Six Valuable Things Web Design Clients Won’t Tell You
When running a start-up web design business, unless you have some kind of incredible good luck (or no competition), you’re always working hard to acquire new business. Sales leads are valuable, regardless of where they come from. The number varies, but for every ten leads you contact, you’ll be fortunate if two or three of them turn in to paying clients. This means you have to talk to a lot of people. Still, getting a new lead is exciting because it has the potential to be your next big sale, helping you pay your bills and getting you one little step closer to start-up success.
When talking to potential clients, always keep in mind this mantra: It’s all about the client (and what you can do for the client.) That means being a good listener, gathering project requirements and doing whatever you can, (within reason), to please your client. However, there are a number of things that even the best-intentioned clients will not tell you about themselves and their project. Here are five valuable things your clients won’t tell you, and how to deal with them.
1. “We’re not prepared”
Many clients will seek one or more designers to create a proposal for them. The client often has a general idea of what they want their web site to offer, and perhaps they will mention other sites where they like the look, content or functionality. Beyond this, though, you’ll often find that the client has not really thought through what it is they want, and what would support the goals of their business. This means you may not even get a site map or features list, much less a Request for Proposal (RFP). This is more of a problem with small businesses—large companies are accustomed to a more formal process, and may be better prepared to provide meaningful input..
2. “Our deadline is unrealistic”
When asked about web site completion deadlines, clients will often say “ASAP” or “We have to have it in a month.” If you’re running a start-up, and especially if business is slow, you may think to yourself “Great, I can start tomorrow and have the work done ahead of time. I’ll really impress them.” This is the right attitude, but you’ll find that most clients move nowhere near as fast as you. Clients often say they need something yesterday, but they’re rarely ready to move fast. Factors beyond their control (a key employee is out sick, construction on a building is delayed) can turn “ASAP” in to “we’ll get back to you in a few weeks.”
3. “Getting content from us will be nearly impossible”
Extracting good text and image content from clients is perhaps the number one challenge for a web designer. If you’ve done this before, you’ll note that “extracting” is the correct word. You can have every part of the client’s web site ready ahead of schedule, but the site will not be complete without content the client must supply.
4. “We’re not very computer-savvy”
No matter how user-friendly your design process may be, some clients will be unable to perform simple computer tasks, such as converting an MS Word document to PDF or cropping and resizing a photo. They may be confused by Gmail, puzzled by Flickr. A client may be online all the time, but not skilled enough to scale down the 2300X1250 jpgs they got off their daughter’s digital camera and send them to you in a ZIP file.
5. “Our expectations are unrealistic”
When you look at a 3,000-square-foot house with a three-car garage next to a 1,000- square-foot condo, you know intuitively that their values are roughly proportional to their size and features. When it comes to web sites, it’s often hard for clients to judge the complexity or cost of certain features. They may look at a site with lots of custom Flash, AJAX, and DHTML behaviors and think “That shouldn’t be too hard to make, I see it online all the time.” They may also fail to connect their business goals with a site’s features. For example, a small gourmet restaurant probably does not need enterprise-level e-commerce, user forums, or social networking features.
6. “We’re considering many other proposals”
However enthusiastically a client may respond to your sales pitch or proposal, they may simply be being friendly. People like to be liked and don’t like to say no, so they will often sound like they’re really interested in your proposal, that you really “get” their needs. You may think that you’ve nailed the deal, but save your excitement for when they sign a contract and send you a check. Anything before that is just speculation. Be optimistic, but be realistic.
With all these hidden pitfalls, you might be thinking it’s a wonder anyone makes a sale— ever. However, with these client issues, and with many others, you can both protect yourself and add value for your client by fine-tuning your approach. There are two aspects to this:
Turn your client’s ignorance in to an opportunity
Some clients need a lot of help determining what they want and what they need (not always the same thing), and how to build a web site that supports the goals of their business. When you talk to a client, ask probing questions:
- What is the biggest challenge in your business?
- What do you want your web site to accomplish?
- What kind of impression do you want your web site to make on new customers?
- What information would help your customers make more informed decisions about purchasing your products or services?
