Web Design Blog

Kevin Potts recently did a review/critique of wundersite www.99designs.com - which appears to be a simplified spin of other such sites like Elance and what Kevin calls it’s “malignant brethren”. The site, which uses less than ideal techniques to get designers to connect with businesses, requires spec work and encourages horribly low prices. In his article, Kevin removes the usual sales pitch and business jargon and brings out the underlying truth:

Hmm. Yes, by all means, we want to avoid the time and consideration professional designers offer and go right to the lowest common denominator of grade-school dropouts whose portfolio’s crown jewel is a logo for their dad’s wholesale llama manure clearing house. We definitely do not want any in-depth communication. We do not want any understanding of the company, the brand, or the direction and aspirations of the organization.

In a nutshell, this is what you’re asking for if you work with these guys:

• You’re doing the work whether you like it or not. Payment is irrelevant. You only get that if you actually “win” the “contest”.
• Even if you do win, you don’t win much. (They seem to encourage low prices, as stated on their how it works page.)
• You lose your copyright privileges and you apparently can’t even take a public stand if your designs are stolen. Read their copyright page for more on that.
• You’re also asking for a royal slap in the face from folks like me and other real designers.

Freelancers: if you really care about your work and the design industry, do NOT use 99designs or others like it to gain clients. You’re hurting yourself and the rest of us too.

Business owners: if you really want someone who will take the time to get to know your company and present an informed and well-rounded design, might I suggest someone from the Xemion Web Designer Directory?

Here’s Kevin’s article (warning: contains some strong language)

At my last job, we worked right above a hair salon. Growing up, my mother always cut my hair, then my wife when she had time and lately, a local barbershop. But since the salon was a client and it saved an extra trip, I got my hair cut after work. The difference between the salon and the barbershop was unbelievable. At the salon, I was treated by an attractive stylist who remembered my name and how I liked my hair. She talked with me about subjects I was interested in and even remembered our discussions from the my previous appointment! The stylist make recommendations for my hair based on current trends and my hair’s personality (red and very thick). My hair was shampooed, conditioned and I received a very relaxing neck massage. She only used the trimmer for the edges. The salon was impeccably clean and had a very modern decor. It was a little upscale and I liked it. It made me FEEL important, stylish and trendy.

Conversely, the barbershop I was served by an grizzled, old guy who muttered. He didn’t really talk to me and if he did, it would be hard to hear with the TV and the trimmer going. He had no clue I was in five weeks ago (probably because I was helped by someone else, but that even furthers my point) or how I liked my hair. I got no shampoo and the massage was from sort of machine that felt more like a jack-hammer. The decor looked dirty and old. The whole process made me FEEL unimportant.

The barbershop charges a mere $11 for a cut, the salon: $37. That’s a 250% increase for the salon even though the end product, my haircut, was exactly the same. How would you like to increase your rates 250%? The key is providing a customer experience that supports that rate and attracts clients who are willing to pay it (because many won’t). Here are some ideas at improving the customer experience:

• Look upscale. This includes every part of your business, such as invoices, letterheads, envelopes, e-mail signatures and marketing materials. Obviously your location, signage, furniture and decor may play a part. If the client sees it, it has to be perfect and seamlessly match your company’s brand.
• Know the client. Keep detailed records on the client’s likes and dislikes. This includes everything from color preferences to favorite sports teams/tv shows. Some clients prefer phone calls, others e-mails or in-person meetings. Make sure all your staff keeps the notes in the same place. If there’s ever a transition with your team, the client should not have to go through a major get-up-to-speed curve with the new team member. I cannot tell you how many new clients I’ve gotten simply because the previous firm dropped the ball during a transition.
• Be proactive. You are the expert. Come the client with new ideas, even after the initial project is completed. This is also a a great way (maybe the best way) to drum up new sales. Long term, being proactive will increase both customer loyalty and word of mouth.
• Pamper the client. Make the client feel important by doing little things like including SASEs in invoices and hand-written Christmas cards. Give away sports or theater tickets. Even more importantly, make the client feel trendy/cutting-edge and encourage their belief that they made a good decision in hiring your firm. Tell them how great you, as an expert (and your friends/colleagues), think their new website is and what an improvement from the previous site.

