The success of a graphic design business – or any online business – will not only be down to how to get clients but also how you keep and maintain them. This is why client communication is extremely important.
There is a right and a wrong way to communicate with a client. Get it right and there will be a long and mutually-beneficial relationship. Get it wrong and client goes elsewhere.
Don’t baffle the client with technology
Ask yourself “is it necessary that the client knows this at this moment?” And if the answer is “no” then don’t bother. So, don’t say:
“WordPress works better on Linux servers operating Apache rather than Windows operating IIS. If you are using a Windows host we could muddle through but it might be better to change hosts which will involve you changing the Name Servers at your domain name registrar.”
But, do say:
“I will set up your website for you”
It’s very important to know your client’s knowledge. If they don’t have any technical knowledge it’s best not to try to explain the “how” of the job. Just tell them what they’ll get out of it.
Keep it simple, stupid!
Clients don’t like things to be complicated. They are paying you to keep their life simple. So the last thing they need is questions, uncertainty and complexity. So, don’t say:
But, do say:
Similarly to not getting too technical, don’t explain the options unless it’s absolutely necessary.
The relationship is everything
Don’t involve any of your colleagues in the conversation with the client. The client wants a relationship with you. They don’t care how you get the job done they just want the job done well and, if there’s a problem, they want you to fix it. So, don’t say:
But, do say:
Do what you do best and outsource the rest. Every graphic designer must have loads of freelance contacts they can call on to help them complete a job. This is not of any specific interest to the client. The client is interested in the finished product that you will deliver not how you deliver it.
Don’t ask too many questions
Sometimes during the execution of a design or a task, a question becomes apparent that wasn’t covered in the brief. I usually try to make a decision as to what to do with this. A lot of the time the client isn’t available for further consultation and as far as they’re concerned the job has been briefed and they don’t want to hear back from you until the job is finished. So, when this is the case, don’t mention any of the problems you’ve had in completing the design. So, don’t say:
But, do say:
I find time and again that clients will go with your decision on some aspect of the design they haven’t thought about. That what they’re paying you for – they’re paying you to make decisions for them to save them time.
It’s all about communication
The most successful graphic designers – the most successful people who deal with clients online – are the ones that communicate best.
If you understand what a client requires and can then over deliver that on time and on budget – you’ll do very well in this business.
What do you think?
As ever, this has only been my experience with clients. We all work in different niches with different disciplines. What’s been your experiences?
Hi Rob
great post and whilst the intentions of giving information maybe well intended as you point out most clients outsourced the work in the first place as they did not understand or were not interested in the finer detail.
I am lucky to have found a designer who is on the same wavelength with me and recently created a dummy site to illustrate just how the layout would look in reality which was an unexpected and great bonus.
And of course there is a very engaged 2 way communciation between us to ensure we arrive at a mutually satisfactory point.
igor Griffiths
Hello again, Igor. I have always advised that designers should do a Photoshop mock-up of a website before developing or do a dummy/test site. Clients always really like it because they know what they are getting. It also helps to solidify the client’s thinking about the site.
Best of luck with your new site and everything else! 🙂
There are clients and clients. When you have card blanche about the costs you can choose the solution you feel fit, not inform about the work involved or costs like suggested here. But that is rare.
I do agree you shouldn’t overload your client with information and choices. A part of the work we do is knowing when to say and what, to have the most effective communication. The examples above are way too simple.
When dealing with a small-budget client you need to communicate with them that there are choices connected to costs. Giving away free work does not give you a client list that are going to provide you an acceptable income. You need to protect your own interests as a business too.
Never underestimate a client. Sometimes you mention something in the beginning of a process that the client does not grasp totally, but you need it for later. Planting a seed.
There is nothing wrong with letting the client discovers the sense in it. You discuss the subject again and the client thinks 1. this is a clever designer, he/she surprised me with something I did not know but does matter 2. I can trust this designer. 3. I learned something myself that will save me from costly mistakes in the future 4. Design is a profession that I need to outsource to be successful.
It’s important to know your client’s knowledge. Some clients, you are absolutely right, will want to know about technical issues. However, I have found the successful design businesses will be responsible for larger and larger jobs where only the end product is discussed with the client not the means of getting there. The whole ecosystem of the job is created by the design agency. Whereas a smaller, technical jobs, while necessary when one is starting out, ultimately will not be the future of the company.
I take your comment about the trust issue and if there is a decision that effects the client’s bottom line, of course it should be discussed. However, with the larger jobs the design company should know the client’s wishes and the best way to do the job and so the technical decisions won’t need to be discussed.
Thanks for your comment, Mariska.
I totally agree with what you said about not overcomplicating things when dealing with clients. You can quickly tell which graphic designers have been doing this for years and know how to handle clients, and which ones are just starting out and try to over-compensate with too much unnecessary jargon. Experienced designers tend to just get on with it and focus on the finished product, rather than go through every minor technical detail.
Good to see you here again, Alex. You’re right about experienced designers focussing on the finished article.
Oh dear God, I recognised myself in the don’t says. You so right though and nicely done.
I’ve certainly done all the “don’t says” myself, David. But they’re not always wrong, it depends on the situation.
I love your list. I know I’ve made some of those mistakes, and have learned from them. I agree: most clients aren’t too technical and don’t want the details of how you get there, they just want the job done right. Proper communication is definitely key to success. Something we can all attest to.
It’s amazing how we keep on learning about communication, Nick. Thanks for your comment.
I just left a comment on a site at which someone had proposed the following:
““In a high hazard industry or venture, professional leadership attitudes that ensure hazardous processes are managed such that risk to people and the environment is maintained as low as reasonably achievable, thereby assuring stakeholder trust.â€
“To increase trust, leaders in hazardous industries should reduce risks to people and the environment,†would be shorter, was my suggestion. When a message is short, it is understood.
Hello again, Astro Gremlin. “Never use a long word where a short one will do.– George Orwell. And cutting out words from a sentence will often improve its meaning.
Thanks Rob – this is a topic I’ve been really wondering about, so interested to hear your and others’ views on it.
In particular I wonder about the process of choosing a hosting service for my clients’ websites. There are a gazillion different options available!! Obviously the easiest thing for me – as a web developer – would be to always use the same hosting service for everyone and not give my clients any options on this. But do you think I should give my clients some options? I could spend days and days researching, and I don’t particularly want to…
Thanks, Cos, with hosting I would choose a reseller account from these shared hosts for WordPress or a VPS host for WordPress and offer the client a package from these. The shared/reseller option is cheaper than the VPS – the VPS more reliable. Route the mail through Google Apps. You can’t go wrong with these hosts and this set up imo.
Thanks for the link Rob – good article, as always. My preferred beast of content management is Drupal (because that’s what my biggest client uses!) but presumably the same goes for Drupal as for WP when it comes to hosting – ?
I’m sure the hosts mentioned in those articles would be fine with Drupal, Cos. However, the research I did on them was specifically WordPress-based.
Thanks Rob. What was it about your search that made it specifically WP-based?
I got the opinions from developers who specialize in WordPress.