Learning how to carry out a compelling conversation with your non-tech-savvy client is a crucial skill that all freelancers must possess, especially if you want to keep a steady cash flow.
This article will go through some strategies on how to talk jargon with your clients in such a way that you can maintain their attention and give an accurate picture of what they really need to understand.
Fish for an estimate of their expertise
So you know how much explanation is needed for certain terms, you must first try to determine the client’s starting knowledge. This can be done indirectly by using “fishing techniques”.
For example, you could bring up a generic question in one of your earlier conversations related to your industry. If you worked in the web design industry you could ask your client in passing “Hey, what is your preferred web browser?” or “What operating system do you use?”.
What you are trying to find out is whether or not they know the basic terms of your industry, if they have a knowledge of the industry, if they have any experience with it, how comfortable they are with technology and whether they can engage with the topic at hand.
Some more questions could be:
- If you worked in graphic design industry: “Do you use Adobe Photoshop or any other image editing software?
- If you worked in the programming industry: “Do you subscribe to any RSS feeds?”, “How familiar are you with the programming process?”
- If you worked in the writing industry: “What are some websites / authors you read regularly?”
- If you worked in the illustration industry: “Have you ever worked with an Illustrator before?”
Don’t Underestimate Their Knowledge
Let’s imagine that you are a blogger and you’ve just asked another blogger if they know what RSS feeds are. They would most probably laugh in your face or worse, get offended. That is what you’ve got to avoid. You can do this by not underestimating your client’s knowledge. Don’t patronise them.
As quoted in Freelance Switch’s 12 breeds of clients and how to work with them, make sure you balance the playing field by asking for their input in the areas they know about, i.e. their business. This will keep them happy and stop them feeling the need to weigh in on your area of expertise, which can waste everybody’s time.
If you’re unsure of their grasp on a particular subject, don’t assume they know nothing. Ask fishing questions and judge by their reactions whether or not you’ve explained enough. This is even easier if you are in a face to face interview.
Continue Reading...Source and Contributors:
- How to Talk to Non-Tech Savvy Clients by Jacob Cass http://freelanceswitch.com/clients/how-to-talk-to-non-tech-savvy-clients/
1 comments:
Great blog!
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