It’s true, your clients often have no idea what they are asking of you. They want you to fix a symptom and ignore the underlying problem that’s causing it. Or they want you to re-arrange the metaphorical flowers while their house is burning.
Although it seems like the best course of action may be to immediately tell them that, this usually ends in frustration when they ignore your wisdom and go buy the same service from someone who will not correct them right away.
I know you can prove you are right. I believe you, I literally tried that. Once upon a time, I was known for carrying my own portable whiteboard to client’s offices, in case they didn’t have one for our sessions. Yes, really:)
Knowing better doesn’t help if the client isn’t willing, or even able, to grasp the real answer.
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Now, I’m not telling you to never contradict a client, far from it. But the client will come to you when they perceive they have a problem, and they will always be right – about the fact that they think they have a problem.
They may also think they know what exactly needs to be done in order for the problem to be solved – and they will almost always be wrong about that.
So if you know better, get them to trust you first by addressing the problem as they see it, then gently guide them into choosing metrics and steps that will not just remove the symptoms, but the underlying problem as well.