Pick Clients? Sound funny? If you want to be successful at running a web design business you must pick your clients, not the other way around. If you have a book of clients I’m sure you can look at your best clients and find a common thread. For me these clients “Got It”.
“Got Its” vs “One and Outs”
Over the years I’ve worked with clients that “got it” and clients that didn’t. One thing I can say with complete certainty is this; the clients that are the “Got Its” have been long and profitable business partners. They get the importance of the web. They get how important good search engine performance is. They get that their website must be easy for people to use and contain the information they’re looking for. How do you recognize the “Got Its”? That’s easy, they tell you. When you first speak to a potential client and let them know that design, usability, and search engine performance all go hand in hand and they understand what you’re saying, they will tell you. They will be excited about what you have to say, or even say “that makes a lot of sense” or “I get it”. They will also see the merit in on-going changes and SEO, and will see the merit in a maintenance program with you.
The ones that didn’t get it are the “One and Outs”. “One and Outs” are the clients that get their website launched and you wont hear from them again. Or maybe they’ll call in a couple of years when they need to change the phone number on their site. They don’t see the merit in continuously updating their website or tracking it’s performance.
One of my goals in life is to work smarter and not harder. A reoccurring revenue stream with an established set of “Got Its” is definitely easier to manage than knocking on doors constantly looking for the next “One and Out”. If you focus on the “One and Outs”, you’ll always be relying on the next job to pay your bills. That’s a shaky house with no foundation. One strong economic tornado or market shift can put you out of business in the blink of an eye.
The “Got Its” by a knock-out.
Nurture your relationship with the “Got Its” and never take it lightly. They should be treated as your most important clients…because they are. What I’ve found is that when everyone is onboard and rowing in the same direction, everyone gets further. One other thing, “Got Its” refer other “Got Its”. Birds of a feather shall we say. In closing, pick your clients and learn to recognize the “Got Its”. This may mean that you’ll have to leave a few of the “One and Outs” behind. That’s okay. Unless you enjoy working harder.
