Which brief is better?
Most web studios, as well as other creatively-oriented companies (for example, advertising agencies, architectural bureaus), communicate with the client with a brief. In this article we will figure out whether the brief is needed at the preliminary stage of communication with the client, and if so, what kind of brief is optimal for fruitful communication between the parties.
Of course, the brief is an important thing and irreplaceable in questions of the preliminary evaluation of the project both for the studio and for the client himself. But there is another point - is it always correct to respond to the client's request unchanged: “fill out the brief, and then we'll talk,” or does this situation require a more subtle and flexible approach?
First, remember who we most often have to deal with on the client side. This is either the head of the marketing, advertising or development of the company, or a smaller manager who performs the order of his manager. In the rarest of cases, we communicate with the owners or directors of companies. One thing unites these people - they are very busy. If this is a department head, then he is in charge of a huge range of issues that have to be addressed. If this is a manager, then he is overwhelmed with tasks, deeds and affairs, especially now, when the states are being reduced, and everything that is possible is dumped on the remaining "fighters". There is no need to talk about managers and owners of companies - these are people employed by definition.
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Website creation is another headache for them. A person calls or writes to the studio and receives a brief. Now he needs to find time to fill it and get a preliminary assessment of the project from the developers. Again, the brief brief strife. If this is a small document with questions that imply a short answer or a note, and it will take less than an hour to complete, then this is simply the ideal situation. But often this is a rather voluminous footcloth with a mass of questions, the answer to which must be expanded and reasoned. It is not surprising that such briefs bring untrained people into shock, especially if they are replete with unfamiliar “scary” words and terminology. What follows this? Long days or sometimes weeks of waiting. In the worst case, a person is simply frightened and turns to another company (of which there is no shortage), where they will be more supportive of him and will not be forced to sweat and imagine what the site or logo should look like and what emotions should evoke.
So how should the brief be? And is it necessary at all at the stage of preliminary negotiations? Of course, every company must have clear business processes and documents accompanying them. But in our opinion, this approach leads to formalization, red tape and inflexibility. After all, the world is beautiful in its diversity. This is especially true of people and situations. And it would be foolish to do the same in every situation.
First, there are different customers. There are people introverted by nature who think better in loneliness and silence. And there are extroverts who adore briefings, meetings, brainstorms and heated debates. They are bored with writing and answering questions, often in a language they don’t understand. On this account, one of our clients said: “I have an allergy to these briefs! How much did I have to fill them! ”
Secondly, there are different situations and occasions. In some cases, the person is serious, the project is “burning”, and he already understands roughly who will work with, or by what criteria he will choose a contractor. In this case, it is sometimes more effective to meet with such a “burning” client and discuss everything in conversation, at the same time understanding for yourself who you have to deal with in case anything happens.
Another situation, if there is a simple “call-up”, when, for example, the secretary’s girl received an assignment from the chief to find out the prices for the development of the site, or competitors ring about it in a banal manner. In this case, the brief is also useless to expel, let alone offer to meet.
Sometimes it is better to ask the client immediately how urgently he needs a preliminary assessment of the project, how accurate it should be; it would be more convenient for him to fill out a brief or tell about a project at a meeting or by telephone. Again, it is good to have two variants of the brief - a preliminary one (with a minimum of questions, the answers to which will allow you to calculate the approximate cost) and the full one, which will be filled in after the conclusion of the contract.
Otherwise, this situation may turn out - the client faithfully answered all 100 questions of the brief, almost came up with the whole concept and even sketched a sketch, and you send him a proposal with an amount that absolutely does not fit into his expectations and budget. It turns out that both sides have lost time in vain. It's a shame, especially in the epoch of permanent "zeinota". A completely different question, if an employee on the client side answered several important questions in writing, by phone or at a meeting, you quickly considered everything, he liked your prices and conditions, and you officially became partners. Here you can and even are obliged to pull all the juice out of it, extracting the necessary information - coordinate, arrange briefings, presentations, meetings - do everything your heart desires, and all for the good of high-quality pre-project preparation. In this case, these actions are justified, because they will lead to a good result and are even necessary for the success of the project.
