As a team leader, working with external clients can be both exciting and nerve-wracking. While your team undoubtedly has a vision of how a project should be executed, the client’s perspective and expectations can oftentimes be vastly different. In such instances, it’s crucial to find common ground while maintaining your team’s vision. Let’s dive into some tips and tricks for achieving this delicate balance!

🤔 Understanding the Client’s Needs

Before anything else, it’s important to have a good understanding of your client’s needs and vision. Make sure to ask relevant questions including project goals, expected timeline, and any unique challenges that need to be overcome. By doing this, it will ensure that your team is building a solution that truly meets the client’s expectations.

A team leader sitting across from a client, taking notes and asking questions.

👥 Establishing Communication

The client may or may not have technical knowledge or expertise in the area that you’re working on, so utilizing proper communication is key. Avoid using technical jargon or terminology that might confuse the client and hinder the communication process. Instead, aim to communicate in simple terms that the client can understand. Also, establish a clear line of communication so that everyone is on the same page.

A team leader and a client with a clear line of communication between them, such as a phone or computer used for virtual meetings.

💻 Creating Prototypes and Mock-Ups

If you’re building a digital product or application for the client, it might be helpful to create prototypes or mock-ups early on in the development process. This can help to visualize the end product and provide a starting point for discussion and feedback. Plus, it can help establish early on what works and what doesn’t. We don’t want to waste valuable time developing an idea the client doesn’t like!

A person showing a client a mock-up of a website on their computer.

😄 Prioritizing Collaboration

Collaboration between the team and client is key to a successful project. Make sure to include regular check-ins with the client to review progress and receive feedback on the work being done. Having regular communication also helps to establish transparency and trust between the team and the client.

A team and a client working together in a shared workspace or brainstorming session.

👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 Recognizing the Importance of the Client’s Opinion

Lastly, it’s important to remember that the client’s vision and opinion are just as valuable as your own. While you may not always agree with them, taking time to listen and understand what they’re saying is important. Everyone has a different perspective and valuable contributions to make. At the end of the day, the project should be a collaboration between the team and the client, creating a product that is both visually stunning and able to fulfill the clients’ set objective.

A team leader and client discussing the project, with both parties listening intently to what the other has to say.

🎉 Conclusion

Collaborating with clients is an essential part of getting projects done. Communication, understanding the client’s perspective, early mock-up, prioritizing collaboration, and acknowledging the client’s opinion are all important practices to ensure a successful project! By taking the time to work together, you’ll be able to create a product that everyone loves and is proud of.

An image of a team and client high-fiving or celebrating the completion of a successful project.