When I talk to other studio owners about points of friction when signing work, one thing seems nearly universal: in scope negotiations, strategic project phases are always among the first things on the chopping block.

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A few common reasons:

- There isn’t time for it

- There isn’t budget for it

- We already did that with another partner

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Research, discovery, interviews, vision setting: we regard these as foundational. It’s really hard to make great work without them. But too often, studios find themselves cutting back in order to win the work.

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One way we’re trying to be better about this: making the case that strategy work pays for itself. Because strategic processes create clarity and alignment before creative work begins, we can usually find creative solutions more quickly.

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That means fewer rounds of revision, less time spent aggregating, delivering, and deciphering feedback, and a very low likelihood that the project stalls out or needs to restart.

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These are expensive trip-ups that cost clients time and money. Usually, more time and money than the strategic processes cost in the first place. That’s how strategy pays for itself.

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For clients who have lived through those frustrating experiences, it’s a message that usually resonates.