Clients in web design to be avoided
After you have finally become a web designer and started to struggle for success in the real world, you may find yourself in a rather difficult situation. The teachers probably warned (or you heard) that different problems could arise with future clients. However, reality often turns out to be even more cruel than it seems to us at first.
Accounts are beginning to accumulate, the payment term for an apartment is getting closer and in such conditions a dubious customer who wants you to design a logo and site design for $ 100- $ 150 does not look like such a bad option. We all know how hard it is to adhere to our principles, and to look for a good job that allows careers and skills to grow, and not get bogged down in a routine, but in difficult moments it’s not really possible to think about it.
When you take on the order of a terrible client who refuses to pay in full or in part, or someone who has a million claims to work, you spend much more time working with him than finding a good customer. A bad customer will always cost you more than the price he pays.
AVOID HICKS
Customers turn to freelance designers in connection with the desire to increase the profitability of their business, whether it be website creation or brand development. At least at the initial stage, they understand that they need the services of a professional who can create something useful to help increase profits. I found that reminding the customers of this in a polite but firm manner is an effective way of not stopping you from doing your job.
Avoid querying customers.
Your ultimate goal as a designer is to find customers who will trust you. Otherwise, customers who are too cautious can start picking on trifles. In most cases (but not always) the higher you rate your design services, the more often you will find customers who respect your opinion and trust you. In this case, especially picky, wanting to control everything, your proposal will scare.
Set a decent and adequate price for your services. If you underestimate the cost of work at the very beginning of your career, it will be very difficult to increase it further.
I DO NOT SEE EVIL
Today, more and more designers prefer to work remotely, rather than face to face with customers. This has pros and cons. If you get a wonderful client, infrequent communication via e-mail only contributes to performance.
If your customer is of a different type, collaboration can turn into a nightmare. Many studies suggest that personal communication helps to establish contact between people, especially when it comes to business / work.
How to avoid bad customers
If you work remotely, then you have almost no way to visually assess your client. Skype can be of great help here, but even better if you can meet him in person. Regardless of whether this meeting or communication with the help of special programs, in long-term projects it is important to see the face of your client and accept the task from his mouth.
From this communication you can find out what type of customer you are dealing with. This can be understood by what words he uses in the description of his work, how he explains your future tasks, or even by the appearance of the office. If something does not suit you or an unpleasant feeling arises from the customer, it is worth considering whether it is necessary to undertake this work at all. In any case, in the future you will not get an unexpected unpleasant surprise.
WARNING SIGNS
If the client does not respect your work, he will let you understand this in a subtle (or not) way, for example, when discussing a project. The most warning signs are the offers to work for “fame” and “a large number of customers” in the uncertain future. If you have been in an online design environment for some time, then you should know that doing unpaid work is one of the most harmful things you can do for your own career and for the design industry as a whole.
Even customers who pay will sometimes offer it to you, knowing that any other web designer will accept such a suggestion for an insult. You do not always want to “work for fame”? Yes, sometimes it can be a good incentive to receive future orders, however, you should be aware that potential customers do not always pay attention to this.
For you, fame means a specific movement in a certain direction. If your client is ready to provide you with a list of actual customers who will be interested in you as a specialist, after working for him, then this work makes sense, otherwise you should not begin. In this case, most likely, they just play with you, wanting to get your services for free. Run.
Clients to avoid
The next big warning is customers who are trying to reduce the amount of time and effort to work on the project. Phrases like “Oh, it shouldn’t take you long”