I Am Not a Web Designer
I am not a web designer, and nor are you. Or a developer. Or a writer. Or whatever it is you think you are. You’re not – not in any meaningful way.
Full disclosure: I am actually a web designer, probably, but stick with me here.
I thought I was – for a long time. There I went, opening Fireworks, pushing pixels, and then getting my funky code on … breaking out text editors, CSS editors, learning jQuery, HTML5 – boy, you name it, if it moved, I’d web design it. Yup, I was a web designer. That’s what I was.
Except, that is, unless you asked my clients. Talk to them and I was the ‘internet guy’, ‘the marketing guy’, ‘our web support guy’. A whole bunch of things that didn’t once mention design. Vague descriptions of my role that I didn’t really recognise.
The crux of it was that to my clients I was a service provider … someone who provided a thing they needed. They needed a website, I’d help with that. They needed somewhere to host it, sure I’d sort that out. They needed some email marketing done, a little SEO work, or a Facebook page. No problem.
“Sure”, you’re thinking, “clients just want you to do everything for them – that’s okay, but I am a web designer. I am.”
No, you’re not. And the sooner you realise this, the quicker you’ll start offering better services and getting more clients.
So, Who Are You?
We need to get away from defining ourselves as the core service we provide. Yes, some of what we do may well be web design, but if we can define ourselves in the terms potential clients understand then they’re more likely to hire us.
We need to get away from defining ourselves as the core service we provide.
A company with an eCommerce website may be wondering why their online sales have plateaued. They need to do more business online.
We can look at the problem, identify some sticking points in the checkout process, implement some solid UI changes – make that ‘add to cart’ button more prominent, reduce some of the clutter around the product information page … all good web design stuff.
But what we’re doing is increasing online sales. The company needs someone to increase online sales. They’re not looking for a web designer.
And we need to be that person they’re looking for.
Okay, How Do We Do It?
I’m glad you asked. Let’s get back to basics and think about our elevator pitch. We need to get across the What, Who, Why, and You of our businesses.
What do we do? Before, we would have said ‘Oh, I do web design’ or ‘I make websites’. But now – let’s try and change that into something that speaks more to a business’s needs. Something like: ‘I help businesses become more successful online’. Okay – that’s something that most companies would like to achieve: more success online
Who do we serve? Before, we might have said ‘We help small businesses like yours!’ (thinking, ‘how handy is that?!’) How about … ‘Companies looking to improve their online performance – or to increase their online profile’. It talks directly to things the customer understands – improving performance.
Why do they need it? This should be the most straightforward of all … but we often either get it wrong or ignore it altogether. We assume that our relevance is self-explanatory … we believe that our existence is enough – our portfolios, our experience, our sheer ability dammit!, speaks for itself.
‘Of course you need our services’, we think, ‘It’s web design – it’s essential’. But that’s not true. We really need to identify the pain points for our clients and explain how we can ease that pain. Maybe they’re missing opportunities to connect with customers. Perhaps they’re unable to upsell products or services effectively. Wherever the pain is – we need to be there with our expertise.
Who are you? Who are we indeed … we’re people who can help. We solve problems, we improve performance, we generate success for business. We need to point to our track record of that success … not saying ‘look, this design was really good – checkout the CSS transforms on that baby!’.
Nor saying ‘man, you need to check out the database schema on this sweet rails site!’ Identifying projects where we improved business performance, where we increased sales, where we converted more inquiries … essentially, showing clients our track record of what we’ve achieved in business, not portfolio, terms.
Is That It?
Well, yes, it is. Only a 180° shift in our way of thinking – but we need to do it. We need to stop looking internally for our justifications of who we are and what we do, and switch it around to what the client wants.
If we can – if we can position ourselves as the people who solve a range of problems – who offer proper solutions to businesses – then we’ll do more business. We’ll understand businesses better and foster longer, more productive relationships as a result.
Over To You…
Can you identify with this? Take a few minutes to talk to some of your clients and figure out how they see you – the reasons they hired you, where you really add value. And how does that match up with how you position yourself?
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This actually makes a lot of sense. Rather than trying to explain the difference between technologies and formalities – just solve your clients needs. Time for me to become the “whatever guy”…
Thank you!
Hallelujah! Really good post! Being in the ‘web design’ business for many years, it dawned on me, through your post, that I have become an ‘internet chameleon.’
Serving a client’s needs has always been foremost in what I do. Glad to see a bold perspective brought forth.
Thanks – glad you enjoyed the article!
