It can be frustrating when you and your clients are at odds with one another. It happens for many reasons and when it does, you run the risk of losing the client. Obviously, consultants aren’t in the business of LOSING clients. The goal is to make them as happy as possible. But there are times when meeting a client half way becomes more than a challenge. The best way to nip this in the bud? Make sure you and your clients are always on the same page.

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My favorite: Know when to let go

There may be clients you just can’t see eye to eye with. Maybe there are personality issues, maybe a job went wrong and the client can’t seem to forgive you. Regardless of the reason, you need to know when a consultant-client relationship simply will not work. It will be far better for your business not to string that client along (for fear of losing business) than to keep an unhappy client around. The longer you retain such clients, the more likely you are to develop a bad reputation. And the last thing you need is word getting around that you can’t be trusted, that your work is subpar, or whatever gripe that client has. When you see a relationship isn’t going to work out, end it professionally. Refer the client to someone who can help them. Do whatever it takes to leave as much of that bridge unburned as possible. There may be a time when that client, based on your professionalism, will refer another client to you.

Read on…

Every time I start with a new company or a new contract, I walk around and ask questions about how people do their job. I don’t ask the veep’s — I usually ask people in the trenches what the customers want. They’ll give you the straight up, non-politicized answer, and sometimes, they’ll give you that one little nugget that makes all the difference in the world.

UX people especially aren’t a system administrator where all our job consists of is keeping things running; we’re right in the middle of the business process. We should care.

Just a thought.

Here’s the post.

I recently ripped my pals in HR a new one. Then my friend and colleague Laurie Ruettimann reminded me that if you’re going to criticize, you should have a solution ready to go.

She’s right, so I posted a solution — a solution that applies not only to HR, but really to anybody with a job anywhere in the organization. It goes like this:

Find out how your company makes money.

Once a week for the next four weeks, take one of your lunch hours and go talk with people in various parts of your company who can explain to you, in plain English, exactly how raw materials become finished goods (or how ideas become service offerings), and how sales happen, from initial contact to cash in the bank.

Take them to lunch.

Buy lunch for both of you.

Tell them it’s your way of compensating them for answering what you’re certain will be an hour’s worth of rudimentary questions, and for helping you out.

Some topics you might want to ask about:

• Marketing decisions: who are your target markets? Why?
• What’s the plan moving forward?
• How does the company generate prospecting lists?
• How is sales organized?
• Who builds sales demos?
• Incentive programs for customers… and incentive programs for the salespeople… motivate what behaviors?
• Are products discounted?
• Who responds to RFPs? Who finds out about them?
• Invoicing & collections: how quickly do your clients pay?
• How tight are the daily delivery routes?
• How well is the warehouse managed? What does it look like? How disciplined are the workers there?
• What’s the real impact of unionization on the floor workers?
• Real estate: does your company own or lease? Why?
• Who owns purchasing decisions?
• Does the company hedge fuel purchases?
• Why do some departments charge others for their work? That seems crazy!
• Major client accounts: how much of the overall revenue do they represent?
• What is the driving factor behind internal technology decisions?
• What’s the impact on IT costs if one person brings in their own laptop to work?
• Are our HR policies driven to create a culture, protect against lawsuits, or both? And if “both,” then which is the higher priority?
• What’s the CEO like, as a person? Is our company reflective of his/her personality?
• Who has the data on our customers/clients purchasing habits? If I wanted to crunch it in order to look for trends, how could I get that data, and who would I give the results of my work to?
• What does the company do with its cash? Does it have a huge checking account? Does it invest in 1-year bonds?
• Who is on the Board of Directors, and why?
• What are the company’s loan obligations? What impact do those obligations have on the firm’s ability to take risks or make investments?
• What new strategic projects are planned for next year?
• What strategic projects are being considered?
• What does top management see as the number one obstacle to growth?
• What do the rank and file see as the number one obstacle to growth?

See where this is going?

Build an understanding of the business. Armed with that knowledge, you’ll automatically become more effective at your job. And, you’ll get seen as someone who cares.

(Now, if you lack the curiosity or authenticity to ask these questions and genuinely care about the answer, don’t do this. Then you’ll be seen as a fraud and people will resent you wasting their time.)

Something to think about go do.

Problem solved.

