7 Ways to Avoid Being Canned by Your Designer
“YOU’RE FIRED!”
Often, many people believe that you can only be fired by an employer. However, in many service industries, specifically the design industry, it is quite possible to be fired by your contracted service provider! There are many articles available on how to be a good employee or service provider, how the customer is always right, and steps on how to better your working business relationships. This article isn’t one of those. It is developed for all the clients out there who think they have a right to strong arm their designer just because they paid a service.
1. Don’t ask for Black when you wanted Cream.
Your designer is not a mind reader. (Otherwise they probably wouldn’t have gotten into a business agreement with you in the first place.) They don’t know how you take your coffee just as much as they don’t know what “put it where you think it should go” means. Communication is the key with any relationship. Be clear. Be concise. Vague references, such as “put it on all pages” can be left wide-open for interpretation. WHAT on all pages? WHERE on the page? If you require something specific, BE SPECIFIC and don’t expect your designer to just “know” what should be there and where it should be.
2. Don’t be a Cattle Baron.
It’s important to understand your designer probably has more than one client. It’s ok to ask your designer to consider a price break for certain services. It is not ok to DEMAND your designer DO IT FOR FREE, because your over-inflated ego expects preferential treatment. This is not only unfair to your designer, but also to their other clients.
3. Don’t bat your eyes.
Get in the game. This is YOUR website, so start participating. I don’t care if you pay $4.95/mo or $495/mo. Professional designers will always ask you to review their work. It is YOUR job as a client to ensure the additions and changes you have requested are just as you wanted. Don’t wait 6 months later to tell your designer items are missing or information is incorrect.
4. Quit barkin’ at knots.
If you need annual changes to your website content, don’t wait until the 11th month. Procrastination is bad business, for both you AND your designer. They want to get your content up as soon as it’s ready so they can move on to the next client and project. Plus it makes you look bad, unorganized, and wastes everybody’s time.
5. Don’t point fingers.
There are always three pointing back at you. It is YOUR JOB to communicate to your designer. Your designer’s job is to DESIGN (see #2). If you can’t vocalize your vision, then draw it out on paper. Provide an example of another website as reference. Provide examples to things that you DON’T LIKE. And if you’re still not quite sure what you want, trust in your designer’s capabilities, but don’t be afraid to tell them (politely, quickly and respectfully – see #3) that what they’ve created isn’t exactly the direction you were thinking and perhaps now you’re a little more clear on where to head.
6. No bar tabs!
Be sure to pay your bills in a timely manner. If you need extra time, communicate that with your designer. Most designers are usually understanding and will allow extensions. Otherwise, get them paid! It’s the right thing to do. Don’t waste everybody’s time by beatin’ around the stump, askin’ everybody BUT your designer to explain the detailed invoice, complaining about the costs months after signing the contract or agreeing on a price (see #4).
7. Respect the fence line.
We try not to use hot wire ‘round here. Respect your designer and the profession. You may think web design is easy work. Truth is, technology has come a long way since the cookie-cutter days of FrontPage and freebies like Homestead. Many, many hours are spent researching and learning new ways to effectively portray businesses. Condescending snarky belittling remarks will only add tension to your partnership. If your designer tells you that something will take extra programming or design work, then it will take extra programming or design work. Period. A professional designer isn’t in the business to bleed every penny out of you. But they do have to justify the cost of going back and doing that “little extra” thing you requested (see #1). It is important to remember you hired them for their knowledge and skills, and to understand the designer does not have to tolerate your crap, just because you hired them!
If you need annual changesI
~Rodeo Ramsey
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LOL Bloody AWESOME Blog post Ramsey! Gave me a laugh!!
AWESOME post! I am on the verge of firing one client and still thinking about another – this at a time when I cant afford to lose the business – but sheesh – the time they waste of mine costs probably more than its worth. Anyway – you really hit the nail on the head!!!
Thank you for this reminder. Sometimes we take too much from our clients. It’s good to remember that they hired us and not the other way around
I’m on the verge of firing 2 clients, at a time when every dollar is essential. I’m sick of putting up with the condescension myself, and I think your post – while emotional! – is very succinct and appropriate. I’m not difficult to work with, but these two particular clients have a tendency to say, “I’m ready to *really* get going on this,” then disappear for 3 months, come back requesting the update, and balk at the fact that I expect money. That is, after six 1-hour phone calls. URGH. Great post!
Thanks! Yeah, you really have to factor in what stress is worth per hour and subtract that from your overall costs. Sometimes, it’s simply better to be broke & happy than it is to have a few extra hundred in your pocket!
OMG, I LOVE this Ramsey!
I just “fired a client” today and I know it was the right thing but i still felt bad…this made my day!!
I usually always feel bad too, for a while. Glad I could make you feel better! 😉 Shoot me an email if you’d like to chat about it!
Great reading, and spot on. I think the common theme here is communication. Clients do seem to think we are mind readers – most of the time anyway.
That perhaps, is the best article I’ve seen so far explaining the mutual relationship between Buyers and Designers. Those are very rare to see because most are aimed at the freelancers.
Many buyers still need to learn how to take part in their own project. I respect all my buyers because it’s the truth, I earn due to them but won’t get anyone over my head. You have to learn the right way.
As you’ve suggested in the first point, designers are no mind readers. They do their job by your details. Of course the creativity is theirs but you have to take part in understanding that their creativity is what you want.
Wow, you must have been angry when you wrote this! I agree with every word.
Perhaps a little. Mostly just completely fed up with being stretched out every which direction, being held responsible for things that weren’t my responsibility, and being accused of numerous things, such as taking advantage of a client who was obviously taking advantage of me.