On People
Client Needs, Not Wants
Recently we had a situation at our agency that reminded me of the importance of delivering what clients need rather than what they may think they want. Although clients play a major role in decisions and influence your company's actions—mostly because every company is trying to please their clients and keep them happy to create long-term relationships—the truth is that many times, to actually please clients and deliver the results, you must focus on what the clients need rather than what they are saying they want.
Let me clarify. A client requests you change your strategy because he or she has a few ideas that they want to include and really focus on. You then deviate off of the path that you absolutely know works and know gets results in an effort to serve the client and address his or her wants. The results then reflect the deviation off course from what you know you should have done. And not surprisingly, because you've deviated from what actually does work, the client is not happy, which is bad for business.
Had you held your position and sold and delivered the client on what you knew was successful, what gets results, and what was really what the client needed, you would ultimately end up with a happy client and a great long-term relationship. ...
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