A’s for your Q’s: When clients say “No.”

A recent question from a VCU/Brandcenter Student:

How do you deal with big clients that always say “No”, “I don’t like it or “I’ll know when I see it” and get no feedback? Especially when you have great ideas/concepts.

I’ll let you know when I figure that one out. It’s hard. Asking clients to take risks in this incredibly conservative economy is tough. The best thing I know how to do is to start laying the groundwork early. I mean, early and whenever you can. Clients don’t like being presented with the aha. They like to be part of it, and you can receive valuable feedback along the way to save you a ton of time. We have a harder time with clients trying to solve the problem for us. They feel bad and think they can help by brainstorming. So we tell them, it’s ok if it’s not right. We’ll figure it out, but just tell us what isn’t working and let us come back to you. I can’t tell you how awkward it is to see creatives and clients try to solve a problem in the room. Rookie mistake. Always feel free to say, let me think about it. It makes you look thoughtful.