Dear Potential Client, Please Note the Following
Posted on 28 April, 2009 at 16:29 PM
There are already 18 Comments
About the Show
In this episode Marc rants about potential clients not understanding that data for their website cannot be automatically retrieved from other existing websites, without being provided a data source of some kind (eg. MySQL, Excel, etc).
View Colorburned interview here.
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User Comments
LU 28 Apr, 2009 18:51:31 PM
Dude, Love the video. I'm afraid to fully comment - the client will see it! But, I totally know what you mean.! You forgot a little PS: they don't want to pay for it, either, and are shocked that *somehow* it doesn't fall from the sky, nor does it happen for free. {Roar!}
Love the video. Well put!
Chris M 28 Apr, 2009 19:06:37 PM
Nice one on handling the show by yourself today bud :)
Ye, clients normally don't understand what is required and it's up to us, experienced parties, to explain to them and educate them - I find that the more I explain, the easier the process goes and in order to do this, it's useful to have a printed document, which you can hand to clients during a meeting, that they can take home with them and read, in order to learn what they're in for.
I've ranted many times, don't you worry!
Brian J King 28 Apr, 2009 19:14:56 PM
Great post, so true. Clients want flash intros, content from other sites, images from other sites, all for little to no payment. I just tell them if they want a Ferrari and are only willing to pay for a Ford Festiva then they need to go somewhere else to find their designer/developer. Great design doesn't just fall from the sky!
twitter.com/brianjking companies.to/kiwicomm twitter.com/kiwicomm
Once again - great post, great message. Cheers!
alex 28 Apr, 2009 20:22:49 PM
yes, someone said it at last! thank you! I would also like to add that clients need to understand the difference between designers and programmers. You guys complement each other in that so no problem for you. I however, cannot work alone. BTW, i am not talking web development here alone. Many clients do not seem to understand that just because i can set up a network or make a little program, does not mean i can equally well create a company logo or create a word processing document. They think that because these activities both utilize a computer then me being a computer literate implies i can do it all. Clients, please do not ask programmers or network administrators for graphic or word processing
meredith 28 Apr, 2009 21:49:35 PM
I think David has the swine flu. :P
Very good rant, and so true. Thanks Marc and Nat!
Colorburned 29 Apr, 2009 10:52:43 AM
I always say that there's no magic wand in design. Sometimes you actually have to do grunt work like create databases, take photos, and draft text.
Adii Rockstar 29 Apr, 2009 11:03:29 AM
Love the comment David... And yes, this is one of the main reasons why I'm not overly keen to do custom design / development work anymore.
I think custom development for clients are a minefield in general, because you're likely dealing with uneducated people (in terms of web development) and the knowledge gap is frustrating. BUT, part of our jobs as web designers & developers are to educate and coach a client through the process, even though it means you're pulling out your hair on a daily basis! :)
Lantz 29 Apr, 2009 11:06:04 AM
I love it, I love it!! Man it is so true! this is where education has failed us somehow.
Marc Perel 29 Apr, 2009 14:32:39 PM
Thanks for all the comments peeps :D
@LU @Brian - Yip things don't just fall from the sky. And that usually means that they need to be paid for. Something people hate hearing, but we can't avoid.
@ChrisM and @Adii have good points, it's up to us to explain to potential clients how things work, that also sets good groundwork for the next person who deals with them.
@Alex - Don't worry we also get requests like that, when people as if I can 'quickly' design something when Dave's busy or Dave 'quickly' fix some code, but they're simply not our respective spheres.
@Colourburned - Exactly, the process doesn't start and end with the finished product, there's a whole bunch of work which goes into design/programming which clients never see.
kyle steed 29 Apr, 2009 15:55:04 PM
flippin love it. especially the fancy sound effects you provide for us.
I have to say on this topic that I too am displeased with clients when they are suddenly shocked that doing back-end database work costs more and requires more time. "Hello!? McFly, is anybody in there? Think McFly! THINK!"
Ok, enough with the "Back to the Future" quotes. But I guess that's why we are the pro's and carry the responsibility of educating our clients and dealing with them in a respective manner. Sure it's frustrating, but putting our personal feelings aside will help us become better listeners to the client.
thanks for the post.
Kimberly Beaven 29 Apr, 2009 16:38:57 PM
Oh my flippin goodness (quoting Kyle on the flippin, love that word) - you hit the nail on the head with this one. I had a client ask me if the input and updating of their products, prices and inventory was part of what I quoted for the e-commerce site they want - um, I could just donate an organ, would that help! No, unlimited and forever accompaning work is not included in the quote and yes you are responsible for inputting the products, unless you would like us to do that, and we do charge for that. Really, we do.
Educating clients: although sometimes difficult and appearing to be delivered to non-hearing ears, we must continue to value ourselves and our work by letting them know the value of the work we do by reflecting that in our communications, contracts, outlines and descriptions of work involved. I mean, no we do not want to outline every coding moment etc but to communicate that there is a lot of work that we do, that they see directly and what is behind the scenes to make all the magic work.
I am not sure there will ever be a time when this is not pat of the process, and I thought as I grew older that I would hear this less and less from clients, but alas, onward we go. At least I have fun at work my work with little stolen moments such as listening/watching you guys to know we are all losing it together :)
Chris 29 Apr, 2009 19:22:50 PM
Ever have a client that gets angry because the project isn't finished yet, only to be informed that the project was stalled waiting for their input/approval?
Classic.
Christopher 29 Apr, 2009 23:58:14 PM
I couldnt agree more. Great vid and so true on what the client wants, and what they are willing to give.... Good job guys, will continue to tune in...
Chris
Marc Perel 30 Apr, 2009 09:08:20 AM
@Chris F - Yeah we've had that a lot, I think that is a really common issue that most people here would have experienced.
What I've found usually happens there is that the client rushes the project and subsequently it ends up being not as good as it should. It's a pitty really.
@Christopher - Thanks mate :D Welcome on board
JSK Visual 07 May, 2009 01:33:34 AM
Since we are speaking about client rants I've got a decent one:
I was contacted by a client who wanted a personal website that would feature info about himself, videos, and pictures. When he emailed me, that's all he said he wanted. I met up with him at a coffee shop, and it turns out he wanted a WordPress blog as well. He also asked me to explain how a website is made because he had no idea. After explaining, he said "Wow I had no idea they were so complicated." Eeeeeeek.
So I gave him my price (a low price at that, because he was unemployed). It was just over $1,000, because I was being nice to him, but he said he wanted to only spend about $600. His actual quoted stated he wanted to find a 'sucker' to do it cheap.
Gotta love it.
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David Perel 28 Apr, 2009 16:29:58 PM
Lol. This is probably why Adii put Radiiate to one side for now...