Have you ever left a meeting feeling like everyone was on the same page only to find out that there were some major disconnects? As marketers, it’s our job to keep the client informed & comfortable throughout the web development process. Let’s talk about how to avoid client disconnects.
The fact of the matter is, if there is a disconnect with a client, it’s YOUR fault. Take responsibility and learn how to keep them informed by turning into this week’s Trinity Web Minute!
[Transcipt]
Hey everybody, thanks for checking out another bonus episode of the new Marketing Show, catch us on Instagram, TV, YouTube, wherever you’re getting this content. Today, I want to talk about how to avoid client disconnects and what the number one tool is to help you with that. So with that being said, you know, a lot of times, you know, we walk out of a meeting with a client, and everybody is on the same page. But then what happens is somewhere down the road, you guys fall off the same page.
Why does that happen? And whose responsibility is that? So why does that happen? I think that it happens because maybe the client doesn’t 100% understand what you were saying to them in a manner that’s best for them to receive that message. So whose fault is that it doesn’t really matter, but it’s your fault. It’s definitely the vendor and the service providers fault that the client does not understand.
Now, I hate hearing, well, they just don’t get it. They weren’t listening, that says, build bill, you know, any of that stuff is not appropriate. And it’s not called for because what happens is, it’s 100%, your responsibility to make sure that you and your client and the project manager and everybody on the team is on the same page.
So the number one way that we handle this is we do a recap summary of every meeting that we have, especially when we’re talking about deadlines and deliverables, so that it’s documented. And that it, it gives somebody a chance to raise their hand and say, Hey, I don’t understand this, or I’m unclear about this, etc, etc. Because if you document it and you send it, so while it’s fresh in everybody’s mind, you know, hopefully you guys are going to remain on the same page.
The second thing is communication. You have to make sure that you’re communicating at all times where you are in a project, what the expectations are, what your deliverables are, what the client is accountable for. If you have all those things going more times than not, you’re going to remain on the same page. Now look, sometimes things happen.
Sometimes challenges arise that we don’t know that are going to happen sometimes, you know, other things out of our control happen. That’s fine, make that the exception, not the rule. But every time that you go and you walk out of a meeting, if you send a recap email with next steps, who’s responsible for what and when things are going to be done more times than not, again, you’re going to be on the same page and the project is going to run really smoothly.
Also, there are project management tools that you can use. And anytime that we use a project management tool, we really love inviting our clients into that tool so they can exchange information with us and deliver us files etc that we need on time. So thanks for checking us out. For more content like this. You can get us at Trinitywebmedia.com/iTunes. Listen into the new Marketing Show or YouTube, Instagram wherever you get this. So we appreciate you watching
While I’ve known Greg for years from our time together in the marketing scene, I’ve only recently had the chance to work with Trinity Web Media on a client project. Not only was the team professional and their work spot on, they were amazingly quick to respond and required very little hand-holding along the way. I chalk that up to their past experience and a deep understanding of best-in-class services.
I have hired Greg and the Trinity team multiple times for work on my own websites, and have also hired them to work on behalf of multiple clients. He is simply a pleasure to work with, in every respect. Smart but without the giant ego of some developers, Trinity Web Media works with his clients to achieve their vision in the best way possible — with careful attention to their interests, and thoughtful recommendations based on his expertise. • Susan Baier – Founding Marketing Strategist – Audience Audit