Getting inside the mind of your client helps reduce frustration (and surprises) on both sides, reduce “contract creep” and project or budget overruns, and allows you to coach the client about what they really need. By learning to get inside the mind of your client you help them make better decisions and have more clarity early on.

It’s a common comment among web designers that clients often don’t really know what they want or need. That’s because it is the process of designing – seeing the changes along the way – that helps the client become clear. You can shortcut this process by remembering to ask some key questions that help the client get clear and give you more insight as to how their minds work.

1. What do you want your website to accomplish?
Sounds basic, yes? But it is often left off the “design” questionnaire. If a client doesn’t know what they want their website to accomplish, they will be changing their minds frequently throughout the design project – which can become pretty frustrating for the designer, especially if there is a set fee.

2. What is the first thing you want people to do when they come to your site?
Often clients are so focused on how they want the site to look, that they forget that the purpose of the site it to get the client to do something – sign up, make a purchase, leave a comment, etc. If you help them think through this answer, it will help you know what to place where on the site in order to create the greatest likelihood that people will take that specific action first.

3. What is the second thing you want people to do when they come to your site?
If you help your client think beyond just the initial process, you’ll be helping them make sure their website and their business and financial models are in alignment. That means less going back and making changes later, and less frustration and annoyance all around.

4. Who is your target market?
OK, so this is question is probably not missed as often as the others. But what do you really mean when you ask this question? Does the client understand? Have they defined it enough to help you create your design? (And by the way, if you’re a web designer, are you clear on who YOUR target market is?)

5. Give me a list of websites you like and identify, specifically, what you like about them.
6. Give me a list of website you don’t like and identify, specifically, what you don’t like about them.
Again…these two questions may be ones you ask, but you will probably need to coach your client on how to provide you specific feedback so that it will make sense to you and help you get inside their head, thus allowing you to create a more on-target design the first time.

Don’t let the client just say “I like the menu on this site.”

What, specifically, do they like about the menu? The font? The color? The hover effects? The size of the menu in relation to the header?
It could be any, or all, of those things. But if you don’t ask, you’ll just be making an assumption, which is never the best way to meet a client’s expectations.

7. How will you know when you are satisfied with your site?
This is, by far, the most commonly missed question. It is essential to get the client thinking in these terms before the project even starts. Both you and the client need to be clear on what the measures of “satisfaction” are. You may “finish” a site and fulfill the design contract, but if the client isn’t truly satisfied, how does that help you long term?

Your goal is to design great websites that help your clients do what they want, but part of your goal is also to have delighted clients who send more work your way. Asking this question upfront, even if the answer is a little fuzzy at first, is one way of ensuring great word of mouth advertising and ongoing client relationships.

Consider incorporating these questions into your intake form, discovery questionnaire, or whatever process you use when beginning a new web design project.

What other questions do you ask that help you get inside the minds of your clients? Please share them in the comments below.

We recently realized we have a number of teachers and students (both college and high school) who attend our webinars. This is very exciting!

Since you are in the official, traditional educational realm, we’d love to hear about your experience with the webinars at WebDesign.com.

Please share your thoughts in the comments section below! And thanks!

• How did you hear about WebDesign.com?
• How are you using what you learn?
• What has been the biggest benefit you’ve experienced as a result of attending webinars at WebDesign.com?
• Are there particular classes that have been especially helpful? If so, which ones, and why or how have they been helpful?
• What would you say to someone else like you (teacher or student) who is wondering whether they should consider attending the free live webinars and/or joining WebDesign.com?
• If there were 1 or 2 things you most want to share with your peers, what would it be?

Let us know by leaving a comment.
Thanks!!

“Preparing a Site for the Client” is an 80-minute webinar that will show you how to customize the backend of WordPress and make it user-friendly (dare we say fool-proof?) for your clients.

We’ll cover:

• Backing up your site.
• Using a dashboard “skin.”
• Customizing the footer.
• Changing the logo.
• Hiding the update notification.
• Modifying the favorites dropdown.
• Disabling meta boxes.
• Removing various items.

And plenty more. It’s a helpful lesson that can add real value to your web services. You can access this webinar as part of the WebDesign.com premium membership, a wealth of web training resources that will boost your skills and help you attract new clients and do more for your current clients.

Tailored Login is a new plugin released since this webinar was offered. It provides an easy way to customize the login page – either to brand it for your client, or with your own brand and information. The Tailored Login plugin is available as part of the PluginBuddy Developer Suite (best deal).

RESPOND.

One word that gets missed on too many opportunities.  One action that people love and expect.  One thought on how you can differentiate yourself from the thousands of other design firms or entrepreneurs all fighting for customers.

It seems simple but one of the biggest complaints I have heard over the course of twenty years is that a potential or existing client would like a timely response to their inquiry, their question, or their needs.  Even if you are not interested, don’t know the answer, or cannot fulfill their request you should have the decency and courtesy to respond – with something…just acknowledge them.

You can make a fan and great impression with this strategy — or not.   It’s really up to you!

Today on the WebDesign.com live show, Cory and James talked about conversation, content and community. They also recommended a lot of books that have really helped us build a community around our products and services. Here is the list of books and their Amazon links.