Remember, shifting to a more upscale market means changing your target market…..at the end of the day, I’m still a cheap sucker and I’m going to the barbershop

Something like 75% of businesses bust in the first year of operation. Who knows why? It could be a myriad of things: bad timing, no business plan, improper marketing (or worse–none at all), or maybe what they thought was a good idea really wasn’t. All of these could end a freelancer’s career, too.

But more likely, none of these things will. In my career as a freelancer I’ve watched numerous other freelancers rise and fall, step out and immediately lose their footing, or get off to a bumpy start. I must admit, I’ve made the same mistake a time or two: misconception.

I’m not talking the kind of misconception that happens when a client expects a $2000 website for $200 or that they figure their new e-commerce site will be as successful as Ebay overnight. The misconception that I’m speaking of has been widespread ever since the dot-com bubble burst and every 5th grader and their dog became a “webmaster”.

It lies in our communication: Bob decides to start a beef business. He gets a loan from the bank, a building to house the business in and even takes out an ad in the paper and the phone book. What’s missing? Bobs-beef-business-dot-com, of course!

Opening the phone book again, he flips through it, pausing and grinning at his wonderful 1/8th page ad. He continues flipping until he reaches the W’s. Let’s see… aha! “Web Design”. He picks up the phone and begins to call.

An hour later, he calls the “webmaster” that was fifth on his list, because they can do it for the least amount of money. He doesn’t need to check his website or his portfolio. The bottom line is all that matters.

The misconception happened between the lines. Bob called and said, “I need a website for my new business. How much?” The designer said, “We have starter packages that include 5-10 page web design for $500″. Bob says, “Great! You’re hired. When can you have it ready?”

How many of you have made this mistake? I know I have. A few of the new freelancers may not even catch it. As freelancers, we very often have to wear different hats to survive. If we can’t cut it in sales, accounting, customer service AND design, we won’t eat. We’ve perused the internet for many hours and we know what looks good, what gets a good rank in Google and what keeps people coming back. So why do we continue to convey ourselves as just another name in the phone book? The solution here is we need to position ourselves as industry experts rather than hired help. We’re not just good at making websites, we’re darn good at it. Any Joe Blow can create a website with Dreamweaver and a GoDaddy account. Why should they hire you if they don’t understand the importance of getting a specialist involved?

Sure, we all have faults, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn from them. Like Jim Wideman likes to say, “I never make the same mistake twice, there’s enough different ones I can make every time!”

Sometimes, it takes awhile for a mistake to become a mistake. When the internet was still in it’s infancy, not a lot of people had an email address. The phone book was still pretty popular, and usually, the easiest way to get more information on a particular company was to call them. As a result, there weren’t a lot of contact forms on websites. A simple mailto: link would suffice. As another supporting factor, not too long after email got popular, so did spam. Junk emails flooded our inboxes to the extent that we quit seeing email as a huge step forward in communication and began to see it as a necessary evil.

Thankfully, that’s changed. New steps taken by Google and others in their email services have put spam in it’s place for the most part and made it fun to have email again.

And still, the mailto: link hangs on. It’s everywhere.
Why? It’s outdated and inefficient. When you click on the “contact us” link of some site that is coded with a mailto: link it will open up that user’s local email. Or at least, it will try to. For those of you like me–who keep their email on the internet–it may not respond at all or may even freeze up your browser.

Now you, the business-owner who owns that domain name–what sort of impression do you think you just made on that potential client/customer?

Many of you might think this is just a rant against substandard code and my personal experience on certain websites, but underneath it all lies the single principle that we all need to remember.

Harvey MacKay had an interesting way of showing ties at the mens suit store he worked at: He picked the three that would look the best with that suit and let the customer pick from the three.

Keep it simple, folks. Make every decision as easy as possible for them and their decision to hire or buy from you will be just as easy.

