There’s this game series called Cooking Mama that, alongside being many children’s first experience in perfectionism and inadequacy, had a number of spinoff series that included the titular Babysitting Mama. It is here that the well-known meme of “Don’t shake the baby!” comes from. And yes, you should not shake your children. I hope this blog doesn’t have to be the first place you hear that.
But what of the metaphorical baby?
Working in marketing for the time that I have has shown me that sometimes clients are, rightfully, precious with their businesses and ideas. From strict control of visual ideation to not wanting to push the status quo, it can be difficult to navigate the client’s space. Especially when you’re not necessarily familiar with the industry. I’m here to show you how and when to shake your client’s baby to push them and their business in the direction of their best selves.
Stagnation & The Fear of New
In some great-case scenarios, clients will come to you knowing that they are out of date either visually, compositionally, linguistically, or some combination of the three. However, it is far too common that regardless of what you pose as a means to improve, they refuse to budge. They want change, but not too much change. This is unfortunately common and for a genuinely good reason.
The biggest fear is, and always will be, losing their connecting with an existing customer base. With certain demographics, that is a reasonable fear and is why initial consumer research is so incredibly important. That being said, when a client wants change and has the opportunity to delve into an untapped or pivoting market, this is the time to push a little harder. Bring up statistics and dedicate a good amount of budget to the research phase to set your client on their best foot.
Misconceptions
It happens to everybody, myself included. You believe you have a great idea of what something is or how it works, only to be flabbergasted that it was not, in fact, what you thought it was. This happens a lot with clients when you have the sit-down that they’ve been going about their marketing in all the wrong ways. Maybe they’ve been doing only print in a digital-heavy audience. Maybe their language is too formal or too casual for who they’re trying to speak to. This causes a lot of embarrassment on your client’s end, so it’s important that when you bring up these ideas that it’s a conversation, not a finger-pointing or blame-game. Answer their questions and be honest without being mean. We’re all only human and it’s up to your client to be able to listen and change perspective when given new and possibly view-altering data.
Losing Control
As said before, your client’s brand is their baby and they will do everything to protect it. And like your parents that refused to let you set up your dorm room on your own when you left for college, your client isn’t going to want to let you have as much control as you need to develop their brand in a productive way. This may require additional communications with the client or extended timelines so everyone is on the same page. You’ll probably hear phrases like “I don’t know”, or “Are you sure?” or “This seems wrong”, and this is all perfectly normal. While I don’t normally recommend giving clients full control during the development process, this is a time to give them the proverbial unplugged sibling controller and give them the illusion that they’re in charge of what’s going on. Suggest ideas and let them suggest it as their own back. It may seem wrong, but it’ll give them the ease of mind that they need to keep a project moving.
Deadlines are Death
As a designer, I am very well acquainted with the concept of a deadline. It’s what my life revolves around. That being said, deadlines for clients can be a tedious tightrope to walk when they’re already nervous or unsure of what they’re going to get. Things can be rushed if the client feels pressure or the itch to keep innovating or they can be slowed down by weeks or months because they don’t want to commit to a decision. So, how do we fix this? First thing I always suggest is give more time than you’d usually give to an average client to account for possible extended review time. Then, just keep the dialogue open. Ask questions, set up meetings, become friendly if you can. Clients can get nervous around designers for feeling like they don’t know anything and just want us to make decisions, but that’s just not it. In my experience, the more friendly you are, the more they’re willing to open up with ideas, thoughts, and questions. And remember, there are no stupid questions – just stupid answers.
Non-designers are scared of designers, but they certainly don’t have to be. It’s a space that I think is relatively easy to understand with constant exposure, but for the client who maybe hasn’t even heard of the infamous Adobe circle of death, it’s uncharted waters. So, handle their baby with care. Maybe don’t make Mama mad with the shaking, but just a gentle nudge or rattle can keep the ball rolling and bring out the best work possible.