Working too much is likely to decrease your productivity, leave you creatively drained, and negatively effect relationships with friends and family. Don’t get me wrong, pursuing your passion is a beautiful gift and there is nothing wrong with working hard on projects you love. However, it’s essential to take breaks. Whether you’re working from home or in an office environment it’s essential to nourish your creative spirit.

Favorites…

Unplug from the internet. Getting work done doesn’t require an internet connection. It’s amazing what can happen when you step out from behind the computer screen or your mobile device. Most of my killer ideas come to me when I’m taking a shower, on a walk, cooking a meal, and “not working.”

Everyone is creative and ideas can come to you at odd moments. Just because you have an idea doesn’t mean you have to implement it right away. Keep a journal with you at all times so that you can capture your idea and enjoy your down time.

And…

Constantly question your goals and life purpose. It’s important to continually reevaluate your goals, life purpose and behaviors. For example if you constantly stay late at the office, sacrifice personal relationships because of work, or check your email obsessively, ask yourself:

• Why am I doing this?
• What is the end goal?
• Are my behaviors healthy?

Read on…

Great recruiters are as interested as finding work for you as you are.

Punk Rock HR is one of my favorite blogs of all time because of her common sense. Her comments are classic and I absolutely agree with.

The original post is here. Enjoy.

I love it when someone sends me an email and asks, “Do you know this recruiter? Is he a good guy?”

Believe it or not, I don’t know every HR professional or recruiter. I just know a few — but most of them are good people. (Sure, some of them are chumps but there are scam artists and losers in every industry. Look at sales.)

You need to use your brain — and your smarts — to sort the wheat from the chaff.

Here are some thoughts.

• Do the work and make sure the recruiter is credible. Don’t be shy. Ask probing questions before you allow a recruiter to represent you. You can ask for a biography. Request references. Connect with him on LinkedIn. Look him up on Twitter and Facebook. Make sure this guy hasn’t burned bridges or created any sort of ruckus.
• My favorite recruiters are those who have established relationships with VPs, hiring managers, and Human Resources professionals. That’s a tall order, actually. For starters, you can ask the recruiter to talk about his networking strategies. You’ll want to hear how he stays current in the industry
• I ask for an overview of my industry. I’m not looking for an economic treatise; however, I am curious if the recruiter can speak intelligently about my career field without using a ton of jargon.
• Ask the recruiter to describe his last couple of placements. This is about data, yo. I like to know the positions filled and how long it took him to find the ideal candidates. Recruiters won’t talk about specific clients or placement fees, but they will talk about general metrics if you ask. It’s not tacky to ask.
• You will never have to pay to get a job.  I hate to add this bullet, but there are a few sketchy ‘operators’ out there. Credible recruiting agencies don’t ask for money.

Finally, I think it’s important to know where a recruiter is submitting your resume before the resume is sent. You can ask for this specific information — it’s not rude.

Remember, a relationship with a recruiter is like any other business arrangement. Do your research, ask thoughtful questions, and operate with integrity. Don’t forget that a recruiter is risking his reputation on you, too.

Collaboration is key to the UX process, but it becomes increasingly difficult across locations. Working remotely with engineers, product managers and other UX’ers is challenging. Learn how members of the Google UX team work with other offices and team members domestically and internationally to create the best user experiences possible.

The reason I cross-posted the post: I work as a consultant and her post resonated with me. I don’t have the luxury of depending on a full-time job for the paycheck and do volunteer work.

I get requests to help people out, whether it’s setting up a website, doing a usability study, or connecting someone at a company (“Hey, do you know someone at…”).

It’s rather frustrating because my work has real value (the work I do is for the largest corporations in the world), and I have proved countless times it leads to better user experiences, tangible business goals and real results. That’s what I do.

The best way to describe me is my job is to “come up with shit.” I come up with ideas. Some good. A lot bad. But hopefully one will take hold and have a value much larger than the cost of hiring me, and that’s why I get work. And lot of the time, the requests are for more than the idea: building out the website, an offering of partnership, the promise of a connection that may never pan out.

But here’s the rub.

Sweat equity doesn’t pay my rent. volunteer projects doesn’t pay my rent. Promises don’t pay my rent. Cups of coffee don’t pay my rent.

