Although this particular client was an educated, intelligent professional that paid her invoices in a timely manner she nevertheless frequently overstepped by telling me how to do my job, manage my time and run my business. Therefore, in an effort to address this problem I often shared my growing concerns with her in an effort to maintain an open and honest dialogue, and to mitigate any potential harm to our working relationship this difficult situation would cause if left unsaid.

Furthermore, I welcome clients to share their opinion and ideas regarding their Web presence because they have a vested interest, not just monetarily, but also in ensuring their Web site meets their expectations, vision and business requirements. However, there is a real balance between implementing truly valuable ideas from a client, and submitting to their directives simply because they’re footing the bill, which will eventually only serve to undermine your role as an expert. Therefore, based on experience the only way to earn a client’s respect and trust is too stand-up for your principles because your credibility will otherwise suffer.

Again, there are a number of reasons for terminating a client relationship from unprofessional conduct and unpaid invoices to unreasonable demands, but for me when you client becomes your boss then it’s time to say adios.

It’s too easy to fall into the trap of trying to impress a client with how smart we are about our particular discipline and showoff with terminology that makes us look like true geeks. However, all we’ve managed to do is confuse and confound our clients, thus missing a golden opportunity to further develop a stronger and more importantly trusted rapport by helping them better understand the various technologies employed. I just don’t utter words like meta data, title tags, heading levels, alt and title properties when discussing SEO, but I take the time to show the clients the actual code and how it translates to the interface.

Additionally, it serves a dual purpose because it’s been my experience that clients earn a newfound appreciation for my craft because they realize the level of expertise required to be proficient at interface design and front-end development. I don’t know about you, but most clients think you simply use a Web authoring tool like Dreamweaver and presto, you have a Website. In addition, although they’ve already engaged your services based on your credentials it goes further to solidify your credibility and their willingness to accept your direction and expert opinion.

The benefits of educating clients on Web-based technologies is it makes them feel more connected and able to make more informed decisions on how they can continue to leverage technology to improve their overall Web presence and the significant benefits to their bottom-line.

Fortunately, I’ve known a number of highly skilled IT professionals for a number of years that I frequently engage and we have established an excellent business relationship. However, when I need to go outside my talent pool I perform my due-diligence, which includes reviewing each applicant’s resume and portfolio very carefully, and if I’m impressed with their credentials and experience then I’ll schedule a phone interview. The phone screen consists of a series of questions intended to further ascertain their technical aptitude and business acumen. One thing that is often overlooked that I deem extremely important is evaluating their phone etiquette as well because they will often need to communicate with a client over the phone. If they pass this initial screen then I’ll schedule an in-person interview.

During the more formal interview I share with them the particulars of the project and some of my internal processes in an effort to convey that they’re dealing with a savvy businessman. I acknowledge that an agreement has been executed and an initial down payment has been received that covers the first milestone and it’s respective deliverables. In addition, I’ve included a provision in the contract that states if a client fails to pay when the next milestone is met then all work is suspended. This stipulation is written into the agreement in order to prevent the both of us from being burned.

If we both feel that it’s a match then I have them sign a “Work For Hire Agreement,” complete a “W9”, as well as, set them up in Basecamp, provide them with access to my development environment, and issue them a company email address. Lastly, I provide them a token payment as a matter of good faith, and pay them every two-weeks until the project is complete.

Furthermore, I firmly believe that anyone operating a freelance business isn’t going to dismiss out of hand an opportunity to work on a challenging project simply because it’s contract work or the ridiculous premise that subcontractors are not properly compensated. If they’re dealing with a reputable professional who understands business then the cost for engaging their services should have been built into the price. Therefore, as long as they’re appropriately compensated, able to work remotely and empowered to manage they’re portion of the project then where’s the downside?

Again, I’ve been managing these types of efforts for nearly 8 years and certainly there have been some hiccups along the way, but I’d rather engage a qualified freelancer on a contractor basis then loose out on a potentially lucrative business deal. I think it really comes down to fair play and if both parties conduct themselves as honorable professionals then it’s a win-win that also has the potential to develop into a long-term partnership. However, there is no shortage of IT professionals needing work so if they fail to perform or produce then pull some more resumes…

LLC and CPA

Within 4-months of starting my business I submitted my incorporation papers to the state, which safeguards my personal assets and gives a client the confidence that they’re dealing with a credible business. Immediately following I opened a checking account for paying expenses and a savings account where monies are set aside for paying quarterly and annual taxes.

In addition, I engaged a CPA to handle the company’s taxes and to provide periodic advice regarding tax related issues and accounting best practices. As an added bonus I applied for an American Express gold card, which makes it much easier to organize expenses and attach receipts to the monthly statement for tax purposes. Not to mention that a credit card lends additional credibility, especially when your entertaining clients.

Contracts

A well-written contract is like a strong fence it builds good neighbors. I’ve prepared a set of comprehensive agreements in an effort to clearly spell-out the various legal obligations and responsibilities by parties, as well as, the project’s requirements and deliverables. Additionally, each of my agreements is customizable based on the project’s requirements. Even my cost estimate includes some of the basic information and specifications that my more comprehensive agreements include.

