In the present days, it is well known to us that every business has their own website which is good news for the experts of web design. The bad news which follows is that the business clients can be really tough to deal with as most of them do not have a clear picture of what they actually require.
Majority of the clients will pretend that they have a partner so that they can impose the blame on that person when they do not like the design prepared according to their taste. The cheap tricks of the clients are reasons why the smart designers in the present era charge an advance payment of 50% of the quotation amount.
The fussy clients are always keen to reverse the purpose and creativity of your invention with prominent statements and buzz words. Take a closer look at the anatomy of a horrible web design client which has been enumerated below.
Behavior of a horrible client
The web development skill is one of the most coveted fields in the present days. It is obvious that these skills would attract clients, which is a great opportunity for the designers. This, however, is not always the best ground for one’s sanity. The behavioral approach of the client can be as stated below.
1.Nearly all the clients will ask you to add more flair and pizazz to a certain section of the page to make it more vibrant and attention-grabbing.
2.Half of the clients will have a long list of what they do not prefer but they refrain from realizing it until you prepare the design for them.
3. 20% of the clients will show their unprofessional attitude. For instance, suppose you have received half of the agreed payment and started of your work with zeal, and have sent the client with 3 mockups among which one is obviously the best and you have presumed that client will pick the same, but the client picks up the worst one and then he responds after 3 days, despite promising you to send the feedback right away.
4. The feedback that he sends is that he wants a few changes to be made in the web design and sends you a huge list of corrections.
5. After all the corrections are done and the design is completely a new one, then in the weekend the client discusses it with his friends and when they chime about it, he starts hating it again and asks you to start all over again.
6. When you ask the client for paying you more for starting the same design again, he refuses to do so and agrees to pay only half of your new quote.
7. As a part of the negotiation, when you remind him of the terms of the contract, he starts avoiding you for few days and agrees to start the cycle all over again.
How to protect yourself against the whimsical nature of the clients
Here are few tips that will help you to handle the capricious nature of your client:
- It is recommended to take 50% of the total quotation amount in advance
- The client should be made to sign a contract which would include specific dates and things to be delivered, for both of you
- You must provide the client with the skeletal framework of the design before sending the mockups
- The client should be asked to send you his preferences vividly along with the details of the same
- The client must be asked to provide you with any branded guidelines
- You should not make more than 3 mock-ups
- When the client agrees on a design, make him sign another contract which would state that he has agreed upon the particular design and will pay a fixed hourly charge if he at all shifts from it.
- All the files should be kept on your own server proof
- Until you receive the remaining 50% of your quotation, you must not upload the design on their server
Points to be considered before dealing with a client
Web designers are one of the highest paid workers in the country. Like most of the people who earn a good living, the designers’ work is also not simple. They not only prepare the websites but also deal with such clients who have a lesser idea of what they actually want. But before dealing with such clients, you must know that the statistics of payment according to gender, experience, and education extremely well which would prevent you from being fooled by the clients.
Inference
Most clients refrain from understanding that it takes time to build a website but it requires, even more, time and effort to alter the agreed design. Therefore, it is important to keep a contract signed beforehand to make the art of designing less painful.
Sanjay Dey