Building Client Relationships in Design

Why do so many communicators lose their audience? Often, it’s because we try to share everything. When communicating a complex project, whether it’s a new product feature, a design sprint, or a strategic pivot, we often see broadcasting ideas into the world as our goal. We want to show every wireframe, every debated nuance, and every data point we collected along the way. But our brains are not wired to absorb a stream of disconnected information. When we overwhelm our audience, we increase their cognitive load and quickly lose their attention. Our goal should be to make sure our audience understands. The antidote is structure. Structure acts as a psychological roadmap. It guides both the speaker and the listener through a clear, reasoned journey. On the Think Fast Talk Smart: The Podcast, I often talk about the importance of packaging ideas so they are easy to follow and easy to remember. One framework I often recommend for complex projects is what I call the 5P structure. It helps presenters walk their audience through a clear progression of ideas so the story behind the work is easy to understand. 1) Problem: Define the issue at hand 2) Process: Shaping your thinking 3) Proposal: Outlining the solution 4) Proof: Sharing the potential impact 5) Progress: Pointing forward Instead of overwhelming people with information, the structure guides them through the challenge you were solving, how you approached it, what you designed, the evidence behind it, and what comes next. When people can clearly follow the story, they are far more likely to trust the idea and help move it forward.

You're not a designer, but everyone should think like one. This $20 book will change how you approach every business interaction. The Design of Everyday Things taught me why most businesses leak money - and it has nothing to do with strategy. Here's the breakdown: 1. Your communication needs a mental map. Norman's "conceptual models": Your audience builds a picture of how things work. Give them the right picture upfront. When information is laid out like a table-of-contents first, people remember 17% more of it. In beginners, recall jumped 42%. McKinsey uses this religiously - tell them what you're going to tell them, tell them, then tell them what you told them. 2. People create desire paths - so pave them. You know those dirt trails cutting across campus lawns? Same thing happens in meetings. Everyone scans for the bottom line first. Eye-tracking found recruiters decide on resumes in under 8 seconds - but only when the headline was crystal-clear. So flip your approach: Start with the outcome, then explain why. Give people the shortcut they're already taking. 3. First impressions happen faster than thought. Norman's "visceral level": People react emotionally before logic kicks in. Princeton researchers found it takes just 100 milliseconds for the brain to lock in a judgment. If they can't instantly see themselves in your message, you've already lost. Make their problem impossible to miss in that first glance. 4. Design for your worst-case audience. Someone checking email during your pitch. Someone who's half-listening. Assume your slide competes with an inbox - because 9 out of 10 people multitask during virtual meetings. Norman's constraints principle: make misunderstanding impossible. Headers that summarize everything below. The distracted executive should still get your point. 5. Eliminate unnecessary decisions. Norman's "knowledge in the world": Don't make people think - make the right choice obvious. Any choice that takes longer than 100 milliseconds to confirm stops feeling automatic - and conversions fall. Amazon created one-click buying. Apple standardized on USB-C. Trader Joe's limits to 4,000 SKUs versus 30,000-50,000 elsewhere - and generates 4-5x more revenue per square foot. — I spent years thinking design was about making things pretty. Norman showed me it's about making things work. The difference between professionals who struggle and professionals who scale. Stop making people think harder. Start making their lives easier.

