I’ve recently discovered that sometimes being an expert at something can hurt your business. I know, you’re probably say, “That can’t be true, being and expert is why people hire me.” Yes, you’re right. However there are times that a client has limitations. Usually the limitations are based on money, but other times it could be a time restraint or maybe what they will be using your product for doesn’t require a high end solution. The trick is to provide a solution or product that fits your client’s needs. Forcing them into something that doesn’t fit won’t keep that client happy in the long run. This is particularly important for long standing clients. They already know your work is quality because they keep coming back, and you don’t want to lose that.
Take website design. You may know that the best website for your client would be one with all the bells and whistles, but the client can only handle something with half or maybe even less of those options. What do you do? Going against your instinct can really cause some internal pain. Often the best thing is to do is agree to do the best site you can within their limitations, but explain to them why you think the higher end product would be a better choice. If the reasons are compelling enough there’s a good chance they will go for the higher end. If not provide what you promised and move on to fight another day. A hard sell at this point will only cause discomfort and possible lose you a client.
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