Cheap work.
- Started
- Last post
- 31 Responses
- erokcom
Ok, so I had a potential client approach me to do a site. It would have been a GREAT book piece for me, as well as a nice new look for him. We talked thing over and I was told to give it some thought and then email a final estimate. He writes back saying "No thanks, that he is going to have to go with someone else".... I get an email with the live site and it's a template. The company whom did the work has their logo all across the bottom, etc.. I click the link and they are doing websites for like $399.00, and up to a whopping $699.00 for a CUSTOM logo and 6 pages... (You get the point)
How is it fair that company's like this get away with selling templates, etc. I feel they are taking work away from us and robbing the industry of fair work.
What's worse, is the guy thinks it's a GREAT site....
Argg...
Thoughts?
- UndoUndo0
tell mr henry ford.
- erokcom0
??
- radar0
I don't really want a client that would take a template site. If he is that cheap and niave let him roll.
- anon0
you seriously shouldn't worry about it erokcom. there are types of clients who don't want to pay anything at all those are the ones happy with soulless prefab shit. they will always be around. however the real clients know this won't work for them and those will show up at your door. and that is what matters.
- anon0
btw although mr. ford may have been a smart businessmen, in the end he was just plain wrong undo.
- orangemorning0
Yeah I agree, clients that are only after price and not quality are worthless people who should crawl in a hole and die. You could make the site anyways an still put it in your book just to grow your book.
- Rand0
a good client is rarer than a good designer
- inspiration0
link his shit up, man
- trevedda0
I think there's a serious issue here. It's easy to say the client's aren't worth having but sometime they maybe the only leads you have. I struggle with this "I can get a template for XX" since it makes me think should I be in a business where there is such a range of service.
I've spent a lot of time on a client who then "did it themselves" - in a way, because of my lost time their site cost ME a few hundred pounds. But I guess that's business.
I don't want to ignore the small clients and my business is too small for the big clients - where does that leave me?
Perhaps I should start shifting some templates out there to the masses!!
- Clear0
yeah a client that liked only paying $399, isn't worth having. You would have done the work and then had to wait and wait and wait and wait and wait to get paid. cheap bastards.
- -scarabin-0
what if you don't have the time to do an in-depth original design, but need the money and the clients wouldn't care anyway?
financially it makes sense to just toss 'em a template site, collect your fee and get on with your other stuff...
is this a moral issue?
- trevedda0
no - it's horses for courses. 10 template jobs at $300 = $3000 for 5? days work perhaps.
I'm begining to think templates is a money spinner now!!!
- erokcom0
I so agree with that...
I just don't get it though.. I see all these flash sites that sell templates as a solution. Tha's such BS to me. And, they have these client quotes like "I first met with a designer that was going to charge way too much. Then, I found company (HACK) X and they gave me a GREAT site for only $399.00."
What gives? I am trying to make a living here.....
:-(
- -scarabin-0
maybe it just comes down to the fact that "regular" webdesign isn't really worth anything anymore and we're all just hanging on still wanting to make a lot of money out of it.
the only money in webdesign being "special" sites for high paying clients.
perhaps "regular" sites just aren't a money maker anymore
- anon0
trevedda, if those clients are really the only leads you have you might as well offer them prefab templates, if that's not your thing than look for other leads because there are other leads.
- -scarabin-0
but then i haven't slept in 48 hours and i'm sure there's more to it than this
- anon0
erokcom, could you compile a list of all these templates flash sites you see and link them up here? i'll bet all those sites are a) crap and b) for smaller companies.
- Bottlerocket0
Forget about it.
- anon0
i meant sites from companies who bought templates.