6. Dealing With Clients

One of the most interesting things about running a business is the people you will meet. Or in the case of an Internet-based business, the people you won’t meet.

Once your business site is online, it will attract clients from all over the country and from all over the world. As a result, many of your clients will only be voices on the phone. Some you will know only through e-mail.

This can create some unique situations for you. Communication is hard enough when you meet face to face. When you add the complications of distance, voice only (phone), or text only (e-mail), it can become very difficult.

It’s important to learn how to communicate and to develop close working relationships with your clients despite these barriers.

The best way to keep clients happy is to keep them informed. Answer their questions and keep them updated on the status of their new Web sites. This could take a lot of your time, but it is an essential part of the job.

The key is to communicate with your client frequently. The two of you have to define the Web site in words before you can start coding Web pages. You also have to document any agreements or understandings that you make.

Let’s look at the different forms of contact…

 

1) Telephone

The telephone is the fastest and most efficient means to communicate with your clients. On the phone, you can ask questions, discuss issues, and reach agreements. If there is any misunderstanding or confusion, it can be cleared up very quickly and at a relatively inexpensive cost.

Unfortunately, phone calls don’t leave written records. So, after you complete a phone call where decisions and agreements were reached, document it with a follow-up e-mail. This will provide both you and your client with written confirmation of the discussions.

This follow up is a critical management step. It provides both you and your client with documentation of the design (and changes to the design). You can check with the records as you progress through the process in order to make sure that you haven't missed any details. They also can be used to justify charging for work that was beyond that required by the initial contract.

2) E-mail

When you meet with someone in person, what you say is balanced by the tone of your voice, facial expressions, and eye contact. When you speak on the phone, the visual cues are gone, but your voice is still rich with tone and inflections.

None of these are present in e-mail. So be very careful. It is very easy to offend with e-mail. Jokes will be misinterpreted. Casual comments will be misunderstood. Keep your e-mails professional. Use them as a vehicle to communicate ideas and as a means to document site requirements.

Whenever you send an e-mail to a client, send a copy to yourself as well. Keep these copies in a folder with any messages that you receive from a client. These will provide both you and your client with a written record of discussions and agreements for future reference.

3) In Person

Face-to-face conversations have the advantage that you can express ideas freely and quickly with little chance of misunderstanding. If there is ever any confusion, you can pull out a piece of paper and clarify things with a sketch. If you have the option, always deal with your clients in person.

Similar to phone conversations, there is no concrete documentation of conclusions or agreements. Be sure to follow up every meeting with a written summary and send it to your client (and yourself) by e-mail.

From types of contact to types of clients…

People come in different sizes, shapes, and temperaments. Sizes and shapes have no effect on your relationships with your clients, but temperaments can be a major issue.

You will find that your clients fall into three categories…

• Nice
• Non-responsive
• Demanding

To make your business successful, you need to be able to deal with all of them…

 

1) The Nice Clients

 

Many of your clients will not have the slightest idea what goes into making a Web site.

They will be quite content to work with you as you lead them through the design process. When they disagree with something you propose, they will normally accept your judgment as long as you offer a reasonable explanation.

For the most part, these people are just like you, and working with them will be very pleasant. Communicate with them openly and often and things will go very smoothly.

2) The Non-responsive Clients

 

One day a client will contact you about a Web site, sign a contract, send you the first payment… and then he will drop off the face of the planet.

He will not provide the information that you need. The graphics that you ask for will never arrive. And when you ask for reviews of your work, you will not get them. Behavior like this may sound odd, but it is really one of the most common problems you will face with clients.

Why would anyone pay for a Web site and then not support its development?

• He expects you to do everything. That’s why he hired you.
• He has no idea how to create content for a Web site.
• He is afraid of making a mistake.
• Your questions and requests intimidate him.
• He has more pressing things to do.
• He doesn’t know how to use e-mail.

How do you deal with this?

Probably the best way to approach this is to call your client as soon as you see this problem developing. He might ignore your e-mail, but once you have him on the phone, he will normally talk to you. This may be the only way that you will get information.
If a phone call doesn’t work, then what?

Picture this scenario… You set up your contract so that you received an initial payment (correct action). Then you started on the job and reached a point where you could go no further without input or reviews from the client. You contacted the client repeatedly (you have copies of the e-mails). And you have had no response.

What do you do at this point?

 

Stop working.

Notify your client that you have reached a contract milestone and can do no more work on the site until everything is approved and the next payment is made. Send the notice by registered mail so that you will have confirmation of delivery.

After they receive a notice, some clients will fuss because the site is not as complete as they think it should be, and they will finally send the information that you need. Others will fuss but still won’t send any information, and some will still not respond.

Continue to work with the clients that responded to the registered letter. File the others away. Send an e-mail to the non-responders every three or four weeks. If they still haven’t responded after a few months, just give up. Put all of their records in a safe place and focus your efforts on paying clients.

Be careful not to burn any bridges -- they may be back.

 

3) The Demanding Client

 

While the non-responsive client is frustrating, the demanding client is irritating.

The demanding client has the type of personality that has to be in control of everything. These clients will ignore most of the advice you give them regarding good site design practices, and they will insist that you do everything their way. They will tell you what to do and exactly how to do it.

