Thanks to all who asked us a question on the subject of clients last week. Today, I’ve tried my best to provide a win-win situation for the most awkward of client circumstances. Feel free to chime in with your comments at the end or perhaps tell us how you’ve dealt with similar situations. The following may put clients in a negative light, but this is because we’ve particularly asked for those awkward issues and it’s best for both parties to be open.

Anyway, without further ado, here are the first batch:

What do you say to clients that have heard that PageRank is the be all and end all to internet marketing?

This is a matter of client education. Five minutes of speaking logically with the client can save many a phone call on the subject of PageRank later on.

But what to actually say? A good start is mentioning that PageRank is merely a by-product of your SEO/marketing efforts. The issue here is that the client correlates PageRank directly with positioning in Google. Show them that a site with a higher PageRank doesn’t necessarily mean a higher position for given keywords (perhaps with this query - no real pattern between PR and position.) I’m not saying PageRank doesn’t correlate at all with SERPs, it does. PageRank is a measure of incoming link-weight which does affect SERPs. So tell the client that the incoming link’s theme, anchor text and title text matter more . So going back to my original point - PageRank is a by-product and the client needs to concentrate efforts on sourcing links rather than checking their PageRank bar every day.

Still can’t convince them? Tell them to focus their efforts on a link campaign ignoring PageRank as even if they should be monitoring PR, it only has a visible change 3-4 times a year.

Win-Win? They learn about the PR myth and you can put your efforts where they count.

Why do clients think they know more than the designer sometimes?

Because the customer is always right…in their head. Why should you, a designer, who works creatively every day know more about web/graphic design than they? How dare you suggest that. ; )

Seriously though, the “I’m a designer so I know more” approach probably won’t convince them. Instead, try taking the approach of them offering the problems (as opposed to the solutions) and you, the designer, solve these issues in an elegant manner. As soon as the client starts offering solutions (which work because their friend told them it did) you’ll end up in a tangled web of solutions which may not work together, aren’t fit for the web or maybe just plain backwards.

Win-Win? All they have to do is identify issues and you don’t get the usual pile of rubbish to wade through. You get to use your brain and ultimately they benefit from a well thought through site.

Can you change the layout now that you’ve designed it and we’ve given you the content which doesn’t match the design?

Ouch. A tough one.

This one depends on your contract with the client. I’m assuming you’re billing them either hourly or that the design had been signed off and the contract is fixed fee. Either way, explain that (unless you’re financially suicidal) the extra work must be paid for. You’ve done what they asked for once and did it to spec. Changing it at this late stage isn’t fair.

Maybe put it in a real-world context and use a builder analogy. Getting a builder to build an extension exactly to your plans and then changing your mind and asking him/her to totally change it without paying them is unheard of. Maybe agree to charge them slightly less for the rework? It’ll show them that you understand their sudden desire to change and you’ll still get paid twice. You’re in a much stronger position if you have already asked for some money earlier on in the process - they won’t want to see it go to waste.

Win-Win? Hmmm…I guess if you do charge less for the rework then it shows you care for your clientèle. And as I said, more cash to you, even if it is at a lesser rate.

Your thoughts?

I’d love to hear whether you agree with me on these sensitive issues. Maybe suggest an idea or two?

More questions and answers soon.

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The posts Your Client Problems Solved: Answers (Part 2 of 3), Your Client Problems Solved: Call for questions, Client Speak, Flash and Accessibility, Get inside the client’s mind, are related to this post.

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