Get yourself informed about the prospect and what he expects before you start the pitch. You can then deliver a much more measured delivery.
The ‘running off at the mouth’ that is often employed by web designers both at web design meetings and on their websites is meant to impress upon the audience how much they know. All it does is impress the audience how disorganized (and sloppy and illiterate) they often are.
It’s a balancing act. You don’t want to sit there and say nothing – the prospect does want to have an opinion about you other than ‘taciturn’ (or ‘chancer’ – even worse). On the other hand, you mustn’t dominate the conversation and sound like a car salesman.
The trick is to be friendly but sound profound. Not easy and you have to think on your feet.
Get Your Position Right – Right from the Outset
It’s important to create a hierarchy. Who are you?
Are you the guy who is going to jump at every phone call demanding yet another change? Or, are you the consultant who will dispense his manifold skills to their advantage and to whom they will prostrate themselves?
Are you the maid or the doctor?
It may sound arrogant but it has consequences later on. If you come across as weak, submissive and pliable, you may get the gig but you will get communications that will have that expectation – how high can you jump? Why are you not adding all this extra stuff to my website – now!
Alternatively, if you are the doctor, it will be – ‘What do you think of this?’, ‘I understand it may cost more but how about adding these?’ The consequence of the ‘consultant’ position is, of course that you can charge more by reason of your professionalism.
Of course listen to the prospect and be adaptable. Be pliant but not pathetic.
Webbie Qualifications
I don’t like regulations but it is a problem that there are few real yardsticks of website designers’ performance out there. Most website designers are self taught. Only a few will come through existing courses (subject of another post). Prospects in my experience pay more attention to you personally than to your portfolio.
SImilarly, this poses a small problem in that prospects pay more attention to you, your appearance, your knowledge and authority than to a piece of paper. Which may be worthless.
Tell Them
- A little about the company background and perhaps your own background as it relates to the business;
- Tell them why you love designing websites;
- How many sites you have designed and for which big important clients;
- The types of sites – marketing, database, CMS, eCommerce etc. and their uses
- Your SEO skills that get your clients cash;
- The way you go about developing your websites;
- Things you can do to marketing websites to increase their pull – social bookmarking, newsletters, blogs, client lists, testimonials etc.
- Special services like hosting;
Answer any questions promptly and then resume. Make sure that your tone is knowledgeable but informal. Cut the anecdotes – they distract people and waste time. They don’t want to deal with Victor Meldrew. Nor do they want to deal with Justin Bieber.
Bye Bye
Be aware of meeting fatigue. People being distracted, looking at their cellphones, what’s going on outside the door. Paper shuffling.
Time to wrap up and go. In my case usually between 45 minutes and an hour.
Do not make them sit there while you go over your last 9 points. They will think that if they give you the gig you will micromanage it to death. Use the space they will give you to speak to get the main points over then talk about their own requirements.
Have a list of less than important items that can be left off if there is no time.
- In my case – web design courses;
- Control panel uses;
- Anecdotes;
- How busy – or otherwise – you are
Time to go, thank them all, get out and thank them again in an email. If you agreed to quote then follow up a few days after it’s submission.
