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12/28/2004 11:43:53 AM · #1 |
I'm a freelance artist and have been making websites for a lot of local bands lately. A friend of mine works for an electric company and gave the president of the business my number because they've been wanting to redo their website. The vice president called me last week and invited me to a meeting to discuss the new website, so TODAY (at 2:00) is my FIRST big meeting with a business. I'm kinda nervous, so wish me luck!
P.S. Does anyone else on the forums do website design and/or graphic design? Can anyone give me any tips for my meeting this afternoon? |
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12/28/2004 11:55:52 AM · #2 |
Good luck, Heather.
My tip: The people you are meeting will most likely have no idea about websites. Come up with a few "cyber-terms" (the more obscure, the better) and weave them into a few intelligent sentences.
I'm not suggesting to make them up, just make sure to use lots of real ones (mega this and that, upload, download, bandwidth etc etc etc). They will be in awe of your expertise.
I'll cross fingers for you.
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12/28/2004 12:07:43 PM · #3 |
My advise is look at their current site, come up with improvements/suggestions, present your ideas and make it as understandable to them as possible. The trouble with coming in with a language they (might) not know is you will lose their interest. Put yourself in their place. How long would you listen to someone that you couldn't understand? And if there is someone there that knows the language, they might just think you are using words to impress them instead of doing your homework.
Good luck. |
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12/28/2004 12:31:08 PM · #4 |
| Thanks for the tips! I usually don't need to act professional when I'm talking to band members about websites and they usually don't understand what I'm talking about, so I always put things in layman's terms for them. Maybe I'll keep things somewhat simple at the meeting and throw in some technical terms here and there just to seem professional. I've already looked at their site and I have some ideas for improvements that I'll present to them. I'll probably ask them what kind of changes they are looking for as well. Thanks again :) |
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12/28/2004 12:42:17 PM · #5 |
I can't stress enough how bad an idea it is to make up stuff. It's called B.S. on a good day, and it's called LYING on a bad day. Not to mention it's demeaning to the intelligence of your potential client as it assumes they don't know much about the subject at hand.
Be honest, positive and upbeat. Don't be afraid to say "I don't know how to do that, but I can certainly learn about it or I will subcontract it out to a qualified vendor." And, it may not hurt to stress that the short notice of the presentation has limited your ability to prepare, if that ever becomes an issue, offer to reconvene later.
Regarding the outstanding advice to appraise their existing site, do so fairly: this means praising what works as well as what doesn't. I feel it's a more professional approach than slamming the old site.
To answer your question, I ran my own graphic design and illustration business for 10 years. |
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12/28/2004 12:50:35 PM · #6 |
I don't know if I'm too late but... I have to respectfully disagree with Beetle.
These men and women are successful and intelligent professionals and are fully aware that they are not experts in the arena of website design and creation.
What they will appreciate from you is evidence NOT ONLY that you are an expert and really know your stuff but ALSO that you are a top communicator and can discuss the issues with them IN LANGUAGE THEY UNDERSTAND.
They need to know that you can help them understand everything they need to understand so that they can make the decisions they need to make in order for the project to be successful.
Concentrate on discussing issues of relevance to them. Show them you not only understand the web but that you can learn about THEM and their needs and connect the dots between both.
Look not just at the technical but also at who they are trying to attract and what kind of internet connections their target audience will have, how will this impact on the kind of site that would work best, what kind of volume of visitors are they anticipating, each issue you discuss - show them that you have thought about how it relates to them and ask THEM to answer questions that you can then use to formulate the best solution.
DON'T try and give them solutions at this meeting - you need to go away and think about everything before doing that.
DON'T undersell yourself just to get the job. If need be, tell them you don't compete on price - there are always cheaper vendors. But what they will get if they give you this job is professional work, genuine expertise, a desire to make the site work for THEM etc etc. That approach always works for me and I've never lost anything on grounds of price.
GOOD LUCK!
Message edited by author 2004-12-28 12:51:51.
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12/28/2004 02:24:39 PM · #7 |
Wise words Kavey.
In my dealing with clients, I find it's always good to give them an outline of what you can improve on what they have. If they will be showing you the information for the first time in the meeting, then promise to write a summary proposal upon your return to your office, and do so. If they are interested, and want more details, you can make that part of the paid work rather than doing it for "free" as part of a proposal. |
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12/29/2004 01:23:35 PM · #8 |
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01/13/2005 05:26:40 PM · #9 |
Still hoping for some feedback...
It's kind of nice when people go out of their way to try and advise to at least come back and give a brief response, even if it didn't go well.
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