How do we give our faithful clients the push they need without sending them over the edge?
Many companies have spent countless hours developing their brand image. Some organizations even have brand standards and guidelines, ways that logos may and may not be used, extensive manuals and many years of history to reference . Even these well documented organizations have something that is unwritten…the culture…the pulse of the organization.
As consultants, how do we grow to understand this abstract idea of an organization’s soul? This process doesn’t start with the typical tools people may associate with design. We don’t need a tape measure, camera or sketch pad to gather this type of information. We want to understand where people are really coming from…what makes them tick. The most important ingredient of understanding people is trust. We must be trusted and people must be willing to talk to us…candidly. It is vital that we ask the right questions, not only listen to what people say but also interpret what they really mean. The good news, studio 121 (one-to-one…get it? it’s all about forging one-to-one relationships) is focused on human interaction!
The listening process allows us to uncover an organization’s intended message and perceived message. It is our job to identify any contradictory messaging and address these discrepancies so that the built environment aligns with an image the company wants to display. Sometimes a client tells us what they want when it comes to design; however, it is not necessarily what they need to portray their brand in a way that others understand. The old saying holds true…”no pain, no gain.” We all need a little push sometimes. So how do we walk the fine line of pushing our faithful clients away from what is expected, away from what is comfortable, away from what they’ve been doing and towards what is unexpected, original and maybe even a little scary?
From the moment we are introduced, we begin forming a relationship and earning trust. Like every good relationship, we ask question after question and avidly listen to the response. This trust building exercise on the front end allows us to steer them through the process…the process of discovering what it is they actually need. All of that work on the front end really pays off.