The Whuffie Factor: Using the Power of Social Networks to Build Your Business

Trust Agents: Using the Web to Build Influence, Improve Reputation and Earn Trust

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference

Six Pixels of Separation: Everyone Is Connected. Connect Your Business to Everyone

Raving Fans: Satisfied Customers Just Aren’t Good Enough

The New Community Rules: Marketing On the Social Web

Isn’t that just the way it goes?

The service guy blamed it on not rotating the tires frequently enough, which just isn’t true. He gave me an estimate for new tires that I’ll have to swallow at some point in the near future—but not right now.

When I got home I went online and started doing a little research. Something seemed fishy—tires should easily last 40,000 miles. And a little research was all I had to do. One Google search later and I’d stumbled across a common problem of uneven tire wear for this particular make and model. Across the automotive blogs and forums people were complaining about the same issue. At least I’m not alone.

Armed with that knowledge, I contacted the service department at my dealership to see if anything can be done. A growing mob of disgruntled customers isn’t something to dismiss lightly. I’m not expecting miracles at this point (especially with my car past the warranty), but it’s always worth asking.

That’s the power of the web. There’s no hiding. If your product or service has a defect or a major failing, annoyed customers will share that information, find each other and demand you fix the problem. Their ability to organize is incredible. If you think you can hide or ignore the problem, you’ve got another thing coming.

Address problems head on. Don’t try to bury your mistakes and pretend they never happened. Be honest and up front with your customer service and you won’t get burned.

You can’t just slap up your name in cyberspace and call it good. You need to have a clear and specific strategy for how you’re going to use your website to help your business.

You need a plan:

• Educational Marketing – You could use your website to education potential customers about your industry. You offer insight and knowledge and build trust with potential customers.
• Customer Service – You could put your site to work as a 24/7 customer service representative. Pack your site with instructions, FAQs, tips and anything that will answer customer questions. You could pair it with the more immediate response of Twitter or other social networking sites to give it a more relational feel and answer questions that don’t fit the standard mold.
• Offering Value – You could offer extra value on your website with special deals, coupons, or incentives your customers can’t get anywhere else. Amazon offers value by being cheaper, easier and having a wider selection than any brick and mortar bookstore. If e-commerce isn’t your thing, maybe you’re offering free resources that give customers value and establish a lasting relationship.

Whatever you do, make sure your website has a strategy. The last thing you want is the digital equivalent of a phone book listing.

Once upon a time an angry customer could raise their voice and slam the door on the way out. You could try to make amends, but if it didn’t work you could just shrug your shoulders. At worst they might tell their friends, but it would usually die down.

Complaints Go Online
Now those angry customers can go online. They can spread their grievances to anyone who will listen (and even some who won’t). There are countless sites that post user comments, giving voice to the frustrated, whether their complaints are justified or not. Those complaints don’t just disappear, they stick around. And trying to control those complaints is like herding cats. Good luck: You’ll need it. A jilted customer could even take it much farther than an angry comment and post an entire site slamming your business.

Complaints could even take a political tone as customers critique your company on a variety of issues, from unfair labor practices to animal cruelty to environmental damage.

Your Own Voice
So how do you respond? The beauty of the freedom all these complainers have online is that you have the same opportunity to speak. It’s a good idea to respond to some of these negative comments and reviews that show up on other sites, though you have to remember that you’re dealing with disgruntled customers who may not ever be assuaged. But in many cases humbly addressing an issue and offering an apology can do wonders.

But perhaps the best thing you can do is counter those complaints with your own site. Your own site doesn’t have to be the Wild West—you can control the conversation. It may not be wise to completely ignore complaints, but you can use your site to fairly address concerns and focus on the positives: emphasize how you resolved complaints and shine some light on rave reviews and happy customers. Above all be honest and transparent.

Having your own website gives you the platform to counter these complaints and the ability to have some control over the conversation. Without a website you’re ceding the conversation to someone else.

Advertising is usually a one-way street. It’s one-way communication from you to potential customers. Think about the standard forms of advertising—radio or TV commercials, billboards, print ads, even the guy on the corner holding a sign. They’re all one-way communication with little regard for the customer’s interests, preferences, time or general sanity. As such, advertising gets ignored. Even worse, it can be dismissed as annoying.

While advertising can be effective, it has many pitfalls and is often on the outs today. Unless you’ve got multi-million dollar Super Bowl ads, nobody asks to see your advertising. Customers don’t want to be yelled at or interrupted.

Customers want a conversation.

That’s what a website can offer. It’s more than advertising. It’s communication. It’s connection. It’s interaction. Assuming, of course, that you take the effort to do that (see Do More with Your Website).

People visit your website because they want something. It’s not an interruption—they’re seeking you out. So give the people what they want. Give them the basic info they’re looking for. But a yellow pages ad does that, so do more. Answer questions they didn’t know they had. Offer updates and discounts and insider info. Make it dynamic. Make it change. Let’s see a yellow pages ad do that (see Flexible Marketing for Your Business).

A website is ultimately about communication, so make sure you’re communicating.