1. Webinar
BRIDGING THE CLIENT/ DESIGNER RELATIONSHIP
October 29, 2010. 12pm ET
Hello everyone. I’m Mel Lim
President and Founder of Mel Lim Design LLC & JOY by Mel Lim

2. BRIDGING THE CLIENT/
DESIGNER RELATIONSHIP
“It wasn’t “my idea” or “your
idea”…true collaboration happens
when you stimulate each other and
put thoughts in each other’s minds.”
– Sohrab Voussoughi, Founder & President of Ziba Design

3. ASKING QUESTIONS
The question should not be why don’t they get us, but rather why don’t we get them.
// How do we take on this challenge of persuasion?
// How do we educate our clients on what is great, good
and bad design?
// How do we show that great design leads to
profitability and growth?
// How do we prove that design is differentiation?
// How do we convince our clients that design is NOT
an after thought, but rather the very crucial step in
innovation?

4. SPEAKING THE LANGUAGE
We cannot expect everyone to speak the “design” language, especially business peeps.
It’s okay. If they don’t understand
us, let us try to understand them.
If part of our job is to help steer
the direction of businesses, and
use DESIGN to differentiate
products and services, we owe it
to our clients to understand the
driving factors behind their
decision making.

5. TAKING ON THE CHALLENGE
We have to listen, process and solve
Treat client management like another exciting design challenge!
Step 1: Truly Listen Step 2: Process Step 3: Solve

6. SHARE + COLLABORATE
Having an honest open discussion
“Some people worry that giving away too much
information might undercut the value of their
products. It never happens. The stuff you share
proves your expertise and attracts customers.
It makes them want to talk about you and to you.”
– excerpt from Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz

7. TIP #1
Your client IS part of your team.
So try to make them feel that they
contributed to the big idea.
// The most important element in a client/
designer relationship is COLLABORATION.
It’s about “we”, “us” and “teamwork”.
// When you remove the “I” out of the equation,
and replace it with the “we”, you are no longer a
vendor but hopefully an important partner in your
client’s organization.

8. QUESTION:
How many of your clients actually become life long
partners/ friends in your business?

9. TIP #2
Turning complexity into simplicity.
// Our role as a designer is to make the entire
collaborative creative process look easy and
simple even though it maybe extremely complex.
// Less sometimes IS more.

10. QUESTION:
In a typical project, how many design options do you
normally show your clients?

11. TIP #3
Strategy before design.
Get to know your clients.
// Great design solutions comes from
good understanding of business goals
and strategies.
// Build a strong framework so that you
have a metric to measure against.

12. QUESTION:
How many of you build strategy into your scope of
work/ billable?

13. TIP #4
Not everyone can draw.
Not everyone cares about drawings.
// Visual communication is crucial in
convincing our clients into accepting
proposals and new ideas.
// Ideas may be presented in many forms
including charts, case studies, ppt, videos,
animations, illustrations, graphics, music etc.
// We have to think outside our usual sets of
presentation methods.

14. QUESTION:
What is the most unique, out-of-the-box, presentation
you’ve done to sell an idea to a client?

15. TIP #5
You have to REALLY care.
// Try to have empathy and understand where
your client is coming from.
// Nurture your clients.
// When you “become” the client, you maybe able
to give your most sound, honest advice that your
client will truly appreciate.

16. QUESTION:
How many of you have spent more than $20k on your
own personal branding/ marketing collateral?

17. QUOTE OF THE DAY
“Convince them (clients) that your
solution is as conservative as they
are – because it saves money, it’s
more efficient, it has fewer
unintended consequences, change
is actually the lower-risk road to
take, and it actually works.”
– Alan Webber, Founder of Fast Company, Author of Rules of Thumb

18. THANK YOU
Books we love //
Rules of Thumb by Alan Webber
Rework by Jason Fried
Authenticity by Joseph Pine
Spend Shift by John Gerzema
The Design of Business by Roger Martin
Twitter // mellimbace
Web // www.mellim.com
Blog // www.mellim.com/bace
Mel // mel@mellim.com
Linkedin // www.linkedin.com/in/mellim