Remember the problem in the circuit questionnaire is your clients’ problem. Your clients make assumptions about it and so shall you!
Your Clients’ Assumptions
Expect your clients to be familiar with the problem and so likely to make assumptions about it. You will have critical distance and so may be able to help the client name the assumptions they make.
- They may be misinformed about the nature of the problem. “There must be something wrong with our website because no-one visits it.” There are many possible reasons why a website is never visited, don’t assume their diagnosis is correct. The problem is just as likely to be in their organisation as a technical issue with their site. Perhaps they don’t know how to manage it. Maybe they don’t know how to gather analytics about traffic to their site or what to do about disappointing results.
- They may be fixed on a solution to the wrong problem. If they had that problem, their solution might work.
- Perhaps they are not aware they have a problem and just find things are not working out for them.
Your clients pay you to challenge their assumptions. Your role is not to change their mind but to suggest alternative approaches to their problem. Their task is to consider your questions and consider changing their understanding of their problem in the light of them.
Don’t forget, 90% of problem solving is identifying the right problem. Once you know what the problem is, you and your client are much more likely to find a solution that works.
Your Assumptions
Your problem is you promote your business as a solution to a particular type of problem. Then you attract clients who believe they have the same problem. What happens if you take them on and then discover their problem is an entirely different one?
This is one reason to be familiar with alternative solutions. Focus on getting the problem clear. When you have done this, you have completed most of the work. It is even possible with new clarity, the client will find their own solution. “Oh, now I see I’ve been approaching this entirely the wrong way!”
So, remember you are a guide. Of course you need some knowledge of the problem but don’t assume your approach is always the best. You may need to make a referral but the chances are with clarity about the nature of the problem, you can together adapt your solution to solve the problem.
Don’t underestimate your client. The chances are they are capable of finding their own solution but in a challenging situation, need support. They may believe there is a lot at stake and so seek reassurance their approach is the right one. They want a second opinion; reassurance they have not missed some vital clue.
How to Test Assumptions
This is one reason being stuck can be a good place. Nothing works. Your client came to you because they had tried everything they know. You have gone over their reasoning and suggested a few things. They try them and they don’t work.
Maybe there’s an assumption you’re both making. You have two pairs of eyes on the problem. Go over everything in detail. Is this true? What assumptions are we making here? What other perspectives could we view this from?
Every time you comb over the information, you see more detail. You both need to allow your subconscious minds to work on it. Once you’re familiar, take a break. Sleep on it or go for a walk.
Then return to your data and look for inspiration. Answers rarely arrive fully worked out. You might have a small clue that draws your attention to some aspect of the problem. Trust your instincts, review that area. An insight from one of you may trigger an idea in the other.
Note the key to this is familiarity with the problem. So, keep returning to it and with each failure, remember you are learning more.
Finally, use contacts to challenge your assumptions. If you have a personal coach, they may be able to help. If not, sharing the problem with others may help (but remember confidentiality). A last resort may be seeking a specialist. But most problems can be resolved with application, don’t assume a specialist will have any more luck with the problem.
Your client should be the number 1 expert and with your support, most times they will find a solution.
Are you aware of examples where clarifying the problem has led to a solution?