Every so often I go through my portfolio and check to ensure all is still working as it should. Today I found out a client has been poached by another designer (a designer I actually met in a local networking group but did not know personally). It shouldn't be a surprise because the client did tell me they were going through a branding change (after I can called them asking for info needed to update their website) bit still it bites. Lesson? Watch the competition and be sure to keep up. 

This situation makes me wonder how the designer felt when their client comes to me asking me to redo their website. My reaction is to ask the client if they are in contact with the old designer and the answer has always been no, they fell off the face of the earth. And I say, ok. 

Anyway, curious to know, on either side of the situation (losing or gaining a client) how you handle it? And go!

Why is it difficult for some marketing agencies or solo seo artists to work with an existing website? Especially when the client is happy with the website? Why does the agency insist they redesign the website as part of the "package". #PlayInTheSandboxWithOthers

Edited July 30, 20188 yr by RobertS

You might get requests to implement redesigned elements to improve conversions, but the client should know your part of the process, and you should still get development work from it.

It happens though, we've had clients stolen, but you'll get people that also come your way from other agencies and stay for years.

I work at a full service agency on the web team, having a team that can do everything has significantly helped us keep clients, we're able to fulfil everything that other agencies or freelancers have to outsource. Clients really don't want to work with multiple agencies or freelancers if they can avoid it, It might be worth trying to find a freelancer, or two, that you can recommend to clients to fill in some gaps. There are definitely some good ones on here. 

I don't see it as poaching myself, I've been freelance a lot of years and if a client wants to try out someone else that's fine with me but they often come back with a broken website hoping I can fix it for them. If a client comes to me from another agency I always ask them to be honest as to why the change, I'm always a bit dubious as sometimes it's not the other agency but the client that's the problem e.g. they never pay their bills, so better to say no than be stuck a few grand down the drain.

15 hours ago, RobertS said:

Why is it difficult for some marketing agencies or solo seo artists to work with an existing website? Especially when the client is happy with the website? Why does the agency insist they redesign the website as part of the "package".

I'm not sure, depends what shape the current website is in for the honest professionals but for others they want to sell more even when there's nothing actually wrong with the current site and their replacement site is inferior. If a client asked me to "SEO" their website and it's a Wix special I simply say I can't

There are times you have to let a client go, not that often but sometimes they can get too big for you or decide on something you simply don't agree with. I let one go as their new "marketing specialist" wanted me to make a load of chic looking changes to the site and dump a load of supporting pages which pulled in most of the traffic and was converting as they liked "minimal" content. I informed the client I wouldn't do that to their site we had spent so long building up the reputation for so we politely parted ways with no hard feelings.

On 7/21/2018 at 1:07 AM, RobertS said:

Every so often I go through my portfolio and check to ensure all is still working as it should. Today I found out a client has been poached by another designer (a designer I actually met in a local networking group but did not know personally). It shouldn't be a surprise because the client did tell me they were going through a branding change (after I can called them asking for info needed to update their website) bit still it bites. Lesson? Watch the competition and be sure to keep up. 

This situation makes me wonder how the designer felt when their client comes to me asking me to redo their website. My reaction is to ask the client if they are in contact with the old designer and the answer has always been no, they fell off the face of the earth. And I say, ok. 

Anyway, curious to know, on either side of the situation (losing or gaining a client) how you handle it? And go!

It pays to watch out for the few! Btw what’s your login password?  ?

10 minutes ago, Vidladdie said:

It pays to watch out for the few! Btw what’s your login password?  ?

'Password' obviously.

24 minutes ago, Jack said:

'Password' obviously.

My PW or his? If mine, not quite. ?

On 7/30/2018 at 6:59 PM, RobertS said:

Why is it difficult for some marketing agencies or solo seo artists to work with an existing website? Especially when the client is happy with the website? Why does the agency insist they redesign the website as part of the "package". #PlayInTheSandboxWithOthers

More often than not the code on these existing websites is absolutely horrible and the performance generally isn't great either so it's cheaper and you can build a better product when starting from scratch.

A good agency will have an abundance of work and same for freelance developers.  it isn't generally profitable or fun to work on these existing codebases.  When there is an abundance of work you are going to pick the more profitable, fun greenfield projects and if the client really wants to work with you they will be willing to have a new website.

The phrase "you can't polish a turn" springs to mind.  If I were freelancing there's no way I'd choose to take on existing projects.  I'd work greenfield only unless the client were willing to pay me significantly more to deal with the headaches of an existing project.

Edited August 2, 20188 yr by rbrtsmith

I only do freelancing on the side so our opinions may be different.

I don't really see a big issue with this, if a customer wants to go else where that should be up to them. At the end of the day why should the customer be tied down to you when they can shop for cheaper/better alternatives elsewhere. You would do that for anything else like a TV, insurance, internet etc ... why should web development be any different.

Any customer that i do work for has access to the original source code (hosted privately on my git server) and has full ownership of the hosting and domain. I've seen too many developers hold domains/websites to ransom over any dispute and i think it is wrong and gives the rest of us a bad name.

To be fair I've done my share of redesigns and when I do it is for reasons like that indicates they fell off the face of the earth. Not the case here. I don't hold websites hostage. In fact, hosting is set up in the clients name so they retain ownership.

My issue is, why cant a marketing agency worth with an existing website. If they do marketing (with web design on the side) why MUST the website be rebuilt - again? In talking with the client they said they were happy with the website, it was just something the new agency insisted upon. That is my issue - with the agency, not the previous client.

Thank you to everyone for the feedback. 

I don't think they are poaching per se. What I don't do is meet another designer then go to their portfolio and poach. If that's what that guy did, that's a little sleazy.

I also don't directly link my portfolio out to my clients' sites for this reason too. I screenshot the front page and call it a day. That way it's how I designed it and no surprises.

Edited August 4, 20188 yr by Seth