What a Client Wants to Hear
One of the most important parts of running a successful design company, is attracting, maintaining, and keeping clients! Without the clients, there can be no work, and without the work, there is no company. So just how do you make sure that you keep your clients happy? You make sure that you tell them what they want to hear, and deliver it.
Often times, a client has chosen to meet with you because in some way, shape, or form, you offer what they are seeking. Something has told them that you can probably do the job they need and you will do it right. But will you? That is what the client wants to know.
When we first started our company, we were in the mindset that we had to land every client and every job that was presented to us. This seems like the ticket to success, however, sometimes it can be a ticket to a nightmare. The reason for this is that you are not always right for the client and the client is not always right for you. At some point, you have to put money aside and think about the project as a whole and what it can ultimately do for you as well as the client.
Contrary to popular belief, not all clients are concerned with price alone. In fact, I have found this to rarely be the case. What they are concerned with is whether or not you can deliver adequate value for the price they must pay. If you are quoting them $4,000 for a new website, you better be able to justify that price to them in a return on investment that will warrant them paying that price.
If you cannot do that, that client is going to find someone else who can. Clients simply want to be sure that they are going to get a return on their investment, and when they do, they will love you forever! Show them that your work is of value to them and they will be quite confident that you can deliver the goods. If you come up short, they will be very hesitant to ever call you again or recommend you to anyone else that may need the same services as they did.
So what can you do to make sure that you deliver what you say you will? Well, first and foremost, be honest. If they are asking for things that are out of reach, tell them. If they are asking for the world for the price of a neighborhood, tell them. The last thing you want to do is end up upside down in a project because you needed to have the job.
You also do not ever want to promise them something that you cannot deliver. Do not promise them a front page ranking in the major search engines if you are not sure you can deliver that. This will haunt you for the rest of your existence because they may not remember the thirty things that you did deliver, but they will without a doubt remember the two or three things that you did not deliver. Being honest and keeping the projects within your abilities will pay off ten-fold in the long run.
The next time that you have that important meeting with a client, remember that they are coming to you because you are the professional. They want to be assured that you are going to provide them with everything they need, and nothing that they don’t need.
Clients want to be sure that you can provide value for their investment, and as long as you do that, you will keep them as a satisfied client for years to come. When you tell them what they want to hear, and then deliver it, you will be on the track to much success in your business. Remember that the next time you have that important meeting with one of your valued clients.
Cory Perry is the co-founder and Creative Director of DigitalRealm Media, a small design studio located in Greenville, SC. You can read more about DigitalRealm Media and Cory by visiting the website at digitalrealmmedia.com.
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