I can relate to this… I’ve been a graphic designer for years, then transitioned into a full time stock photographer. Now over the last few weeks I’ve become a web developer, migrating my website from shared hosting over to a virtual private server, complete with having to figure out apache syntaxes, how to use SSH command line, optimization techniques, etc. With the help of google and a few friends, I did it. Does that mean I can call myself a web developer? Definitely not. But I can do the stuff, in basic form I guess – I just can’t code from scratch. I’d be a great wordpress developer, or developer of some other type of ready-made scripts, if I had to. Jack of all trades master of none, I guess
Will I perform all of these services for paying customers, as freelance? Heeeeeeck no.
… wow – that’s some transition … going from graphic design to SSH command line … you’ll be needing the strong coffee for that one!
Thanks Pontus … yes, there’s a ton of stuff that we ‘know’ that we use to define ourselves … but it’s of limited use to potential clients!
I identify with this. I have talked to my past clients and they referred to me as ‘computer assistant’ or ‘computer guy’. I need to put something more professional on business cards however so I’m contemplating on using ‘IT Generalist’.
Y’know, something fun to play with would be to get business cards printed at moo.com – that way you can customise each and every one of them … have some printed with traditional job titles (IT Generalist) and some printed with something more fun … The ‘My Computer Needs Fixing’ Guy or ‘IT Superhero’ … see which ones get better responses when you hand them out at your next networking meet up!
I’ve been called the “web guy” for so long, that being called the “marketing guy” wouldn’t be an issue at all…until it is…lol
I absolutely love this article! Thanks for getting me back on track with how to think about my own consulting business. Some of the best advice I’ve every received.
Thanks for the comment Lis – glad that it spoke to you!
I wrote a piece not too long ago entitled, “I am not a Graphic Designer” that said much the same thing.
Hi Steve – sorry, I didn’t see that article (and couldn’t find it on your blog).
Great article. I’ve always thought this way about the client/web designer relationship. I’d go a step further and say that a client (for the most part) shouldn’t have to worry about which technology we use or which design methodologies, but rather the end result. Does this help me be more successful online? Websites need to just work for the clients.
Hi David – yes, absolutely … the majority of the time the client doesn’t care about the technologies you use, and shouldn’t have to. Obviously, that’s different if you’re developing something on a specific CMS / platform that they’re going to have to interact with – but generally speaking, they’re paying you to worry about that side of things.
Good article -resonates a lot. To a lot of my friends, I’m their goto guy for tech, and my own title for myself is just “techie”.
It’s a hard thing to market yourself as a general tech guy to people who don’t know you. I think it only works for more personal job “adverts” – forum postings, IRC channel questions, friends of friends, and the like.
Hi Ben – yes, pitching yourself as a generalist like that can be challenging … but in deeper contacts – when you’re chatting with a prospect at a networking event, or on the phone, or whatever – you can expand on your title a little bit so that it becomes more service oriented – so you’re incorporating the prospects needs into what you provide.
Great article. One problem I think we can all relate to is the lack of understanding clients have when it comes to the value of our services. Some great tips on how we can begin to change that here though, thanks.
Ahh, yes … communicating value is a whole subject in itself – here’s a couple of useful articles that you might find useful:
http://www.sitepoint.com/communicate-your-value-to-clients-automatically/
http://freelanceswitch.com/money/setting-rate-experience-based/
And just like that I’ve become an ‘Online Solutions Specialist’ I think I somehow always knew it but WOW never has it been pointed out so clearly and precisely.
People often come to me to know about web stuff, Facebook, Twitter, online shopping, hosting etc etc I always thought I was a Web Developer… heck it even says so on my business card… but not any more, thanks David I think I’ve just been reborn !
That’s great webZplus! ‘Online Solutions Specialist’ presses more buttons, I’m sure, for most of your clients than ‘Web Developer’.
What a great article! Really did not know what to expect from the title.
I too must agree at times on “the lack of understanding clients have when it comes to the value of our services.” *sigh*
However, I think sometimes we simply get thrown into the jack of all trades “problem solving web people” or whatever you’d like to call it. It just happens. I know I’ve done things that were not exactly part of the plan, gotten paid for it and made clients really happy.
yeah – it’s the ‘made clients really happy’ part that we need to latch on to.
I really enjoyed this post! I actually wrote a slightly similar post a while back on my own website… http://littlezotz.com/2011/10/that%E2%80%99s-not-my-job%E2%80%A6-is-it/
I especially liked your “Okay, how do we do it?” section. That’s a great check list (and much larger than I one I wrote up!) to keep on hand.
