I just spent the better part of an hour-long meeting fighting the urge to dive face first into the bowl of M&M’s. Those wonderfully flavored candy-coated chocolates are sweet, sweet music to my taste buds. To say I love them is an understatement.
But I resisted temptation and every possible rationalized scenario my mind (no doubt directed by my taste buds) threw at me to convince me that it was OK to eat a few. I, instead, opted for my turkey sandwich and steamed broccoli. Why? Because it was the right thing to do. I bust my hump every day in the gym and eat right to keep my body happy. And despite the mixed messages from my tongue, my body really does appreciate it and, hopefully, will reward me by not giving out on me in five years.
“Good for you Richard Simmons, but why should I care?”
Think about this the next time you’re at a crossroads with your client. Your team has a great idea that you know in your gut is the right thing to do for your client. Everything’s falling in to place beautifully. The strategy is dead on, media plan is tight and the creatives delivered in spades. You’re team worked really hard to get there. But now, your client wants to “tweak” things ever so slightly. You know you shouldn’t, but it’s hard to explain why that’s not the best way to go.
When your client wants to tweak things and you know they shouldn't -- help them resist the temptation and don't sugarcoat anything, either.
And that is how that bowl of M&Ms comes in.
“Dude, just do an additional five minutes on the elliptical and it’ll be like you didn’t even eat that handful of M&M’s.”
“Really, are five or six more even going to matter?”
Grabbing a few of those sweet little beauties would have been easier than the internal struggle to do the right thing and say no. It’s the same way with your client’s requests.
“Adding an extra sentence won’t really make that big of a deal.”
“What if it wasn’t a horse, but a unicorn?”
But as you continue to take the easy route and continue to give in, the next thing you know you’re left with a bloated, out-of-shape piece of communication. Barely doing its job, working way too hard and doing way too little.
My point is that it may be difficult to convince your client of the right thing to do. Of course giving in would be the easy and satisfying thing at that moment, but down the road when they client looks at the carnage that all those “M&M’s” caused, it may not be your body on life support, it may be your relationship. Have the conversations, as tough as they may be; they will certainly extend the life with your client.
