Getting clients to buy into the solution, no matter what stage the project is in, is vital. Designers have to figure out how to sell their ideas to clients … partly a matter of informing them and partly of charming them, with a lot of salesmanship in the mix. Here are six tips for persuasion:
1. Set the tone.
Be on time, dress to impress, and have presentation materials in order. Establish a friendly bond with the client, and show respect and warmth. Set the stage for the client to receive the presentation and listen to you in a positive frame of mind.
2. Summarize the background.
Remind the client of previous discussions. Review any research, strategy or prior thinking for the work. Sum it up again so the client understands the context of the current presentation. Reinforce that yours is not an arbitrary concept, but a design based on the approved creative brief and established project objectives.
Explaining that the creative development process is a systematic iterative collaboration helps clients understand that the design solution you’re offering is neither arbitrary nor instant.
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3. Tell a story.
Explain briefly how your idea works. Go through the decision-making and development process for the design, in narrative form. Show how the idea evolved from the client’s goals and is a logical conclusion, and therefore, a perfect design solution.
4. Employ relevant buzzwords.
Speak as your client would when you present the design’s goals, context and appropriateness. Reference the client’s language from briefings. If the client used words like “dominate” or “reignite” or “dazzle,” say your idea does exactly that.
5. Provide a solutions hook.
Clients love a short, easily repeatable explanation of the design that can be communicated to their internal team. Define your hook clearly and make it memorable. Explain your concept as a sound bite that obviously solves the problem or achieves the desired result. Let this be the take-away.
6. Know when enough is enough.
Make your case. Do it with confidence. Then stop talking and invite feedback. Think before you speak, and especially avoid defensiveness.
Terry Lee Stone is based in Los Angeles and specializes in the management of creative people, projects and processes. She teaches the business of design at Art Center College of Design. The author of several books on design, her recent two-volume series is Managing The Design Process, published by Rockport Publishers. Buy her books here or from your favorite local bookseller.
Graphics by AdamsMorioka. This text is excerpted from the book Managing the Design Process: Implementing Design.
Terry, congrats on the new book. It’s on my desk right now and we refer to it often.
We’ve followed Terry’s advice for over 15 years, and she’s always spot on. These are great pieces of advice that are only the tip of the iceberg.
Absolutely concur with Sean. I have the book and love it. If we’d been following Terry’s advice for over 15 tears, well, we’d probably be happily retired.