Don't be so quick to take the blame
In our work with clients, things are going to go wrong.
Things will take longer.
Results won’t meet expectations.
Clients will get upset and frustrated.
It’s inevitable,?so we better get good at working with our clients when issues arise.
What I see in the agency world is that all too often we fall on our own sword when we’re presented with a problem. We apologize, immediately take the blame, and dive headfirst into solving the problem.
This is not always a helpful response because it hinders our ability to respond objectively to the problem and ask the right questions.
The skills that increase our value to our clients is our ability to make sure we are:
What our clients?really?need from us is not to take the blame, but to help them through solving the problem.
They are coming to us because they need help from an expert.
领英推荐
So, don’t be so quick to take the blame. Instead, rise above it. See the difficulty the client is having dealing with the problem, and figure out if you're actually working on the right problem.
When problems occur in my work with clients, the type of coaching questions I ask are:
And so, next time your client comes to you with a problem that would normally have you falling on your own sword and jumping into action, slow down, think objectively, ask better questions, and increase your value to your clients.
DFTBA!
Chris.
PS.?If you'd like a weekly letter and more coaching resources/tips from me, go ahead and?subscribe to my weekly letter ?that lands in your inbox every Thursday.
Photo by Hans-Peter Gauster on Unsplash