Nice work!
Hi Lauren – thanks! Glad the checklist will come in handy for you. (Enjoyed your article too)
On target and none too soon. I’ve developed several small businesses over the years and redefining your core function in the market is crucial for long-term success. I’m new to this biz and love design/development, but let’s keep that to ourselves; Our clients want to know how we engage, facilitate and expand their target audience – usually to generate profit. But, at times we may refine/define and deliver message for non-profits, political, or social policy campaigns. Educators present yet another set of needs. Nebulous indeed. A concise, effective definition of our work has yet to make itself apparent to me.
Great article David,
A few years back an acquaintance asked my what I did for a living. And as you do with a captive audience, I unleashed, pretty much a bullet list of most of the things you have listed as the services most web designers provide plus a few more.
It wasn’t until I was heading home in the car and I started thinking what I really did. I narrowed a ten minute explanation down to a sentence. “I help business people increase revenue by providing strategic website marketing and design services.” Before that I was like everyone else, “we build professional websites … blah blah”.
Until I had that revelation I was charging $60.00 per hour and building $1,500.00 websites. Two weeks later I was charging $135.00 a week for a website, including all the marketing and design services thrown in. Of course this was over a two year SLA contract. But you can see what happened when I created a positioning statement. I went from $1,500.00 per client to $15,000.00 per client.
Telling a prospect their website will cost $5,000.00 dollars is a task. Telling them it will cost just $27.00 per day and they get your full attention works wonders. Not everyone you pitch this to will like the idea, but who cares, you have less clients to nurture and more income to play with. Downside with this model is it takes a few clients before you start to feel the dollars kicking in.
What I do now is charge a monthly fee (above what I used to charge) and is still an SLA the same as before, but no contracts just a minimum three months of payments. After this they can cancel the service. I keep the website files, they get their content + database back if there is one. The client never really owns your design anyway. So without a contract there are no letters from you saying “hey John 12 months is up want to continue?” Why remind them of the payments when they are used to them by now? I haven’t lost one client in two years. And to be honest, it is way better knowing I have $XXXX,00 coming in each month instead of wondering about where the next meal will come from!
You are right, web design or whatever label you have given yourself becomes a chain around your own necks. Create your positioning statement and lock it in, it works! The next time a client calls you to do an “easy” update for you (you’ll do it for free, I know) think about changing your position and pricing based on what I have said here, you won’t regret it. Remember too that the scope of the job determines your monthly/weekly charges…
Have fun and get paid for doing what you love most!
Cheers,
Paul
Hi Paul – that’s a great model you’ve got. Being able to position yourself as the ‘expert who can help’ is a wonderful thing … and generating that steady, almost passive, income is hugely beneficial. Thanks for the insight.
You’re welcome David!
Designers of any discipline are never given enough credit for their work, especially Freelancers. Too often it’s a perpetual case of pleasure and pain, you need the work and get all excited with a new project, but you know you’re going to be bullied at some stage.
Being paid the right amount for your efforts removes a fair bit of pain. Frankly, I have learned to say go away to time wasters. If they hint at driving the project I give it back to them and tell them to go elsewhere.
Even graphic designers can set up an ongoing payment with clients. Just manage all their design work on an SLA! You can work out a good rate and be on call for them. The easy clients pay for the tough ones!
Hope this helps someone anyway. If someone needs any advice just shoot me an email from my site, I’m always happy to help out
)
Cheers.
Cool post! Great way to say ‘I design’.
Good article.
I provide innovative solutions for organisations in the form of products or services. To do this I apply creative and design methodologies to identified customer needs.
Although, sometimes it’s a lot easier just to say Designer.
nice one david, great reading
Thanks Teresa!
Thanks Duncan – I like your ‘iterations project’ on your website. Nice work!
Thanks, David! I’m extremely flattered that you took the time to read it!
Looking forward to reading more from you in the future.
Hey David,
Thanks for taking the time to let me know what you think of the “Iterations Project.” I hope we haven’t heard the last from you.
I can definitely relate to this… It’s why you develop an “elevator pitch” in the first place. Clients really could care less what it is that you ACTUALLY do. They only care about the benefits you’re providing them. So by saying “I help businesses become more successful online” you are describing a benefit to them. More will sit up and take notice than if you said “I’m a web designer.” Plus with all the D-I-Y and template websites out there many clients don’t even think they need a web designer. But most will probably agree they need to be more successful online!
