Marketers are constantly walking a tightrope. Marketers are trying to get a project completed on time and to budget whilst adhering to all the client's demands. The marketers focus is also on ensuring the project will attain results through employing different marketing strategies. The client on the other hand generally has no idea what marketing strategies to employ for this project yet they have final sign of on the project.



Your client is constantly demanding things..... changing their minds, then changing them again. They are making decisions that make no sense in relation to the marketing focus of the project, yet, they are the client and as the saying the 'client is always right'. Are they?

The following parable will help illustrate the point:

There was once a farmer who owned a small farm in Kazakhstan. He had a cousin who lived in the U.S. who was also a farmer. One day the U.S. farmer who owned a massive ranch in the state of Texas decided to visit his cousin's farm in Kazakhstan. When the American farmer arrived at his cousin's property in Kazakhstan he was given a tour of the farm. Whilst residing over dinner that night, the Kazakhstan farmer asked his cousin, so how large is your farm back in the U.S? The American farmer, unable to simply use measurements to help his cousin fathom the great size of his farm, decided to explain it to him in terms of a story. The American farmer explained that if he was to jump on his tractor located at one side of his farm, he would have to drive on the tractor all day to be able to get to the other side of the farm. The Kazakhstani farmer then remarked: "Yes, I had a tractor like that once".

Whilst this parable is humorous, we must be able to understand that this happens to all marketers when dealing with clients. Yes, clients miss the point (just as the Kazakhstani farmer missed the point) but more importantly why do they miss the point? It is because we, as marketers, are able to explain things in a way in which our clients can relate.

I will attempt to outline some basic strategies to aid marketers to get projects and campaigns completed with as few issues as possible. In this way we can still say that the 'client is always right' - just after we have explained things to them and aided/persuaded the client in their decision.

You can use these suggestions as your bible for when starting a new marketing project or campaign.

Planning - Do your background work. Look into the industry, research trends and the target market, make a whole plan for the project based on quantitative data.

Present to Client - Then sell you ideas to the client. You are in marketing, use your flair and sell what you believe the client should do in this project.

Client sign off - Once you have presented your findings and suggested ways in which the project should be completed, get sign off from the client. In this way, half way through the project the client can't move the goal posts. This signed document will allow you to at least deliver what you have just agreed upon, instead of constantly delaying projects' completion due to new ideas and new requests by your client.

Update meetings - Constantly meet with the client during the project and give them updates. Allow them to make minor decisions within the project supervised and advised by you. Whenever a major decision needs to be made, always prepare a case and present it to the client. In that way the client will make educated and informed decisions (which will usually be decisions agreeing with your primary choice of action).

Records - Keep minutes and notes of all meetings and circulate them so as to be able to remind clients with proof that certain issues were already agreed upon.

Project completion - Ensure you celebrate this milestone with the client and have a launch plan and continued service plan so that you will provide the client with continued service 9and hence keep them as a client once the project has been completed).