Hi Reader,

For those who have worked with me you'll know that I ask a lot of questions. Often I even ask the same question multiple times and in lots of different ways. This can seem really boring and I know it's off-putting to some potential clients—there's a big time investment to this. But there's a reason why I start with strategy at the beginning of everything I do.

A few situations have converged over the past couple of months to make me reflect on why my process is the way it is.

Situation 1

A former client approached me for urgent help after the big, fancy agency they'd hired to build their new website was failing to deliver what the business needed. It was clear to me that, while there had been extensive pre-build meetings, no one had asked the right questions up front. The fancy agency didn't seem to understand what the business priorities were; what role the website would play in their marketing and in ongoing client relationship management; and, crucially, how the small business intended to manage the website going forward (not with a full-stack developer on staff, that's for sure!).

Learning: bigger isn't always better. The agency's lack of understanding of this small business meant they delivered an enterprise-grade, code-heavy website that just wasn't fit-for-purpose for a small hands-on team. In short, the tech stack was wrong. Asking the right questions at the beginning would've got my client a better website that would last them longer. We've hacked together a solution, but it's a holding pattern.

Situation 2

A new client came to me with a fully fleshed out sitemap for their new website that, on the face of it, was ready to roll—they'd clearly put a ton of work into it. After lots of strategising over who their audiences are and how those people would find and use the new website, we restructured the sitemap to allow for a better user experience. The work they'd done was a massive first step that helped light the way. The work we did together created a super solid plan of action that will make the rest of this project a breeze.

Learning: don't take what looks like the obvious path to be the right one. Going deep on the why of both your business goals and your audience expectations can mean flipping the switch on the first draft of your vision.

Situation 3

A fellow designer needed advice after her one-day design intensive failed to meet the expectations of her client, while simultaneously overstepping her own boundaries around how her service worked. The client was time-poor so skipped the strategy session. My friend let it slide, made a bunch of assumptions and got to work. Miscommunication on both sides led to a disconnect that my friend is now working overtime to resolve to keep her client happy. This isn't a situation exclusive to designers, I've seen similar situations with lawyers, financial planners and consultants of all stripes.

Learning: starting with strategy goes miles towards setting expectations, pointing out the boundaries of a service, and fully understanding what your client needs (which may be different from what they say on paper!). This has ultimately turned out to be a huge win for my friend's process going forward as she's doubled down on her workflow to ensure strategy is never skipped.

These days I always start with lengthy strategy deep dives be it for Clever Day intensives, Website Strategy Workshops, or for the Clever Marketing Plan that is a precursor to my vCMO program. Yes, it takes more time to get strategy done. Yes, strategic consulting costs money. But I've learned the hard way what happens when this step is skipped. It usually means more time for the consultant and budget blowout for the client—if you don't have solid foundations you will have to rebuild your house (I know, I know, that house analogy again).

The biggest problem with skipping this crucial step is a lack of understanding between consultant and client. It's almost impossible to retrofit this sort of connection—believe me, I've tried, failed and learned my lesson!

Happy strategising everyone!

And happy WorldPride — I live in Darlinghurst, the epicentre of Sydney's Mardi Gras territory. Can't turn my head without seeing a rainbow. Happy days!

Nic

Need some clever strategy help? Or someone to smash through your design and website tasks? A Clever Day might be just the ticket to moving your business forward! Clever, straight-up strategy and list-smashing day work for quick wins.

We acknowledge the Traditional Owners of the land where we work and live, the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation and pay our respects to Elders past and present. Sovereignty was never ceded. Always was, always will be Aboriginal land.

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