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Designing

Is there a problem with your agency …or you?

by Codesign Labs
September 18, 2018

Do you feel your creative is like your friend? Do you think micromanaging your project manager at every step is a sign of your involvement? Have you ever come back to your project manager with “references” as feedback with all the creative work turned on its head?

If it’s a yes, you’re absolutely.. WRONG. Micromanagement is a thing of the past and your project manager is not your best friend! At best he’s a paid professional whose main job is to find the problem with your business and solve it. So trust them. After all, you need an outsider’s point of view because you as an insider cannot objectively see where the problem exists.

What you don’t realize is that there’s a thin line between trying to set contextual boundaries and suffocating the project manager with too many references, creating an information overload that doesn’t really add much value to the final outcome.

The truth is that not all the feedback you give can be implemented. There needs to be a line between where the ego ends and the larger good of the product’s success takes over. After all, you’ve invested in your agency with a lot of consideration and money.

Similarly, the manager also needs to learn when is it right to to say no or yes to a piece of feedback. We at Codesign Labs have been practicing this with utmost care.

Here are our favourite strategies for the client and manager to arrive at the best possible results for the project:

1. Explain your solution and educate the client

s an intelligent manager, one should handle these situations tactfully with a pinch of salt! This is the nature of the business and one need to find a middle ground in the combined interest of not compromising on creative outcome and the business not seeing any benefit even after the new campaign is implemented. Give a solid, end to end coverage of your plan with the campaign, so that the client knows you have considered all their pain points.

2. Give factual data that proves your solution is the best

Sometimes, clients can be a tough cookie because of how your creative vision doesn’t translate in their head the way you expect it to. This could create a never ending loop of changes which would not only delay the project but may also cost you a client. Do not get defensive or hold the creative high ground! Provide hard facts about the metrics of how this campaign will pan out beyond your creative vision and translate into numbers.

3. Mitigate risk in the mind of your client

Without compromising the idea, give references to old work or links to similar previous successful campaigns so that they have an assurance that the idea has worked in the past, all this while making sure your original idea stands out.

4. Contextualize your conversation

Provide the client with an option to select any two options between the classic triad of money, time and scope. That makes it easier for both the parties to decide the best possible approach to take with the project.

5. Do your best to work with the changes

If the client is still adamant on going his way, try to accommodate some of his feedback you see best fit with the vision you have in mind.

6. Let go or pass on the project

However, few of our clients have gone to the length of demanding to sit with the designers to guide them. It’s backbreaking for the client, but also shows a lack of trust in the designer. All this only ends up messing with the outcome. The client needs to understand that one can’t get into an expert’s shoes unless you are one. In such cases, we’ve passed on the project.

But, we might not need to do that anymore, since this handy guide helps fill the communication gap in the client-manager relationship. You now know how to find a middle ground with your project manager who stays on top of all things while all you do is concentrate on what you’re good at.

Looking to hire one? Drop us a line at https://codesignlabs.com/

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