New ways to get on your client’s wavelength

Back in the day, getting to know what made your client tick might stretch as far as a chat over coffee in your local chain if you were lucky, or a formal conference room catch-up if you weren’t. But times they are a changing and the way we get to grips with getting on our clients’ wavelengths are changing with them, meaning the humble brew is being replaced with more creative ways to try and suss out where you can help to make the magic happen.

Here are three methods to try next time, all tried, tested and just out-there enough to leave potential clients intrigued and impressed before you’ve even put forward that proposal; winner winner, chicken dinner.

Ramble and record

First up, we’ve got the ramble and record method. Tried and tested by some of our very own Helm members, the ramble and record method of getting to know what makes your client tick is as quick and easy as they come. All you need to do is meet somewhere relatively quiet, set your phone to record and ask them to wax lyrical about their company; what do they do, why do they do it, how do they do it, who do they do it for and who do they want to do it for? Keep things super relaxed and you’ll be left with something that gives you a real feel for not just what they do, but also who they are and how the story of their brand can come through in your work with them.

A day at the office

Get your pencil case ready because you’re going back to school. One of the most underused and undervalued ways of seeing how a business works is by getting inside it and becoming one of the team for a day. It’s a great way to see how the ethos of the company comes through in the way the wheels turn on a day-to-day basis and how the people who work for the company play their part in communicating its brand story.

Mood board

Mood boards aren’t just for design purposes. Asking your client to create a mood board, or working on one with them, is a great way to get what is inside their head down on paper. From Canva to Paper and even the humble Pinterest, there are tons of apps out there that make creating a mood board easy as, so even the least tech savvy clients can get involved without it taking up too much of their time. Sussing clients out in this way is a great means to get an idea of how they see themselves as a brand, something which is particularly useful if you’re planning to create a website, shoot promotional photography or produce marketing collateral that needs to reflect its style, story and ethos. Plus, once you get into it, there are some serious art class at school vibes about mood boarding and who isn’t down for that?