Clients who need website building services often find themselves lost with all of the technical jargon they hear, and designers and writers often feel frustrated by the lack of knowledge. There are a few points to keep in mind when working on website building projects for the less technologically inclined.
Don’t Assume Anything
Have you ever tried to explain a basic web action to someone who has little experience online? Even a simple statement such as “click in the text box” can be confusing. Instead, try to go slowly. Try this one out: “do you see the box in the middle of the page with the words ‘XYZ’ at the top? Move the mouse until the arrow points to it and press the left mouse button.” While it takes longer to explain and makes website building a slow process, you will find your clients are more appreciative when you take the time to explain things on their level.
Don’t Explain Everything
Let’s face it. Your clients probably don’t care how you decided to use the platform you chose for their site. They probably really do not understand what you are saying about the pros of Joomla over Drupal. The client just wants to see a nicely done site and know how to make changes to it easily. Leave some mystery to the website building process. Unless your client asks or there is a pressing need for the client to know something, it’s probably best to leave out extraneous techie information.
Don’t Let Frustration Show
So, you’ve explained what a blog is 14 times and even sent links of sample blogs. And your client still wants to know what “this blogging fuss” is all about. Close your eyes. Take a deep breath. Explain it again. If you have been over the same material repeatedly, you have three basic ways to remedy the problem. Offer to write down the information your client keeps asking to have explained. Sometimes when people can read about what they need to know, it’s easier. Another option is to provide links to good sites with beginner-level information. Reading someone else’s explanation coupled with yours may click for the client in a way that just your explanation does not.
An old teacher’s trick you can try is to have the client tell you what he understands from your descriptions. If your client is the one asking about blogging repeatedly, you can say “what do you think a blog is?” Non-threatening questions, such as “can you tell me how much is making sense,” can help your client tell you where the breakdown in communication is. Perhaps there is a misunderstanding early on that would help solve the problem.
Website building is a complex process. Unlike other industries, the final product is easy to see but hard to visualize coming to fruition. Few people think much about how website building happens, and especially for clients who reached middle age before ever using the Internet, the whole concept can be a bit mind-boggling.
