How much do your clients know?

[NetNerd85]

This is a question directed at those who have a business or at least people who have had some clients ;)

How much do clients know about web design and web services? are they web-smart or not? When can you tell if they are acting stupid or really are that stupid?

Cheers for any input :)

[buntine]

You should always assume that your clients are completely new to Web Development. But, at the same time, you must be careful not to insult their intelligence. Don't overkill it by trying to speak to them like you would a baby.

Client knowledge varies. Most of them feel they know more than they actually do. Alot will say things like "Yeah, webdesign... Anyone can whip up a Website these days."

There is alot to the subject and the concepts to be learnt are constant throughtout all inductries. It's an art that I am yet to perfect.

A big mistake alot of Web Designer's make is over-emphasizing technical concepts in the hope that they will get work out of it. I would recommend you perfect your social, written, and verbal skills beforehand. Your technical knowledge is trivial in comparison to your ability to communicate a strong business image.

Whilst it is important to mention at some point (if it's true), I would recommend you don't confuse your client by emphasising your ability to "write perfect markup in accordance to the W3C standards" and "develop an integrated PHP 5.1 CMS Engine". Most client's simply don't know or care what you do in the background -- provided you give them a quality solution to their problem.

Some developers feel it is their responsibility to communicate the benefits of standards-complient development; they may even find a profitable niche in it. This approach is typical of the budding guru. I would not recommend this approach unless you feel very comfortable with your knowledge of business concepts and have done your market research.

Regards.

[akay5785]

I agree with most of what Andrew is saying. I think you must set a standard in which you deal with your clients, and follow it with everyone. Whether it's someone new seeking web design/development services, or someone a little more seasoned. It is a business, and you have to look at it through a business perspective. Think about what your saying before you say it. Simple things you can do to save yourself from seeming to be a little insulting. It's not about what your client knows, or how annoying they can be at times. It's how you deal with it and it's about taking care of your clients needs. That's why your in this business!

[NetNerd85]

Thanks for the advice guys.

My 'official' written language I believe is clear, professional and to the point. My speach on the other hand, well that is where I have trouble. I can think of the perfect thing to say then when it comes to the time to say it my mind goes blank.

Luckerly for me, my partner is much better with the person to person communication. He has a spark or something which people seem to connect with. I envy people that can just walk up to anyone and talk, maybe its a confidence thing but you've got to have something else for people to 'connect' with yah.

The problem is my partner doesn't know ANYTHING about web design, therefore it is my job to provide everything that he will say to clients. I just want to make sure that there wont be too many cases where the client will ask questions only I can answer. (I really don't like talking on the phone, in person or in writing is so much better).

[buntine]

I am/was in a similar position. You need to work on it by placing yourself in relevant positions. Start out by giving a small speech to your family and/or friends. You may (surprisingly) find it quite difficult. Each time it will become easier.

Your partner should read up on some basic Web Design concepts. I assume his knowledge of generic business concepts is sufficient.

Regards.

[NetNerd85]

I know what you mean, I use to do 3 presentations 6 days a week infront of people I never met. That was easy. Doing it infront of family and friends, now that is another story lol. It is a good tactic to use when building confidence. My partner has studied business at UNI so he knows enough on that side for sure. I have sales and some marketing experience.

The only real thing that needs work is the designing, graphics you know ;) Like maths it wouldn't be too bad if I was any good at it. Working with PSP9 has helped, it really is a powerful tool and comes with some cool little tutorials. I have noticed the online community for it is seriously lacking or they are just hiding from me.

Still looking for a lawyer to write up a service agreement but found some price ranges of 200 - 350 / hour which is a tad pricey but was what I was expecting.