Consultants - Ask for Feedback!

Video Transcript: Hi, my name is Stephanie Chacharon. And I'm here to talk to you about Rockstar rule number nine, ask for feedback. Now, when I worked with Lisa Hufford on her book, work your way, I got a masterclass in consulting, it was so effective, and sounded like such a great way to work that I quit my full time job working for Lisa, and became a consultant. I'm now a marketing writer helping with the tableau marketing team over at Salesforce. Now, feedback is incredibly important part of consulting every team, every company have different ways of doing things. So while you may have known the perfect way to do something, with your last client, on your last project, each team has nuances and how they approach things. So ask, understand how they do things and get feedback to help you dial in to those client expectations. And sometimes they won't tell you until things bubble up. And then it's too far past. So ask early, ask often, and learn how you can work and create a product. That is exactly what your client is looking for every time. I know it can feel personal. So I try to remind myself, it's not personal, it's about the work. And trust me as a writer, it feels very personal. But it's about the work. How can you do better work that better helps your client reach their goals. So ask for feedback. And you can guide your clients to providing the right type of feedback that you're looking for. For example, when I'm sharing now, a v1 draft for review. I don't want copy edits, I don't want my client to look at cars substructure, I want them to think about macro issues. Looking at the structure of a piece, the main topics and ideas is the speaking to the audience. Does the voice and tone feel like a good fit for your brand? Are there any large gaps or unanswered questions? As a reader? Do you have the background information you need to understand the material being presented? So I tee that up with my client when I share drafts for feedback. Here's what type of feedback I'm looking for. As a reminder, here's the audience. Here are the goals for this piece. Here's what we're trying to accomplish. Please frame your feedback. With that in mind. Now back to that masterclass from Lisa. I use all of her tips. But this is one that I especially use in every one on one with my clients. So on every meeting I asked what do you value them doing? And what else can I do? This shows your client that you're are eager for feedback. So by asking, What do you value that I'm doing, that gives you the information you need to really focus on those key areas and then build and nurture those strengths. So if your client says, "Hey, I love the way you digest this information from other folks on the team, and turn it around to do X, Y and Z," great! Keep doing that and do more of it and bring that to other areas of your work. And when you ask what else can I do that shows your client that you are there first and foremost, to help them be better in their job and help them reach their goals. And by asking that over and over again, they will be continuously reminded that you are there as their secret weapon.