What the client really wants

I had an experience today (while donating blood) that made me think about the company/client relationship. See, what happened was…

The blood donation story

Last time I donated I experienced no issues. Arm felt great the entire time. Today, I experienced some discomfort. Nothing major, but I wouldn’t exactly call it pleasant. Before I started today, I told the technician what the woman did last time to make my arm feel great. She did 1 of the 2 things I mentioned, and the bleeding commenced.

When I was finished, I told her that it wasn’t a big deal, but I did have some discomfort, and the small change she made didn’t make it subside. I explained to her again the 2 things that were done last time, and she replied, “Oh. I thought you just wanted this 1 thing done.”

No. What I really want is for my arm to be comfortable. For it not to hurt. I don’t care how you achieve it, or what you have to do. It’s your job to figure that out. Just don’t make it hurt so I want to come back in 3 weeks and donate again.

What they say ≠ What they want

If you own a creative company, what do you think your client actually wants? Do they really want the color a little darker? The font a little larger? The image moved over here? No. That’s what they tell you. But don’t let it confuse you. You need to interpret.

Results. Sales. Money.

What they really want are results. More sales. More business. More money. People buying their product, using their service. They want the world to know about what it is they offer, fall in love with it, and tell their friends.

They don’t care how you do it. They’re paying you to figure it out.

How many times have you heard someone say, “I did exactly what the client wanted, and they still weren’t happy.”? That’s because you did exactly what the client told you to do. Unfortunately, it wasn’t what they wanted.