{"id":8100,"date":"2015-04-29T10:18:00","date_gmt":"2015-04-29T10:18:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/?p=8100"},"modified":"2015-04-29T10:18:00","modified_gmt":"2015-04-29T10:18:00","slug":"how-to-talk-to-your-clients-about-technical-terms-decisions","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.heartinternet.uk\/blog\/how-to-talk-to-your-clients-about-technical-terms-decisions\/","title":{"rendered":"How to talk to your clients about technical terms & decisions"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clients. Just like the latest beta version of your favourite software, they\u2019re unpredictable, buggy, and often in need of a stable release. But you love them anyway. (Mostly).<\/p>\n

We get so many designers, developers and SEOs talking to us about how working with clients is the hardest part of their job that we\u2019ve covered it a couple of times before (see 19 must-read articles for dealing with difficult clients<\/a> and How to avoid killing your clients<\/a>), but we always get more requests.<\/p>\n

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This article focuses on preparing for explanatory conversations, how to help your clients understand, and how to keep a grasp on your own sanity (or what\u2019s left of it!). So grab your caffeinated beverage of choice, and get ready to feel like you\u2019re not alone\u2026<\/p>\n

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Why explain things to clients?<\/h3>\n

Many web professionals are of the opinion that \u2018less is more\u2019 when it comes to explaining your decisions and technical aspects of your services. Indeed, a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing.<\/p>\n

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This is particularly true if your client assumes you\u2019ll work just like the last person he or she hired (and yes, there will always be a \u2018last person\u2019!), using exactly the same tools, workflow, hosting, software, hardware, etc. Adjusting to working with someone new always results in a bit of a learning curve on both sides.<\/p>\n

However, there are advantages to explaining things to your clients (most of them, anyway \u2013 we\u2019ll leave you to be the judge of who and when\u2026!), so here\u2019s our quick list of words to live by:<\/p>\n

The golden rules<\/h3>\n

1. Keep it simple<\/strong><\/p>\n

This sounds obvious, but it\u2019s always hard to pull off when you\u2019re working with a lot of new and complex technologies, systems, platforms and hardware that all interact. But for a lot of clients you should be able to remove a lot of it from the equation\u2026depending on what your business is and how you work of course. This rule should be used in conjunction with #2\u2026<\/p>\n

2. Only tell them what they need to know<\/strong><\/p>\n

It\u2019s easy to get sidetracked and distracted within your explanations. If you ever use the phrases, \u201cBut you don\u2019t need to know about that\u201d, or \u201cBut that\u2019s not relevant right now\u201d, then you\u2019re over-explaining. To avoid this, follow rule #3\u2026<\/p>\n

3. Prepare in advance<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you\u2019ve been in the industry a while, you can probably explain everything in your sleep. But it still helps to have both visual and written explanations and analogies for common concepts, especially if your client is coming to it with zero prior knowledge.<\/p>\n

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Starting with the right balance<\/h3>\n

Knowledge varies an incredible amount, even within the same role. Add that to the fact that people will often exaggerate how little\/much they know, and it\u2019s quite difficult to assess what you\u2019re dealing with. Instead of launching with explanations or options, simply start by asking your client how much they know about something before you start talking about it. It sounds really obvious, but it\u2019s often overlooked by pros eager to get started, and it helps you pitch at the perfect level. A couple of subtle follow-up questions will tell you just how much they know and what their approach is (e.g. whether they find technology terrifying, complicated, or are outsourcing because they don\u2019t have the time).<\/p>\n

Making an effort to find the right level at the beginning will save you time, but more importantly it\u2019ll earn you instant respect with those clients who genuinely are more technically aware. There\u2019s nothing worse than sitting on the phone or in a meeting with someone who\u2019s explaining things to you you\u2019ve known for years at such a rate that you can\u2019t get a word in edgeways to tell them that you\u2019re already familiar with that. It also has the added benefit of showing you go that extra mile to offer an individual service to each of your clients and that you\u2019re interested in them personally.<\/p>\n

Questions to ask:<\/p>\n