Consulting and ideas do. I practically guarantee good results, and that has real value in today’s results-driven culture.

It reminds me of a quote from Mad Men. The Conrad Hilton character was asking the Don Draper character for free ideas.

Don said, “Connie, this is my profession, what do you want me to do?”

Here’s Nicole’s post. Read on.

I was reminded of this post, which has sat in a Word doc on my desktop for two months, while reading “Can I Pick your Brain,” by Kevin Dugan. Thanks, Kevin, for inspiring me to finally get it posted.

I’m not sure where to start with this topic, because I feel like it might offend many people who know me who have asked the very thing.

For close personal friends, I can make an exception, but there has to be a line drawn somewhere.

Several years ago, I had upgraded myself to first class on a flight from LA to NYC, where I was living at the time. As the plane was boarding, I was flipping through the current issue of Wired. Highlighted in the magazine was a book called “Ambitchous” (has since been changed). It was, ultimately, about how the female psyche can hold one back in business. How we can under-value and under-appreciate what we contribute and our desire to not push too hard or ask for too much because we don’t want to be “the Bitch.” The author interviewed hundreds of women and is a career psychologist of sorts, as well as having a strong background in business.

I felt a tap on my shoulder, and it was my travel partner handing me a note. I opened it and it said: “Turn to page 76. That’s my book.”

It was the author, Debra Condren (@debracondren) of Ambitchous, seated directly across the aisle from me. The author of the book I just dog-eared a magazine page for to remind myself to buy.

I immediately got up and went to her and engaged in conversation that continued some during the flight and finally into the baggage terminal at JFK. She gave me a galley copy of the book, which I found a huge honor. I devoured it. There were so many eye-opening examples that simulated behaviors and ways of thinking that I’d found myself trapped in. But one chapter hit me the most.

I like to call it “Pay Me.” I would cite it, but I loaned the book out ages ago to other powerful females I know but my takeaway was this: Time is valuable, and creative thought is even more so. Don’t undervalue either. As women (and compassionate people everywhere), we like to help and can get trapped in giving our time and ideas away for free because we’re afraid to ask for compensation. Or just don’t realize it’s within our right to do so.

When you are a creative individual who is a “popcorn machine,” as my mom says, who spits out ideas on a continual basis, doling out advice is no big thing. It’s easy to have coffee with someone whose company I enjoy, most who will ultimately take my ideas and somehow help benefit their business. Whatevs.

I used to do this a lot more than I do now, because here’s the thing that I finally came to terms with that helped me start standing my ground: My popcorn machine has value.

Creative ideas and connections are the real currency in this digital economy. We are bombarded with fragmented channels to communicate with, audiences to communicate to and many masters to serve on the business side. Having someone who can view this entire ecosystem, understand your market and then advise you on what is wisest for your company to build brand and business is an invaluable resource. But those advisers are typically under-appreciated and under-monetized.

I am asked on a weekly basis to meet with people for coffee or lunch or cocktails. Requests range from asking if I know someone for a position to resources for an interest to the need for creative advice and consulting to helping to promote an event. There are a lot of needs in LA (and beyond), and it shows this industry is raring to go and bursting with ambition. But, I can’t help everyone.

I do have my own work schedule and my “life balance” that I attempt, and they leave me little free time to “donate” to others. I appreciate that I am seen as a resource for the community, but some of the requests have shown me a repeated trend –- people need ideas. A lot of them.

Strategic and creative counsel is one of the most under-monetized aspects of being in the communications and marketing business. Would you ask a lawyer to coffee to “pick his brain?” Do you think a professional — as ruthless as they are known to be, and whose services are enlisted regularly and paid well for — would dole out an hour of advice to you for $3.50? Unless he’s your dear friend, what’s in it for him?

I see this as an increasing problem in LA and I’m sure in every city across the country. It’s especially rampant with start-ups. Let’s call it the “Pick Your Brain (PYB) syndrome.”

You meet a nice smart person at an event, and you have coffee, and then they start to PYB. And take notes, because what you say makes sense. You are pumping out advice and ideas. And it ain’t no thing to you, because you’re a popcorn machine, right? Pop, pop, pop. And they soak it up and then off they go, and you’re left holding an empty drink.

