By: Dmitry Bukhensky
Clients often turn to professional teams due to a lack of expertise in specific domains, seeking specialized tasks performed at the highest level. While this is a common reason for hiring professionals, some clients may attempt to assert themselves as experts, dictating opinions and solutions that can hinder productive collaboration. In such cases, the implementation of a client education methodology becomes crucial.
Identifying the Need for Client Education:
Various indicators signal when clients would benefit from a learning approach:
- Micro-management tendencies: Clients who have a need to control every detail.
- Providing advice on hired issues: Clients offering solutions to problems for which professionals were specifically hired.
- Workflow obstructions: Interference in the workflow due to excessive client involvement.
- Excessive questioning: Clients posing numerous questions, potentially indicating a lack of understanding or trust.
- Lack of trust in decisions: Clients hesitating or expressing distrust in professional decisions.
- Resistance to ideas: Clients unwilling to accept proposed ideas and suggestions.
It is essential to avoid confrontation and refrain from telling the client that their current understanding is incorrect. Instead, presenting ideas in the form of a thesis can be effective, such as stating, “Currently, you approach this task in this way, but there might be an opportunity to do it in a different way to make it more effective for your company, and here’s why.” This approach allows for smooth adjustments without creating conflicts.
Navigating Client Insistence:
When a client strongly insists on their opinion, it may be prudent to agree, recognizing their perspective. Sometimes, clients pose seemingly “silly” questions to test professional competence. Rather than dismissing such questions, patiently addressing them helps build trust and strengthen the client-professional relationship.
In-Depth Client Education:
For more in-depth client education, proposing a separate face-to-face meeting is advisable. This allows a detailed discussion of processes and methodologies. Closing gaps in understanding and providing the client with an opportunity to ask questions during such meetings can showcase the team’s expertise, demonstrating that tasks are under the control of professionals. This fosters trust, reducing client interference in the workflow.
Case Study:
“I had a case where my team advocated for a significant change in the technology stack,” recalls Dmitry. This was a substantial undertaking, involving considerable time and resources, spanning over four months. “Throughout multiple meetings with the client, we delved into intricate details regarding the current technological setup, highlighting its limitations, the distinctions the new solution would bring, and the anticipated advantages. Presenting a numerical breakdown proved particularly effective. For instance, the current average uptime of the service stands at 90%, with users generating $X in purchases monthly. Transitioning to the new solution guarantees a 97% uptime, facilitating an additional $Y in monthly revenue. The proposed changes come at a cost of $Z and are estimated to take five weeks to implement.”
This case serves as a testament to the pivotal role of client education in professional services. The team, through comprehensive discussions on the technological transition using tangible metrics, not only demonstrated their expertise but also effectively communicated the tangible benefits to the client. This approach, characterized by detailed explanations supported by facts and figures, successfully bridges the knowledge gap between the professional team and the client. It emphasizes that client education goes beyond mere information sharing; it is about fostering a profound understanding and trust. Such strategic approaches not only streamline the project execution process but also fortify the professional-client relationship. Ultimately, this method enhances decision-making, promotes collaborative success, and significantly increases the likelihood of project success, underscoring the indispensable nature of client education in the realm of professional services.
No Results:
There are cases when training does not help, and productive collaboration will not work. They are easy to identify. Such situations meet the criteria:
— You have already made several attempts to educate the client and they have not changed the situation or their opinion on it
— You understand that if you continue to work, you and/or the client will not get the desired result
In this case, it is better to stop working. Its continuation will result in the following risks:
— Financial
— Missed time and deliverables
— Reputational
It is absolutely normal if you and the client don’t align, and it is crucial to have the courage to admit it before the situation gets out of hand. Doing so can save you from the trouble of managing the dissonance between expectations and reality that may occur.
While most situations can be addressed through education, recognizing when to cease collaboration ensures the best interests of both parties are served, mitigating potential risks. In the dynamic landscape of professional services, the power of education becomes a key tool in building enduring and fruitful partnerships.
