Your client wants major changes to your copywriting concept. How do you navigate conflicting visions?

To navigate conflicting visions with a client, start by actively listening to their feedback and understanding their perspective. Clarify their objectives and concerns to ensure you address their needs accurately. Offer creative solutions that align with their vision while maintaining core messaging. Propose revisions or alternative concepts that incorporate their ideas without compromising the project's overall goals. Keep communication open and collaborative, aiming for a compromise that satisfies both their vision and the project's integrity.

It's important to make sure you're in continuous alignment with whomever you're providing copy for. Try to take a step out of your personal role to understand what exactly is needed and keep a flexible outlook. Key messages may need to shift tones or their focus depending on the message, time of year, or maybe even feedback that that person has received from a superior. After that, think of how this message will land with the key audiences. Have talks with your client about what that profile looks like while providing insights from past successful communications so you can better address your content here and in the future.

Listen attentively to their concerns and understand that their input is not a criticism of your skills but a reflection of their vision and goals. By approaching the feedback openly, you can identify ways to blend your creativity with the client's needs. This doesn't mean discarding your original ideas but finding a balance where your creative expertise aligns with their objectives, ultimately achieving a result that resonates with both parties. Included: Embrace Feedback: View client feedback as a guide, not a personal critique. Listen Actively: Understand the client's vision and concerns. Open Mindset: Stay open to different perspectives to enhance the work. Merge Visions: Combine your creativity with the client's objectives.

I'd offer them to start over from scratch with a whole new creative. If the changes were minor, that means I'm close-if they're major, that means I've missed the mark, widely.

Here’s the hack: Treat feedbacks as opportunity! Have a separate document for feedbacks, and understanding of their vision and preferences. This will be handy in future projects, will reduce your time, effort, and even need of resubmission!

Initiate an open and constructive dialogue to gain insight into their expectations and the reasons behind their feedback. Ask specific questions to identify the primary objectives they want the copy to achieve. This approach will allow you to determine which aspects of your original concept align with their goals and which may need modification. By deeply understanding their vision, you can make targeted revisions that satisfy the client's needs while still maintaining the core message you intend to convey. Moreover: Engage in Dialogue: Open a discussion to understand the client's perspective. Ask Probing Questions: Use questions to clarify their objectives. Identify Core Objectives: Determine which elements align with their goals.

At our core, humans resonate with "why". Understanding a client's vision is essential to use as a guide when doing copywriting or any creative process. So if there is ever disagreement throughout the process, you can always lean back to "why" the medium was created in the first place. One thing I need to keep reminding myself is that when you're doing a job for a client, you are a vessel for their ideas to come to life. The best vessel is the one that's in alignment with where the client is heading.

Create a summary of the discussion to confirm your understanding of their vision. Share this with the client to ensure everyone is on the same page before moving forward with revisions.

There's one underlying theme in all of these points and that's active listening. If you don't take everything on board and show that the client is being listened to before making changes and suggestions you'll get nowhere. Listening, not for the sake of it, but actually listening, is such an important skill, that not many people have.

Communication is a two-way street. Your role in this isn't just to hear what your client says. It's about LISTENING, a big difference. Understand where they're coming from by asking questions. For instance, "Is there a particular reason why you want me to interview and quote all six executives? I'm concerned that the word count will allow for just one quote per person, and this may not serve them or your customers well."

Effective Communication for Navigating Conflicting Visions Clear and Concise Explanation: Articulate the rationale behind the original concept. Active Listening: Understand the client's reasons for the changes. Compromise and Collaboration: Find a mutually beneficial solution. Set Expectations: Manage client expectations about potential timelines and outcomes. Visual Aids: Use visuals to demonstrate the impact of proposed changes.

Propose a structured approach to revisions, such as agreeing on specific milestones for feedback. This keeps the project organized and ensures that both you and the client have clear expectations moving forward.

