Vice Versa Client Management - Digital PM Summit, Philadelphia 2013

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Vice Versa Client Management

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@thesambarnes thesambarnes.com

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One face of client management

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Another face of client management

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“Or at least move it round the side of his head a bit”

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Confession 1 I laughed and swore at client requests.

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Skip forward a few years...

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I went to the dark side...

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A CLIENT! I BECAME

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Confessions 2 and 3 I thought I’d be the best client ever in the universe! I thought the project would be easy!

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WRONG!

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BEING A CLIENT IS REALLY HARD!

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Hiring a digital agency 1

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Time consuming Tiring Repetitive ...for many clients Daunting Meh!

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Just to get five agencies in...

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Took brief from boss Created written brief Found agencies Contacted agencies Sent project brief Answered questions about brief Arranged times key people can meet Booked meeting rooms & confirmations

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So, to get five agencies in... A few hours of meetings and research. 10x emails per agency = 50 emails in 2-3 days. Not so bad right?

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Many clients don’t have dedicated time for projects.

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Proposals 2

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Confessions 4 and 5 I didn’t read every page. I $ kipped to the costing page.

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Put costs ﬁrst in your proposal?

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IDIOT!

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YOU’RE THE IDIOT! Always find out a client’s budget.

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Put costs ﬁrst in your proposal? Here’s how much we want to charge you. ...and here’s why we’re worth it.

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Project timelines in proposals 3

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Overselling is a false economy

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schedule-realistic.pdf

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What can I do about overselling? Get involved in pre-sales!

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Client meetings 4

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Audio record client meetings The practical meeting tip.

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Audionote Notability Pear Note

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Sony ICDPX333.CE7 4GB PX Series MP3 Digital Voice IC Recorder

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No bullshit meeting talk The experimental client meeting tip.

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“We could do that, but...” “I see where you’re coming from, but...” “I agree with you, but...” “That’s interesting feedback, but...”

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Directness as a differentiator Managing clients is easier when you can be direct.

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Educate your clients 5

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“When you step into the room with a client, you are a visitor from the future...”

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“You, web professional, spend your days immersed in the new paradigms of the multi-device web. Yet even for you, the constant change and adjustments that come with living on the internet can feel overwhelming. So how do you think your clients feel?” Matt Griffin, Client Relationships and the Multi-Device Web

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Explain digital PM and agencies In detail.

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Present your PM process Whole project lifecycle. Common project issues.

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Scope Time Cost Quality Quality

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Project process takeaway

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OMG DESIGN ITERATIONS! From the client’s perspective...

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Confessions 6 and 7 I was a nightmare client when it came to design. I didn’t give a crap about iteration limits.

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“I know Sam found this hard as he is definitely a perfectionist and found it hard to be just on the outside of this process. This led to a certain degree of pixel pushing and numerous iterations.” The Digital PM who managed me.

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Explain your agency processes In detail.

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Be adaptable Process for the sake of it is just dumb.

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“The best kind of agency and client relationship is when the client’s company forget that you’re a third-party supplier.” An old boss of mine.

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Manage clients like your team 6

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My team wah wah wah wah

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wah wah wah wah wah wah

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I see...

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So what are YOU going to do about it?

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Huh? If your team are failing, then YOU’RE failing as their manager.

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WTF!?

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If a client is failing, you’re failing.

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Treat them like one of your team But never at the expense of your actual team.

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What a client’s day is like 7

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Opinions, opinions, opinions

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Strength of a bear

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Help the client out

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Make the client look good

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Managing expectations 8

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Not just for clients How?

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One simple Jedi technique Are you ready for this?

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BE HONEST

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mind.blown

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JUST BE BLOODY HONEST

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“A No uttered from the deepest conviction is better than a Yes merely uttered to please, or worse, to avoid trouble.” Mahatma Gandhi

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@brettharned #stalker “Honest and friendly chat resulted in agreement”

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However, be warned...

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“Sam, you have about as much tact as being hit in the face with a brick.” Another old boss of mine.

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Weekly reports from day one

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What was done this week What will be done next week Blockers / issues Revised project timeline Revised project budget

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Dealing with Megabeasts What the f*&k is a Megabeast? 9

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One way to deal with Megabeasts

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The right way to deal with Megabeasts

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JUST DO THE RIGHT THING No matter what, just keep doing the right thing, and it will all be ok in the end.

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“He wins his battles by making no mistakes. Making no mistakes is what establishes the certainty of victory, for it means conquering an enemy that is already defeated.” Sun Tzu PMP, The Art of War

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You remain the professional one You can never be accused of anything Always on solid moral ground Gain respect for not reacting Exposes the problem in the right way It REALLY pisses Megabeasts off :)

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Just one more thing...

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Get client feedback Really listen, learn and change. 10

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“Sam, it was great working with you and I learned a lot...”

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“HOWEVER”

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“In the nicest possible way...” YOU WERE A PAIN IN THE ASS! The Digital PM who managed me.

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We can change client’s faces, from this...

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To this :-)

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Thank you

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@thesambarnes thesambarnes.com

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Credits • Worst Client Comments posters by http://sharpsuits.net • Meeting designed by Joe Sparano from The Noun Project • Scared designed by Nicolas Hue from The Noun Project • Test Tube designed by Benton Rochester from The Noun Project • Triangle designed by Pierre TORET from The Noun Project • Angry designed by Austin Condiff from The Noun Project • Neutral designed by Austin Condiff from The Noun Project • Disgusted designed by Austin Condiff from The Noun Project • Stormtrooper designed by Simon Child from The Noun Project • Death Star designed by Andrew Forrester from The Noun Project • Death Star designed by iconoci from The Noun Project • Darth Vader designed by iconoci from The Noun Project • Group designed by Javier Cabezas from The Noun Project • Meeting designed by Julieta Felix from The Noun Project • Teacher designed by Juan Pablo Bravo from The Noun Project • Target designed by Simon Child from The Noun Project • Audio Recorder designed by André Rafael from The Noun Project • Rating designed by Dirk Schmücker from The Noun Project • Devil designed by SuperAtic LABS from The Noun Project • People designed by Tiago Monteiro from The Noun Project • Happy designed by Tobias F. Wolf from The Noun Project • http://www.flickr.com/photos/pasukaru76/5023702628 • http://www.flickr.com/photos/mattingham/4379387793 • http://www.flickr.com/photos/baggis/4970712962 • http://www.flickr.com/photos/cole007/3295053576 • Matt Griffin, Client Relationships and the Multi-Device Web