I got into a recent Twitter back-and-forth with someone about the value of releasing ideas into the world. Someone cited @jason to me: that you can give ideas, but it doesn’t matter if they can’t execute (I’m paraphrasing), but I wholly disagree. When you present an idea to people and they recognize it as good, they will take it with them, and they will eventually make money off of that idea. But you will not.

So this is what I started doing, especially for people that I do not know well: I tell them I am happy to meet, I am flattered they asked, and that because my time is valuable I don’t do these PYB sessions for free. Most the times when I’ve said this, they’ve understood and honored it. The ones that got a little ruffled are the ones who will suck you dry and likely leave you paying for your own coffee. And theirs.

Run. Fast.

How often are you asked to have your brain picked? Got any words of advice or examples to share?

Remember, nothing is for free — you just aren’t paying for it.

Let’s face it: freelancing is pretty great. No more dealing with annoying coworkers or shoveling your car out of a snow drift to get to work. What could be better than being your own boss? Well, at times, not being your own boss! As with every job, there are pros and cons that make up your daily list of responsibilities and obligations. Here is a list of the most common problems freelancers face and how to deal with them.

Read on…

But should they?

That’s a hard question to answer, especially with the ever changing landscape of the industry.

The answer: it really depends on where you live and what you are looking to do. Many employers are looking for jack of all trades (especially in startups), while others are looking for specialists. Some are willing to give up deep skill sets in one area versus knowledge in all areas, or are looking for people of unique skill sets to build teams around.

A UX Designer in San Francisco is going to have a much different working experience than one in Columbus, Ohio because they will be at much different companies.

I’m lucky to have worked in both generalist and specialist environments. To be honest, I like getting my hands dirty sometimes. That includes building prototypes, doing my own guerrilla usability testing, and even throwing in some design to make it high fidelity.

Other user experience designers like to focus on specific areas, like user research. It just depends.

If you know something about code, you’re less likely to design something that can’t be built.

Pros – There’s nothing worse than designing a solution that you think makes it really easy for the user, and then the programmers come back to you and say, “Well, that’s nice, but it’s going to take two months and we have only a month.” It’s like designing a car: if you design an engine that’s too big for the frame, the engine design has to be reworked.

Cons – That said, if you get too heads down in the code, you are going to be less effective as a user experience designer. Or, worse, you could limit your imagination and design a solution that would be more effective if you knew less about what was under the hood.

Specialists get paid more, but have fewer opportunities.

Pros – Everyone loves a big paycheck, and specialists are always going to have deeper knowledge of a particular topic. If you’re good, being a specialist means that you’re sought after. I have a lot of experience in e-commerce systems, for example, and somehow manage to improve those user experiences that lead to improved revenue. That’s a skill worth having that will make you valuable just about anytime of the day.

Cons – If they think you are too much of a specialist, it becomes really hard to get a job (“I didn’t know you could do that”), and in a bad economy, the last thing you want to do is fence yourself in. Those that were working in the field during the early 2000′s remember the day when being a project manager or a psuedo-programmer was a good thing. There’s nothing worse than being “just” a user researcher when they are looking for an Interaction Designer with research experience.

Sometimes it’s just about setting expectations.

Pros — Even if you don’t call yourself a specialist, putting a wider net out there for jobs is better because there may be a position that requires several different skills (Knowledge of JQuery, CSS, XHTML and some light design on top of doing the usual User Experience tasks like wireframes). This could translate into where you build functioning prototypes that the developers can use to build the finished product, but during the interview process. That said, I just recently started learning SketchFlow, a wonderful product that’s part of the Microsoft Expression Suite. There’s no way I could have picked it up as fast as I did without some knowledge of other prototyping tools like Flash, Axure and Visio.

Cons — Some skills required for the roles are so divergent that what they are looking for is a unicorn i.e. that one person that knows all of the above, plus ActionScript 3.0, plus .NET. The people that know all of those technologies either are a) getting paid much more than just being a User Experience Designers, b) do all of them poorly or c) are full of shit. You can only be good at so much.

The real answer? Look at the market and act accordingly.

Do what you have to do, and where you want to drive your career to, to succeed. Talk to other designers in the area to get an idea what they are doing. And remember, it’s a changing landscape — that requires some flexibility.

I love the overuse of the word “fuck”.