Brainstorm with the client—share with them, in non-technical terms, different web site features that might drive their sales or improve customer communication, like email newsletters, downloadable product manuals, or FAQs. If you can show a genuine interest in helping their business succeed, you may have an advantage over other designers.
Develop a solid, detailed contract that includes terms of development, terms of payment and project timeline
A common mistake of start-up designers is to jump on business without having a firm contract in place. Most designers who do this eventually learn, the hard way, what happens when your client, well-intentioned or not, fails to complete their side of a nebulous agreement that is not explicitly spelled out and signed. Get a solid contract signed and delivered before you begin work on a project. Include language that allows for various contingencies. For example, what happens if:
- The client is weeks or months late in supplying content.
- The client doesn’t pay.
- You can’t reach the client by phone or email.
- Changes in the scope of the project change, making it necessary for you to spend more time on the work than estimated when you developed the budget.
A good contract protects both you and your client by explicitly spelling out what you will do for them and when, and what happens if something does not go according to plan. It’s worth a few hours of a lawyer’s time to create a good contract, or you can talk to a fellow designer and see if they will share theirs or let you adapt it to your needs.
Finally, clients who balk at signing a contract are probably best avoided. Contracts are part of doing business, and are necessary whether you’re taking out a car loan, building an addition to your home or creating a web site. Without a written contract for your design work, you will have little recourse if something goes wrong.
AIGA has a detailed contract you can adapt for your needs. You can also read “Web Design Contracts: Why Bother?”.
In summary, there are a number of important things clients won’t tell you that can affect your ability to run your business efficiently and make a fair profit. While most clients don’t intend to mislead you, they’re often unrealistic about their needs, goals, computer Keep these things in mind when pitching your services, and use a consultative approach to add value to clients’ projects and hopefully get the gig.
Ben Seigel is the owner of exp design, a web design and development firm based in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Good tips. Thanks for the post.
That’s very insightful and I can identify with that. I think they also don’t tell us, “I’ll expect you to complete tasks immediately after I mention them.” and “You will be available at all times by IM right?”
Ooh, the truth hurts…!
a friend of mine once had a client who didnt understand why the mock up design jpegs he sent through didnt work. it was amazing.
I have had in the past “I wasnt it something like X but not too close to it” mock-up after mock-up later “can you make it exactly like X?”
I am going through the exact same problem right now!
Yeah…
But the bottom line is: take the time to do it right in the first place, and you will save your self a lot of wasted time in the end.
It’s so true. And I thank for the reminder… I’ve a tendensee to be a little (read: a lot) naive… That has gotten me into some headaces with costumers, when I didn’t make a contract… Often I don’t make the contract because it takes too long- and the job needs speed… You know?
In Denmark we have a say: “Speeding is slowing in the end” Not very well translated, and in danish it rimes!
By the way… Anyone know somewhere there is a contract for illustrators, that I can have a look at and adapt for my own pupose?
Did I say: Great Article? Thanks!
Got a dose of morning irony for receiving this post. So very true to every word. Thanks for shedding light on this. It was so very timely and needed.
This article is right on. When evaluating prospective new clients for a website, you must take into consideration that things that are quick and simple to you are complicated and mysterious to them – and as a result things will take much longer to accomplish. Don’t base your timelines on how long it would take you to do the client’s part of the work, it always takes longer… sometimes much, much longer.
You do a great explaination on. Some clients need a lot of help determining what they want and what they need (not always the same thing), and how to build a web site that supports the goals of their business.
love that contract you recommended. It just replaced our old one.
This article is spot on. i think almost every client i’ve worked with has shown at least 4 of the 6 items you list. ESPECIALLY #2 and #3.
I always get asked “how long will the site take to go live” and i tell them straight up “well, i can have it done in XX days, but the slow down will come from you getting me content.” They never believe this. Once (and only once) i had a client say “You were right. we had a hard time getting the content to you fast enough”
So, you just have to remember to keep a loose schedule and add in the “i’ll have to hold your hand thru the whole process” fee.
This is so true! “Extracting” good text and image content from the client can be the most challenging part of the project! I have a web site which I never finished, because for the whole year client couldn’t provide images and text!
