At 01:46 AM 8/25/98 -0400, you wrote: >I have a presentation to make Friday to a small non-profit looking for a web >site designer. >How should I structure the interview? Tell them: a) who you are (background, relevant experience) b) what you offer (i.e. what you do well, such as fast turnaround, usability-based design, branding, or some other buzzword) c) what you think you can do for them (sales pitch) >How much should I give away at the >first meeting? Not sure what you mean by give away -- if you mean should you tell them how you'll do the site in enough detail so they could approach an in house person and say "here's the way to do it" and thus not have to hire you, then no, you shouldn't. <smile> Answer their questions, of course -- but you don't have to tell them which HTML codes you'll use, just say "We'll use the most appropriate techniques for your site." Give them a feel for *you*, for how you'll work with them, and explain how you work through the design process, but don't tell them enough so they either feel overwhelmed with jargon/ideas (I do this and it's a really bad thing!) or so they don't need you. >Should I take printed samples of sites I designed? I've discovered that this is a very effective way to sell yourself in an initial meeting, because if there are multiple people in the meeting the printed samples can be passed around. Also, since you have no control over the internet connectivity at a clients' site, you don't want to rely on the client having a good connection or an available machine. And other than the new G3, I have yet to see a portable that does a really good job of showing off a web site. If you do screen shots you can print out pages that include the NS or IE window, and thus look really similar to what they'd see on the monitor. We use Ulead's PhotoImpact Capture program (v 3.01) to print directly from screen to our HP Inkjet, and take screen shots at 800x600 on my partner's 21" monitor. We then put the printed screen shots into sheet protectors and into a binder. We also take along a few extra printouts (also in sheet protectors) of a couple of pages to leave behind with the client. >Should I >take a sample of the way I want to design their site? No, although you can take a list of ideas for site architecture (i.e. what items/topics you think they should include). Design should come *after* you've talked to the client and have gotten their information (and hopefully a deposit). You can tell them in the meeting that you have a few ideas, but that they're still in the gestation stage. I know there are designers out there who do a lot of work "on spec" before approaching a client, but beside the issue of devaluing your work (i.e. doing for free what you should be getting paid for) there's the issue of not matching the clients' expectations. Until you've spoken with them, how do you know your ideas are on track? My initial brainstorms almost never bear any resemblance to what I develop after I've spoken to the client about their needs. What you personally *want* to design may be completely different from what *they* want, and by showing them your initial ideas you may actually be shooting yourself in the foot. You could instead take along the rough ideas you created for another client, along with an example of the finished project, and show them how you work out a design -- share with them your process, rather than trying to sell them on the creative idea you've already had. >Any suggestions from the group would be helpful. Hope these help a bit. You also might want to pick up a copy of "The Geek's Guide to Internet Business Success" by Bob Schmidt -- he has a chapter on the initial client presentation that you might find helpful. Good luck! --Tamra Heathershaw-Hart WebDiva ----------------------------------------------------- Hart Consulting Web Studio http://www.hartcons.com/ Web Site Design, Production, Programming, & Promotion 650-967-6162 (phone) 1-800-749-8032 (fax) ----------------------------------------------------- ____________________________________________________________________ -------------------------------------------------------------------- Join The Web Consultants Association : Register on our web site Now Web Consultants Web Site : http://just4u.com/webconsultants If you lose the instructions All subscription/unsubscribing can be done directly from our website for all our lists. ---------------------------------------------------------------------
