Seth Godin’s blog post today, “…Different People Differently” got me thinking. In the post, Seth argues that now we must talk to each person differently. No more mass marketing or singular message. Treat the chess champion differently than the star quarterback. Know what makes someone tick and make that the conversation. “[The digital age] is a chance to differentiate at a human scale, to use behavior as the most important clue about what people want and more important, what they need.”
For creative businesses, it means talking only your language to your clients, letting only those who will choose to listen matter. Be uncompromising in the work that you do. What I think Seth is saying though is that this is not enough.
You are the smartest person in the room. You know more about what you do than 99.9% of the clients that walk in your door. Of course, this applies directly to your art and the work of your creative business. Only you do what you do, how you do it. More important, you are not talking to people capable of having a peer-to-peer conversation with you. You are the one with all the power. You are the expert, the artist. So what do you do with that role? How do you honor your position in the relationship? Are you The Autocrat, The Collaborator or The Maestro?
The Autocrat – Might be said prettier, but basically The Autocrat is the “I am awesome, you will get my awesomeness, trust me, give me money and get out of my way.” The Autocrat speaks with condescension and demands that his client conform to what he expects so they too can be part of the flock. I am not a fan of the Autocrat, but he does have a place. There are those clients who want the status associated with The Autocrat and that status is often just as important as the final art. In the freedom, the Autocrat and his creative business can do what they do.
The Collaborator – The Collaborator is a client’s best friend and he talks to them as if they are his peer and he theirs. The opposite end of the spectrum from The Autocrat. The Collaborator teaches by indulging every question, every whim with equal importance. A client’s voice has the gravitas of his. While The Autocrat may answer no questions, The Collaborator answers each question at a 101 level, often with another question. “You do not like the couch? Okay we will look at as many as it takes to get it right.” Not “What don’t you like about the couch?” I am not a fan of The Collaborator either, but, like The Autocrat, he too has a place. Some clients need hand-holding and want to play artist even if they are not actually one. So long as The Collaborator gets paid for the effort, who am I to judge? Perhaps the result of the joint effort is terrific work.
The Maestro – The Maestro expects their clients to participate. He will ask clients to be versed in the essence of his creative business while providing all necessary information for them to make a meaningful series of decisions. The Maestro respects clients and their decisions and demands that they do the same. He understands clients are not him and do not know what he does. He neither beats a client over the head with his wisdom, talent and experience (the Autocrat) or hides from it (the Collaborator). Quiet confidence to take clients from idea to execution his way is a Maestro’s hallmark.
Back to Seth’s post and a little revision in my thinking. I used to think that being the Maestro was the only way to create great art and happy clients. I was wrong. I still believe it is the best way and that most clients would prefer to be treated as the Maestro would have them be treated. However, I now realize some clients need The Autocrat or The Collaborator and working with The Maestro will be an epic fail.
The digital age has offered the opportunity to creative business owners to choose clients based not only on the what but also the how. Pre-digital age, you could get away with not defining your relationship to power. Not today. To paraphrase Seth, it is no longer good enough for you, your art or your creative business to be what your clients want; you have to be what they need.