Great article – there is a mistake at the top you may want to correct. “Here are five valuable things your clients won’t tell you” should read “Here are six valuable things your clients won’t tell you”
yeah, great article! i have heard them all, this affirms my belief that most, if not all clients, have one of these skeletons in their closet. Content, man, that is my biggest peeve. It’s always good to have a competent writer on hand for such occasions!
Thanks for your insights Ben! Very well written indeed. I’ve learned these the very very hard way, and I really wish I’d had an article like this when I first started out. I always always always have a contract for web work. It’s so worth the extra time it takes. The AIGA boilerplate is very good, I used it for years. I must say though that many clients tend to find it a little scary, just because it’s so long (mine ended up at about 15 pages once I added in all the extra Interactive/Web tidbits). I’d highly recommend using it as starting off point and doing a bit of editing to get it down to size. I had many a new client freak out and call their lawyer because the thing is just enormous and they assumed I was trying to rip them off or hide something dubious in piles of legalese. But then again, maybe that’s because I tend to have freaky clients!
For the content-averse, there’s the calling and e-mailing approach. As in, you just keep calling and e-mailing until you get that content. Also make sure that you have a few other projects cookin’ on your design stove.
Good advice. A good contract, or perhaps even more importantly, a good discussion with the client about the details and implications of the contract, will bring more clarity to the business relationship, and clarity is always preferable to ambiguity in such matters.
When I was at college we did a website for a local school as a group poject. Every point you state came up! Good article, thanks
These a very good points. Almost all clients are not nearly as on top of things are the designers they hire. It’s so very important to plan for the clients’ delays in getting you content, changing their minds about website features, or even needing to talk then through the most basic technical issues. But as you said, being able to aid clients in even these painful processes is also a way of providing an extra service, and something that will help satisfy all your clients and win new ones as well.
Great Post. As a freelance designer, none of this is new – but it’s a great checklist to help prepare for any new projects.
You hit the nail on the head with this article. The biggest problems I have is that nobody wants to sign a contract, and they want something for nothing.
Ha! Great list!
This is a great article…I don’t even freelance at the moment but I experience this everyday at work as a web design for a national design company. Probably every 6 out of 10 websites I do involve clients that are slow at getting content to us. I’ll finish the website in a day or two and I have to wait 2 weeks to get something.
The computer-savvy thing is also a good one. I had a client the other day send us a Word Document with staff biographies and photos. Unfortunately they took the professionally done photos from the photographer and threw im in the Word Doc…making the Word Doc 165MB. Wasn’t fun to work with.
Wow, this was so necessary for me to see. For the first time in my life, I’m working with a design firm on something non-work related. I always feel I have so much going on and I’m so tired after a day of work, so I sometimes have trouble getting back to the firm’s requests. It’s nice to read what goes on on the other side. I guess I need to smarten up! ; )
Every word of this article is true. Read. Head. And be wise.
True true true. Great article Ben.
One thing I’ve done to help with getting content and revisions from clients is to setup Milestones on BaseCamp from the very beginning. When I send my clients their login information to BC it already has the Milestones prepared. The intro email says that they are there and that if any of those dates are not hit (either by me or the client) it will push the entire project back (which BC allows you to do easily). The first thing they must do is approve those Milestones or let me know if they need to be changed. That involves the client and lets them know the work that must be done on their end.
1, 2 , 4 and 6 really does happen a lot, but to tell you honestly i never happen to have that client just can feel when i was in their position.
2, 5 and 6 are my worst. I just wish some clients wouldn’t treat me like an egotistical artist and just be straight with me.
#2: “We need this site to go live in two weeks! It’s very simple and you’re super-talented, right?” (Punches shoulder)
#5: “See this website for a nightclub? Look at all these flashy effects and listen to that cool music! OH! And video!! I want our site to look just like this, make it look futuristic and cutting edge! I know you can do it, because you’re very talented!”
ME: “But… you’re an e-commerce site that sells boxes. Brown packing boxes.”
“And make me a chatroom…!”
#6: “Your mock-ups have been super! Your work is totally amazing! You are very clearly a talented person!”
ME: “Thanks, but about the con–”
“But we’re going to have to go with someone who knows our company image a little better- my twenty-two year-old nephew. You two should talk and hang out, cause you’re colleagues.”