Clients like this can be a real challenge. Fortunately, these traits normally show up in the client interview and you can usually avoid contracting with overly demanding clients.
If you do get one, be sure to document every conversation. Get all change instructions in writing (e-mail) and verify all verbal directions by e-mail (...as we agreed on the phone...). In the event of a legal dispute, your e-mail documentation will demonstrate that you provided advice and that the client chose to ignore it.

A demanding client presents a real problem for a conscientious designer. You want to design the best Web site possible, and your client will direct you to do things that you know will reduce the effectiveness of the site. All you can do is inform your client of the drawbacks of his approach, and then do as you are instructed.

It’s his site and he is paying the bill. Give him what he wants, even if it is not what he needs.

 

Client personalities directly affect the way you “do” business and can often cause communication difficulties. Unfortunately, your challenges do not stop there.

There are a few other problems that may show up along the way. Don’t worry. These concerns are not insurmountable. By being aware of what could happen, you can tackle any concern immediately and effectively.

Let’s start with a concern that happens fairly frequently…

 

• Lack of Direction

Some clients feel their task is done after they sign the contract and send you the first payment. These are the ones who see a Web site as a commodity that is purchased as one would purchase a pair of shoes. The materials that they submit are sketchy and vague because they don’t know what they need. They are not really non-responsive. They just have no concept of the design or marketing issues involved.

It can be difficult to identify these people during the initial interview. Once you get one, you may wind up developing the contents of their Web site for them. This is fine if that is what you contracted to do. If it isn’t, you need to let them know that there is a problem.

If your agreement does not include developing site content and copywriting, you need to stop working and re-negotiate your agreement. Just be sure to do this tactfully so as not to drive your client away.

• Submission of Materials

Every Web site development task requires some input from the clients. Sometimes, the submissions will be unusable. Graphics/photos will be of poor quality and text will be poorly written or just a series of notes.

Deal with this as a contract issue. If the client is to provide photos and they provide bad ones, put a couple online for them to see. If they are satisfied, get written approval via e-mail and you are covered. If they are not satisfied, ask them to provide new ones. You may also have the option of buying or creating the images yourself (at an additional charge).

How you handle the text will also depend on the initial contract you established. If the client is responsible for providing all site content, let him know that there is a problem and explain the impact in terms of labor hours and cost.

If you are responsible for doing the copywriting, but you don’t have sufficient information, you can either stop working or you can take your best shot at it and submit it for their review. Sometimes clients just need a place to start and they will be able to edit what you have written.

Be sure to keep the lines of communication open to avoid creating misunderstandings and resentment.

 

 

• Scope Creep

 

Your contract should clearly define the scope of the work involved.

Most clients will ask for more once you begin. Some will do this intentionally, but most will not realize that they are doing it. Be careful how you deal with these requests. Many of the requests will be trivial and you will want to do them just to keep your client happy. But some will require hours of work.

Don’t hesitate to inform the client that these requests are beyond the scope of the contract and that they will have impact on cost and schedule.

As the site is being developed, the client should have some input as to its final appearance. However, once a client approves the overall layout, further layout changes are “out of scope.”

When you get one of these requests, send an e-mail that identifies it as a change of scope. Outline the impact, give a time and cost estimate, and cite a specific clause in the contract. The client will then have the option to proceed or cancel the request.

 

• Preconceived Ideas

Most clients start off with some idea of what they want in their Web sites. Some of these ideas will be good. Others will not be so great. You need to support the good ones and eliminate the bad ones, and you need to do this very tactfully. Your client probably thought about these ideas for a long time before contacting you, and many of them will be firmly planted in her vision of the site.

The best way to convince clients that their ideas have potential problems is simply to explain your concerns in terms of site performance (i.e., “Large images mean slow loading time and drive visitors away,” or “Pages with no text suffer in Search Engine rankings.”) This shows that you really know what you are talking about and that you have the client’s best interests at heart.

Communication has to be two-way. You are the Web site expert so the client should listen to you. The client is the business expert (i.e., knows own customers and business) so the Webmaster should listen to her. Both parties have to work together.

In most cases, the client will accept your judgment and give up on the idea… but not always. If there is a real issue, a quick search of the Internet will usually provide several references that will support your point of view. Consider sharing this with your client. Let her know that the final choice is hers and that you are just making sure that she has sufficient information to make her decision.

Be very careful about how you do this. You want to educate your client, not offend her. If your client still wants the idea incorporated into the site, put it in. It is her site and she is paying the bills.

Whenever you deal with people, there is a possibility of conflict.

Some conflict is good. It can encourage the creation of new and different ideas. Some conflict is bad. It can create negative feelings and can slow down or stop the business process.

If you run into a problem and you don’t know how to deal with it, determine whether it is an interpersonal issue (you and your client just can’t agree) or a contract issue (your client has asked for something that is not in your agreement).

Just remember…

Your clients are people. They are paying you to provide a service. Treat them with respect and give them what they want in a professional manner. If you follow this advice, your business will prosper.

One small caveat…

Some people are just plain nasty. Life is too short. Find a way to “fire” them if they are abusive and move on. (Of course, this requires a mutually acceptable termination of contract between the two parties.)

We are now at the last (and certainly not least) section of this Course -- the art of formulating winning (and legal) proposals and contracts...