What can be concluded? A brief is a useful thing, but not always necessary, and sometimes even harmful in preliminary negotiations with a client. A flexible approach is needed. And let's get rid of formalities and bureaucracy! These things in our life are enough.
Of course, the brief is an important thing and irreplaceable in questions of the preliminary evaluation of the project both for the studio and for the client himself. But there is another point - is it always correct to respond to the client's request unchanged: “fill out the brief, and then we'll talk,” or does this situation require a more subtle and flexible approach?
First, remember who we most often have to deal with on the client side. This is either the head of the marketing, advertising or development of the company, or a smaller manager who performs the order of his manager. In the rarest of cases, we communicate with the owners or directors of companies. One thing unites these people - they are very busy. If this is a department head, then he is in charge of a huge range of issues that have to be addressed. If this is a manager, then he is overwhelmed with tasks, deeds and affairs, especially now, when the states are being reduced, and everything that is possible is dumped on the remaining "fighters". There is no need to talk about managers and owners of companies - these are people employed by definition.
')
Website creation is another headache for them. A person calls or writes to the studio and receives a brief. Now he needs to find time to fill it and get a preliminary assessment of the project from the developers. Again, the brief brief strife. If this is a small document with questions that imply a short answer or a note, and it will take less than an hour to complete, then this is simply the ideal situation. But often this is a rather voluminous footcloth with a mass of questions, the answer to which must be expanded and reasoned. It is not surprising that such briefs bring untrained people into shock, especially if they are replete with unfamiliar “scary” words and terminology. What follows this? Long days or sometimes weeks of waiting. In the worst case, a person is simply frightened and turns to another company (of which there is no shortage), where they will be more supportive of him and will not be forced to sweat and imagine what the site or logo should look like and what emotions should evoke.
So how should the brief be? And is it necessary at all at the stage of preliminary negotiations? Of course, every company must have clear business processes and documents accompanying them. But in our opinion, this approach leads to formalization, red tape and inflexibility. After all, the world is beautiful in its diversity. This is especially true of people and situations. And it would be foolish to do the same in every situation.
First, there are different customers. There are people introverted by nature who think better in loneliness and silence. And there are extroverts who adore briefings, meetings, brainstorms and heated debates. They are bored with writing and answering questions, often in a language they don’t understand. On this account, one of our clients said: “I have an allergy to these briefs! How much did I have to fill them! ”
Secondly, there are different situations and occasions. In some cases, the person is serious, the project is “burning”, and he already understands roughly who will work with, or by what criteria he will choose a contractor. In this case, it is sometimes more effective to meet with such a “burning” client and discuss everything in conversation, at the same time understanding for yourself who you have to deal with in case anything happens.
Another situation, if there is a simple “call-up”, when, for example, the secretary’s girl received an assignment from the chief to find out the prices for the development of the site, or competitors ring about it in a banal manner. In this case, the brief is also useless to expel, let alone offer to meet.
Sometimes it is better to ask the client immediately how urgently he needs a preliminary assessment of the project, how accurate it should be; it would be more convenient for him to fill out a brief or tell about a project at a meeting or by telephone. Again, it is good to have two variants of the brief - a preliminary one (with a minimum of questions, the answers to which will allow you to calculate the approximate cost) and the full one, which will be filled in after the conclusion of the contract.
Otherwise, this situation may turn out - the client faithfully answered all 100 questions of the brief, almost came up with the whole concept and even sketched a sketch, and you send him a proposal with an amount that absolutely does not fit into his expectations and budget. It turns out that both sides have lost time in vain. It's a shame, especially in the epoch of permanent "zeinota". A completely different question, if an employee on the client side answered several important questions in writing, by phone or at a meeting, you quickly considered everything, he liked your prices and conditions, and you officially became partners. Here you can and even are obliged to pull all the juice out of it, extracting the necessary information - coordinate, arrange briefings, presentations, meetings - do everything your heart desires, and all for the good of high-quality pre-project preparation. In this case, these actions are justified, because they will lead to a good result and are even necessary for the success of the project.
What can be concluded? A brief is a useful thing, but not always necessary, and sometimes even harmful in preliminary negotiations with a client. A flexible approach is needed. And let's get rid of formalities and bureaucracy! These things in our life are enough.
Source: https://habr.com/ru/post/46763/
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