5 Tips For Web Designers To Make A Great First Impression When Meeting Potential Clients
One facet of web designers is that the way they work, including where and within which type of business, is extremely diverse. Some might work for a national marketing company, others for a local web design agency, and many are freelance individuals. As such they will all have different levels of experience and resources at their disposal whenever they are hired to design and create a website for a client.
Despite the plethora of different working environments and methods that web designers have, one element of their work unites them all and that is the fact that they must be able to attract new clients to continue working. No clients mean no income which, for any business, usually means the end is nigh.
How web designers attract clients can differ but almost always there will come a point when they must meet a prospective client, either in person or via an online meeting app such as Zoom or Skype. It is at this meeting that most clients will make a judgment on whether this is a web designer they want to work with and that will be heavily influenced by the impression that the web designer makes upon that prospect, especially the first impression.
So, a question web designers should be asking themselves before they even discuss technical web design matters in a meeting is, “How can I make a great first impression?”. For web designers reading this, or indeed anyone who at some point will want to create the best possible first impression whether for a job interview, meeting a new manager for the first time, or selling services to a prospective client, here are five tips to help make that first impression a great one.
Appear Professional
Whilst we are not suggesting you have to wear a suit and tie, especially on a Zoom call, at least make the effort to appear as though you have not just rolled out of bed. Dress smartly, ensure your top is stain-free, and look alert and interested in what your prospect has to say.
Be On Time
Barring an emergency, there is no excuse for showing up late for a client sales meeting or any meeting for that matter. The immediate impression you give is that you do not respect the other person’s time, which is unforgivable. Whatever time your meeting is, make a point of being there 10 or 15 minutes early to ensure you are punctual.
Be Fully Prepared
You should never start a meeting without having prepared for it. This includes having whatever information the prospective client may have already sent. It will also help if you consider the sorts of questions that you expect a new client might ask using your experience of previous meetings with others.
Ask Questions
One of the best ways to show a prospect that you are genuinely interested in them and want to ensure that the website you design for them will be exactly what they want, is to ask questions. Ideally, ask open questions which encourage them to impart information rather than closed “Yes” or “No” questions.
Say No If You Have To
On the subject of yes or no questions, you must be prepared to say “No” to anything which your prospect asks for, that you are unwilling to do. All fair-minded prospects will respect this, and it proves to them you are a web designer who takes their work seriously.