Matthew Griffin has written an absolutely great post with 7 Reasons You Shouldn’t Charge by the Hour.  It’s great reading for a freelancer or any company that often uses hourly billing.

Disclaimer: These are my rules, but they don’t have to be yours. Feel free to criticize/suggest your own in the comments.

Though I’ve not been doing it as long as others, there are certain policies in freelancing that I’ve learned the hard way. Aside from the normal TOS that makes it’s way through every gig, there’s this unwritten code that should always be at the back of your mind any time you’re on the phone with a perspective client or handing out your card. These are rules that I refuse break or even bend, because I’ve learned what they cost me the last time I did.

1. Always work for Jesus. As a Christian, I’m obligated to adhere to biblical principles at home, at work and in all areas of life. Jesus is first. Period.
2. Never work for family, friends or neighbors (they know where you live.) This may not apply to you, but I’ve found (and heard) that family, friends and neighbors will often have unrealistic expectations pertaining to what you’ll do for them and how you’ll do it. Think about it: a purely professional relationship is so much simpler. If things don’t work out, you can (sometimes) part ways on good terms. However, if you take a preordained relationship and sour it with a business deal gone wrong, it tends to hang over your head and someone usually walks away with a sense of resentment or bitterness.
3. Never do a job on a handshake. This one may seem strikingly clear, but even in my own experience, I’ve been much too lax in this area. Not surprisingly, every single project that was done without written contractual agreements has failed. For both the sake of your client and your own–get it done right. Get it done in writing.
4. Always get a deposit. I had a client call that needed a rush job and I didn’t ask for a deposit. What’s worse, that client insisted that he’d have to “pay me in a couple of payments”, each one spread out over 60 days. It was a small project that took 34 hours in one week to complete (that’s on top of my full-time job in IT) and because I did it on a handshake, it ultimately failed. I’ve never received payment of any kind nor heard from the client.
5. Promise and deliver. Over-deliver if you can. Notice, I didn’t say under-promise. I’m a firm believer that you should let your yes be yes and your no be no. Find ways to over-deliver that will benefit your client but not leave you under paid.
6. There are always sacrifices. Choose them wisely. Sacrifices come in many forms: you sacrifice time with your family if you take on too much. Sacrifice your own reputation if you cut corners in quality of service. You might sacrifice money by taking on job over another. Not all of them are bad, but trust me, there are always sacrifices. Don’t be hasty.
7. Encourage and pursue loyalty. Statistics say that it cost ten times as much to gain a new customer than to retain an old one. Reward those who have been with you for awhile. If you’ve a designer that saved your neck a couple of times when you were busting at the seams with deadlines, buy them a steak dinner or something (in addition to normal payment, of course). Loyalty is what separates your greatest assets from your greatest liabilities.

No, this is not another post about some online time-tracking app. Although they are good to have, and plenty of them to go around, they are not as important as time management. This isn’t a GTD post, either. There are far better qualified folks than me to write about that; I’m talking about the real, down-to-earth disciplining yourself kind of time management.

You may not even know you need better time management. If you work in the creative industry, you probably do. Here are some things to ponder:

1. Do you always seem rushed when nearing a deadline?
2. In an effort to keep the client happy, are you stretching yourself thin and doing plenty of “little things” that you’re not getting paid for?
3. Do you find yourself getting sidetracked, either by other people or other tasks you’ve suddenly remembered?
4. Are you lacking in goals for business and financial success? Are you just rolling with the punches and taking what comes?
5. How often do you find yourself forgetting things and breaking your word because you’d forgotten to do something you said you’d do?

First off, you need to understand something: Time is a non-renewable asset. That is, these minutes that I’m spending typing out this article-I’m not getting them back. The time you spend dealing with that belligerent client or working those “pro-bono” cases-you aren’t getting that back either. “Wasting time” takes on a whole new meaning when you understand this.

