General Discussions

**benicio** · 03-26-2011, 04:44 PM

what do you always talk about when you meet with a client.. she wants me to create her a wordpress blog. what do we need to talk about, this is my first client

**Giselle** · 03-26-2011, 07:54 PM

Small chit chat, has she mentioned color, style, theme, etc. of the blog, that's a good start, she will tell you her likes and dislikes, which you can learn a lot.

Best wishes with your first client!

**edgray** · 03-27-2011, 04:24 AM

First off I always try and find out in detail their specific goals - this can affect the type of website they end up with. Talk about how much time they can dedicate to uploading content too - there's very little point building a client a blog if they're never going to be able to post on it.

Talk about their target audience - this can affect the design outcome drastically. There's little point building a very modern and clean website if the target market is children, for example.

Once you understand their needs and who the site is aimed at, then it's up to you to tell the client what they need.

Good luck!

**benicio** · 03-27-2011, 11:27 PM

if they can't upload contents regularly, should i suggest another CMS instead of CMS?
she said she also wanted it to earn, so i guess i have to introduce her to some affiliates or adsense

**edgray** · 03-28-2011, 06:14 AM

If they can't upload regular content, then there's little point in having a blog. And little point having any kind of CMS either. I've been down that road many times - the client INSISTS that they want to be able to edit content, so you build them a CMS and they cannot use it because it's too complicated or they don't have enough time.

There's also a lot of confusion about what a CMS can and can't do. I've had clients expecting to be able to edit graphical elements of their websites through a CMS system.

Get as much info from the client as possible - it's your job to tell them exactly what they need for those requirements.

**chrishirst** · 03-28-2011, 06:24 AM

It's rather curious how clients are exactly the same, no matter where they are from.

They are always too busy to provide content, yet never too busy to ask why their website has not been updated since last week/month/year.

**edgray** · 03-28-2011, 07:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by chrishirst

It's rather curious how clients are exactly the same, no matter where they are from.

They are always too busy to provide content, yet never too busy to ask why their website has not been updated since last week/month/year.

So true. What I'm up against at the moment is a website launch is delayed because of the client dragging their feet.... and now they're having the nerve to complain about the delay!

**chrishirst** · 03-28-2011, 08:09 AM

I've started getting them to pay upfront, that way I don't really care when they lose interest in what was vitally important three months ago.

**edgray** · 03-28-2011, 08:48 AM

smart move. we take 50% upfront... then struggle once that runs out and the clients are dragging their feet with 2 lines of copy...

**Benmoore47** · 04-01-2011, 03:28 AM

I never met my client. If ever, I will be dressing a corporate attire and will discuss things that he/she like to discuss with.