Your next design project won’t fail if you ban this word first. Here's why I consider "good" the enemy of growth. I see this a lot. A web dev agency hires a new designer. They hand over the brief. They expect "good work." But they never define what good means. So what happens? • Endless revisions • Slack messages full of “almost there” • Frustration on both sides Not because the designer’s bad. But because “good” was a moving target no one pinned down. Before you bring someone on, define it: • What does good design look like for this project? • Is there a style guide? • Are there reference sites? • Should the design work on mobile first? • What’s the measurable outcome? "Good" isn’t universal. It’s contextual. And if you don’t set the context, you’ll waste time clarifying it later. So here's what I suggest to agencies to actually define "good": 1) Use measurable goals, not just adjectives. Don’t settle for "make it modern" or "clean design." You have to set clear, measurable outcomes. For example - "Reduce homepage bounce rate by 15%" or "Deliver three responsive design options by next Friday." Use KPIs or SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, Time-based) to set expectations everyone can track. 2) Try the OKRs framework. Define an objective, such as "Deliver a user-friendly, mobile-first website." Then set key results, such as "Score 90+ on Google PageSpeed for mobile," "Achieve 4.5/5 average user feedback on design," or "Complete all assets by the 20th of the month." And finally, review progress regularly so "good" is always visible, not vague. 3) Document and share standards. Create a style guide, reference sites, or sample deliverables. Make sure everyone knows what "good" looks like before work starts. 4) Communicate early and often. The most important part. Make sure to align on goals and metrics in your kickoff meeting. And check in regularly to ensure everyone’s on the same page and adjust if needed. I am sure by the end of it, you want smoother projects. You want less back and forth. So don't just hire. Define "good" first With metrics, clarity, and shared understanding. That’s how you turn expectations into results. --- ✍ Question: Do you design "good" in your projects?

❌ Being "good at your job" isn’t enough to build influence as a UXer. I worked with many senior UXers who felt stuck. Yes, they had: - Years of experience - A reputation for delivering great work - A solid seat on the team But when it came to decisions that mattered, they were always on the sidelines. So, what went wrong? They fell into one (or more) of these traps ⬇️ 🪤 : Staying in "delivery mode." 🪤 : Talking about the "what" instead of the "why." 🪤 : Waiting for permission to contribute strategically. Their work was solid... But it wasn’t opening doors to bigger opportunities or strategic discussions. Why? They were unknowingly playing small. Here’s what we did to change that ↴ Step 1️⃣ Stop being the "UX person" and start being the problem-solver. The title “UX designer” can box you in if you’re not careful. Instead of saying, “I improved the checkout flow,” they started saying, “I identified and eliminated checkout friction, simplified the checkout process to make purchases easier, which is expected to cut cart abandonment by at least 15%.” Small change. Massive impact. Step 2️⃣ Show the "why," not just the "what." Designers love to talk about WHAT they did. Stakeholders care about WHY it matters. For example ↴ WHAT: “We successfully redesigned the XYZ dashboard.” WHY: “Customers were overwhelmed by the old XYZ dashboard. Our redesigned version prioritizes key actions, reducing time-on-task by 30%.” The second statement proves you’re thinking strategically, not just checking boxes. Step 3️⃣ Speak like a leader, not a contributor. Most UXers default to talking about deliverables. Leaders talk about outcomes, risks, and opportunities. We worked on shifting their language↴ ❌ FROM: “I think [this design] solves [this problem]” ✅ TO: “Here’s what happens if we DON'T solve [this problem] - and why [this design] addresses it.” Instead of waiting to be invited into strategic conversations, they started leading them. And the result? They stopped being seen as "just another designer." They became the person stakeholders wanted in the room for every big decision. Building influence isn’t about being louder. It’s about being smarter with your visibility. Here’s the formula: 1️⃣ Speak to impact, not just design deliverables. 2️⃣ Frame your work as solving HIGH-VALUE problems. 3️⃣ Start owning the conversations that matter. Do this, and you won’t just be at the table... You’ll shape the direction! ↓ ↓ ↓ ♻️ Share if it resonated. 🧠 Follow Marina Krutchinsky to learn how to go from "high-performing" to "promotion-ready". ✍️ Join 6,000+ smart UXers receiving actionable career tips in their inbox twice a week: uxmentor.substack.com