Secondly, we freelancers need to realize that our time is our time. Why did we become freelancers in the first place? Tired of working for the man and wanted to be your own boss? Realized you could make more money working for yourself? You just like meeting new people? Great! It amazes me how many freelancers still work like they’re working on someone else’s time. Understanding that your time is your time is both liberating and horrifying. If things bust, you can’t blame your manager. If you can learn to say “no” when you really don’t have time, you’ll get things accomplished and let other people know that your time is valuable. Keep this in mind, though-If you have to say “no”, suggest a later time; time management isn’t about blowing people off and being selfish.

Jim Wideman, one of my mentors on time management, has this to say:

If you can’t manage your time, you’re always stuck reacting to people and situations. You’ll never be effective. You’ll never be a strong leader. But with time management, you’ll amaze even yourself.

He also points out that managing your time isn’t just about getting lots of stuff done. It’s about getting the right things done. If you’re like me, then you might remember things best when you write them down. In this case, I’d highly recommend Remember The Milk, or RTM for short. It’s a fantastic application that integrates well with Gmail, too! Actually looking at your tasks and seeing what you have to do can not only give you a better picture what to say “no” to, but it can increase your productivity by prioritizing as well.

Lastly, I believe every successful freelancer is only as good as their name. I believe that a good name is worth more than money in the bank. If you are constantly saying things and then forgetting to do them or having to do them later than you said, you are indirectly being dishonest. Too many people chalk their tasks up to “I’ll get to it when I get to it” and never take a good hard look at what they’re doing and whether or not it’s effective. I think this is one of the primary causes of burnout-people do so many menial tasks that they lose their sense of self-worth and lose sight of what’s important.

I could go on and on about all the great tools that I use for time management, but I’d like to hear from you: what are you using to get stuff done effectively? Let’s hear it in the comments.

Today I attended a luncheon hosted by the BC AIM with Tom Leung, a product manager at Google. Tom is the product manager for Google Website Optimizer. I have attended a few webinars, etc.. about Google Website Optimizer so I was quite familiar with it. I also have used it a number of times. I thought I should share some of my take aways from the luncheon.

For those of you who are unfamiliar with Google website optimizer, it is a web-based testing tool which helps website owners increase visitor conversion rates. Basically it allows website owners the ability to serve up different pages to the different visitors. It also tracks who saw what page and if they converted.

At the luncheon Leung really focused on converting your visitors instead of just bringing in more visitors to your website. Leung stated, the usually 2 - 3% of visitors will convert and that  Google website optimizer is cheap way to increase your ROI without throwing a bunch of cash at an expert, let you visitors tell you what they like.

Landing pages were one of the main topics at the luncheon. Landing pages for those of you who are unfamiliar, are defined by Taming the Beast as a specialized page that visitors are directed to once they’ve clicked on a link, usually from an outside source such as a Pay Per Click ad. The page is usually tightly focused on a particular product or service with the aim of getting the visitor to buy or take some form of action rapidly that will ultimately lead to a sale.

And of course we were talking about how to optimize them and use Google Website Optimizer as a tool.

Landing pages are the most important page of the conversion tunnel, because people have clicked a link or whatever to land on the landing page. Once they have gone onto the next page of the conversion tunnel, they have already shown some interest in your product/service. But the landing page is either make it or break it for visitors. If a landing page contains information that is irrelevant to the visitor or the page is too cluttered, a visitor who might have converted has closed the browser. If the landing page is a pleasant and there is a simple call to action the better the chance the visitor moves on to the next page.

So ready to use Google website optimizer?

As a designer, you might not use this information on every site, but Google website optimizer is a good tool to have  in your toolbox for potential clients. When they want to do something silly with their website, you can say, “Ok” and then test the page against the one you have created. You might be surprised at the results.

You might be curious as to what to test. Leung gave us a great start by saying that you can compare a text heavy page vs. a quick and to the point page, a left layout vs. right layout and a facts vs. aspirations page. This is just the beginning, there are many things you can change on a page, that might influence if the visitor converts or not.

Interested in getting Google website optimizer?

