Make Your Clients Work For You
Occasionally, The Word Wrangler mines a piece of gold that simply has to be shared with his fellow wordsmiths, and I’ve got a nugget the size of a softball that I’m going to toss your way.
First, I’m going to set up a situation that you’ve either been in, or will be in at some point during your writing career.
It goes something like this:
Client: “I have a project for you.”
You: “Great send it over.”
You: write write write write write write write write send back.
Client: “This is no good. It’s unprofessional.”
You: “What do you mean by unprofessional?”
Client: “I don’t know, I just want it more professional sounding.”
Now here’s where things get dicey. This is where many business relationships hit the iceberg. You, as a writer, truly want to do the best job for the client. But when the client is being so vague, it’s impossible to give them what they’re looking for.
The solution is simple: Make them do the work without realizing it.
In the above example, where the client wants something more ‘professional’ (and you’re not sure what that means exactly), get them on the phone and go line by line through the copy. Make them tell you what’s wrong with each sentence if necessary. Ask them how they would say it and what words they would use.
This isn’t a shady way to get out of work. In fact, you’ll be demonstrating to your client that you’re truly interested in getting the work right. You’re also involving them in the process, which can have two beneficial effects. 1. They’ll realize just how tough it is as a copywriter and back off to let you do your job. 2. They’ll feel better about the relationship because you’re taking your valuable time to involve them - which is what some clients care more about than good copy.
Most clients don’t require this much attention. They know you’re a pro and trust you to get the work to them on time. In fact, they like the idea of not having to babysit you through a project.
But when you get involved in a project that’s in danger of sinking because you’ve hit the iceberg of miscommunication, you have a choice to make. Let the ship sink, waste time and risk not getting paid. Or dive in and make your client tell you EXACTLY what they want and then give it back to them.
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Tuesday, March 11th, 2008 at 9:21 am under
Man, I’m glad I found this blog! Good stuff! Though I doubt any client I’ve ever dealt with would back off and let me do my job, I love the idea of letting them do the work. Sometimes it’s more a case of them not understanding what they want, which often is projected right onto us.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:29 amIn corporate speak, they call this collaborating with the client. Other names for similar activities which may or may not be related to making improvements on the copy are:
the co-creative process
partnering creatively
the roundtable discussion
client feedback
So on and so forth.
March 11th, 2008 at 9:48 am@Lori. Thanks for reading Lori. The thing is that, when they don’t really know what they want, or are giving out vague hints, the best thing to do is to get together and ’sound it out’ so you’re both on the same page. Then it should be easy to simply give them back what they just gave you.
@Dina. It really depends on the client you’re working with. Most will let you do your job and only come back with minor tweaks - those are a joy to work for. But others really don’t know what they’re looking for. You end up playing Whack A Mole until you, hopefully, hit upon something that pleases them. Unfortunately, most of us don’t make it to that point because frustrations boil over and usually put an end to the project before it can be completed.
Thanks for reading and check back often!
March 11th, 2008 at 10:05 amYou have a valid point. However, I always try to create the “work” at the front end of the project. All my clients get a creative brief that they can either type up or walk through with me over the phone. By the time they have talked through their thoughts, goals and objectives, I can almost always write spot on copy immediately–with less fuss.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:28 amThanks for the comment, Nicole. I don’t know many writers who begin projects without some kind of interview or questionaire to nail down the client’s objectives. The problem arises when - after all the initial prep - things still aren’t what the client wants. That’s when you really have to sit down with them and go over what you’ve written line by line to determine exactly what it is they have a problem with.
If they keep sending you messages like, “It’s just not professional enough,” you can revise until your fingers fall off and it might never be right because that’s such a vague and subjective term.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:45 amWrangler,
What I’m saying is - yes, I understand this term you have created called “Making the client do the work.”
You just don’t call it that when speaking the client’s language. You dress it up for them and put a positive spin on. “Making clients work” becomes “co-collaborative process” or “getting client feedback.”
It’s just the PC (pro-client) way of saying it.
March 11th, 2008 at 10:46 amThanks Dina. I got that the first time.
March 11th, 2008 at 11:01 amActually, I think it’s a great idea to ask as many questions as you can up front.
The trouble is, some clients will change their mind. A telephone call is probably an effective way of getting closure on such projects.
March 12th, 2008 at 6:06 am