We’re often approached by clients who have run across someone who sold them a bill of goods and left them with a less than perfect web solution. Just as a big hat doesn’t make you a chef, just because a person says they are a web designer doesn’t mean they are a professional one.
What makes a professional web designer is their ability to listen to the client and suggest the right business solution. Even though that solution may not be something the “Designer” does. A true professional should tell you what you need and not just what you want to hear. Most clients don’t know their meta tag from their link exchange, but it’s your web designer who should.
It does Studio490 no good to design and develop a web solution that never exceeds its clients business expectations. That simply makes a unhappy customer and they don’t return.
The Client
Just as it’s important to hire a professional web designer, we believe it’s important for the client to know what they are asking for. If they don’t, then be open to feedback from that professional. Know when you’re asking for a Lexus on a Yugo budget.
Spend some time learning what you will need to ask for before you find someone to provide that service. Look for a professional who has references, testimonials and samples. Ask about qualifications and how they do business. A professional will be more than happy to talk about their company.
Know what’s included and what is not in the scope of the project. Project Creep is very common in web development and it’s best to define what the cost will cover.
A committed web professional and a educated professional client is a winning combination. You can see our references to see.
Tj and Dana Todd
Studio490
So you went into MS Word and did your letterhead last year.
Then you realized that your company logo should be more than just words. And so you brought the topic up in a sales meeting and the guy who sells stuff on eBay was the most creative person in the group. So he whipped up a logo using Paint Shop Pro over the weekend.
Next thing you know, the logo is in your power point which was put together by your Sales Manager.
Three weeks later, you are attending a conference and your secretary has been working on a brochure/calendar combo and you say, “hey, drop in our new logo and print out 100 for the show.”
I paint these situations because this is just what happens everyday in business. May I suggest you print out all of those materials and lay them out on a table next to each other.
Do they look the same?
I’d bet a Venti Mocha Frap that 7 out of 10 are not. They were made by different people at different times with different reasons. Not to mention that none of these very skilled and willing people were Creative Professionals.
That disjointed look you now see all throughout your Client Facing Materials are what your clients see everyday while dealing with your company. Your brochures look different than your email blasts. Your business cards look different then your website. Your powerpoint look different than your closeout materials. When they get some project materials from a SA they look different still.
What is this saying to your client?
Is the process of your business this disconnected? Are my orders being handled properly? Am I paying to much to a company who is spending more time on my project than they should be?
This is where a Creative Professional such at Studio490 comes in and asseses the single brand of the company, adjusts all materials that are not company branded and develops a process for employees to follow to avoid future disconnects.
Having a single brand applied to all client facing and internal facing materials will streamline the development process of communicating with your client. After all, you want a sales person to be selling and not trying to design your next newsletter.
Contact us today and let us exceed your expectations.
You can see some of our work at www.studio490.com and our references from clients we helped fix that broken road.
Tj and Dana Todd
Studio490
