PROMPT SET: Uncommoditizing - Is it Working?

KPI check in

Look up the value pyramid exercise you completed. Choose one KPI from the value cards. Record in your notes where in your work this week it showed up — or where it didn’t but should have.

client feedback

The next time you ask for a testimonial or feedback from a client, ask specific questions about a KPI you've been trying to implement. Invite them to evaluate your performance on a scale of 1 to 5 relating to this area of value. Without being too pushy or annoying, ask them for a little more detail than usual.

value in communication

Review your most recent email to a client on a project you have underway. Does it reflect transparency, responsiveness, or decreased hassle? Highlight what aligns — and what doesn’t. If those items aren't in your un-commoditizing plan, choose another set and evaluate the email against them.

design, clarity, aesthetics

Pick one client-facing deliverable on a present project - a report, status update, or design increment. Does that deliverable show that you care about design, clarity, or aesthetics? If not, plan to add something related on the next one.

risk awareness or cost control

Skim meeting notes from a recent project meeting. Did any decisions relate to cost control or risk awareness? Annotate where these are visible and how you translated the benefits for the client.

learning from client complaints

Analyze client complaints (formal or informal) in the past 90 days. Which KPI in your uncommoditizing plan would have resolved or prevented each one? Record this in your notes.

making value more noticable

Open your latest progress report sent to a client. Could that client tell what value we’re delivering just by reading it? Write what’s missing. If not, what could you do differently in future progress reports?

passion for your work

Is passion one of the value items in your un-commoditizing plan? If so, do a “language evaluation” on a recent proposal, winner or not. Does your proposal reflect passion for your work, passion for the client's mission? If it does, send a quick email this week to the team. Let them know that a KPI (passion) was successfully implemented. If passion isn't on your plan, choose a different one: candor, responsiveness, or status and reputation, for instance.

client pride

During your next design or project meeting, ask the team: “Which part of our delivery would make this client feel proud to have hired us?” "Would they brag about it to their colleagues?" Document the response. Celebrate a yes. With a no, what more needs to be done to establish the KPIs you chose so the answer is yes?

client confidence

Reflect: Did your last project milestone increase or erode client confidence in you? Why? What would you do differently? Do you know the answer to this question? If not, do you have a process in place for obtaining client feedback?

patience

During your next client call, pay attention to the questions: how many did the client ask? Was some of it covered in a document? Did you mention it patiently and with good humor, without being condescending? Part of managing a project is also managing what the client knows, when, even if you've already said it. Debrief afterward and record some notes here on Twennie.

time savings

Look at your workload: What tasks are you doing for the client that they may not even realize are saving them effort? Take some notes on it and record them here on Twennie. It doesn't hurt to let the client see some of the work you're doing in the background to make their experience better. Think about how you might let them know subtly in a status report. Reinforce the behavior in your team so they continue to deliver on this KPI.

reducing anxiety

Rate a recent project on how you reduced anxiety for the client. To make it easier, choose a client who expresses their anxiety more candidly. How did you make things better for this client? Rate your performance from 1–10. If it's below 8, write one change that would move the needle up.

one value card

Choose one value card from your un-commoditizing plan (e.g. “Patience” or “Commitment”). Journal about a moment where your actions matched — or missed — it. Record the journal entry here on Twennie.

trust

Pick a client with a project in full swing. Ask yourself: “Would this client say they trust us more today than they did before the proposal?” Why or why not?

managing stakeholders

Is managing stakeholders one of the value cards you placed in your value pyramid? Pick one stakeholder from a project who isn’t as vocal as others. If you presently don't have a project with stakeholders, think back to one on which you had several. Did they feel recognized or sidelined? What’s one thing you can do in the future to support them and produce benefits for the client?

balance innovation with cost control

Evaluate a recent design or project deliverable. Did your team balance innovation with clarity and cost control? Name the trade-offs. Were they consistent with your un-commoditizing plan? If not, what could you do differently?

flexibility and agility

Think of a moment when you were flexible or agile on a project. What happened that required you to be flexible and agile? Client demands? Sudden changes? Schedule snags? How did you handle it? What effect did it have on the client experience? Did you get feedback from the client about it?

champions for value items

Choose one KPI in your un-commoditizing plan that has no clear owner on your team. Does it have a champion? Consider assigning champions one value item each. Who should be responsible for reinforcing which ones, regularly? This makes a team member hyper-vigilant about a specific behavior. Eventually they will become very good at it and can be relied on to promote that value item, explain it, and teach it to others.

becoming known for a specific value item

Answer this: If the client’s CEO looked at our last proposal or project submission, would it reinforce or erode their sense of the value your brand delivers? Is your brand known for this value yet? How might you make it more obvious?