16 years of dealing with all types of interior design clients taught me how to communicate without being rude. In interior design, the difference between a good designer and a great one often lies in communication skills. After countless client meetings and team discussions, I've learned that being direct doesn't mean being difficult. Recently, during a high-stakes project review, I needed to address timeline delays with a client. So instead of saying, "Constant changes on your end are causing delays," I said: "I'm concerned about meeting our completion date. When we receive design changes mid-execution, it impacts our schedule by X days. What if we set a specific milestone to consolidate any changes?" This structure transformed a potentially tense conversation into productive problem-solving. The magic lies in the method: 1. Start with context. Frame the conversation around shared goals. "I'm bringing this up because I want to ensure we deliver on time." 2. Listen first, respond second. Understanding others' perspectives often reveals solutions you hadn't considered. 3. The most powerful phrase I've ever come across is "What if we..." It can turn any criticism into collaboration. These techniques have saved many projects and client relationships. Even deliver exceptional results. That's why I tell my team to always remember: In design, as in life, it's not what you say – it's how you say it. What's your communication strategy with clients? #communication #professional #clients

Your best clients do not leave because of results. They leave because of silence. Churn rarely starts with "results". It starts with silence, drift, and missed expectations. Deliverables will not save you when trust drops. What most teams miss: 1. Retention is proactive Spot misalignment early. Fix it before it becomes a complaint. 2. Make value clear Link work to pipeline, revenue, and risk reduction. Do not hide behind vanity metrics. 3. Earn partner status Bring choices, trade-offs, and the next move. Do not just send reports. 4. Show progress clearly Clients cannot renew what they cannot see. The Retention Cadence I use: 1. Weekly: priorities, blockers, quick signals 2. Every 2 weeks: what worked, what did not, what we test next 3. Monthly: reset the plan to match business targets 4. Quarterly: align scope, budget, and the roadmap I see the same pattern again and again. Teams that run this cadence keep clients longer. Teams that only report lose them. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Who am I I’m Lukas, founder of LDS Digital. What I do I help businesses build steady lead and revenue systems. What LDS Digital does We turn interest into real enquiries and booked calls using SEO, paid ads, conversion, and simple automation. Who we help B2B operators who want growth without guesswork. The outcome A clearer pipeline, better lead quality, and more predictable revenue. Why this works and might work for you, too. This approach works because it focuses on fundamentals, clean execution, and systems that keep performing over time. If this resonates, feel free to DM me. PS: Agencies I work with that ran this cadence increased average client tenure by 40% within two quarters.

Your brilliant design gets shot down in meetings while mediocre ideas sail through. Sound familiar? It's not your design that's the problem, mates. It's your timing. You're presenting breakthrough concepts to stressed stakeholders at 4pm on a Friday. You're pitching user-centered solutions to executives who just came out of a budget meeting from hell. The best design in the world dies in the wrong context. Master indirect influence design. Don't just design the product... design the moment. Present research insights when stakeholders are calm and curious, not defensive and distracted. Share user pain points right before proposing your solution. Time your big reveals for when people actually have mental bandwidth to process them. Frame your presentations around stakeholder wins, not design theory. Create environments where saying 'yes' feels inevitable. The designers who succeed aren't just great at making things... they're great at making people receptive to great things. Context is everything. Master it. ✌️ P.S. Here are some other tips that will help you with stakeholders ↓

The biggest misconception in Client Success is that retention depends on “great results.” It doesn’t. Clients don’t stay because of results. 👉 They stay because of confidence. Confidence that • you understand their goals • you communicate clearly • you track progress • you see risks before they do • you make the next step obvious When clients lose confidence, they start searching for alternatives even if you are delivering. 👉 When they feel confident, they stay even during slow periods. Here are the signals that a client’s confidence is rising: 1. They respond faster and with more detail 2. They ask more strategic questions 3. They share context without being asked 4. They follow the roadmap more closely 5. They use words like “trust” and “clarity” And here are the signals confidence is dropping: * Short replies * Longer gaps in communication * Calls being pushed back * Outcomes being questioned * Repeating the same concerns The real job of Client Success isn’t to “wow” the client. It’s to maintain confidence through clear expectations, early wins, honest conversations, and predictable delivery. Because confidence doesn’t just improve retention. 👉 It improves renewals, upsells, communication, and outcomes. Retention is not built on results alone. 👉 Retention is built on trust + momentum + predictability. Results are simply the byproduct.

