’re concerned.
I’m sure you can take this further. That’s for you and your client to figure out. Enjoy.
When I last worked for a corporate firm, the CEO met with me regularly to see how things were going. One of her questions was always, “What keeps you up at night?”
I love this question. My answer changed at least every quarter and she was quick to point out how that demonstrated I was growing in my role.
That was awesome for me then, but here’s a twist for you now: why not ask your clients this question?
I’ll bet they’ve never been asked this question by someone who was helping them with their creative projects.
Their answer accomplishes two things:
- You’ve forged a tiny bond with your client. They’ve shared something with you about their business and you’ll now be fighting the forces of insomnia together.
- You now know what kind of stuff you should avoid doing with this client. Hint: avoid it.
In other words, help your client get a good night’s sleep, at least where you’re concerned.
I’m sure you can take this further. That’s for you and your client to figure out. Enjoy.
From an actual conversation with an actual prospective client:
His response: answered quickly that it was none of those. To him, the project is like a trustworthy hunting dog, one who knows him well and will do what is needed without always being asked.
I found that interesting, because he was thinking about the software product but didn’t take my question as relevant to the process. That project clearly had a communication problem, which was all about process.
.-= Mark W. “Extra Crispy” Schumann´s last blog ..Programming with Access? Know this about JOIN. =-.
Mark, your client questions are awesome. I love it when creatives step outside the formalities and just come out and ask human questions.
I've had a client or two who didn't think my questions were relevant. Usually they get it later on in the project (“So that's why you asked me X!”).
It's hard sometimes for people to break out of their routines and deal with a creative service provider as a human. There's a lot of trust involved. From my experience it's the Big Fish who have the most trouble because there can be repercussions from the boss if they give away “secrets.”
Mark, your client questions are awesome. I love it when creatives step outside the formalities and just come out and ask human questions.
I've had a client or two who didn't think my questions were relevant. Usually they get it later on in the project (“So that's why you asked me X!”).
It's hard sometimes for people to break out of their routines and deal with a creative service provider as a human. There's a lot of trust involved. From my experience it's the Big Fish who have the most trouble because there can be repercussions from the boss if they give away “secrets.”