Google website optimizer is available to everyone. All you have to do is sign up for an adwords account - no you don’t need to use adwords or spend any money. Just sign in there and click on the website optimizer tab. From there you have all instructions you need to start optimizing your website.

Good luck and happy optimizing.

This is the biggest question when you start working for yourself. How do you find web design clients? Where do you find clients? And that is the question of the day….

First Impressions
Let’s start with you. It’s important when you’re just starting out to put your best foot forward. To get clients you need to be professional. You should look and act like a professional. Professional dress depends on your niche market. If you’re looking for clients in the legal field (lawyers), you’ll need to appear in business dress suitable for a courtroom. If you walk into a lawyer’s office expecting work dressed in jeans, tennis shoes and a rock band shirt, you’re probably going to be disappointed. A lawyer isn’t going to take you seriously. That being said, if you walk onto a cutting horse trainer’s ranch in the clothing you’d wear to visit a lawyer you’ll look like a “city slicker” and not get the kind of respect you’d need to land the work.

Start With a Network
One of the biggest ways that web designers get new clients is through word of mouth referrals. This is normally done through happy clients who refer new clients to you. If you don’t have any clients then you’ve got to come out of the dark and be seen. People won’t know you’re doing web design until you tell them. And no one will refer clients to you if they don’t know what you do or if they haven’t heard of you. Since web design is a service that requires trust on the client’s behalf, word of mouth is the norm.

If you don’t have an extensive network of clients to refer you to new clients then you need to expand the number of people you actually know. You can start with family and friends. This depends on how well they understand what you do. I still have my mother’s words ringing in my ears “It’s just a little ole website.” Um yeah Mom…. Right. It’s not to say that family and friends can’t help you out but be sure they actually understand something about what you do for a living.

After family you’ll need other resources for meeting people. Some good places to network are your local Chamber of Commerce, various clubs and associations in your region. You can also join organizations like Business Network International where networking and lead generation are the primary pursuits. The Toastmasters organization is a good place to develop your speaking capabilities which can parlay into speaking at your local Chamber of Commerce. You’ll need to have a nice business card when you go to these events so that you can pass it out to everyone you meet. There are excellent business card companies online that will allow you to inexpensively create a business card. The real key is to get some visibility.

Niche Market Networking
All of the above works fairly well. If you think about marketing itself, like commercials, you’ll have an understanding of what I’m talking about. Take for instance a commercial for a toy. Where would you find that commercial? Typically on a TV channel that shows cartoons and children’s shows. The target market is children. In marketing you’re trying to put your product in front of your target market. If you’ve defined toy-makers as your target market then you need to go to the events they attend and advertise in the magazines they read. It’s about being where your target market will see you.

Online Networking
Local networking is a great place to start but you should be doing a variety of networking. Participating in online forums like Xemion’s forum is a great way to network with other web designers and developers. The more you help your fellow web designer/developer, the more authority you gain. I know most think in terms of the signature links seen at the bottom of the posts for search engine optimization purposes but we’re not talking about SEO right now.

The key is to become an authority. Blogs will help lend that air of “authority” to your overall impression. You might think that helping other web designers/developers is counterproductive. The fact is that helping others can lead to virtual teams of designers and developers who develop symbiotic relationships doing subcontracts for each other. In this day and age, no one is an expert at everything. It’s important to realize that concentrating on specialized skills will make you more money over time. As you write about your particular specialty more work comes your way.

James just posted a nice article on LinkedIn. It’s one of the places you can network with online individuals. Some of my best clients and partnerships have been gained through online connections. Facebook, MySpace and others like it can contribute to your finding online connections for more work. The key is to participate and interact in these networks.

Show Them What You Have
I don’t think I can emphasize this enough. You need a portfolio. If you don’t have one, start making one. Build websites for nonprofits and/or dummy sample sites. Make up a city and build a site for each typical business in a city. People won’t know what you can do until they see it.