- yes, I find that quite a bit – that people don’t think they need a web designer any more. People are increasingly aware of lower cost options for ‘off the shelf’ designs and, in some cases, this may well be the best option for them. In which case, as you say, they’ll agree that they need to be more successful online.
i’m going to recheck my business profile.. nice article indeed.
I can completely identify with this!
As a marketer your often expected to be not just a marketer, but a copywriter, search engine optimiser, web designer, graphic designer, photographer and often developer.
It can be a bit difficult to explain to some clients that search engine optimisation and web design is not the same thing as programming and web development.
If anyone manages to study all of those disciplines, you stand to make a lot of money if you follow the advice above.
Great article David!
This makes a lot of sense. I like this theory.
However if you can’t call your self a web designer or a web developer what do you call your self… in 2 words or less?
I’ll be whatever I can to any of my clients. I will still say I am a WEB/GRAPHIC designer. That is what I want to be known for. That is the service I want to sell.
Do I mind helping a client with SEO, or getting their website hosted or offering tech support no. But I am a designer first and foremost. That is what I want my clients to know.
I have clients come to be with little or no content for websites, I don’t automatically say go to a copy writer I’m a web designer. No I help them with their content to the best of my ability. However my saying I am a web designer, it lets them know that I am not a expert at writing content, but have knowledge in the field.
I’m the web designer first and then whatever you want me to be second.
… well, if you’re giving yourself 2 words or less then I agree, you’re limited!
It’s fine saying you’re a web designer – but my feeling is that it puts you into a box that your potential client doesn’t know how to get you out of. They don’t always know what to do with that – and often, saying ‘I’m a web designer’ closes off conversation very quickly. Where do you go from there? Whereas if you can identify your clients needs and couch your response based on that, you’re immediately speaking on the same terms as your client.
Sure, it’s not going to work if you need to tell someone what you do in just 2 words, but if you’re at a networking event or chatting to someone at a social gathering, telling them you’re a web designer puts you in a narrow box. Telling them that you help businesses become more successful online (encompassing the things you’re talking about that you do anyway – SEO, copywriting, tech support), will open up the conversation straight away.
Anyway, glad you liked the article and thanks for the feedback!
I linked to this in my latest Freelancing Weekly issue – http://freelancingweekly.com/issue-9
thanks Jeff
Jeff- I just signed up for your freelancing weekly. Thanks for linking here so that I knew about it!
Lindsay
Great article. It is so true that we need to turn our mind to be more business oriented in order to get more work.
This is the most boots-on-the-ground truth I’ve heard in a long time. Bravo, David! It’s real life perspective on how we can help others.
Your article speaks to exactly how I started my business — I was available and willing to do (and/or learn) most anything that was needed in order to help a local business’ online performance. So if they asked about a website, I’d say, “yes!” When they asked about a Facebook page, Google Places, SEO, domain names, hosting services, online flyers & posters…. you get the point. I’d always say, “yes!”
This got my foot in the door with a number of businesses who wanted my affordable services, each of them not knowing exactly what I thought my job title was, but each of them knowing exactly what they wanted me to accomplish for them.
A turning point, seen now in hindsight, is when I became attached to a title. Like web designer (which I was not) or web developer (which I am, sometimes) or website builder guy (which most always fit the bill). It was at that point that the volume of incoming business declined a bit. [Note to self]
These days, I have reverted back to that same principle from the beginning – to offer services that help people’s needs and that are within my scope of skills. Don’t limit it or even name it, just do it. And with that 180 degree turn back to what worked in the beginning, business is pretty good.
Although it’s a bit long for some venues, here is one of the elevator pitches that really does say what I do:
“A friend to small businesses, nonprofits and faith-based organizations who want help building a professional website and productive online presence.”
It tells people how I can solve their problem and it talks to the target audience that I am most prepared to help.
Thanks again for taking the time to write this great article! Everything you said has been in my head and in my actions but it’s great to see somebody put it into writing.
Glad you enjoyed the article Scott, thanks for reading!
Wow! That’s an interesting/unique way to really think about what we do.
And that made more sense than what I have done before. People always give me this weird look when I say I do web design. I guess this could make them understand more.
Thanks for the insights.
I think its easy to forget that design is just a tool for accomplishing your client’s goals. Articles like this are an important reminder not to let pretty get in the way of function – and that selling function to the client will resonate better than form. Thanks for a good read.
Hi – I really enjoyed that article – regard J