Learn your client’s “new normal”, because it’s not business as usual anymore.

Our clients’ businesses, and therefore our careers, have changed forever. Sure, we can attribute some of this change to the explosion of social media, lightning fast communication speeds, and the new economy. But the bigger and longer-lasting change is in the foundational nature of how our clients perceive and value design.

As you know, our clients are still under the same pressures as always, such as looking good to the boss or shareholders, being profitable, showing measurable success, and more. But the stakes are higher now; budgets are tighter. This applies to both them and us. So how do we become valuable in this new environment?

Our ability to show clients more strategy, metrics and research is more valuable than ever, and I think this is good for us. However, when we started our design businesses, these really weren’t key areas of focus, were they? Sure, we thought we’d need to create an occasional brief, do some client meetings or frankenstein some things now and then, but we didn’t count on having to stay on top of technology, designing in both print and online environments, doing more work for less money, and the list goes on. Now don’t get me wrong…I’m not complaining, just explaining. See, this is our “new normal.” In addition to design, we need to stay up on global innovation and pressures in order to remain relevant to our clients. Your clients’ businesses have changed, and they will continue to change faster than ever before. As their partner, you need to understand this and help them manage it. You need to understand their points of pain, and you also need to recognize where their industry is headed and brainstorm on keeping them on track going forward. Go to their tradeshows, read their trade pubs, visit their competitors’ websites, and gather info from their vendors and parallel industries. A few years ago, it was all about showing a process that gave value to design. The strategy was packaging that process and “selling” it to clients. Well, our process is more complex and valuable than ever and “selling it” requires showing value and results beyond just design. So talk to your clients and come up with ways of tracking success and understanding the new pressures they’re facing in this new economy. It will pay off for you, too.

#57 Dream about where you want to go, by making job descriptions for the future. For you & your team, even if they don’t exist…yet

I’m a big fan of writer C.S. Lewis. And one of his quotes that I reflect on often is ” We are what we believe we are.” This couldn’t be more true when it comes to your business. Whether you are a one person firm to 30+, having the right perception and future image of your company and career is a key component to growth.

One tactic to help you plan ahead is by writing job descriptions for you, your team and even the employees you haven’t met yet. Every year I take some time to review our team members, and I write how I would like to see their jobs evolve. Then I write job descriptions of the type of people I would ideally like to have on the team in the future. (Dream big - what if money and clients weren’t an issue?) I also look at my job, review what I have been doing, and write a description for myself as well.

This has helped me in several ways. First, it allows me a chance to dream about the company or my career. It helps me see what things we are doing well and where we can improve. Secondly, it will helps me see if the direction we’re going is a direction I like. Are we doing the type of work that we love? If not, how do we get there? Third, it helps identify key employees and their value to the company. Conversely, it highlights the employees you may need to replace or help grow.

As a manager or leader of your team this simple exercise helps you get a perspective and set goals. It makes you aware of the path you are on and how to adjust it for future success. It allows you to celebrate and dream of the future and show you areas you may need to calibrate and make some hard decisions.

Take the time to do this exercise and it will give you a road map of your company’s future.

Reading is an essential part of staying sober as a designer. However, it is extremely important to read books that are outside of the design genre. We often gravitate toward our favorite magazine or fiction book to escape, but it is equally important to read about business. Hitting up the business section for books on leadership, management, and the marketing section to learn about consumer insights and selling tips can really help you manage your team, sell in the boardroom and your thought process right at your own desk.

Don’t forget to read to remember: take notes, use a highlighter, and most importantly take your time. After each chapter think about how the information in the book can help your business and how can things be tweaked for the better.

That’s what we did, and this is how it helped:

The 4 Hour Work Week - This book by @tferriss has been a bestseller for nearly two years now. Sure, it may seem like another get rich quick scheme, but it isn’t. It challenged us with new ideas around process, email, and design management, leading us to implement Highrise by @37signals. Highrise streamlined our selling process and keeps us all on the same page whether we’re in or out of the office. This new addition has saved us hours of management time which helps us be far more productive.

GroundSwell - Having been out for just over a year now, this book has become a daily reference for how we talk about social technologies and new ways to market them. Since reading this book, we have gained an understanding and subsequently landed new business in creating social communities & blogs around our clients’ products. Now we have an additional product offering and understanding that all started with simply reading one book.

As you can see, just these two books alone helped us grow our business and we are consistently looking for new titles to learn and grow more. Explore these sections of Amazon.com and Barnes & Noble and give it a shot!

Other titles we suggest -

World Wide Rave

Outliers / The Tipping Point / Blink

Stumbling Upon Happiness

Never Eat Alone

June 2009 will mark the one-year anniversary I first gave “The Designer Sobriety” talk. Above is the opening video for the talk which highlights some of the spirit of this initiative. As a business owner and/or decision maker, a lot of things fly at you during the day. What do you do to manage it? How do you still try to enjoy it and just flat-out have a life outside of this crazy business that we’re in? The idea for this blog was born from wanting to share the various tips and advice we’ve learned, observed, or read about. Our posts are intended to be useful and inspirational. We’ll also share design-minded products we discover that you can implement and utilize to keep you going.

We hope you read, enjoy, share and comment. This community is only as good as its content and participation - so please be a part of it.