Advertise
People won’t come unless they know you’re in business. Networks and referrals are generally where most clients will come from but don’t leave out advertising. Lots of businesses don’t know anyone who knows someone doing web design and development. It’s hard for them to find a web designer. A few suggestions are things like putting out fliers at local businesses, running newspaper ads and setting up a yellow pages advertisement. The one thing you will want to do with any kind of advertisement is track where your new clients are coming from and pour money into those advertisements that are producing while cutting out the ones that aren’t producing clients.

Getting Their Names
Building a list of potential and previous clients is one of the most important ways to build a business. These are people who have prequalified themselves by buying from you or supplying their contact information to you. Obviously you need to keep in touch with past clients. This keeps you fresh on their minds when someone asks them for a referral. The other side are new people for whom you haven’t yet done any work. How do you get new contacts on your list? One way is to create a survey. You can survey them about what they know about web design, how they found a web designer if they have one or even if they think they need a website. Normally you’ll have to sweeten the pot with something to entice them to fill out the survey otherwise they may not supply their contact information. A simple one page site from a template with their content pasted into the site is a good way to get the ball rolling. You could also end up with a much bigger client. The key is to get their contact information.

Once you build your list, it’s important to develop a habit of contacting them. Contact them when you have a new website in your portfolio or a new service to offer. You should also contact them about topics in web development that might interest a business. Things like SEO and website marketing. Think about what concerns your current clients might have that you’ve answered. Use that information to create interesting articles to send to your list. Once the people on the list know how much you care, the more likely they are to hire you. It’s part of building trust.

Offer Something Enticing
When I offer services or develop a proposal, I always hold something back. This gives me something that I can offer to a client as a “freebie”. We all know how good we feel when we get a “gift”. It makes us feel special. Making your clients feel special is probably one of the top things you can do for your business.

Clients like good service. If you aren’t responding to their needs daily, you’re not doing your job as a consultant. Over delivery and quick response is part of what will separate you from the competition. It’s also what clients will spread by word of mouth. It’s that fast customer service that can make a difference. You don’t want your client thinking you’re too busy for more work do you?

Job Boards
I’ve played around with the job boards in the past. I’ve actually gotten a few clients off Craigslist. I want to caution you about these places, the clients are generally cheap. They are looking for a bargain. Micah stated before that you can get away with discounts and kickbacks to clients so that you can get your name out there but at some point you do have to stop. The bidding system that works on the job boards like elance can really degrade your morale. Use these sites with caution. You’ll have to be cheaper than the other guys to start out and risk being known as the cheap guy.

I’ve gone over most of the methods I’ve ever used or learned. If you’ve got some other methods that might help other web designers please leave a comment.

Web Out
Des

I mentioned in a previous article how an airline saved hundreds of thousands of dollars per year by removing a single olive from their salads. It’s a little thing that made a big difference. What little things are you doing to help your clients, your business, your productivity? If you’ve not found out already, it’s small things that can sometimes make the biggest differences. Here’s a list of mine (but they don’t have to be yours).

Screencasts. Most of my clients use a Content Management System for their websites, so I’ve taken the time to create a number of screencasts that would help them out in performing simple to semi-complex tasks involving updating their website. It’s a small thing that I’ve been thanked for over and over again.

Passwords. I make it a point to hang on to passwords that my clients give me, whether it be for ftp access or the CMS or whatever. On more than one occasion have I been requested to retrieve said password because too long had gone by since the client had used it.

Chocolates. I distinctly recall reading an article while in college about an Art Director in charge of hiring a junior designer but coming up with no real contenders. He remarked something to the effect of: “I know it’s nothing to do with talent, but the hopeful-designer that brought me cookies would at least be remembered.” Being the sponge (and fountain) of useless knowledge that I am, I hung on to that tidbit and remembered it the next time I was applying for a job. You never know. That brings me to my next point…

Details. I spent several years in a large volunteer youth ministry. Amidst the thousands of kids there, there were a handful that I saw each and every week. I cannot tell you the look in their eyes when you call them by name. If you can sneak it out of them, catch your client’s birthday, or one of their kid’s names. If you go through the trouble to remember (or jot down) little details about the client, they’ll be more helpful, advertise you more, and be more likely to forgive you if you screw up.

