PROMPT SET: Un-Commoditizing: Daily Acts of Brand Differentiation

transparency

Pick one client value priority (like transparency or reduced effort) from your un-commoditizing plan. Set a reminder in your phone or on your work station to reinforce it at least once today. Reinforcing can be done by reflecting on the value and then writing down an idea for how you will deliver it on the next project. Record your notes here on Twennie.

clear and helpful status updates

Today, write one sentence giving a status update that a client would find crystal clear and helpful. If you need help, ask AI to help you with the clarity. Instruct it to tell you candidly if it thinks your update is helpful. Consider even running it by a colleague. The goal is to develop your ability to give clear and helpful status updates. Send it to the client at the scheduled time.

mini win story

Draft a mini client “win story” from this week — even a small success. Make sure it is related to your un-commoditizing plan so that it reinforces the goals in the plan. Pick a KPI that you successfully executed. Better yet, pick one that a team member successfully executed. Congratulate that team member. Share it with your team.

ask "value" questions

Before your next meeting with a major client, plan one question that signals deep/active listening and alignment with their values. If you need help, consult the Un-Commoditizing Your Services Client Interview Toolkit. This toolkit teaches you how to communicate with the client in ways that will reveal what they value beyond the basics of project management.

reduce hassles and save time

Review your immediate task list on one of your projects. Highlight 2 items on which you could reduce hassles or save them time — complete those tasks first and pay attention to the results. Can you quantify how much time you saved the client? Can you identify the hassles you avoided? If so, record that in these prompt notes. If not, how might you do it on the next set?

praise a teammate

Pay close attention to your team's activities in the next week. When one of them delivers on a KPI in your un-commoditizing plan, recognize it. Send out a group email thanking and praising that team member for doing it, even if you're not the team leader. This is an excellent way to show that you care about the KPIs and support your teammates.

visualize the steps and draw them

Choose one KPI in your un-commoditizing plan and analyze how it is executed in daily project management activities. Visualize the steps and draw them, even if it is on a napkin. You'd be surprised how many great ideas start on a restaurant napkin! Keep the drawing at your work station to remind you of that KPI. Share it with teammates. Add it to the plan, even. Record your results here in your notes.

balancing creativity and cost control

Identify one design decision you've made in the past three months that balances creativity with cost control. Share it in your next team meeting and align it with the value KPIs in your un-commoditizing plan.

send a nudge

Today, send a nudge to the rest of the team. Pick a KPI from a value item in the un-commoditizing plan and ask them all to think about it while they work today. Record any responses you get here in your notes.

many questions from the client

Think about a time when the client asked you an inordinate number of questions throughout a project. Why did they ask so many questions? Was it because they prefer to get the information verbally rather than reading it in the status reports? If so, have you noted somewhere that this is the client's preference? Could it have been that the written communications weren't clear? Look back at one of the status reports. Was it clear? How might you improve your awareness of clarity in communication and your client's preferred types? Record your notes here on Twennie.

passion, patience, responsiveness

If passion is one of your value items, add a line of appreciation or encouragement in your next email — something that communicates your passion for your work. If patience is your value item, practice it today with at least one person, client or employee. Patience is a virtue in life and in leadership or project management. If responsiveness is one of your value items, look for requests in your email or other media. Respond faster than you normally would.

value cheat sheet

This week, create a KPI cheat sheet for one value item in your un-commoditizing plan. How do the KPIs fit in your daily routine? Put some ideas on the cheat sheet. Put check marks on the cheat sheet when you've successfully executed that value. Record some notes here on Twennie about how it went. Would you consider having cheat sheets for other value items, too?

picking up on stress

During your next call to a client, actively note where the client seems uncertain or stressed. How did you know? How did the client express their unease? Is this client candid about experience or are they "all business"? How might you gauge this client's state of mind in the future? Write about it in your prompt notes.

use fun to delight the client

If "fun and play" are in your value pyramid, propose a playful touch for your team’s next major client interaction. This could be something funny, an interesting picture or imagery, or a moment of delight. Start off the meeting with a funny or heartwarming video. Invite some students to attend or hold the meeting in an interesting locale, like a museum or art gallery. Have the meeting catered by some students at a cooking school in exchange for a donation to their college. If fun and play aren't on your value pyramid, do this as a one-off. Pay attention to the results and consider adding fun and play to the pyramid.

adding inspiration

On your next proposal, (or a recent one) look for at least three very dry phrases. These will be sentences with no mood or tone, just the facts. Pick at least one you could rewrite to be a little more inspirational. If you're having difficulty, consult the Twennie topic, "Storytelling in Technical Marketing." This has some excellent resources on how to liven up technical writing. Record your results here in your notes.

status and reputation

What are you doing on a current project that supports the client’s internal visibility and reputation? In other words, how will your delivery of this project make them look good to their superiors and improve their resume? If you come up empty, think of ways you might change that. Could you do a social media campaign and include some people from the client's organization? Could you submit the project for a design or project management award? Record some notes.

deliver some good news

Share one piece of knowledge, insight, or a useful link with your client this week — as a bonus, not a deliverable. Make sure the client gets used to hearing good news from you as well as bad. You don't want a client to associate the sound of your voice with things going wrong. Record in your notes what you did and the results. If you're having trouble coming up with an idea, ask AI to help.

track your responsiveness over time

Is "responsiveness" in your list of value items? How do you track it? If you don't, maybe you should. This would be an excellent way to gauge your progress on delivering this KPI. When you respond to a request, track how long it takes between when you receive the request and the moment the client knows it's been addressed. Did this time frame decrease over the past three or six months? If not, how can you be sure that it does? Wouldn't it be exciting to make an announcement to your supervisor at the end of the year that you reduced response times by 25% or more?

impromptu KPI meeting

Today hold an impromptu 5-minute team huddle: “Which of our KPIs are we quietly crushing — and which one needs love?” Don't consult any records, just gauge how prepared the team is to answer this question. If they look at you blankly, maybe you haven't conveyed the importance of your un-commoditizing program. Turn this into a directive. Next time you have an impromptu un-commoditizing KPI meeting, everyone has to have an answer.

celebrate a KPI delivered

Celebrate a KPI delivered — even a small one. Tell everyone on the team you're having treats and coffee on Friday to recognize anyone who delivers on a KPI this week. Highlight how it connects to a specific client value.