Ensuring clients know what they want BEFORE they see it.

How can you get to a place where clients always know what they want?before?they see it?

Let's break it down and see what it’ll take.?What do you and/or your key decision makers need to ‘get’??We’ll do this in four steps:

1. Why it’s bonkers to let this situation continue: what’s the likely impact of the current situation?
2. What’s likely to be causing it??There could be several factors, some of which may be more relevant to you than others
3. What would it take to eliminate these causes??What are the practical ‘do-able’ steps you can take?
4. What’s in it for you – and everyone else??The personal and business benefits you, and others, are likely to realise if you take those steps.

Much of what follows may seem blindingly obvious. But, often, the only way to be sure we don't overlook the obvious is to state it.

Why the current situation has to go

Its likely impact on you

Obviously this situation can be maddening, and often confidence-sapping, when you can’t be sure you’re doing the right thing. And, unless you get really lucky, it’ll also mean it takes you longer to produce your work.

This is partly because you may waste a lot of time staring at a blank screen (and possibly chewing the back of your knuckles) while you try to work out what to do. And that’s before you even get to the almost inevitable revisions you’ll need to do if your client realises they want something quite different. So it all adds needless pressure to meet deadlines, and may result in longer days.

Likely impact on your client

This issue is almost certainly going to cost them time. And probably confidence (in themselves and – perhaps unfairly – in you or members of your team). And if the end result ends up arriving late, or being a bit of a fudge, their reputation will probably take a hit too.

Likely impact on your organisation

This is going to depend on how successful you and your team are at retrieving the situation. But any late or fudged projects waste money and generally upset people. And if they're communication projects, then (assuming they really are needed) they'll leave employees groping in the dark, and possibly making mistakes. So their performance is almost bound to suffer. Of course, if a communication isn’t needed, it’ll simply be wasting their time – even if it’s crystal clear and arrives bang on time.

All in all, then, this is pretty rubbish. But it's just our perspective.?Are there any other impacts you would add?

So what's going on here? How come these situations even arise?

What's getting in the way?

1. Sometimes people have just had a responsibility dumped on them, and they're floundering
2. Often it’s that your briefing process doesn’t yet provide them with clear enough guidance to be able to define what they need.
3. Or perhaps your briefing process is fine. But maybe some of your team aren’t skilful enough to get valuable answers from their clients, or to sort the wheat from the chaff
4. Another possibility is that the process is fine, and your team have all the necessary skills, but they don’t have a?mandate?to make their clients follow it every time.

Again, these are just our insights.?What other causes, if any, would you add?

Potential solutions

If you have floundering clients, it could be they don’t have the skills to think through what they need. In that case you and your team need:

1. a watertight briefing process,
2. the?skills?to use that process effectively, and
3. a?mandate?(including having enough time) to use those?skills?and that process.

An alternative possibility is that the client can’t answer the necessary questions because they’re effectively in the role of a go-between. You need to be dealing with the real client. And if you can’t get access to that individual, you again have an issue with your team’s?mandate.

Which of these are currently missing for you? Or could there be something else you need instead of, or in addition to, these resources??If so, what is it?

Things to consider for your wish-list

If it's a?skills?issue, many folk may reach straight for the training portfolio. And training may indeed have a role to play. But it can rarely do the job on its own. That means we need to put professional development into context.

So, apart from any training, you or members of your team will probably need:

1. Time to practise the learning. Getting used to any new way of working tends to slow us down for a bit. Even the best training is unlikely to 'stick' if people aren't allowed the time to get used to novel processes and techniques.
2. A?mandate?to use your briefing process in all relevant circumstances. And to make that?mandate?unshakeable, the process needs to be?DFVP?(Demonstrably Fit for Valid Purposes).

If those are in place, professional development could then provide:

• processes for taking briefs from clients - whether for internal communications or other work projects
• techniques for getting all the information you need from your clients, while using those processes.

Are there any other professional development needs you can see?

How these solutions could end this 'forever frustration'

Together, they should mean:

• you and your team are being briefed only by people who are capable of knowing what they want,
• you and your people have the?skills?and?mandate?(including enough time) to take these clients by the hand and lead them through a process which enables them to know this?before?they see it.

Business benefits…

…for you and the others involved

1. Saving potentially huge amounts of time for yourself, your clients, any 'approval groups' and the folk on the ultimate receiving end of your work.
2. The confidence of everyone involved gets a boost
3. Everyone experiences less frustration and stress.
4. Your work is more fulfilling
5. You get to go home at a reasonable hour?and?feel safe to switch off at the end of the day.

…for your organisation

In many circumstances, there are likely to be some budget savings, not least because:

• pointless projects never get started,
• there may be fewer reworks and rush jobs…

…so your organisation saves?money.

And employees would be that much better informed, and more able to work well. So your organisation can deliver better results for the people it serves.

Again, can you see any additional benefits?

About the author

Russell-Olivia Brooklands (ROB) is an acknowledged thought leader in the field of Internal Communication – in which he has been working for over 25 years.?With a background in behavioural linguistics he has mastered many of the challenges which typically baffle both IC Specialists and their clients.?

Through his training programmes he’s helped IC Specialists to up their game on four continents, in blue chip companies like GSK and Airbus, and major national and international bodies, including the European Central Bank and the UN.?He was one of the founding Directors of the Institute of Internal Communication.?And he’s leading the IC Practice Governance initiative, to help IC Teams better support line managers in becoming effective communicators.

To inquire about working with ROB – because you’d like help

- demonstrating and increasing the value of your IC Function,?

- raising your team’s justifiable confidence, and/or?

- establishing new working practices and a fit-for-purpose mandate…

…please email [email protected]