410-696-4690
The Client is Always Right, So Listen!
Listening can do wonders for friendships, conflict resolution, managing your employees and even marriages. You can’t begin to solve a problem if you aren’t sure what the problem is. The only way to find out what the problem is…is by listening. So how does this apply to the Web and graphic design business?
Day in and day out, I come across one point that is stressed repeatedly as the most important step for being a good leader: listening!
Your Client Knows What They Want
So how does this apply to the Web and graphic design business? Simple…listening to your client is the number one rule for success as a service provider. When a client requests that I draft up a design for a Web site or logo, he or she usually has a general idea of what they are looking for. It is my job to extract their thoughts and transform them into a physical presence in traditional or digital media.
However, as a designer, you cannot achieve this without having your client describe the thought they have in their mind. A good majority of my clients have come to me because they were looking for a designer to replace a firm that couldn’t give them what they wanted. The firm didn’t listen to the client. They created what they thought the client wanted…all the while ignoring the description the client was trying to convey. The client would say they wanted a red square, and the firm would give them a blue circle because they thought it looked better. You get the picture….
Guide and Educate
The point is, our role is to guide the client . . . to take their thoughts and mold them into something they can see. Feel free to make suggestions along the way, but don’t think you know what the client wants better than he/she does. Listen to the client, give them what they want, and you will build a strong relationship that will bring you promotion via word of mouth…and ultimately more business!
Tags: Business, client, communication, marketing
About the Author
Aaron has eight-plus years experience in the graphic and Web design field resulting in dozens of awards and accolades. He has worked with freelance clients and marketing firms all across the country to create a variety of material ranging from Web sites to cartoon characters. Aaron received a Bachelor of Visual and Performing Arts degree with a graphic design major in 2002 from the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC). In his spare time he enjoys cartooning, the outdoors and spending time with his wife, daughters and dozens of rabbits.
