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A little while ago I was working in New York. While I was there I developed a pain in my foot. I complained long and hard to my girlfriend who suggested that I might need a pedicure. I took this as an affront to my masculinity but she was adamant that this would solve the problem, and so I deferred to her superior wisdom and booked myself in for a treatment at a health spa which came highly recommended.
When I arrived I was apprehensive. I walked tentatively into the heavily perfumed anteroom. Before I could change my mind and beat a retreat I was greeted by name by an immaculately attired receptionist who ushered me into the treatment room. I was fussily seated by another attendant. I explained the pain I’d been experiencing and was assured that I had come to the right place. At this point my scepticism about the venture began to melt away. I was offered a glass of wine and my accent was vigorously complimented. The offending foot was bathed delicately in what looked like a miniature Jacuzzi and I began to wonder how I had survived for so long without this level of medical care. I relaxed and looked forward to strolling out returned to full physical capacity. I tipped generously and left with a spring in my step, vowing to return.
This euphoria lasted for about 50 metres until I felt the familiar twinge and realised that, pleasant as the experience had been, the underlying problem hadn’t been addressed at all. I never went back.
After this bittersweet experience, I went to see a consultant podiatrist. A man of few words, he didn’t offer me wine or compliment my accent. He also told me he’d need to stick a large needle into my foot one a week for a month as the complaint was serious and could get worse. I cursed him as I limped out. But once the treatment was concluded I was grateful to him.
Now time for the contrived segue into something relevant. In my role as a researcher, I am always conscious of the fact that our clients have an agenda. They may have a lot invested in proving a particular hypothesis. This often means that there is very definitely an answer that stakeholders don’t want to hear. If a brand asks for consumer perspectives on a new product they have invested money in, or a new positioning they have invested time in, they won’t be pleased to hear that it was laughed at by a focus group. But it is our job to give them that feedback. You only build up trust with clients by being honest with them. A client will soon realise if you are giving them the easy answers rather than helping them address their problems. And they won’t come back.
Being the bearer of unpalatable truths isn’t pleasant. Clients can take aim at the messenger. Sometimes, rather than offering clients the reassurance they are hoping for, we have to tell them an unpleasant truth. Sometimes, you need metaphorically to apply the needle rather than the massage treatment. You’ll be thanked for it later.