What does it take to have a really great thinking session? The recipe is simple: you, us, and maybe some delicious Italian food.
The Italian food isn’t really optional
We met a very special client of ours for a dinner out at Ge-Angelo’s in Ames. It turned into a three-hour thinking session filled with spirit. What was so special about this particular session?
For starters, we didn’t spend the entire session focused only on the project. That sounds counterproductive, but it was so extremely important to the process. While chatting about our histories, families and interests, we developed a relationship that told us more about the client and their branding needs than any short Q & A session would. Plus, the seafood ravioli was really, really good.
What if you don’t have Italian food?
Never fear, friends. While Ge-Angelo’s made a fantastic, cozy spot for a thinking session, you don’t have to tempt yourself with tiramisu to build relationships. And you want to build relationships, trust me – as we always say, good brands build relationships. Relationships drive revenue.
What’s the best way to lure out the “good stuff”? Start with questions like these:
How did you get to where you are?
What’s your favorite part of what you do?
What did you want to be when you were a child? How does that relate to what you do now?
And my all time favorite question…
What are you passionate about?
Someone asked me that question when I was volunteering as the volunteer coordinator for a fundraising event for a non-profit, and I’ll never forget it. At that time, I thought it was an odd question to ask a total stranger. Since then, I’ve come to realize this is one of the most telling questions you can ask a person. Plus, it’s a lot of fun to see someone’s face light up when they talk about what they love the most.
Hungry for Italian yet? Hit the Start button and we can schedule a thinking session!