When you hire professionals, respect them

You hire someone or an organisation simply to solve an issue or a problem. If you could have done it yourself, you wouldn’t have hired. And, the service provider you have chosen over others is based on the fact that they offer you more value against the money you are paying.

But here is the issue. The value that we are talking about, in reality, is often an extended, whims-driven basket of returns that the buyer is looking for. The service provider must be ready to accommodate not only the array of unnecessary interventions but the mammoth ego of the buyer too. Umpteen number of options or trials, listening to and executing the buyer’s outlandish ideas, and keeping calm and retaining that smile while the buyer is throwing tantrums- are some of the “added services” that one has to offer.

Having said that, I must tell you, such transactional imbalances are not prevalent across all professional services. No one dares even try to suggest a doctor change a medicine. You only tell your side of the story to the hired lawyer and expect him or her to get the judgement in your favour. But many people are fully convinced that it’s ok to interfere and inject their ideas when they hire professional service providers like advertising agencies, design firms, digital marketing agencies etc. If the intervention is powerful and convincing, it’s always appreciable and commendable. But bullying the efficient and experienced service provider into incorporating the client’s vague thoughts in the problem-solving process ultimately defeats the very purpose.

A partnership approach with the required ratio of involvement from each party always works for the desired solution. Once the brief-based work is created, often the best way to go about completing the task is through discussion and consultation.

When the flow of communication between the buyer and seller of the service is based on a shared objective, trust and respect, the chances of the assigned work turning into an excellent product increase manifold.