Comments on: Narrowing the Client Focus

By: Eva

Eva — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 11:53:33 +0000

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By: Amie

Amie — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 02:32:53 +0000

This is a great list of questions…we use something similar at my office whenever we start a new project. Sometimes we use it with the client, but sometimes we just use it internally to make sure that those of us who will be working on it–the writer (me!), the designer, and the account services person–are all on the same page.

By: Kimberly Ben

Kimberly Ben — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:34:23 +0000

Sorry – I was signed into the wrong account when I posted my comment!

By: Admin

Admin — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 20:33:17 +0000

Now this is good stuff. I'm going to go back and read Anne's post. I was just recently dealing with a prospect who couldn't understand that his target audience was not narrow enough. He is so afraid that if he doesn't include everyone it will negatively affect his bottom-line profitability.

I hope you don't mind if I add one of your questions to my list: "Who has final decision-making authority on this?" Oh the headaches I could have avoided if I'd just asked this question while working on a couple of past projects!

By: Lori

Lori — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 18:42:06 +0000

Cathy, those are great questions! I really like asking who that one person is who they want to get the message in front of. Super!

Laura, you're right. We're basically selling to our blog readers, aren't we?

Ashley, hate to say it, but sometimes even trained ears get it wrong. If the client doesn't know the message or the audience or can't convey it, you're not going to get it. It make take a few stabs to get to the point.

Great way to please him, Paula! Usually they balk at additional work, but you had a smart client who understood that combining too many messages gets confusing and misses the mark entirely. I get a lot of this with resume clients who want one resume to target six different industries. It can be done IF the skills are transferable, but you can't write one resume that's not going to need some tailoring if you're in banking and suddenly want to be in construction.

By: Paula

Paula — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:47:55 +0000

A couple years ago the owner of a small business asked me to write a press release about his new yard care invention. He knew his message and the outcome he wanted. He was the sole decision maker, but was scattered when it came to defining his audience – he wanted to target professional landscapers as well as average homeowners.

I explained that doing two separate press releases – one focusing on efficiency and cost-savings for the trades, and one about ease-of-use and professional-looking results for consumer media – made more sense than a shotgun release. He really liked the approach because each release had a little room to include more details than had he tried to cram everything into one press release. Yes, knowing one's audience is important.

By: Ashley

Ashley — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 16:02:53 +0000

I like that last one, Lori. I need to add that to my list.

I find it most frustrating when I ask very specific questions like this and the answer I get is very different from what the client *actually* means. It does take a bit of training to make sure your ear hears what's NOT being said as well.

By: Laura Townshend

Laura Townshend — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 15:47:52 +0000

This is great info for bloggers who are either firing a blog up or those who are at a crossroads.

My issue is stalling out when I try to determine who I'm writing for...and worry whether or not my target market is reading. Truth is, I have to keep the blog going. While I won't throw crap up just to post, at this point, I think it's necessary to carry on with the process.

Plus, there's so much to say! ;-)

Happy Monday!

By: Cathy

Cathy — Mon, 21 Mar 2011 13:29:48 +0000

I use similar variations on your questions, Lori. I find for the clients who really don't know what it is they want (as Anne's post so eloquently describes), I need to get even more specific.

For example, when trying to figure out who their audience is, I'll ask, if you could get this in the hands of one person, who would that be? What is their role in the company? If they answer a CFO, I know it's someone who is going to be much more focused on the financial benefits than an administrative or operational benefit.

I may ask What is the purpose of your message? Is it to educate, increase leads, PR? Another variation on what outcomes they want to achieve.

Another one I often ask is What differentiates your product/service from your competitors? -or- What do you do best?