When it comes to putting your best foot forward for that all-important first impression, don’t cut corners on your website or promotional material.
Last night, I came across a site and noticed a free Power Point presentation on the product. I downloaded the presentation, opened it, and nearly fell off my chair.
The graphics were of extremely poor quality, the font was horrendous (who uses Courier for anything these days?), and the slide show looked like it had been created by a three year old. This presentation wasn’t worthy of real estate on a refrigerator door.
Incredibly, I discovered the site owner had paid someone for that awful presentation, spending money for something that wouldn’t sell a thing. It wasn’t going to bring in any customers, guaranteed.
James ran across a similar situation the other night, too. There was a site that had e-books for sale, and the author has a reputation for being a popular one. James thought it might be worth the investment to take a closer look.
We were both appalled that someone had the nerve to sell something of such low quality for money. What a rip off.
This makes me wonder if the people involved actually believe that their work is good enough to charge for, or if they really don’t care about quality and just want to screw people to make money.
I’ve lost many sleepless nights striving to make my own work the best it could possibly be. I try to see it through the eyes of the client, and when I’m done, I ask myself, “Would I pay money for this product?” If the answer is no, then it’s back to the drawing board. When I’m stuck or feel that I can’t reach a good standard of quality, I’ll show the project to someone else whose opinion I trust (usually James). It’s important you have someone objective who isn’t a “yes man” to ask for an opinion. Sometimes, you need a blunt observation to get a project right. The result is a better product both you and your client can be proud of.
If you’re the client, and you receive a project you aren’t satisfied with, tell the service provider. It’s your money, and your business image is on the line – don’t settle for second rate. Any good service provider will work with you to get your final product the way you want it. It’s not the easiest thing in the world to take what’s in your head and make the designer see what it is you want or the writer put your concept into words. It takes a lot of time and patience (and a little good old-fashioned intuition on the part of the provider) to capture the feel and style of the client.
For the service provider, remember that the project is not about you and your personal preferences. Sure, you can add your own style, but in the end, you’re working to please the client and give them what they want.
I know; some what they want is a miracle. I can’t count the number of times I’ve been told, “I don’t know what I want. Just make it look pretty,” or I get handed a napkin with a few lines drawn on it with the expectation that I can turn lines into the next Sistine Chapel.
It’s up to the service provider to draw out as much information from the client as possible and to keep them focused on the answers they need to give you. Don’t let them get caught up in the bells and whistles they think they want. Start simple, guide the client through the process step by step from A to Z. Eventually, the overall project develops. After you’re done, then you can go back and tweak the project to perfection.
Art, in any form, isn’t easy. Creativity is extremely subjective, and everyone is going to have their own opinions as to what’s good and what isn’t. One client might absolutely love your work, while another, no matter how hard you try to please him or her, will hate it.
But I digress. The main point here was to do right by your business image. Communicate with your service provider to get the best results. Don’t take short cuts or be taken in by cut-rate prices. You get what you pay for. A friend of mine once said “You can have it fast and cheap, or you can have quality – you can’t have quality, fast, and cheap.”
