Hi...

 

I'm pretty rubbish at social scenes usually, but when it comes to clients I generally find it is either hit or miss... sometimes a convo just "works" and ideas flow, and you come off sounding quite confident, and other times its just horrible, full of pauses and its a complete waste of time.

 

How often does this happen to other people? For me its about 50/50

And is it 'our' fault, such as being tired or grouchy? Or is it 'their' fault, if they dont want to pay a realistic price, or feel we are below them somehow?

 

Similarly, how do you feel about saying goodbye? It usually happens between a couple, but I notice it happens with clients... where you say goodbye then they say it then they say something else... something which feels like it needs a response, but you have already ended the conversation somehow... and saying something seems desperate, but not saying anything seems rude.

 

Anyhow, your thoughts people - spread them out before me like a platter of mind juice. .gif" style="vertical-align:middle" emoid=":seas8:" border="0" alt="seas (.gif" />

Yep sometimes conversations just flow or they don't. It's worth remembering that a client may be just as nervous/unsure as you when conversation is difficult, but as the "expert" it's really up to you to get the ball rolling again. If you keep hitting dead ends, ie client doesn't want to pay a realistic price, then its often worth just cutting the meeting short, thanking the client for the meeting and give them your business card if they want to reopen discussions.

 

With regard to saying goodbye and they say something else, well that's really down to your social skills!

^^^Agreed. At the end of the day, it's business and will sometimes be sticky, but you have to try and forge on. It's probably one of those things that get easier the more practise you get.

Also - I find some clients awkward over the phone but good over email, and vice versa.

Some clients are difficult to actually keep on topic, they like to go off at tangents and chat about this and that..... I don't mind a bit of chat but I find sometimes I have to steer the convo back to the point.

As for the price thing, again agree with above, if you feel it's a fair price and they don't , even after compromise, then you just can't do business together. Move on.

 

I find about 25% of clients difficult. The most difficult thing tends to be when I ask them what it is they want and they can't seem to put it into words. Then you have to prompt them, give them choices, etc. etc.

 

And what about the client that wants pink text on a green background? Sometimes you have to put your foot down a little bit and remind them that advice is part of what they pay you for.

And what about the client that wants pink text on a green background? Sometimes you have to put your foot down a little bit and remind them that advice is part of what they pay you for.

Yea, clients that get caught up in small details and request lots of things without understanding how it fits in with the whole is always a big challenge.

I have the perfect solution for this problem (for me at least).

 

 

I let my business partner deal with 90% of client contact lol. That way, I dont have to worry about talking to clients who don't know what they want etc.

 

The 10% I do talk to, are those I know have some inkling of what goes into designing a site etc, and so are easier to converse with!

 

So. My advice. Get yourself a smooth talking business partner lol

 

 

Regards

 

Scott

This is part of the buzz for me.

You have a client who has an idea, or maybe not, you steer them , stir them, inspire them, excite them, get them all fired up about something that they can see would be not only a real benefit to their business, but something that is a pleasure to look at, a breeze to navigate, an investment in marketing, public contact, customer relations or whatever is important to them, and guys, isn't it about making all that real for them?

dont you get a kick when it works, dont you get a buzz when you've had a good meeting, and you've left them feeling hey that went great, they know what they're getting, you know where to go with it.... all these things can come out of conversations whether they are at the beginning middle or end.........leave them feeling good........if they add something and it needs a response, give it.............if it doesnt need a response then maybe they would simply like to be the one that closes the conversation (and keep the client upperhand).

Treat them fairly, with good manners, and how you would like to be treat in return............you reap what you sow.

This is part of the buzz for me.

You have a client who has an idea, or maybe not, you steer them , stir them, inspire them, excite them, get them all fired up about something that they can see would be not only a real benefit to their business, but something that is a pleasure to look at, a breeze to navigate, an investment in marketing, public contact, customer relations or whatever is important to them, and guys, isn't it about making all that real for them?

dont you get a kick when it works, dont you get a buzz when you've had a good meeting, and you've left them feeling hey that went great, they know what they're getting, you know where to go with it.... all these things can come out of conversations whether they are at the beginning middle or end.........leave them feeling good........if they add something and it needs a response, give it.............if it doesnt need a response then maybe they would simply like to be the one that closes the conversation (and keep the client upperhand).

Treat them fairly, with good manners, and how you would like to be treat in return............you reap what you sow.

That's assuming the client listens to you and don't just view you as a set of hands to create their own idea of what a website is...

I know what you mean about awkward conversations - sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't. Some of this is practice, and you can tell this if you speak to someone who actually fills awkward silences or deals with etiquette for a living (like a salesperson). I called an image consultant for work-related reasons once and it was a beautiful conversation because she teaches etiquette and socialising as her job; any time there was a lull she always had a response and something meaningful to fill the void.

 

I've found that, even for those who are good in social situations, it's a matter of "If you don't use it, you lose it." If you talk to customers all day for a living but quit and become a hermit for a year, even you will find it difficult to get back on the social horse. There are two solutions to this:

 

1 - Turn every opportunity into a social situation, e.g. call someone even if you could email; it's good practice.

2 - Network with someone who has sales experience. This could be win-win for a lot of techy types who just prefer to live in their parents' basements and write code all day. Find a dynamic salesperson, offer them 10% of any deals they negotiate, and voila. Business!

i dont live in my parent's basement ... I live in one of the spare bedrooms...

 

If they had a (centrally-heated) basement, I would probably live there though - means I could make more noise once they've gone to bed (at 10pm ... who the hell does that??)