Meeting clients where they are at

I recently met with a potential client. They invited me down to see their facilities and take some prelim pictures of their manufacturing and retail operations related to firearms. Our phone conversations up to that point had been about where they were currently at with their website efforts and where they thought they wanted/needed to go. Initially, I found myself trying to 'force' my experience on them as to what I thought they needed. Was I right with my ideas? They were sound, proven strategies that had worked in similar practice. Where I was going wrong was with trying to get the potential client to see 'my way of doing things' and not really considering where they were at as a business.

As a professional in the Internet or Website development and marketing arena it is tempting to know all the answers and what is best for clients. Maybe we do know alot. The point is that I had to come to a realization with this prospective client that where they saw themselves was their reality. Not mine. I could see the other side of the pond, but it was important for them to jump just one lily pad at a time. I needed to help them discover the next lily pad. This all dawned on my just an hour before my face to face with them. Sure glad it did.

Time will tell whether the project will move forward, but I was reminded of something very important.