So those are a few of my little things that make a big impact. What are yours? Let’s hear ‘em in the comments.

Normally when I’m creating a proposal for a potential client one of the things I’ll do for them is a Competitive or even a Comparative Analysis. They are both essentially the same thing. The key is to find out what the client’s competitors are doing online. How are they successfully marketing their businesses?

Where to Start
The first thing I do is a Google search. I want to find out who is most likely to be found on a search engine. Bear in mind that some industries will have offline leaders who are well known in real life. These are competitors you need to ask your client to provide.

Once I have a list of 3-4 competitors, I start off each by taking a screenshot of their sites. I’ll take a look at how that business describes its services. I’m specifically looking for their Unique Selling Point. What’s different about them compared to my client and to the other industry leaders? These are the things that help you figure out what makes a competitor unique in their industry.

Investigating Interactive Activities
Once I’m familiar with the competitor’s claims, I’ll investigate the website to determine what activities a visitor can perform at the website. How does their website interact with the visitors? How much content do they have on the website? How does the website keep their potential customers involved?

Investigating Integrating Activities
At this point I want to discover how the competitor integrates their offline business (if they have one) with their online business. Is the site a customer service website used by their current customers or is it a site whose goal is to entice new customers?

Investigating Personal Services
Most sites have some sort of personal service area whether it’s a simple FAQ or if it’s a full blown interactive program that allows them to design their own product from pieces they purchase from the website. Sometimes this is what differentiates an industry leader from an industry wannabe. It’s up to the web designer to discover the services that a competitor might offer.

Investigating Global Reach
It might seem like a particular company can only provide a local service. This is wrong. One company I investigated for a client blew me away. They provided a product and service that seemed like it could only be delivered locally unless it was done through a large chain store. Boy was I wrong. This particular company had built up enough web traffic with potential clients from all over the US. What they did was create a lead system. Any clients they couldn’t service themselves, they referred to other companies for a small referral fee. It gave them a global reach and a new revenue stream.

Summing Up Strengths and Weaknesses
At the end I’ll sum up the strengths and weaknesses of a particular competitor. This is my opportunity to point out features that my client would benefit from having on their website. It’s a great place to up sell features to your client for their website.

Client Doesn’t Want All That Stuff
You’ve got to be careful not to overwhelm your client with the competitive analysis. If they only asked for a few things for their website it’s important to give them a quote based on those features. They may or may not read your proposal all the way through to the end. Larger clients tend to look all the way through the proposal. Add the Competitive Analysis and your added recommendations after you’ve given them a cost summary of what they first asked in their website. The Competitive Analysis can highlight these extra features for the future.

Good Luck with your Competitive/Comparative Analysis

Web Out
Des

I recently had a request that got me thinking about professionalism from clients. As business people, web designers make the best effort to treat our clients with respect but as we know very well we don’t always get that professional treatment in return. Here are a few stories from the trenches of web design.

Requests from potential clients
These types of requests are my top deal breakers.

I’ll tell all my friends. You’ll get lots of work.
This is probably the first thing any beginning web designer will hear and its usually a friend that says it. Beginners tend to get picked on a lot. Funny thing is that this particular thought process never seems to go away. Even after 10 years in the industry I still get this offer. I guess they think because I don’t have loads of sites in my portfolio that I’m starving. Imagine their shock when I tell them that I teach web development, design and windows programming.

While this request might sound enticing, it usually doesn’t work. What kind of friends does someone who can’t or won’t pay have? Probably other friends who can’t or won’t pay. How many plumbers out there would fix your plumbing just because you might refer them so new clients? Micah had a post on how to give a client a break without looking like the “cheap guy” in web design. Go back and read it.

It shouldn’t take long for an experienced web designer
This one really fries me. I really don’t understand how someone who doesn’t know a thing apparently knows how long it will take a web designer/developer to build anything. My favorites are always when they ask for a clone of MySpace, Facebook, Ebay or something of that nature. Usually these requests come with impossible schedules. These requestss are usually accompanied by ridiculously low budgets. Educating some of these clients will sometimes work but not always.

