6 minute read
Convincing clients to be more innovative
Five ways to persuade clients to be bold and innovative with their print
Here, Silas Amos, founder of leading UK-based creative agency Silas Amos Design, brings his 30 years of experience to bear in this edited feature – part of the drupa 2021 Essentials of Print series.
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Silas Amos
I’m a designer and design strategist. Much of the media I work with is packaging and my clients are typically marketing leaders and brand managers for big brands. Getting busy people on board to ‘try something new’ can be hard work. Here are some common sense suggestions based on my own experience of trying to persuade my clients to be bold and to try something new. 1. Find the right opportunities
The first task is to find among your contacts those who get inspired by trying something different. The ideal candidate is someone young enough to want to make their reputation, but senior enough to make their own decisions. They also need to be passionate, to genuinely want to make it better, not just more efficient. Having found this rare person, you now need to understand two things: what is it that keeps them awake at night, and what is it that would make them jump excitedly out of bed? Once you understand their big ‘problem’ and their big ‘I wonder’ questions, you can then figure out if the innovation you’re championing is a potentially smart solution. The principle is simple – look for the ‘win-win’ and be passionate. You won’t convince others if you’re not convinced yourself. 2. Lead by example
As Henry Ford put it: “You can’t build a reputation on what you propose to do.” To ignite interest, you’ll need to show successful applications of the technology you’re championing. The reality is that getting to these first concrete examples often comes from the first work being ‘given away’ to prove its worth. In blunt terms, you must ‘put some skin in the game’ – on your own time and using your own energy. 3. Explain the value
The value the innovation often needs to hit several targets. In cost and speed, it should be competitive or provide an affordable alternative to typical processes. In output, it should produce something of equal or greater quality to typical alternatives. In application terms, it should enable the client to do something they simply couldn’t do before. This is the key question: how can you creatively ‘up the game’ with the final product? Will people pay more for it, love it, buy more of it and notice it (when before they were blind to it)? Will it make your clients’ competition look average by comparison? If you can offer comparative evidence against these basic points, you’ll be in an excellent position to tailor your pitches to your clients. 4. Reduce the risk
Only the reckless would bet their career, core business or brand on an untested new approach. There are two magic words that can unlock the proposed project – Pilot Scheme. Start small and think of the first steps as a low-risk experiment. If it fails, the only thing it’s really cost is some time and energy. But if it works, the process can be reviewed, streamlined and expanded for larger and larger projects. Build trust and learn on the job – and there’s a good chance more work will develop organically from the process.
5. Join forces
Learn to play ball with other key suppliers or teams and you’re more likely to get to bigger and bolder solutions that can be truly game-changing. My analogy here is the stained-glass window – arguably the world’s first example of mass communication. Engineers figured out how to put big holes in load-bearing walls using flying buttresses. Craftsmen figured out how to colour glass and work it into images. And the ‘marketing department’ had a whole story to tell about ‘I am the light.’ Put them all together and the Sunday worshippers got to see the world of their faith in an entirely new way. In conclusion, success in promoting any radical leap in technology relies on very simple human values. Have passion, be positive, embrace new technologies, be open for partnerships and teamwork, and care genuinely about resolving your client’s challenges. You’ll be better positioned to pick up new business – and have some fun along the way!
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