Presenting ‘challenge’ in a positive way, it’s an art. A business-defining mantra that in all honesty might not be for everyone. The question is, is it for you?
You’ve heard of the old Chinese proverb, ‘If you give a man a fish, you feed him for a day. If you teach a man to fish, you feed him for a lifetime,’ - right? But, how - we hear you ask - does this apply when you’re talking digital and creative problem-solving? Essentially, we’re challenging a request from someone who, when you think about it, wants to give us money.
The lazier side of ‘brain’ is shouting, ‘Just do what they want, make them happy’, but the smart side of ‘brain’ is already thinking… ‘Why people-please in the short-term when you could ask some questions, challenge their thinking and create something with true longevity that will please people for longer?’
Ultimately, the team here at Knapton Wright wants to build a transparent relationship with you. We want to help you get the most back from every pound you spend and continue to deliver support as you power through your next phase of growth.
Check your ego at the door
To ensure we can follow through on that commitment though, we will always question the true source of the problem that you are trying to fix, rather than just doing what ‘lazy brain’ wants, and being a ‘yes man’.
We want you - and here’s the crux of it - to find this approach refreshing. Because honestly, we can’t imagine many agencies will tell you not to spend money. The tricky part though is that quite often, the process itself isn’t for the faint of heart.
Some simply don’t like being questioned about what their ‘needs’ rather than their ‘wants’ are. The best piece of advice we can offer is to leave your ego at the door. It’s your business and your customers we’re talking about at the end of the day so some objectivity is always a good thing and will ultimately lead to the best solution.
You are a specialist… Just not in what we do
Customers and clients are 100% specialists, in their own fields. If you’re coming to us, it’s our job to be the specialist in our field. We want you to tell us the problem you need fixing, rather than tell us what you think the solution is. After all, you don’t go to the dentist and tell them you need a root canal - you tell them you’ve got a toothache!
We aren’t saying making that distinction is easy, far from it in fact. We are barraged by buzzwords from noon until night, with a general belief circulating that ‘your business NEEDS <insert buzzword here>’, and that if you can SEO it, it NEEDS to be SEO-ed to within an inch of its life! …and CRO? Quick - do that. Whatever ‘that’ is!
Satisfying your hunger in the right way
What was the question again? Oh yeah - the fish. We’re not just going to give you some fish (not fish but relevant buzzword or website) because you ask nicely. In a way, we’re not even going to teach you how to fish (you probably want a more diverse diet than just fish). We just want to understand what the fundamental problem is (you’re hungry), so we can offer you the best solution to that particular problem (regularly eating food that you like) and support where your business is trying to get to in the next phase.
And this really defines our ‘Challenge Positively’ mantra. See - it’s all rooted in a positive place.
Challenge does not equal confrontation
We’re just going to come out and say it - yes, we want you to spend more money with us. That’s the tall and short of it. But let’s be frank - that’s what every business wants, even if you’re not-for-profit. So, let’s not shy away from what we’re trying to do. The clincher here though is that we know, that the more you spend with us, the more money you make for yourselves. Now, that is a much different conversation to have, isn’t it?
But if you’re still looking for ‘someone to make you a website just because you want one’ then it’s still a no from us.
If, however, we can work together to build an understanding of why and how building a website will fix all your issues then yes, let’s have a chat. But even then, we’ll only look to build something from scratch if it’s more cost-effective over and above fixing your old one.
The many ways to skin a…fish?
And, don’t forget, your website is only one link in the chain. There will still be countless other solutions to help you overcome the issues currently challenging you. As Harvey Specter would say (any Suits fans out there?): “What are your choices when someone holds a gun to your head? You do what they say or they shoot you, right? Wrong! You take the gun or pull out a bigger gun or you call a bluff or you do any of the other 146 other things.”
So, let’s explore some of those 146 other things. Tell us what you’re trying to do to benefit your business - come in for a meeting and we’ll openly discuss which one of those things we think is right for you and where we feel we can truly add value.
