Business Word

What They Want Is What They Need

by Anton Holland

"A.J.," my uncle Fred used to tell me at his corner store in the west end of Toronto, "remember that the customer is always right."

We've all heard that line a thousand times, and it's usually followed by a crowd of heads nodding unanimously in approval.

But stop and think for a moment. Is that really true? Is the customer always right? Uncle Fred would argue that in the microcosm of neighbourhood corner store management the customer had better be always right, or you won't have your corner store for very long. He also knew, however, that regardless of his philosophical approach towards running his business, a lot of his customers who were supposedly right didn't have a clue as to what they were complaining about...but he'd never tell them that.

However, as writers whose products (reports, manuals, plans, etc.) are meant to help our clients' businesses run smoothly and efficiently, it is our responsibility to inform customers when they are mistaken in their approach, that what they say they want isn't necessarily what they need, and provide better alternatives. Of course, there are ways of telling a client that will set your business relationship sinking faster than the Edmund Fitzgerald, and there are ways that will make your client feel confident enough to trust your every move. The latter option is always more satisfying.

First of all, you have to determine whether a client's suggested approach to a writing project is sound. Even though the person you are working for is not a writer, his or her knowledge of developing good documents may be quite sophisticated, based on a combination of previous experience, insight, and instinct. If you recognize that your client is such a person, there's no need to get into a spitting contest trying to prove that you know more about how to develop an effective document. Build on your client's ideas and use the potential synergy to create a really top-notch piece of work. That will make you both look good, while at the same time effectively serving your client's needs.

There will be many other cases, however, in which your expertise will far outweigh any knowledge your client may possess. But your client may not necessarily be aware of this. In this situation, "pleasing" a client up front by giving the impression that he or she is right can only lead to disaster. For example, a client might say "As far as I'm concerned, this document is in fine shape. It merely needs a quick proofread by a trained eye, and it's ready to go."

In this situation, you will probably be able to sense from the person's bearing that the project has been a hassle from the very beginning, and by the time you've shown up he or she just wants it dealt with quickly and painlessly. If your first instinct is to nod your head and say "if you want a quick proofread, then you gotta quick proofread" both you and your customer may be in for trouble. Almost every piece of writing, no matter how "good" it is, can use an edit. And you can bet that any document being rushed out the door is a prime candidate. It often seems easier to just go with the flow and give someone what they ask for, even if you know what has been asked for is deficient. That is always a mistake. If you don't do the difficult thing—which is telling your client that the easy approach isn't going to work—someone, somewhere along the line is going to make a fuss about the work's substandard quality. From your point of view, and ultimately from your client's point of view, the best person to raise the flag is you.

On the other hand, simply writing off someone's suggestions as meaningless (whether directly or indirectly) will not gain you any respect, nor will it help you develop a superior product. If a customer specifically warns you away from a certain approach, one that you have decided is the best answer for the requirement, gather more information before you proceed. Even with the best of intentions, ignoring someone's advice because you're convinced that "they will like it my way once they see it" may leave you with a lot more work and heartache than you planned for.

It may come down to the fact that the client is working under political constraints that are out of their control and yours (which in the end may provide you with something to fall back on). It's better to find that out up front, perhaps helping them find flexibility within those constraints, than having to retrofit the document to the originally suggested format, wasting hours of effort. Not to mention avoiding potential damage to the level of trust that you are trying to build with your customer.

Everyone brings their own agenda or set of concerns to a project. This may range from simply doing the best job possible, to making sure that a particular underlying message is brought across to a reader. When a client seems to be fixated on a certain approach to a project, the problem may really be that they are focussing on a particular set of concerns, and the proposed approach is seen as the only way to address those concerns.

If people feel that you consider their concerns to be your concerns too, they will be much more receptive to your ideas, and will appreciate your particular expertise. During this process, it helps to avoid appearing that you are in any way condescending. Nobody likes a jerk—least of all a know-it-all jerk—and you'll experience a lot of resistance to your good ideas if you have offended the person you are trying to bring on side.

The key to getting people to feel comfortable about the way you want to do things is to let them know that you are listening to their concerns. Take the best of what they have to offer, and make it work to your mutual benefit. Simple advice, but it is often overlooked.

Despite your best efforts at trying to ease a client's concerns, showing that your expertise will save the day, and coaxing the client into trusting you, there are some people who are just hard to convince. Some people will never be convinced that your way is the best way. Trying harder may often work...but trying too hard may also work against you if a person is really stubborn. If a person remains convinced that what they say they want is the best solution to their requirement, make the most of what you are left with and try to demonstrate your point while the work is in progress. Most reasonable people will eventually see the light.

After all, despite what someone says they want, what they really want is a document that works, that meets their needs, that solves their problems. If what you provide only makes your client's life more difficult in the end, even though you knew you could have done a much better job, you have only yourself to blame for the unsatisfying outcome and your diminishing reputation.