La publicidad masiva, obligatoriamente debe ser coloquial. Y las presentaciones al cliente, son parte de la publicidad. Ergo, deben ser faciles de vender

Listen to the changes they want. Communicate your ideas. Try to find a middle ground. if possible AB text both ideas on a smaller scale. Implement what works best. It is better to let your decision-making be based on data than feelings. If the client doesn't agree then don't worry. Be flexible. Address how the changes affect your timeline. Ask to be compensated.

Present your solutions with examples or mock-ups to give the client a visual understanding of how the changes would work. This can make it easier for them to see the value in your suggestions and lead to a more collaborative decision-making process.

Do your research know their challenges and with what you got offer a strategy that you know you are capable of implementing Tell them why it will work Before giving them other options.

Instead of just agreeing to modify the copy, proactively offer creative alternatives that align with the client's vision while retaining the core message of your original work. This approach showcases your dedication to delivering quality results and your ability to think critically about the project. By framing your suggestions in a way that emphasizes their benefits and alignment with the client's goals, you not only enhance the final output but also build stronger trust and rapport with the client through collaborative problem-solving. Proactively address requested changes. Offer creative alternatives that align with both your concept and the client's vision. Highlight the benefits of the proposed solutions.

Here's the solution you offer: the client's. You're a copywriter. Not a managing director. You listen to the client. All this nonsense about 'conflicting visions'... The client has the vision, not you. You're the lackey the client pays for sexy copy, not for 'visions'. That's what bosses and shamans are for. ??

Be Ready to Rework or Start Fresh. Flexibility doesn’t mean settling; it means being resourceful and creative when things shift. One time, a client’s vision changed drastically during the revision process. While it felt challenging to start from scratch, we embraced it as a chance to craft a sharper, more impactful piece.

Flexibility allows you to incorporate the client's feedback while preserving the core of your concept. This adaptability isn't about sacrificing quality; it's about revisiting your creative process and making necessary changes, whether that means tweaking specific elements or completely overhauling the content. By staying open to change, you can align the copy with the client's goals and ensure it effectively reaches the target audience. Stay Adaptable: Be ready to adjust your approach while preserving your concept's essence. Maintain Quality: Flexibility doesn't mean compromising on quality. Revise When Needed: Rework elements or start anew if required. Align with Client's Goals: Focus on the client's objectives and target audience.

Set boundaries on the number of revisions or the scope of changes to manage expectations and keep the project on track. This helps maintain focus and prevents the project from becoming overly drawn out due to continuous alterations.

Review the initial strategy for the project. Have each person present their point of view about the copy in the context of how it fulfills the project strategy best. For example, if the target audience is C++ programmers, which version of the copy speaks their language best? Which version best appeals to their core desire best? Or, if one of the strategy goals was to generate quick leads, which version of the copy has a more compelling call to action? Use the version, or combination of versions, that best fulfill the strategy. One person's opinion based on "I like this one better" is irrelevant. Fulfilling the strategy is most important.

Let go of people-pleasing tendencies. Flexibility doesn’t mean you have to be at your client's beck and call. It means finding what works best for both parties.

Throughout the process, maintain the integrity of your work. If a proposed change threatens the quality or effectiveness of the copy, express your concerns professionally. Suggest modifications that could meet the client’s needs without compromising the essence of the project. By doing so, you demonstrate your commitment to both the client’s vision and the quality of your craft.

An editor once told me, “Don’t fight for your idea, fight for the best idea.” Real collaboration is about refining ideas together, with the shared goal always center stage. It’s easy to say you’re good at collaborating, but it’s moments like these that truly test your ability to communicate with both determination and flexibility.

You can educate the client to some extent... But if he has been doing this for years and he thinks there are some problems in your copy, then try to fix it as per client needs...

Going against the grain here. A great client will be open to what you have to say. So, if you know what you say makes sense, you've spoken to your client about it you can't find a solution that suits your client and meets your criteria, you have 2 choices - 1 accept that you will deliver less quality, take the money and hope it doesn't come back to bite you or 2 hand back the assignment. It depends on the depth of the disagreement and your relationship with your client. I wouldn't continue working with a client who didn't respect my professional ability and/or who wanted me to do something unethical. Everyone needs their own balance in this.