How do you kick-start the collaboration with a new customer? Arjan Mulder, owner of the marketing agency IAM Marketing, discovered that a series of brainstorm and strategy sessions with all stakeholders works best for him. However, a major challenge for him is that he needs to be able to visualize ideas during these sessions, but he can never be sure which tools are available on-site. So he looked for a solution.
“My mission is to help companies with their branding and marketing campaigns. Typically, these projects have a lot of different stakeholders and sub-projects. Therefore, it is key for me to visualize ideas, take notes and provide structure during the kick-off sessions,” explains Arjan Mulder. “Here, Magic-Charts are perfect for me, because I no longer have to worry if whiteboards or flipcharts are available in the meeting rooms.”
He experiences that visualization adds a lot of value: “Actually visualizing what is being said during the sessions really helps to make sure everyone is on the same page. This is vital, because my customers very often do not have a clear idea yet what they want to achieve, how to measure success and how to break down all ideas into smaller steps.”
“I always already prepare the framework of the session at my office and stick the Magic-Charts on the walls before the session starts. That immediately makes the participants wonder what is about to happen, because the Magic-Charts are literally placed all over the room. It also works as a guideline for me during the session, because all the different topics are already on the wall.”
“The Magic-Charts also help me to make sure nothing gets lost. During the session, I can easily make connections between what was said at the beginning and during the session. And at the end, we have all the results and key statements on the wall. Sometimes very confronting, but in the end that's what it's all about. After the session, I can simply roll up the Magic-Charts and stick them on my own office walls. Having the whole gallery of ideas, wish lists and priorities around me is extremely valuable when I work out the project plans.”