My biggest priority at Junction is improving renewal conversations. Not by adding more touchpoints. By making every interaction count. Here are three tactics that actually moved retention: Tactic One: Segment Your Book Most CSMs treat all customers the same. Same cadence. Same agenda. Same deck. That's the fastest way to become background noise. Instead, segment your book by outcome they're driving: → Revenue growth customers → Cost savings customers → Efficiency/workflow customers When you group similar outcomes, you stop context switching between completely different value stories. You get in flow with relevant case studies, metrics that matter, and strategic conversations they actually care about. Tactic Two: Mine for Intelligence Not every customer call needs to drive immediate action. Sometimes you're gathering intelligence for the renewal conversation 90 days out. When you hear "gold nuggets" like: → Upcoming board priorities → Budget reallocation plans → New executive KPIs → Competitive pressure points You capture them. Then you use those insights to frame your value story around what their CFO actually cares about. Tactic Three: Outcomes, Not Features Your customer messages used to sound like this: "Checking in on adoption metrics and wanted to schedule our quarterly review..." Now they sound like this: "I noticed your team is focused on reducing time-to-market by 30% this quarter. Most ops leaders we work with are facing the same tension: pressure to move faster while maintaining quality and compliance." What's more likely: Your customer is thinking about the business outcome you impact? Or your customer is thinking about your product features? Message accordingly, and engagement increases. --- The shift isn't more customer touches. It's more intelligent customer touches. Stop optimizing for activity volume. Start optimizing for strategic relevance. How are you teaching your CS team to segment, mine intelligence, and lead with outcomes?

We onboarded 7 Amazon accounts in June & July. 6 are now long term clients.. Here are some top lessons that I've learned over the last 5 years about nailing client retention: 1. Get going with THE work ASAP ⏲️ - First two months is when the client trust is 0 - Slow/shaky performance in this period can hurt - DON'T delay real work for only 'digging out insights' - Start with the most immediate biggest opportunities of improvement - The client needs to see a lot of little positive hints in first two months ↳ Remember, you're buying yourself time & trust to do the bigger time-taking improvement. 2. Draw CLEAR projections early on 📄 - When clients don't know what to expect, they expect too much - They can't know which week/month will be slow if you don't tell them - Underpromise only enough so that the client is still satisfied with it - Set up tougher projections internally and try to overdeliver all the time - Monthly or 10-day breakdowns work the best (add notes) ↳ For example, if the client is told TACOS will go up in July and reset in August, he won't panic when it goes up in July. 3. Be proactive NOT reactive with communication ☢️ - When clients see a decline, they don't investigate external factors - They assume it's because of you - Or they panic that they were not informed - Clients can't be patient with challenges they're kept unaware of - Proactively informing clients > Reactively responding to panic texts ↳ Nothing builds trust stronger than knowing this team is on top of my account. 4. Know the small details better than the client 🔢 - Clients expect you to give their account the attention they can't give - I have seen our clients fire agencies over this EXACTLY - 1 person in the team has to know the account's stats really really well - If the client sees repeatedly he knows more, you're getting replaced 💩 ↳ Question, why would at least 1 person in the team not know the macro & micro details really, really well anyway? 5. Meet the client once every week or two weeks 💻 - You want to know how the client is feeling about recent progress - Address any objections or confusions built out of overthinking - Get them on the same page about any challenging strategies to execute ↳ Clients are much quicker to notice declines vs improvements. Weekly meetings allow you to show what you've been doing for them. A lot of the other stuff is a waste of time. Just aim to make them more money and nail these 5 lessons. That will get you 90% of the results.