I haven’t read the comments, but hopefully this was mentioned already: When questioning your client to put together your proposal, be as thorough as you possibly can. I’ve had experience with every single one of these points mentioned, and these things can drag projects one for months. Over time, you eventually know which questions to ask.
And of course, if you want to be absolutely sure that this website gets done, you have the option of billing the client for the planning portion of the website development. That way they’re already invested before the site gets built, which gives them a little kick in the butt.
Good article Ben. Of course ,this ideas will bring me some business.
Is there a uk version for this contract? I am a freelancer myself, and have never gotten around to getting this sorted. this will make a huge difference with my clients, as there is never any trust.
and upon presentation of the invoice, be prepared to hear the client say ‘but my nephew / best friend’s kid / personal trainer can do this for half the price…..’
I find that many new designers have a hard time learning this:
” The number varies, but for every ten leads you contact, you’ll be fortunate if two or three of them turn in to paying clients.”
Sales is a numbers game, 1 out of 5 is a good closing rate for an experienced designer.
A good article on contracts: http://24ways.org/2008/contract-killer
I’m really impressed with this post! These are things that my business faces with almost every client. Fortunately, we’ve recognised these problems and put in place things to help prevent them. Even so, it’s hard to work on a project without at least two or three of the above happening.
Great work!
Totally spot on. I was laughing as I read through these… just because I didn’t want to cry. To add to the content extraction, there’s also the constant changers. “Can you change this one word?” next week… “Can you change that word to this instead?” and so on!
I love it! thanks.
Hi, at the end of your 2nd paragraph you state “Here are five valuable things…” when it should be six.
Great post, anyone who has done any freelance work has experienced everything you’ve mentioned.
Man these all sound so very familiar. Thanks for sharing all your experiences. Hope we freelancers can tackle any further such situations from our clients
My web-designer (for a new site – not mybitterblog) asked me to come here and read this article. I think he was telling me to “get clear on what I want the site to achieve”, “get the content together” and it’s MY fault that we didn’t go live on May 1. He’s RIGHT!! So, I’m not a designer, I’m a customer to a web-designer and this article helped me!!
Thanks
Red
All very familiar.
I have an interesting problem in that once I get a client site largely finished and up for review clients take forever to provide me with the final bits and pieces to get the site for live release. The main issue is that I can’t collect my final payment until the site is live.
I’ve really tried to work out if its something I’m doing but I can’t seem to put my finger on it. I’m tempted to include a line in the agreement that states that once at review stage the site needs to be finalized in a timely manner.
One thing that I deal with from time to time that I can offer to others is those people that want to haggle the price down. Often because you are having a bad month you are willing to negotiate, but every time I’ve done that I’ve paid for it. Those are the people that you will work the hardest to please and get paid the least to serve.
Great bullet list of points! I have the issue
about getting content from the customer. I
usually won’t start until I get it but then
that may give them time to rethink, delay and
may even cancel so I go ahead and create the
website.
I offer to refer content writing to a copywriter
that I know and sometimes that helps move things
along.
It has been really great reading this.
I can relate so much and also the comments on here let me know i’m not alone.
Thanks for the tips, I’ve just started working directly with customers in internet marketing / web design and I have came across some of these problems. I will definetly be using your tips in the future.
Great post!
#4 is very common with the new business start ups we deal with. We never ask our clients to convert or edit anything and just do it ourselves. This usually saves us a lot of time and headaches in the end.
Great Post! Those are very key points to look out for. Great advice too, Thanks!
As you stated, it is all about the client. You have to go into every project with your eyes open and this list is a great way to ensure that you do. They are the unspoken realities within a project. Always appreciate a well-written and the link to the detailed contract was a nice bonus.
Excellent article. Web design is never easy.
One tough thing with respect to turning the client’s “secrets” so to speak into an opportunity is that it takes your time. It’s worth it if the client is big, the project is big, and it is very likely to lead to more work – or good quality referrals.
I had to learn the hard way about how important a contract is, had a client once that asked for a step up from what looked like an excel spread sheet for a website, charged him for a simple static brochure site and ended up a custom theme for wordpress… and I couldn’t charge him for the massive amount of work I had to do…
One thing I’ve been using lately was this proposal generator I found at http://webproposalgenerator.com, works just like a cms, maybe someone here might find it useful.