[EmmaPhlema]

I know, I know...I'm always asking about clients...I feel that I need a lot of help being more professional with my clients but I've mostly just been very straightforward & truthful - which has gotten me into trouble quite a few times.

I have this new client and it will be a huge acct. for me and I would love to please them...but they keep talking about just revising what they have...AND what they have is pretty bad. The designer before me is the bosses son or son in law or something and he's looking to get out of the design part of it and focus on other parts of the business (good idea). Basically how to I tell them that I believe we should start over cuz there current stuff is pretty awful- without being rude or demeaning the previous designer???

Any help would be appreciated. Thanks guys & girlies!

[fasterthanlight]

Speak your mind in a concise, professional manner.

Present them with the cons of what they have now, and the pros of redoing it from scratch.

If they have any intellect, they will very quickly realize that molesting a turd into a polished turd is no good


*Edit: they are looking to hire you because they know you have skills, and they know you don't fuck around, and they would be paying you for a premium service, so I don't think you have to worry about demeaning the previous designer if you always start your sentences with "Well, in my professional opinion, this is terrible because... "

[twentysixtwelve]

Good advice from faster. Remember you are the professional, this is what you do for a living. You're not conning them, or trying to sell them something they dont need.

An approach would be to explain why you think it needs redoing. Have a look through the site now, and write down what you think is bad about it, in your own words..

So eg, "crap navigation, cheesy and pixelated photos, annoying hover over effect on the menu, tiny thumbnails everywhewere, 1980's colour scheme (in bad way), cant read content links on crazy colour background". Then when you have a list, categorise...

So :

Imagery : cheesy and pixelated photos, tiny thumbnails everywhewere

Navigation : crap navigation, annoying hover over effect on the menu

Colours : 1980's colour scheme (in bad way), cant read content links on crazy colour background

Then, re-write in a more professional manner...

Imagery : outdated photos, don't portray the professionalism of the company. Thumbnails are difficult to see, making it easy to miss important information links.

Navigation : Confusing navigation > too many sub levels. Hover over effect could be refined/minimised.

Colours : outdated colour scheme, accessibility concerns with link colours.

Then go grab a coffee with them, take a print out of your doc, a laptop with the website pages saved offline (nothing more embarrassing than trying to talk through a site with no internet connection), and tell them you`ve taken their initial brief, and have identified aspects of the site that fall into their specified needs, but you feel there are elements that in your professional opinion should be added to the brief to create a more professional web presence.

Remember, dont be afraid to tell them what you think they dont want to hear. Most of the time they do want to hear it, they just dont want you to mention it cos they dont want to pay for it.

[Frenelli]

Giving pros and cons of why yours is better is a good idea.

[chazthetic]

what twentiesixtwelvefiveseventyfoureighty said is pretty much spot on.

If you can type it up in a professional way that expresses business reasons and relate it to the customers interaction somehow, in a irrefutable way, they can't really argue. If they do, as big as the account is, imagine the frustration you'll feel dealing with them.

[EmmaPhlema]

i'm appreciating everyones feedback!!! Thank you!

[twentysixtwelve]

Originally Posted by chazthetic

twentiesixtwelvefiveseventyfoureighty

Originally Posted by chazthetic

imagine the frustration you'll feel dealing with them.

A very good point... remember they`re not going to be your ONLY client. If you present your findings, and they turn you down, its their loss. You can be confident in the fact that you were professional, and it was their decision not yours to not continue.

Good luck.

[fasterthanlight]

^ On point

[Boris]

Another approach is to ask them to review the site.

You may find that they are very critical of the site, since it is probably an ugly mess, and then you just go into how you can improve the various things that they dislike.

It is surprising how often the client likes the ugly clashing colours that they put in. However if they say it is hideous, then you can happily explain how you will make it better with out having to tell them about all the short comings.

There are a few question based sales techniques, where you prepare the questions up front and the customer leads themselves to selling your services. It takes a bit of practice. Look up question based sales.