The one problem I seem to have when I get a contract for a website, is the amount of time a client takes to send me information.

Now I am not talking about major information, I am talking about the likes of photos. I have heard so many times, o we have a new product , i would love to put on the site, but I wont be able to get the photo for two weeks, (which we all know is three weeks, if we are lucky)

How do ye guys and girls get your clients moving quicker, with content or approvels ect as I dont get paid the majority of money, till the job is finished.

First of all, possibly change the way you charge to 50% up front, 50% on completion (don't know if you do this already).

After all, cash flow is one of the most important things to get right.

Secondly, from my own experience, most clients(not all) need a good sharp size 10 up the backside to produce any content at all after their first initial flurry of enthusiasm.

Keep on pestering them (in the nicest way possible) and stress that you can't develop the site further until you have what you need and that this is their loss, not yours etc

Always a problem getting content from clients!

Always a problem getting content from clients!

That's why they should never be allowed to produce it themselves!

I know I deal with words not graphics, but if I didn't maintain the momentum on jobs my clients would do the same - so what I do is really drive-home the process at the beginning, focusing on all the lovely progress that will be seen at each stage and putting a timescale on even the smallest step. Then, as the work proceeds I ensure I'm always subtly reminding clients of the next stage, then the next - being specific, mentioning each deadline in every communication.

Sort of, "Great thanks for the source material now I can start the first draft. It will be ready on Wednesday and you'll get your first glimpse of the finished article. Be sure to have that extra info we talked about ready so that I can start the revision phase and get a proof copy to you by Friday...."

Don't be afraid to keep reminding clients like this and don't wait for a deadline to lapse... you can encourage a client if it's before a deadline, once it's lapsed all you can do is pester. If handled properly it actually enhances your image - it is professional to ensure a project is running to time and smoothly, not so much chasing-up.

Good advice wizely but can you elaborate on "they should never be allowed to produce it themselves"?

Good advice wizely but can you elaborate on "they should never be allowed to produce it themselves"?

I could but it would be a shame-faced plug for hiring a professional copywriter! So let's pretend I didn't, oh no... I think I just did!

 

On a serious note, and apologies for it sounding like a sales pitch, you designers cringe when you see people struggling for ages to produce table-based, inaccessible, non-validating, unusable, aesthetically challenged and ineffectual designs... I do the same when I see so much "I'll get the copy/content to you when you've done the design".

For the vast majority of websites it's effectiveness depends mostly on its content and in the vast majority of cases that content is copy. Even for graphic rich sites do a word count and then compare it to an image count.

 

Where I'm going with this is that when I work with designers providing the content, I get involved right at the beginning of the process, helping to shape the design through the content's layout, navigation needs, tone, style, theme and lots, lots more - the content is not simply stuffed in at the end - it's an integral part of the design. I also ensure that the evolving content is there for the designer at the right times so he/she never gets delayed.

 

Now, I don't spam WDF with sales-pitches so, before you think this was just that... what I'm getting at is that sometimes designers make a rod for their own back by accepting it's normal practice for the content to come after or halfway through the design process. The client will then no doubt be struggling to get the content together and thus delay and reduce the effectiveness of the design.

 

I just wish there was a stronger message out there that said "Design is about maximising the effectiveness of your content - how can that happen without the content and how can I maximise crud?".

 

getting good content from a client is often a killer

Wisely I totally agree with what you're saying. I try to get content first and use that information to base a design around. Design is easy but if you don't know the content then isn't it a bit silly to start design without knowing based around what!?

Don't be afraid to keep reminding clients like this and don't wait for a deadline to lapse... you can encourage a client if it's before a deadline, once it's lapsed all you can do is pester. If handled properly it actually enhances your image - it is professional to ensure a project is running to time and smoothly, not so much chasing-up.

 

Totally agree. It's sometimes feels like you're nagging but keeping on-top of the project from day-one is crucial to the success.

 

Plus having a phased payment structure, not only aids cash-flow, but also gets your client to financially commit to the project.

I completely agree with Wizely - content makes or breaks a website as its all very well having a website with nice colours etc but with no content what do you have to show your visitors?!?!?

 

You need to make the client aware of the deadline chace them up before it and then pester them after it. I think it was already mentioned but its also their fault if the sites taking so long to complete and not the designers.

 

Just my £0.02