Friendly Advice From The Other Side of a Portfolio
Scott Flood is the owner of Scott Flood Writing.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowWhen confronted with a portfolio of samples, intelligent businesspeople typically become less than savvy. They scan the contents, nod their approval, then point to an example or two and say, "I really like this one" or "That’s cool!" Then they slide the portfolio off to the side, and smile nervously.
I’m not poking fun. As one of the people whose work is often judged in this manner, I actually feel sorry for them — and a wee bit frustrated that my expertise is so often evaluated in such an offhand, ineffective way.
I’ve watched hundreds of people review portfolios during my career, and only a handful have done it effectively. Even managers with extensive hiring experience aren’t always certain about how to respond. (And by "portfolio," I’m referring to any number of ways in which samples of past work may be presented to a prospective client by graphic designers, web wizards, architects, and others.)
The best way to review a portfolio is to do it critically. Although "criticism" sounds like an inherently negative concept, that’s not really the case. A critical review involves careful analysis of the thinking and decisions that went into the creation of what’s being reviewed.
By critically reviewing a prospective vendor’s portfolio, you’ll gain significant insight not only into what that supplier can do, but whether his or her approach to work is compatible with your business philosophy and goals.
It’s easy to be wowed by the samples in a portfolio, but keep two things in mind. First, you’re looking at the prospective supplier’s very best work. It may represent only a handful of examples from a long career that saw more mediocrity than success. Second, appearances can be deceiving. Cleverness and beauty may suggest talent, but they cannot tell you whether the supplier actually served the particular client’s needs.
Suppose you’re reviewing a portfolio from an advertising creative. While the words and design are indicative of the professional’s level of expertise, the thinking behind those words and design is infinitely more important. After all, the samples were created to achieve some type of business or communications objective.
To critically evaluate each sample, draw out more information. Ask about the client’s specific objectives, and what led the creative to choose that particular approach in pursuing the goal. Determine whether he or she considered other strategies. Inquire as to how he or she convinced the client that this was the best approach, and what he or she might change given the opportunity to revisit the project.
The more you get the creative to talk about the samples, the more insight you’ll gain into his or her work style and personality. The latter is just as important, because you want to ensure that you’ll have a healthy, cooperative working relationship. Listen for candor, enthusiasm, and signs of collaboration. The supplier should be proud of a job well done, and he or she should speak favorably and respectfully of the client. It’s okay if the supplier mentions a conflict with a client, as long as he or she explains it in a respectful way.
It’s also important to ask about results. Ideally, you’ll hear specifics, because there’s a big gulf between "I think it did pretty well" and "my client’s sales rose 26 percent during the quarter." Only one of those replies reflects a serious interest in the client’s success.
Explore the vendor’s approach to business by asking open-ended questions. "Have you ever taken an existing project that wasn’t working and turned it into a success?" will offer insight into the supplier’s strategic approach. "What do you do when a client’s wishes seem to conflict with his or her business objectives?" examines the willingness and ability to disagree constructively.
If the answers make you uncomfortable, or seem to be evasive, you probably haven’t found the right supplier. But if each comment increases your level of confidence, you’re on the right track.
Yes, all of these steps will demand more time and effort than a simple glance at a portfolio. But when you consider the impact having the right — or wrong — architect, writer, designer, web guru, or other professional will have upon the success of your business, it’s time and effort well-spent.
So it really is okay to say that you like the way a particular sample looks. Just be sure that you don’t make such an important selection on looks alone.
Scott Flood is the owner of Scott Flood Writing.