Speckyboy RSS: How to Improve Your Communication With Clients

Your latest Speckyboy content is here!.

Speckyboy Design Magazine

Design News, Resources & Inspiration

How to Improve Your Communication With Clients


By Addison Duvall on Sep 02, 2020 06:53 am


When you walk into a bakery, what’s the first thing you want to know? Do you care that the bakery was started back in the ’60s by the current owner’s immigrant Grandma? Or that the head pastry chef’s favorite dessert is a strawberry cheese Danish with the perfect blend of cheesiness, flakiness, and strawberry-ness?

Or how about that the tiles on the floor are hand-painted ceramic from a little town in southern Morocco? You’re probably bored already, aren’t you? Just shut up and give me my cupcakes, you might say; I’m late for my nephew’s birthday party.


When you drown your clients in information they don’t need to know, they’ll usually have a similar reaction. Your clients are just as busy as you are – they have goals for their businesses, and they simply won’t care about details that aren’t important to them, even if you think they should be. Such is the life of a freelancer.

Following are three simple ways you can improve your communication and get down to the nitty-gritty with clients, so that you won’t waste time assuming that they need to know things they don’t, and instead focus on using that knowledge to benefit them without them having to strain their brains.

shouting at a brick wall which represents a barrier to his ability to reach potential clients

Getting Specific About Your Services

It’s super important to always be specific about what you offer as a designer. I know it seems smart to try to reach as many customers as you possibly can, but in actuality, this is one the things that can really hinder your career progress.

When a potential client asks about what kind of design services you offer, do you tell them something to the effect of “oh, a little bit of everything?” If so, stop doing that ASAP. Do you really do every kind of design? Do you design buses, baby carriages, and tea kettles? No you don’t – so there’s no need to tell potential clients that you do.

Don’t assume that they already know what you’re all about – they won’t unless you spell it out for them. This is the one time when providing more information is actually a blessing rather than a curse.

Now if you’re thinking that people won’t take you quite that literally, you’re probably right. However, they won’t really remember you as a standout choice for their project either. No one wants to hire the bland, generic designer who “does everything.”

They want to locate the service provider who’s perfect for their specific needs. Be specific about what kind of value you offer, and quality clients will be far more interested in your services.

Tug of War

Be The Brains Of The Operation

Do people a favor and think for them as frequently as humanely possible. They’ll love you for it. Don’t make assumptions about how much people know or what they want in a design.

You’ve probably heard of a book called Don’t Make Me Think, by Steven Krug. One of the basic premises of the book is that people have a limited reserve of mental energy, and the last thing they want to spend it on is figuring out how to use your website or information product.

This basic principle extends far beyond just web design and usability; it creeps into every aspect of every product that has ever been designed for use by a human being.

There’s a reason Apple products are so universally loved and constantly talked about by design-conscious folks. It’s not just because they’re attractive to look at – the real beauty lies in how easy they are to use.

If you force someone to work or expend valuable mental resources on the unnecessary, you risk destroying their “reservoir of goodwill” and making them frustrated enough to leave and never come back.

super businesswoman saves someone from slipping on a banana peel

Marketing Out Of the Box

Another area where designers make broad assumptions is in their marketing strategies. Many designers assume that their potential clients are looking for someone who can give them a website, a logo, or a brand identity. But that isn’t quite true.

What they’re really looking for is someone who can think for them and come up with solutions to problems they don’t even know they have. They’re looking for someone who can take their business to the next level.

Quality clients don’t simply want to be known as the “generic law firm” or the “generic band” or the “generic dentist” any more than you want to be known as the “generic designer.”

Your clients are eager to work with a designer who understands their need for prime market positioning – because that’s what you want as well. If you have an intriguing personality or design style, you’re not doing yourself or your clients any favors by suppressing it because you assume no one is interested in your quirkiness.

Market yourself out of the box. Don’t be generic – you’re a unique designer, so make sure your clients can see that in everything you present to them.

Conclusion

By not making assumptions about what response you’re most likely to get or what you think people want to, need to, or should know, you can turn your clients into true fans.

People who feel as though you understand them will be genuinely excited about working with you, and will be eager to recommend you to anyone who will sit still long enough. Become a mind-reading rock star and no one in your niche will be able to resist you.

The post How to Improve Your Communication With Clients appeared first on Speckyboy Design Magazine.



