Betsy Hamilton of Canyon Communications asked, “Our biggest business challenge is getting client cooperation (they need to provide or approve information) in order to meet their deadlines.”
Meredith Hamilton of Expert Communication responds:
I know in my own practice when I have encountered this situation, it was because I did not establish the relationship in the beginning as a team effort. I have found when I approach it this way as opposed to one of a “service provider” and “client,” that not only does the client see things differently, but so do I! From the start, when seen as a collaboration, we set out what is expected of each party and what is needed to obtain the optimum results they are seeking. When a deadline approaches, with this mindset, I can call them and say, “As we discussed in the beginning, to achieve *our* goals on the timeline *we* set, this needs your approval as quickly as possible so *we* can progress to step two.”
And Lois Carter Fay says: I hear you on this one, Betsy! Sometimes it’s VERY difficult to get clients to sit down, focus and do their part so we can do ours. I’ve found it helps to have a day-by-day schedule written and agreed to by all parties before I begin a project. It also assigns responsibilities for each step and lists the items needed to proceed. The more organized I am, the easier it is for my client. I also learn who all the key players are and how the decisions will be made. If there is one person reviewing and approving each project, it can move much quicker than when a group is involved. So if I know the decision process involved, I can take that into account when we all plan the schedule initially, and this helps the client to be more realistic in their scheduling. I know that it helps me to have a deadline and a face-to-face meeting scheduled to keep myself on task. It also helps keep the client moving. I can generally move things along quicker if I offer to call the client to do a phone interview with the people who need to provide information, too. Sometimes, it’s just a fear of writing that is the stumbling block.