A couple of years ago I hired a law firm to review my contracts in an effort to create a bulletproof agreement that would benefit both WebNet and our clients. My current contracts include:

• Web Design and Development (Master Service Agreement – MSA)
• Infrastructure Outsourcing
• Hosting and Post-implementation Services
• Site Migration
• Work For Hire Agreements
• Senior Sales Rep Agreement

Project Management and Invoicing

I use Basecamp as my project management tool, which allows my clients to remain involved and focused on their web-based initiative throughout the project’s lifecycle. The ability to review milestones, timelines, upload files, create “To Do” lists and post general comments online helps keep everyone on track. Additionally, we created our own in-house invoicing system that enables clients to review, reference and print their invoices indefinitely from a secured environment.

Hosting and Prototyping

I partnered with a small, local hosting provider that I’ve maintained for the past 7-years, which has proven to be an integral part of my business because it provides me and my clients with better flexibility and a faster response time. I purchased my own web server, which allows me to directly develop client sites online and test various technologies real time to ensure any bugs or glitches are addressed pre-launch. In addition, it enables clients to review our progress and provide further direction and feedback throughout the project’s lifecycle.

Client Relationships

Another important business acumen is developing long-term client-relationships. Relationships are built on trust, and trust is built on honesty and I make it clear to all prospects that they’re not only engaging my expertise, but my expert opinion too. This sets the stage that I’m opinionated, direct and upfront because I’m completely focused on their best interests and to be otherwise would set us both up for failure. Clients respect and respond positively to this approach, which is best typified by my most recent client testimonial.

One thing I do when meeting with prospects to help set me apart from some of my competitors is I provide clients with a nice jacket with a letter of introduction, brochure, client testimonials, SEO and Web standards overviews. Additionally, I have plenty of business cards and nice pens with my company’s name and phone number printed on them to share with each attendee.

Summary

There are many more good business models to employ, and I’m simply sharing what’s worked well for me. Take some time to invest in your business processes and practices, which will definitely help your business operate more efficiently and profitably.

Therefore, it is absolutely imperative that the client and service provider clearly identify and document the project’s objectives and overall scope to ensure that all the requirements, deliverables and responsibilities are clearly outlined, especially since the service provider is ultimately responsible for implementing a solution based on said documentation. Of course, additional requirements inevitable creep up, but that potentiality should be addressed in your agreement.

The real benefit in documenting everything in writing is it may not prevent honest discord, but it will in all likelihood prevent frivolous disagreements and misunderstandings during the project’s life cycle where the focus should be on producing a quality product.

I’m now creating Web forms that are simple and require only information that is absolutely necessary and I use a validation script to ensure that any field that has not been completed will generate an error message.

The reasoning behind this effort is simple; capturing key information such as name and contact information allows the provider to follow-up with the prospect and engage them on a more personal level. This provides an opportunity for the service provider to establish a rapport with the prospect, ascertain additional information, and demonstrate that their interest, no matter the scale, is taken seriously and important.

Of course, some forms may need to be far more comprehensive depending on the subject matter, but the point being whenever possible to adhere to the old philosophy, “keep it simple stupid,” which benefits everyone.

Over the last many years working as a Web designer and developer I’ve come to realize how valuable a black and white mockup is to the overall design process and removing the imagery, colors and other visual elements allows the client to focus on the layout, content and identifying the various “calls to action” we want the user to take. It’s really all about the user experience (UX) and providing key information that’s meaningful and useful to them.

Many designers, especially if there expertise is in graphic design tend to focus on the visuals and not usability, but no matter how visually engaging your site is if the content is poorly written or fails to meet the user’s needs then your competitor is just one-click away.

Based on my experience clients really appreciate the attention given to the site’s content, and together after the visuals are added the entire presentation helps to support and compliment the company’s overall messaging and brand.

The table-based layout approach coupled with nested tables is considered an antiquated and non-standard approach to site design. The table method causes code bloat, additional page-weight, and prevents search engines from indexing the site’s content. In addition, people with disabilities using alternative browsing methods such as screen readers on table-based Web sites often encounter difficulty interpreting the site’s content.

The optimum approach to developing a Web presentation is to separate the data from the design (decoupling), which simply means to structure the site’s content using valid, well-formed semantically correct markup (XHTML), and use Cascading Style Sheets (CSS) to style, present and position all the various Web elements. Using a CSS document the layout information is centralized, hence changes can be made quickly and globally by default.

This approach provides cleaner, leaner and more optimized code, which translates into faster download time. Additionally, once the CSS file(s) are cached then the entire site will load even quicker because the CSS files only need to load once.

Based on experience this effort to adhere to a standardized technology helps facilitate and expedite the design process by leveraging the latest enhancements in CSS a designer can create a Web presentation that is highly functional; easy to navigate; and focuses on design, usability, accessibility, optimization, and performance without relying on tables.

Over the years I have revised my “Master Service Agreement“ to protect the interests of both parties and sought legal counsel to ensure my contracts were bullet proof. The purpose is to ensure that all the project’s requirements, deliverables and responsibilities are clearly outlined in a concerted effort to avoid any misunderstandings during the project’s life cycle. Of course, additional requirements inevitable creep up, but that potentiality should also be included in your agreement.

The real benefit is documenting everything both parties have agreed to in writing that definitively states the specifications and overall project scope, which will significantly minimize, if not potentially eliminate, any possible misunderstandings pertaining to each parties respective obligations. The bottom line is it may not prevent honest discord, but if your agreement’s on paper it will in all likelihood prevent frivolous litigation, which is the best reason of all to enter in to a formal agreement.

Analytics and metrics reporting is a separate and distinct function that can help improve a client’s page rank by determining visitor trends and usage, which feeds in to SEO.

Analytics is a subset of SEO and I think this is an important distinction to make when presenting these services to clients.