Are you listening to what I’m asking, or do you HEAR what I’m asking?
Communciation is a tough thing to master. Often times you’ll be working with a client who is trying to communicate something they want on their website and you may interpret it a different way. This can often lead to disappointment, squashed expectations, and potential loss of client.
When you’re working with multiple clients and multiple projects, it can be hard to take the time to really listen to your client and try to understand exactly what it is they want. Think about how frustrated you would be if the person you hired to paint your house, painted your kitchen pepto bismal pink when you actually wanted mauve. Wouldn’t you be disappointed? This very thing can and does happen with web design clients. In today’s fast-paced world, it’s easy to slap something together that is “close enough” to what the client wants so you can quickly move on to the next client and the next project.
Personally, I make an effort to listen to the client and to really understand their ideas and requests. If what they’re asking doesn’t make sense, I try help them understand both aspects and so we can come to an agreement together. Just because they request something, doesn’t mean they’re not open to feedback and suggestions. Give open communication a try – you might surprise your client and yourself. Shoot – they may even like your services so much, they’ll recommend you to their friends, family, and business partners!
MKB
www.mkbdesignsonline.com
