The Small Business Web Design Client from Hell
Anyone in web design for any length of time will eventually meet this guy or gal. He or she is the Small Business Web Design Client from Hell.
Because of this client I write all my initial proposals very carefully and specifically and say exactly what web design work the quote encompasses and what is extra. It’s gotten so my proposals, if printed out, are often ten pages long, sometimes more. I also make sure I have, in email or a sig on hard copy, agreement to this proposal before I start the job. Why? Because of this client and the high likelihood of ending up in some sort of arbitration since the Small Business Web Design Client from Hell is guaranteed to NEVER be satisfied with the result.
Because of this client I have just installed the Subversion Web SVN so I can “version” websites the same way software developers version software, so when the Small Business Web Design Client from Hell changes his or her mind ten times and back again, I can just go back to version number 7.0.22.
Because of this client I have gotten very good at using the color replacer tool and ALL the other neat tools in my graphics programs, and I use three so I have the right tool for every Small Business Web Design Client from Hell occasion- Photoshop, Fireworks, and Paint Shop Pro. I’ve also learned to layer EVERYTHING and always save out the workfile with layers intact. I have sworn never to become a Flash Developer, despite knowing and loving the program and its results, simply because of the Small Business Web Design Client From Hell factor.
Because of this client I have bought stock in Maalox.
Because of this client I can no longer claim to have a decent hourly wage average, since this ONE JOB skewed the results for the coming year.
I know you have to pay your dues in every endeavor that’s worth doing, but this one was almost a dealbreaker. Flipping burgers at Mickey D’s was actually starting to look good.
September 28th, 2005 at 8:14 pm
Everyone in the industry goes through this at the start. I think it is very important that they do. You need to learn how to deal with this kind of client/customer. At the end of it all and when you come out the other side, you will see it is not really the client that is problem at all, it is your skills in dealing with them from the get go and management of the client. Its a science in itself, but you get used to it.
September 29th, 2005 at 8:11 am
I wish I had that luxury in this case! This job was brought in by my occasional project partner, he was the client interface, and all the experience I could have brought to bear was filtered through him, which made a difficult experience more so, especially since my sometime partner in projects is a great guy and wonderful to work with, and I was between a rock and a hard place- wanting to just ditch the job and not wanting to hurt this guy I’ve grown to enjoy working with, and who was “paying a piece of tuition” on this one in the school of hard knocks. Unfortunately I had to cough up a piece too, even though I’ve already been there and done that, for the sake of protecting this working relationship I’ve grown to value.
Makes me remember a bumper sticker I saw recently- “OH NO! Not another LIFE LESSON! RUN!”