Read in browser »

Recent Articles:

Chill Out with These Calming CSS & JavaScript Code Snippets
Is the WordPress Comment System Still Relevant?
Weekly News for Designers № 555
The 20+ Best Banner Mockup Templates for Photoshop
Together at Home: Managing Kids and Your Web Design Business
Share
Tweet
+1
Share
Forward
Copyright © 2020 Speckyboy Design Magazine, All rights reserved.
You signed up for daily Speckyboy Design Magazine email alerts either via Feedburner or directly through our site.

Our mailing address is:
Speckyboy Design Magazine
27 Braeside Park
Inverness, Scotland IV2 7HL
United Kingdom

Add us to your address book


Want to change how you receive these emails?
You can update your preferences or unsubscribe from this list.

Older messages

Speckyboy RSS: Is the WordPress Comment System Still Relevant?

Monday, August 31, 2020

Your latest Speckyboy content is here!. Speckyboy Design Magazine Design News, Resources & Inspiration Is the WordPress Comment System Still Relevant? By Eric Karkovack on Aug 30, 2020 05:49 pm

Speckyboy RSS: Weekly News for Designers № 555

Friday, August 28, 2020

Your latest Speckyboy content is here!. Speckyboy Design Magazine Design News, Resources & Inspiration Weekly News for Designers № 555 By Speckyboy on Aug 28, 2020 10:19 am Envato Elements

Speckyboy RSS: The 20+ Best Banner Mockup Templates for Photoshop

Thursday, August 27, 2020

Your latest Speckyboy content is here!. Speckyboy Design Magazine Design News, Resources & Inspiration The 20+ Best Banner Mockup Templates for Photoshop By Paul Andrew on Aug 27, 2020 05:45 am You

Speckyboy RSS: Together at Home: Managing Kids and Your Web Design Business

Tuesday, August 25, 2020

Your latest Speckyboy content is here!. Speckyboy Design Magazine Design News, Resources & Inspiration Together at Home: Managing Kids and Your Web Design Business By Eric Karkovack on Aug 24, 2020

Speckyboy RSS: Should You Use WordPress Auto Updates?

Monday, August 24, 2020

Your latest Speckyboy content is here!. Speckyboy Design Magazine Design News, Resources & Inspiration Should You Use WordPress Auto Updates? By Eric Karkovack on Aug 24, 2020 07:12 am Keeping a

You Might Also Like

Behind the Design of Lauren Santo Domingo’s Ski House

Thursday, November 21, 2024

View in your browser | Update your preferences ADPro Peak Style When it comes to clients, says AD100 designer Andre Mellone, “my biggest nightmare is a person who says, 'Carte blanche, do whatever

2025 Interior Design Trends, Revealed

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

View in your browser | Update your preferences ADPro Image may contain: Furniture, Chair, Interior Design, Indoors, Home Decor, and Rug Inside Our Newest Trend Report “Design, like fashion, tries to

Want a free strategy session with us?

Wednesday, November 20, 2024

Plus, the emails editors open most often. ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

One Simple Thing You Can Do to Retain Your Staff

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

View in your browser | Update your preferences ADPro By my account, it's not fall until I've watched You've Got Mail, Nora Ephron's '90s film adaptation of the 1930s Hungarian play

#483: UX Writing

Tuesday, November 19, 2024

With writing guides, content testing and practical guides for better content design. Issue #483 • Nov 19, 2024 • View in the browser Smashing Newsletter Hej Smashing Friends, Every digital product

Accessibility Weekly #423: Beautiful Focus Outlines

Monday, November 18, 2024

November 18, 2024 • Issue #423 View this issue online or browse the full issue archive. Featured: Beautiful focus outlines "Unfortunately, focus outlines are often overlooked in web design.

175 / Build your ideas without writing any code

Monday, November 18, 2024

Product Disrupt Logo Product Disrupt Half-Monthly Nov 2024 • Part 1 View in browser Welcome to Issue 175 One month ago, I quit my longest-standing job and embarked on a pathless path to let my

Into the Fediverse

Sunday, November 17, 2024

Issue 221: We need decentralized social networks ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏

The Books AD Editors Can’t Put Down Right Now

Friday, November 15, 2024

View in your browser | Update your preferences ADPro Good Reads Here at AD PRO, we're all about celebrating a good coffee table book. With crisp project imagery and behind-the-scenes stories tucked

What astrology has to do with PR?

Wednesday, November 13, 2024

and, no we won't tell you to read your chart! ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏ ͏