When it comes to design, client relationships can become quite challenging. Delivering the most crucial message may prove more difficult than expected due to the possibility of conflicting opinions when gathering customer feedback and managing ongoing project revisions. However, at Whalemaker, we employ a certain kind of communication that we find to be the primary driver of our success as a creative brand.
A solid foundation of mutual respect and open communication is the key to a strong professional client-designer relationship. When our designers collaborate to comprehend the clients’ worries and reservations, they can then incorporate those into something that will develop along with their vision for it. This is effective client relationship management.
That’s exactly how we collaborate with our creatives as well! Whalemaker designers are involved in every project they work on since their suggestions shape the direction our brand will take. We make sure we are a good fit for your project in order to grow together as a brand. A good professional relationship has the advantage of enabling us to fully understand our business and our target market.
Whalemaker’s design process is structured similarly and requires a solid connection with clients. Both our consumers and our designers influence the brand. We wouldn’t be here without them. These individuals make Whalemaker successful.
Managing Customer Expectations
At the beginning of the project, creatives typically spend more time speaking with clients. This is so that both parties can agree on how to carry out the design goals. It takes a lot of effort and knowledge to grasp what the client requires. These expectations are established at the beginning of the client relationship and refined over time as the connection develops.
Designers must be open and honest about their strengths and weaknesses. Honesty enables potential clients to understand the level of competence possessed by each designer, enabling them to manage their expectations of the craft.
At Whalemaker, we set the tone when working with small brands and entrepreneurs. We emphasize that they must work together with our designers, because everyone’s feedback affects the output. Projects often fail when there is a disconnection between the customer’s goals and what they get in the end. Right from the start, these goals should be guided and addressed feasibly for everyone involved. At Whalemaker, we always want to set clear goals and continuously keep the customer in the loop throughout the design process.
Bad design frequently doesn’t reflect a designer’s abilities. We think that designers can successfully work with clients as long as they control client expectations. We constantly tell our designers to value comments from the tiny brands they work with even if we have great faith in their abilities.
Our Process
Nobody can dispute the importance of client relationships, particularly in the marketing and advertising sectors. We run the risk of the design failing, and more crucially, the client relationship too, if we don’t maintain open communication with our design projects.
Getting our audience to grasp what we’re attempting to convey is a key component of how Whalemaker communicates. We’ve put a lot of effort into learning and understanding the design work required for the startups and startups & SMEs we work with, to become the WHALES they deserve to be. Giving our clients something exceptional and unique is the best method, in our experience, to make our brand stand out.
If designers have previously planned and prepared everything for the design, the client’s feedback will no longer be welcome, making the project one-sided and non-collaborative. We constantly prepare and deliver estimates to clients because doing so generates more favorable feedback. Whalemaker constantly goes above and above. We enjoy giving clients what they need while also including extras like freebies that we believe they will enjoy.
Communication Tips
After all is said and done, a designer’s main concern is determining “What should I do to keep my customers coming back? “, as well as “How can I make them happy? Designers should explore to understand what their customers desire and what interests them by putting themselves in their clients’ shoes.
The choice of whether to engage with designers again will always be made by the client. Here is a short collection of communication advice from Whalemaker designers who have used it to establish successful client relationships!
1. Honesty
Clients and designers must maintain honesty at all times. It’s important to communicate questions, challenges, and progress honestly because designing is a drawn-out process that requires a lot of back and forth communication. Admitting mistakes with confidence demonstrates your willingness to clear up any confusion and uphold your brand’s transparency. There will be times when you don’t have the answer, even if you’re the best brand owner or designer around. Keep in mind that honesty is a quality where you can count on the support of your team.
2. Patience
When receiving unfavorable feedback, someone who is patient doesn’t allow themselves to become overly upset. Instead they immediately focus on how to meet the client’s needs, they are more concerned with understanding the client’s background in order to deliver the project they have in mind.
3. Product Knowledge
Your primary objective, whatever your line of work, should be to fully understand your products and services. In order for your clients to feel secure in their decisions, you need be able to effectively communicate that information. If you’re not getting the feedback you want from your current and potential clients, it might be because you don’t speak their language.
4. Being Proactive
Be proactive about updating your clients on the status of the design. The objective should be to free up time for other crucial tasks and to increase consumer confidence in your brand’s dedication to finding solutions. The client’s uncertainties are also reduced by maintaining a consistent flow of communication.
5. Active Listening
We constantly communicate with one another in our modern world. Clients are constantly bombarded by businesses with information, marketing, and flashy new products. The skill of listening is becoming less and less developed. Making your clients feel heard is therefore crucial when it comes to their needs. Actively listening to their issues is the only way to cut through the world’s cacophony.
Building client connections takes a lot of work. Despite all the trouble over the long run, the time invested is more than justified. Perhaps the only thing you can control for your aesthetic business is a relationship with your clients.
The designer’s objective should be to strike a balance between incorporating their knowledge and the client’s wants and preferences into the project design. To respect the craft and have the proper demands, the client should arrive with clear instructions and a grasp of the design process. They both need to take care of their obligations if they want to establish a friendly and effective relationship.
At Whalemaker, we have built a strong relationship between our clients and designers to deliver a compelling and unique digital products.
