win over clients
TRANSCRIPT
Win Over Clients— Ask Powerful Questions
@theChrisDo YouTube.com/TheSkoolRocks TheFuturIsHere.com
facebook.com/BizOfDesign
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Anybody here love their clients? Maybe a more relevant question is anybody here have clients that love them? Let’s change that.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Are you getting: $50, $75, $100 and hour? Over $100? How about $500? Congrats. Now, would you be shocked if I told you, I have clients who are happy to pay me more than $1000 an hour? How is that possible? What am I doing differently that makes me more valuable?
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Why can some designers charge 10 or even 100 times more than another designer?
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Any ideas? Is it the quality of the work they do, the experience they have, number of awards, staff or size of their studio? What do you think it is? I’ll tell you why a little later, but here’s a hint: the answer is in the question.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Why can design icons like Michael Bierut or Paul Rand charge six figures for a logo?
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
You could draw this. You know how to use illustrator right? So it’s not a matter of technical skill.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Imagine this—You go to see a doctor. Upon entering the room, the doctor asks you, “What seems to be the problem?” You tell him, you are experiencing pain in your eye. He nods, asks a few more questions. Then, he writes a prescription. His prognosis? Get a new wardrobe—your style is all wrong. Your clothes don’t fit you and frankly, they look cheap. BTW, he says, “I happen to sell clothes.” What’s your feeling about this doctor? Offended? Annoyed? You’d be right in wanting a second opinion.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Is this a practice you’ve been guilty of as a freelancer orbusiness owner?As creatives on the service side, we tend to not have many opportunities to be clients. Therefore, we can overlook what it might feel like when someone talks to us this way. Getting “unsolicited advice” from someone can be downright aggravating. The problem is, we don’t like being told what to do, especially from an uninformed point of view. Amateurs give advice.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Experts ask questions. Lots of them.They run tests. They eliminate variables. They look at your history and behavior. Only after careful observation and diagnosis do they form a hypothesis. Then they take measured steps to test and validate. Asking smart questions is what makes them an expert.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
In design culture our tendency is to move fast. Get it done. Go go go. Slow down.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Let’s go back a couple thousand years to Greek philosopher, mathematician, and astronomer, Thales. When asked, “What’s the most difficult thing in life?”, Thales responded, “To know yourself.”
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Self Actualization
Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs
Survival
Security
Belonging
Importance
+
-
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Your value is determined by the quality of the questions you ask.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Quantitative, fact based questions are important for getting the job done, but tend to be lower value questions.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
What does it look like? When is it due? Who is the target market?What is the budget?
+
-
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
How did you come up with this idea? How do you want peopleto feel? How will you judge if this is successful?
+
-
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
High value questions surface “purpose”. They tend to cause people to be more reflective. You are helping people, companies or organizations to know themselves.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Why is this important? Why do you believe this to be true? Why did you start this company?
+
-
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
How valuable is this? The world’s largest management consulting firms are paid tens of millions to tell companies “why they started”.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Steve Jobs “Think Different” internal meeting.Sept. 23, 1997 Watch the video
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
What can you discover if you ask deeper questions? You can help align a company around a shared purpose which serves as a decisional filter to govern all decisions. Here’s an example.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
What can you discover if you ask deeper questions? You can help align a company and its people around a shared purpose— which serves as a decisional filter to govern actions, new initiatives, investments, hiring practices, marketing efforts.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
When you say it, you are selling. No one likes being sold to. In fact, we instinctively resist and distrust those that sell to us. When they say it, you are closing. If you help a client realize the problem and solution, you don’t have to convince or persuade.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
You could spend the next couple of years meeting with clients, experiment with questions and make adjustments as you go. I’ve done exactly that, and have come to the realization that there are 3 “golden questions” you can ask in almost any meeting. Here they are—
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
What can you discover if you ask deeper questions? You can help align a company and its people around a shared purpose— which serves as a decisional filter to govern actions.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Carrie is someone I’ve been coaching. I had a simple exercise for her— find a client that you don’t want to work with. Maybe, it’s someone who can’t afford your services or has a project you’re not really interested in. Instead of trying to sell your client, try your best to help them. Serve them without benefitting yourself in the process.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
The very next day, Carrie sent me a text exchange she had with her client. The results were pretty incredible. Carrie had helped her client win a piece of new business, something which her client hadn’t been able to do for months!
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
How was this possible? Carrie acted in a selfless way and was in service of her client. How did that make Carrie feel? Well, for the first time in a long time, she felt like an expert, in control, happy, and… valuable.
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
Win Without Pitching Manifesto by Blair Ennsbuy on Amazon
Brand Flip by Marty Neumeier buy on Amazon
Zag by Marty Neumeier buy on Amazon
Delivering Happiness by Tony Hsieh buy on Amazon
Reference:
Start With Why by Simon Sinek buy on Amazon
Influence, The Psychology of Persuasion by Robert B. Cialdini, Ph.D. buy on Amazon
Value Proposition Design by Alexander Osterwalder buy on Amazon
Slide:ology by Nancy Duarte buy on Amazon
©2016 Chris Do @theChrisDo #BizOfDesign
@theChrisDo YouTube.com/TheSkoolRocks Facebook.com/BizOfDesign
#TheFuturIsHere #WinClients