Leading the client vs. “taking orders”
An order taker is someone who delivers exactly what the customer requests. They get all the business the client wants to give them.
Order takers are reliving the client of tasks that they need done.
“Make me a video, add this page to my website, I need copy for this ad,” says the client!
“Right away,” says the order taker.
Order takers can run profitable accounts, and they can keep a team of creatives pretty busy for a while…
The client needs more than what they know to ask for.
Remember the two fishing guides? One gave us exactly what we asked for; the other changed our idea of what was possible.
If you are going to lead your client, you need to challenge their assumptions. You need to push them to do things that may feel risky but have big pay-offs. You may need to ask them to do something that they don’t know how to do, or that they’ve failed at in the past.
Leading the client involves risk; taking orders is a sure thing.
How do you know if you are leading your clients
Ask yourself:
- When you kick-off a new assignment with a client, are they telling you what needs to be done or are you telling them what needs to be done?
- Does the client leave the meeting thinking, “Well, that’s a load off my to-do list,” or do they leave thinking, “Whoa, I’ve got to think about that!”
- Are you scrambling to please the client, or is the client wanting you to help them through this?
If you identify with the first half of each sentence, you are taking orders; if you identify with the second half, you are leading!
If you want to learn more about leading clients, hit reply and let me know!
