Tuesday, February 3, 2015

Deja Vu on the Campaign Trail

It's always the same. You sign the client, you start the work, you send for their approval. They don't read their emails. Communication breakdown. Frustration all around.

No. 1 pet peeve: clients who fail to communicate and then kvetch when the website is late.

Lesson for the consultant: Call them, text them, carrier pigeon them with messages to Read. Your. Emails. How else can they see the draft material you need approved?  The artwork you need oked? The questions you have that go unanswered?

Lesson for the client: Read your email. It's the fastest simplest way for us to communicate with you. To show you what we're doing and to get your approval. Then we can talk.

So this is what I recommend: Set a schedule, emails once a day must be checked and responded to. Texts should be checked more often as more urgent. A regular (daily, every other day, weekly) phone call needs to be arranged, as well as regular meetings, weekly or bi-weekly to make sure you, the candidate, the kitchen cabinet and staff are all on the same track and the campaign train is chugging along toward victory.