What are the unique problems creative services have in winning and retaining clients and how can we create a better experience for our users that creates value and builds trust and loyalty? Presentation for IxDA-DC salon event, June 28, 2011.

1. “I’d
rather
eat
hours
or
go
over
budget
than
do
a
mediocre
job.”
“Clients
don’t
want
to
pay
for
research
and
strategy,
even
though
it
will
save
them
money
in
the
long
run.”
“We
usually
end
up
building
what
the
client
wants
instead
of
what
they
need.”
“We
only
work
with
clients
who
really
get
what
we’re
about.”
•1•

2. Characteristics
of
creative
services
• Intangible,
simultaneous,
heterogeneous,
perishable
• Low
barrier
to
entry,
commoditization
• Cost
of
switching:
high
during
project,
low
between
projects
• High
“credence
properties”
(hard
to
evaluate)
• Loyalty
and
referrals
are
crucial
•2•

3. The
expectations
gap
• Clients
don’t
want
to
pay
for
the
level
of
quality
we
want
to
provide
• Everyone
wants
to
skip
right
to
the
visual
design
• A
website
means
something
different
to
me
and
my
client
• As
we
learn
more
about
how
to
do
the
work
“properly,”
our
proposals
get
bigger
• High
quality
is
often
invisible
•3•

4. Strategies
• Signal
quality
• Eat
hours/go
over
budget
• Hold
out
for
the
right
kind
of
client
• Loss
leaders
• Offer
tiers
of
service
• Educate
our
clients
•4•

5. “An
educated
consumer
is
our
best
customer.”
•5•

6. What
do
clients
want?
• Good
work
product
• Fulfill
business
goals
• Within
budget
and
schedule
• No
surprises
• Do
as
little
work
as
possible
• Feel
confident
in
their
choice
• Look
good
in
front
of
their
boss
•6•

7. •7•

8. •8•

9. •9•

10. Trust
Loyalty
Value
• 10 •