I had an experience tonight that made me realize the dark side of not being a Yes man. Now, I have not seen the Jim Carry movie Yes Man but I know enough, thanks IMDB.com, that Jim Carry turns his life upside down by saying Yes to everything and the moment he says No things start going the other way. The idea of Yes was that Carry’s character (Carl) needed to show better discernment in what he says yes to! As the writer of the plot puts it, Carl discovers “that all opportunities shouldn't be taken.”

I wrote a memo tonight to theWEBcentric staff explaining that not being a Yes person has its challenges. I told them that our role is to defend and protect  our clients brands, marketing strategies and technology choices, and to make sure (as Jim Carry’s character Carl does to find balance in his life) we provide compelling explanation and rational of why we may say No. We may not always agree with a client’s choices, but we must use our knowledge and experience to politely explain why we object.

The idea is to strike a balance.

I was working on an elegant project for Target. The agency we were working with wanted to use a system font, Freehand. Well, if you know anything about typography, the agency’s choice was wrong. Instead of saying Yes we offered an alternative, Trajan. Trajan was created in 1989 but is based on Roman square capitals, as used for the inscription at the base of Trajan's Column in Rome. It has a strong classic pedigree yet offers a modern relevance in some of today’s popular design. The differences between the two are astounding and for this project was the better choice.

Target’s art director went with the agency and chose Freehand. Now as a designer I was appalled. As a businessman I understood the politics of the situation. In this case, we did our best to provide an option. Support that option with quality rational and even though we lost we did our best – we did our job.

Now I have seen some pansy ass agency people bend over to the whim of the client and they are loved for it. But who wins in that situation? The agency. The client looses because they are allowed no other option or push back.

I have realized a hard lesson. Not everyone is going to appreciate your opinion. TheWEBcentric, however, is going to offer it in a professional manner. That is our role. We want what is best for your business. As a client, you have to ask yourself if you want an honest partner or a Yes person. The benefits are extreme when the partners keep open minds and  eyes on the end goal. As Carl realized it is a balance.

Sharing an opinion has its up and downs. In the end, the project is stronger and the business relation more solid. Whether is a font for a brochure, a strategy for your website make sure your partner has your best interest in mind.