A few posts back we introduced a “seller experience” term, meaning a complex mechanism of delivering better products through the enhancement of the internal processes. This is just one side of the coin as you can enhance all you want, but ultimately you are working to cater to your customer. So is there a way to identify a perfect client? How to become one? And what to do to build the best relationship with them?
As a digital agency, we’ve been working with hundreds of clients. We appreciate every single one of them not only for the paycheck, but for the growth opportunities that we get from them, and more importantly, for the chance to do what we love.
Every project is unique due to the personalities involved, industry specifics, and the x-factors each and every one of them contains. Our hypothetic book of experience is our Witcher’s Glossary, containing bestiary, characters books, and crafting guidelines. Our “witchcraft” would not have been possible without such a prolific knowledge. So here is the list of features we could come up with after thinking of our best clients’ stories.
Shakuro’s Perfect Client Traits
While a lot of people who deal with freelancers sometimes encounter scam artist in all of the digital industry, there is a clear understanding that it’s a double-edged sword that annihilates the industry from both sides. Just as much as frauds compromise the market, some ultra-demanding clients with rigid mindsets and execs tripping on power destroy productivity from the other end.
There is no way around that just like there is no way a Spartan boy could avoid the Agōgē. Startups and small-size digital agencies most likely will work with any client just to get by early on. However, this is what empowers them to deal with challenges of higher caliber and influence the industry along the way.
You cannot let this be your long-time strategy though. There is nothing worse for a company, than to get stuck in a stagnant scenario and not commit to a more bold and challenging projects. There are no bills-paying ventures worth sacrificing your business development opportunities in the long run. It’s vital that a company develops in a positive challenging aura that is only possible when working with inspirational clients.
Even though lucrative deals are of higher priority early on regardless of the frustration, it doesn’t always have to be like this. With enough marketing resource and strategic planning, you can step your game up and attract the type of clients you appreciate. And these are the features of a client we would consider them perfect for.
Grants complete creative control
The specific of our industry is so that everybody can judge about the quality of the products. If code has clear attributes that tell good from bad, design after all is subjective. As professionals we spend years studying the craft, absorbing the best practices and promising trends.
Of course, in order to be inspired by their project, a client has to like it in the first place, but design concept is a complex and multi-layered structure, which considering the UX stretches much further than just color schemes and logo sizes.
| We look out for the user and rely on our experience accumulated over the years.
This at times can contradict the initial vision a client has, but the priorities must be clearly focused on catering users.
Things that make production successful:
- Flexibility.
- Desire to comprehend the reasoning behind every design concept.
- Trust for creative professionals.
It’s important not to confuse feedback and steering. Feedback is instrumental in maintaining dedication to the objectives and following the general philosophy.
Steering, however, has to be left for the professionals. There can be no double piloting… unless you are navigating the USS Enterprise. So as a client, instead of taking Hikaru Sulu’s place, just try being Captain Jim Kirk.
Provides supervision
Remote work implies different approach to handling progress reporting. Productivity is the key factor in remote collaboration. The process of synchronizing and coordinating team efforts along with project guidance is called supervision. A good supervisor keeps an eye on the on the project in its entirety, without going too much into details.
This includes:
- Holding the team accountable for the quality.
- Controlling the project development pace by using sprints.
- MCing the scrums.
- Delegating tasks.
The importance of a shadow falling over the worker’s shoulder and a cough behind their back are sometimes the best representation of the binding power holding the project in place and not indulging personalities to take over. At the same time, supervision must not devolve into micro-management as this will deprive the project of the perspective and leverage only the specifics.
Gives clear assignments
In order to grasp the importance of clear statement, let’s dig into the workflow itself. First you get to know the general project philosophy, theorize the product, and evaluate your performance scenarios and results. Then you strategize and agree upon the terms and conditions. After that, you get the technical tasks and come up with a solution plan, then you break it down to segments and you’re good to go into design and coding production.
Perhaps, the most important part here is the initial proclamation where the client gives us their perspective on the product features, the back-story, and the reasoning behind it. Sometimes clients are not into sharing their insight out of competition fear and the desire to keep the “source code” to themselves. Instead, they come up with vague explanations or simply “do-as-I-say” approach. This makes sense in terms of business security, but it cannot be picked over business performance, which is what is being developed by us in the first place.
A good idea is about ten percent and implementation and hard work, and luck is 90 percent.
- Guy Kawasaki
Being overprotective of the concept gets in the way of advancing with it and making it flourish. So the outtake here is once you made your choice to entrust your software/web/mobile development to a team of professionals, do not hedge your bets on their involvement. The idea along won’t get you anywhere, what will though is the teamwork and utilization of the best practices in all aspects of your product development.
Image credit: 20th Century Fox
Clear assignments and no concealed logic policy aids the relationship on top of the productivity rates, and progress transparency. If your concern as a client is the contractor status of your remote hired team, you can try the ETM model and secure your development workshop from getting involved in different projects, reduce staff fluctuations, and apply your business architecture without having to establish a new department in your on-shore company or startup.
Is curious and openminded
Using the of trusted methodology, tools, and approaches can save you time and money but you don’t usually rely on them if your objective is horizontal scaling of your business, attracting new audiences, and staying fresh.
Going with time these days means certainly implementing the latest technologies strategies, and most importantly, trends, as they are ultimate impression creators. It makes total sense when a client is open to what the industry has to offer.
This does not mean that you must be an expert in the technologies you utilize, or a fan of the design concept that is trending this year.
The power of the internet and BPO allows fluent integration of outsourced professionals from all over the world into your business development. This type of integration creates a unique mixture of cultural signature features of the East with a breakthrough competitive mentality of the West.
Coming Down to Earth
As much as companies appreciate a perfect client, in reality we are all far from perfect which is what makes the journey exciting. Having standards to look up to and wishful thinking are the things that legitimately perpetuate progress. In that sense, competition makes the industry and the quality of the product/service grow, as does having someone to revere for the good work.
Over the years we’ve accumulated a ton of experience working with different clients, from small dorm-room startups, to huge enterprises and the outcome has always been the same — we do the best we can to help our client’s business grow by emphasizing their online presence through outstanding user experience.
We are in a way a small company with our CEO always in the loop of our every project. We have genuine interest in every product idea that comes our way and here’s the list of industries we’ve already worked for:
- Gaming
- E-commerce
- Digital Art
- Beerpong (yes, that is an industry)
- Health & Beauty
- Publishing
- Finance
- Music
- Social Media
I feel like the diversity our agency manages to maintain is deeply rooted in the nature of the internet itself. Being open to everything new, being flexible and inspired by everything new and not new, as opposed to the ironic attitude to life is the key to resilient and versatile existence.
We are not looking for a perfect client, but we believe in a perfect partnership with any client so let’s be nice to each other and make it work!
