Be a Professional for Handling Clients in HTML Creating Commercial Websites

Be a Professional for Handling Clients in HTML Creating Commercial Websites, Just as inexpensive computers and ignorant clients made everyone with a laser printer and a clip-art collection a “desktop publisher,”

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the media hype and onslaught of “point-and-click” HTML editing programs have caused thousands of people to think they can call themselves Webmaster.

Half-baked ideas of virtual malls and unlimited income, and the would-be entrepreneurs pushing these ideas, are causing a lot of people and businesses to get burned. Carpetbaggers abound in this industry, and the dashed hopes and bad feelings resulting from their unprofessional work reflect on all of us.

Don’t enter this business with the idea that everyone needs a Web site, or that you are going to make a killing overnight. You are in a new industry, and you are a pioneer—be professional about it.

Overall, you should follow these simple business rules:

  • Be honest.
  • Meet deadlines.
  • Communicate clearly.
  • Return phone calls and e-mail promptly.
  • Stick to your proposed budget.

Be Honest

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Don’t give clients unreasonable expectations of what a Web site will accomplish for their business, don’t lie about deadlines, and don’t misrepresent the medium as a “limitless frontier.” You’re not a used-car salesman, you’re a professional—act like one.

Lying not only makes you a dirtbag, it makes the entire profession look bad. It’s also fraud, and can have life-long ramifications. The corner donut shop probably has no place on the WWW, and trying to persuade them otherwise is in no one’s best interest.

Meet Deadlines

Hmmmm, let’s see: “dead” and “line”—this would seem to mean that if you cross that line, you’re dead. This appears to be a fairly straightforward concept, so why is it that so many people misinterpret it as meaning “approximate completion date” or some vague concept of an ideal goal?

Well, in fairness to many programmers-turned-designers, a deadline doesn’t mean the same thing in programming as it does in advertising. In programming, a deadline is often as vague as having “something working by spring,” whereas an advertising deadline would be more like “have it printed and delivered by December 8.

If you work with businesses,

you’d better meet your deadlines. Don’t set unreasonable goals that you know you can’t meet,

and don’t ever try to whine your way out of a deadline. If you make a commitment, you keep it.

If you are relying on a client to provide information, input, or approval,

and that client is lax in getting back to you, then you have every right to extend the deadline. Make sure you include in any agreements that you are not responsible for the delays caused by the client,

and that you reiterate this when necessary.

Now, sometimes a client will make you work with one of their subcontractors (like a designer),

and this person may put your needs at the bottom of a very large pile of priorities. If this is the case, document everything—you can’t be expected to control this person,

and the client should know this up front. If it’s your own sub that’s dragging you down, however, it’s your problem.

Communicate Clearly

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Again, it’s often the geek-turned-designer who screws this up. Many geeks have poor social skills, which may be the reason why they were originally drawn to an industry where they don’t need to interact much. Or maybe this type of left-brained mentality lends itself well to working in a digital environment. Who knows?

The facts of the matter are that the moodiness, mutterings, and tirades of the “fragile genius” geek don’t hold water in the boardroom. Nor does the pretentious practice of burying people in acronyms. You are an expert, and part of your job is to explain what it is you are doing.

Now, there is certainly some wisdom from the way programmers interact that can be applied to specific situations. There may be a time when you will want to rely on acronyms to shut up an offensive yes-man. This is one of those people who feels that they need to constantly keep a high profile to justify their job,

and will read a magazine article just before a meeting so that they can throw questions at you to make themselves look better at your expense.

This may also be a person who knows just enough about HTML to think that he/she should be getting the project for his or herself. Feel free to squash this person like a bug,

but make it appear as if you are honestly trying to answer his/her question.

Example:

Brown-nose: “Isn’t the new SQRL going to completely replace the standard XYZ1?”

You: “Well, the SQRL is still in beta testing, and everyone seems to agree that both the TFP and RQQ will need to be beefed up before there is any commercial viability. For this project, the XYZ1 seems to be the lowest cost and best-tested option. Is there some specific reason why you want to use the SQRL?”

Brown-nose: “[el]er, um, [el]yeah. I just wanted to bring it up—I heard something somewhere[el]”

You: “Oh.”

Let the awkward silence rest on their shoulders. This shouldn’t be your overall communication style, but it really can come in handy.


Note

Don’t fake it. If someone presents you with an acronym or concept that you aren’t familiar with, ask that person what it means. If you try to fake it, it might blow up in your face.

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