Web Wallah vs. Designer?
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- boobs
How do I get clients who actually want some help, and insight, and ideas, rather that a mere "web wallah?" Or "print wallah?"
I get very irritated with clients who, it seems to me, just want me to execute the technical aspects of their (frequently poorly thought-out) media efforts. "OK. I've made a logo here on my PC, in Word, and I just want you to put it up on the web. How much will that cost, and can you work here in our office, and have it up tomorrow?" or "I've already made the entire web site in Quicken. I just need you to get it up on the web!"
- ETM0
...and can you tie in to this access database on my assistants machine. What about just turning this powerpoint into Flash and putting it up as our website.
- AAARGH!!!! KILL THEM WITH FIRE!Projectile
- Fire is rarely enough on evil that strong.ETM
- C: DELTREE may do the trickvaxorcist
- bigtrick0
look at your website:
look at your website title:
"Stunning Web Design, Graphic Design, Social Media, SEO, and Analytics"
- And your point is?boobs
- dude your a joke...why do you say your a designer when your site looks kike (#$%^)brodyR
- Well, I do have the guts to actually post my work.boobs
- No reason to call him a kike.DrBombay
- LOL. +10 for posting your work -10 for calling yourself a designerclearThoughts
- bigtrick0
i think maybe you portray your services as a technical solution rather than a complete solution. just guessing - i don't have the complete picture here.
- boobs0
bigtrick,
Fair enough, for that article in particular. But there are many other topics covered on the website. Including general marketing strategies, where to spend the first marketing dollar, etc.
- bigtrick0
okay... but those are all things you do to a website that already exists, yes? you have a lot of actual design work, but you've hidden it away on the 'samples' section of your site, in tiny thumbnails, as if you're not really eager to sell your design work. i realize that more goes into making a successful website than the graphic design thereof, and you may be excited about the technology, seo, marketing, etc. also, but if i didn't know to look, i might not even know that you could design a website.
i humbly suggest... adding some of your design thumbnails to that huge white space area in the top left. and in your samples page, expanding the images from thumbnail-size to multiple large images per piece of work. also, perhaps marketing yourself as a 'web designer' instead of 'web designer, graphic designer, social media expert, seo expert, analytics guru.'
- maikel0
charge ten times what you are charging and they won't bother asking you for things a cheaper designer would do. you may lose a few clients in the process, tho.
or just be selective. nobody is gunpointing you ain't it?
- boobs0
Those are all good points, and, honestly, I'll add them to my action plans!
- boobs0
I guess what I was really looking for, in starting this thread, is some "conversational tricks" about how to actually talk with clients to get them more on board with me doing the ideas, problem solving, and design, rather than just taking care of the technical execution.
- PIZZA0
Your website looks like a development house, do a complete rebrand
- maikel0
the only way i found to change the kind of clients i had was explaining to them the design process. ie, mentioning that you need to know what your site/brand/campaign should achieve to be succesful/effective rather than 'nice'. things like that.
i also tell them that they may just 'need a site and that's it' and for those jobs, a junior designers or crowdsoucing will be a lot better and less expensive.
- Those are good points to use in my next new client meeting.boobs
- silentpost0
market yourself as a designer and the client will expect a designer.
if I were looking for a designer, I would pass up your site in favor of somebody that executed a unique or straightforward layout with particular care to their (good) portfolio. your portfolio looks like an afterthought. right now, your website does not say "designer"; it reads more like a quickly thrown together CMS solution built to maximize SEO with little care shown to the design (no offense intended).
also, what maikel said.
- Those are good points I'll be considering and acting on!boobs
- vaxorcist0
the Root Cause: need to be swimming in a better schmoozing pool...
I wonder sometimes if the trick is to learn how to play golf, and/or to learn how to hang out at some very elite fundraisers for causes that
CEO's of huge companies like.... in the past, I avoided golf people like the plague, but I'm learning to see they have the $$ and decision power sometimes....Then you may move rapidly and rabidly up the food chain of clients....
Learn how to be the powerpoint reality-distortion wizard yourself, not just have to be surrounded by them at consultant meetings...
- emotional sell is a key here.. SEO smarts, ROI smarts, but also creating an attachment...vaxorcist
- vaxorcist0
I do think that being treated as a vendor rather than a partner is often due to not polishing your aura enough....
your ability to wow, not just deliver, your ability to inspire bragging rights among your clients, not just about the project, but about your public image,etc... so, a PR campaign may be a bit of the answer....
- clearThoughts0
dude... not so sure what to say about some of your work...
http://stunningcreative.net/Samp…
Is this the kind of turning a Powerpoint to Flash kind of gig somebody mentioned aboveand...
http://brossphoto.com/
'This one just left me speechless...'
- ********0
you have to edumacate your clients.... cuz knowledge is power
- clearThoughts0
Your portfolio is probably getting more traffic than ever in history at the moment though...
Remember. Any promotion is good promotion.
- boobs0
I doubt it. My old Flash site used to pull more traffic.
- ukit0
It looks like you have some good contacts. I think what you need to do is have a really impressive site or two in your portfolio to demo what you can offer. Right now you are assuming they know what "the product" you sell is, but they really don't.
As a sidenote, I saw your bio, and I was expecting more boobs.