How To Review Someone Else's Ideas Without Ruining Everything
I’ve presented thousands of ideas in hundreds of presentations over the last 12 years with Ideasicle. Sometimes I leave the presentation excited and motivated to do more, other times I want to smash all my Beatles records. You could say I have pretty thick skin at this point. So today I’m going to reflect on how I think clients can review other people’s ideas without inadvertently ruining everything.
At first, look for what’s right, not for what’s wrong.
This is a biggie and it’s not because a client is a “bad client.” It’s because they’re human and it’s natural to focus first on what’s wrong and not what’s right about anything in front of them, let alone ideas. But I challenge clients to reframe your perspectives when reviewing ideas. It’s in your interest.
By looking for what’s right, you do two things: one, you keep the team who came up with the idea motivated, which is important for future projects, if not the future of the current one; two, you force yourself to “play out” the idea in your mind in all its glory. Both reasons are important, but the second one is particularly so. If you focus on what’s wrong with the idea, you poison it in your mind and inhibit yourself from realizing the idea’s potential power.
Could be what’s right about the idea will overwhelm your initial concern. But you won’t know that if you look for what’s wrong first.
Remember your first impression.
Nothing kills a great idea faster than time. Seriously, the longer the idea is around the less interesting it becomes. Not because the idea is any less interesting, but because we’re just used to it and its impact has worn off to some degree. More human nature at work.
So I tell all my clients just prior to sharing our ideas to write down their visceral reactions to each idea right after it’s presented, be it positive or negative. What this does is force them to commit to an impression and then, later, reminds them what that impression felt like.
You will never get another first impression with the idea, so try your best to remember it.
Does it inspire more ideas?
One tell-tale sign that an idea is great is that it inspires you, the client, to come up with even more ideas as a result. Like, on the spot. Ideas that may be beyond your agency’s scope, but marketing ideas, new product ideas, promotional ideas. All because of this one idea in front of you.
When that happens you know you’re onto something. Voice your own ideas in the meeting. Your team will love the enthusiasm as it will validate their creativity and the idea itself.
If the team nails it, let it be nailed.
The last tip has to do with ego. An agency presents an idea and hits it out of the park. Many clients still feel the need to make the idea “theirs” by suggesting a change in wording or in the visual or whatever. Or, worse, will send the team back to come up with more ideas just to see if they can beat this one (the one that the client secretly thinks already nailed it).
At Ideasicle X we don’t have this problem because we are not on retainer, so clients are paying only for one or two rounds of ideas. But traditional agencies have a “time of staff” model where it’s no skin off the client’s back to have the team waste more hours on the assignment. The monthly retainer will remain the same.
I can only ask clients to try and avoid this temptation. Again, only if you truly think the agency has nailed the assignment, please let it be.
The idea is still all yours.
Will Burns is the Founder and CEO of Ideasicle X. Reach him directly at willb@ideasiclex.com.