Chapter 3 - Steer the Client in the Right Direction Flashcards
How can you Manage the client from very first contact?
1.) Don’t accept or reject the solution that the client says that they need. Instead, turn their focus to the problem they want to solve.
-Briefly clarify the performance problem.
- Schedule a two-hour kickoff meeting
- Set expectations for the meeting
2.) Briefly research the client and their employer
3.) Reverse-engineer the client’s content. What does it tell you about the problem
4.) Briefly research the problem so you can propose ideas in the kickoff meeting if the client struggles.
Why should you banish ‘course’ from your vocabulary in the kickoff meeting?
It’s way too early to identify any solution, course or not. Your only goal at this point is to get the gist of the performance problem and set up a future meeting to learn more about it.
Client Says: I need a course on X You say:
I’m happy to talk to you about that. (I’m a happy person and want to help you, but I’m only willing to talk about it at this point.) X can cause a lot of difficulties in the workplace. (You’re empathizing with the client about their difficult problem even though you don’t know what it is yet.) What’s the main problem you’re seeing? (Immediately get the client to talk about the problem, not the course.)
Client: People are doing Y and Z, which is wrong. That’s why we need a course. Here’s the content. You Say:
Thank you. This will help me understand the issues you’re seeing. (Gently accept the content and acknowledge its usefulness, but don’t promise you’ll turn it into a course. Instead, make clear that the content will help you understand the problem.) So, the main problem is that people are doing Y and Z. Why are they doing that? (Immediately refocus on the client’s problem.
Client Says: They do Y and Z because they don’t know any better. Others know but just don’t care. So they need a course with motivational parts I think it should feature A. You say:
Feature A is certainly something we can consider (Meaning, I hear your idea and I’m not rejecting it, but I’m not promising to implement it either. I’m also saying we because this is going to be a collaboration and not order-taking). First, I need to make sure I understand the problem you are seeing. (back again to the problem and ‘you’) Are you available for a meeting on X).
How can you respond to “I need a course on X”
1.) I’d be delighted to talk about that! X is a big issue for a lot of organizations. What exactly is happening with your team?
2.) I’m happy to talk about that. X can be really problematic. What problems are you seeing?
3.) I’m glad you called. X can cause a lot of issues. What issues is it causing for you?
How can you respond to this course should have Feature A
1.) That’s certainly something we could consider. So, would you say X is the main problem?
2.) We’ll be sure to put that on the list of things to consider. First, I need to make sure I understand what you’d like to achieve. Are you available for a meeting on X?
3.) Feature A can certainly be useful. First, I need to understand your pblem better. Are you available
What is your overall goal when you communicate for the client the first time?
I care about your problem. I hear and respect your ideas, and I promise we’ll discuss them when the time is right. I also recognize that the content you gave me is essential to you. You could put it together yourself and you’re proud of it, and you think it will save me a lot of work. It will be useful, mainly because it will help me understand how you see the problem, and that’s what we need to talk about first. I want to hear all about your situation.
What are things not to say in early meetings with your client?
1.) Webinar, workshop, one-day session - any term that describes a training product or event, because it’s too early to assume any of these will be part of the solution.
2.) Completion, attendance, scheduling - any term that assumes a training event or course.
3.) Content, topic, assessment, screens, slides, interactive LMS - Any terms related to courses.
4.) Know, understand, appreciate—Any terms related to changing what happens in people’s brains. At this point, the focus is relentlessly on what people should do, not what they should know.
What expectations should you set for your kickoff / first discovery call?
- Write a goal for the project. The goal identifies how the problem is being measured and how you’ll know it’s solved.
- List what people need to do on the job to reach that goal.
- Start to discuss why people aren’t doing those things now.
What to say if your client is unsure the type of solution they need and seem open to ideas
“We’ll consider ways to measure the problem you’re seeing and identify what you’d like people to do differently. That will help us find the best way to change what people do, and we’ll be able to measure our success.>
What to say if client is convinced they need a course
“Help make sure I understand what you need” “making sure I understand your goal for the project, what you need people to do differently, and how we’ll measure the success of the project”
What are things you research about the client?
- What is their main responsibility
- Who is their boss, and what does the boss probably want from them?
- How long have they been in this position or department?
- If they’re new, where did they work before? How might that affect how they view the problem?
If the client gave you content for ‘the course’ how can you reverse- engineer?
1.) What problem does the content seem designed to solve?
2.) Does the content refer to ways the problem could be measured? For example, does it say that they are too many complaints from patients, and that’s why nurses should improve their bedside manner?
3.) What specific mistakes or problem areas does the content highlight? These might suggest the high-priority behaviors that need to change.
4.) What grey areas are missing? PowerPoint slides and similar materials tend to present simple rules: do this, don’t do that. Ask yourself, “is is really this simple? What might happen to make someone break this rule? Is it always clear what you should do?
5.) Who wrote the content? If you didn’t get an answer to that in the initial conversation, check the file properties, looking for the authors name.
What are ways you can research the clients problem?
Google search and adding ROI or ‘how to measure’ at the start of your
search.
