The underrated saying “when you have a hammer, everything looks like a nail” has notable consequences in the universe of doing a great job for clients, your boss, or any manager. Here’s how most people think:
- I’m smart, so I think that being really smart in my job matters most.
- I’m hard-working, so I think that being hard-working in my job matters most.
- I’m great at sales, so I think that being great at sales in my job matters most.
And so forth. You see the pattern. Because of the idiosyncratic way the human mind works, it’s just hard for people to understand the deep value of things they’re not naturally inclined towards.
Even I have this problem: I’m naturally inclined to hate barber shops, and I have just never understood the value of having well-presented hair in a deep way.
Now, let’s apply this to client work, or just work you do for your boss.
A great designer will naturally value great design (surprise!) As a result, it’s very natural to have the following thought:
“The client wants a great design, I’m giving him a great design, therefore, the client will be happy.”
Oh, such is the world I wish I lived in! But alas, ’tis nothing like the actual physical blue marble we do apparently inhabit.
Here’s what seems to be a more accurate description of client relationships: the quality of your work likely accounts for something like 20% of how happy your client is. And 80% of his happiness likely stems from everything around the work, other than the work itself:
- How clear is your communication?
- How frequent is your communication?
- How responsive/quick is your communication?
- Is your work what he actually thinks he asked for?
- Was the work done when it was expected to be done, or sooner, or later?
- How frustrating for him (on the emotional and irrational level) was the process of working with you?
- How well do you read his mind?
And so forth.
Yes, the vast majority of clients in the United States, and likely the world, would prefer hiring someone who is LESS GOOD at the job, but who is great at the above list—as opposed to the converse—someone who is great at the job, but terrible at the above list. (In the real world, there is a trade-off balance between the two extreme edges, of course.)
But what’s interesting is this: all of the above details that your client will judge, beyond the work itself, have something in common. It’s all about expectation management. The higher-level of good client management, boiled down, is:
- Set your client’s expectations well
and
- As details change (while you’re working on it), make sure you change his expectations accordingly
You do these two and you’re golden. You do these two and also your work itself is great…. then you’ll hit a home run. At least in the eyes of the guy who is paying your bills.
(Other chapters will deal with the nitty-gritty of setting and managing expectations.)
