Client Laddering
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Question: How do I identify what my client really wants from a project?
Answer: Consultancy projects will have overt business objectives, but the overall agenda is often far wider and deeper, and there may indeed be several different (and even conflicting) objectives within the client team. This tool is designed to help explore what the real issues are
Key points
One of the seminal psychologists of the 20th century, George Kelly, observed that we are extremely reluctant to disclose our core motivations to anyone we would not trust with our lives, and that we are much more comfortable keeping the conversation at a lighter, more objective level. So far, maybe so obvious.
However, Kelly’s distinctive contribution to psychology was to discover that the two levels (light conversation and intensely held beliefs) are linked via intermediary steps, and then to devise a process for moving gradually away from the issues people are happy to discuss towards those of much deeper and more personal concern.
He called this process “laddering”, and it has been adopted by several sophisticated market research agencies as a means of “getting under the consumer’s skin” to identify hidden motivations for using a category of products. For instance, cosmetics famously sell “youth” more than “beauty”. Industrial components can sell “career progression” as well as their functional benefits, and so can a consultancy as we have already been arguing here.
The essence of laddering is to identify three or so issues to discuss, and then, taking each of them in turn, to ask repeatedly two types of question:
- why is this important to you?
- what happens if you don’t get it?
Our Client Laddering tool is designed to be filled in by the consultancy on behalf of the client, but we can also take a client through the process directly.
This tool can be bought separately here.
It also makes up part of our broader “Outsider Insider Client Intimacy” training e-package which comprises an e-booklet and nine of our new product / service development tools. To find out more, please click here.
Click here for free tools and know-how materials from the Mud Valley™ strategy & brand marketing community.
Buy our training packs for tools which guarantee your business growth. For more details, click here.
For further information, please contact us by telephone at +44 208 123 1438 - Skype: mudvalley (Belgium) - or by e-mail at enquiries@mudvalley.co.uk.
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