First posted February 24, 2010
Here’s an article that hit home with me. Right now I’m trying to work with a mechanical-minded, heating and cooling client who is trying to work with me, a graphic designer. We send each other e-mails from our respective points of view hoping that the other person understands what we are trying to say. We have meetings. We talk on the phone. During these exchanges I find that I am trying to understand the trials and successes of home energy marketing and he tries to understand focused marketing plans, effective messages and design. Whew! It can be an exhausting learning process.
Many times we have clients that come from different worlds. We may consider them ignorant, elusive or just plain dense. I expect they could think that we are difficult and don’t have their interests at heart. Yet understanding the client’s needs and helping them tell their story in a way that their customers find compelling is how we can best serve our clients and ourselves. Listening, learning and empathy can carry you a long way.
After all their success is my success.
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