Add my site to your portfolio to make you look good.
We all know that a strong portfolio of previous work helps you get new clients. They all want to see what you’ve done. However, (And this one really steams me off) this statement normally comes from the bottom feeders. They really can’t afford your services. I normally counter requests like this with “Well why don’t you give me your service/product for free. I’ll wear a tshirt that shows I used your product/service or drive the car or …” It’s essentially the same. I’ve even had a request that “allowed” me to have a link on their website. Well sorry, it’s normally in my contracts that all my work comes with a link back to my website. This can be negotiated out of the contract.

If you really need to build up your portfolio I recommend that you build a fake town with fake web businesses. I’ve seen this done before and had done it myself. Domains are inexpensive, pick one and do the work for yourself. Potential clients will see your examples and use them to judge if you’re a good fit for them.

I have this great idea for a website
I’ve been through this request and even once looked at base code for the idea. I really love as a programmer when they want you to build all the functionality then only take 10-20% of the profit when they start “selling it”. This type of request is really more of a venture capitalist request. You need to ask the person to send you a business plan since they are asking you to invest whatever you would charge to build this website into their business. If they believe in the project so much, they’d be willing to pay for it out of their own pocket or find a real venture capitalist or angel investor to pay for the site to be built.

What really irks me about these types of potential clients is that they try to get you caught up in their dream. This is really only an attempt on their part to entice you to build their website in the hopes that one day you’ll actually get paid if they are effective in marketing the website. So before you sign onto a project like this go through the same due diligence as a venture capitalist.

Current Unprofessional Clients
And despite being able to pay there are still clients who will almost always be a tad over the top.

The Crier
While I didn’t personally have a client like this, I did so some subwork for another developer who had a client that actually cried on the phone because we couldn’t drop everything and respond to their requests at their whim. While I’m sure crying over emotional trauma is appropriate in some professions, this situation was just unreal. I was never so glad as to know that I never had to talk to this client on the phone or via email. It was all handled by the other developer.

I did get certified as a Help Desk Analyst and Help Desk Manager to teach these classes and I can see where some of the techniques would help in this situation. The best technique is to use their first name. You have to get their attention. The next step would be to establish that you understand their emotions but NOT that you agree with them. You should say something like “I understand that you’re upset about….. ” You want to acknowledge that they’re upset but not agree with why. At that point you can adjust your conversation to help them with their problem.

The Screamer
I’ve never personally had a person scream at me on the phone for anything related to web design. Unfortunately I’ve heard others having this issue. These types of clients aren’t really great clients. They are trying to bully you. Of course you would never hear a client screaming at you on the phone or in person if you were a lawyer. That wouldn’t be productive to maintaining a good relationship with your lawyer. Guess what, it’s not productive in any business.

The key again is to use their name. Talk calmly and don’t get caught up in the anger. It’s not conducive to reaching an agreement. In the end it may be best to “fire” this kind of client. It all depends on how much abuse you’re willing to take.

The Sad State of Affairs
Unfortunately as web designers and developers we’re all going to face these at some point in our careers. It’s a given. They key to success is how you handle it.

Beginners will always get the bottom end of the barrel. That’s a given but what isn’t is how you should handle it. As a beginner, look for ways to hone your craft without giving it away too hastily. My best advice is to stay away from businesses that aren’t willing to pay you for your services. Build websites for yourself to build a portfolio or build them for worthy causes like the local dog shelter or the homeless shelter. You’ll probably get better attention from doing a site for a worthy cause than for a fly by night operation without any real plan for success.

As for unprofessional clients that use their emotions to batter you into the ground, this is where you as a business person can really shine. Handling them smoothly without losing your cool can really turn you into a hero or give you the incentive to drop the client in favor of a better prospect.

If you’ve got another unprofessional client story, please post it.

Web Out
Des