5 Things Web Developers Should Do to Avoid Getting Screwed by their Clients.

This has been bothering me over the past couple of months and I just thought I’d share some random thoughts about things you should make sure your clients understand about web development, their expectations, and what to expect from you as their developer through, during, and after the initial development process.

1. Let the clients know that you do actually have other clients and even though their project isn’t less important than the other clients, but please be respectful of the time that needs to be shared across all client lines.
2. You do get what you pay for and sometimes a little bit more.  Meaning my old philosophy was to always err on the side of the client…if there’s a contractual problem that results in a few extra hours, then go ahead and do it.  However I now realize that even though you go the extra mile, the old addage my mother used to say about giving people an inch and they’ll take a yard still holds true to this day.  So give the client what they paid for…and then if there’s a problem and they want something extra, explain to them why they need to pay for that as well.
3. Write your contracts with no guarantees.  One of my favorite films is Tommy Boy and if you remember this film, his father “Big Tom” would tell potential customers who wanted a guarantee from him about his auto parts that you can take a piece of s**t, put it in a box and slap a guarantee on it…however all you’re guaranteeing is that it is just a guaranteed piece of s**t in a box.  The same holds true in web development.  If you do quality work, let that work speak for itself.  If they want a guarantee, let them know that you provide a service contract that they can purchase that will cover certain issues if there is a problem.
4. Don’t let yourself be taken advantage of…have your clients pay for the programming hours before they are used.  I know this is a very bold statement, however in this wacky economy right now it’s necessary.  I have 4 clients who are 90+ days out on their payments.  I’ve even shut down a website because this person hasn’t contacted me about the final payment or anything.  It’s not fair to the developer who takes a lot of time to produce quality web development work and then gets left holding the bag.  If you go into a grocery store and say…bill me…they’ll tackle you and maybe even prosecute you for shoplifting.  In the web world you should space out your payments enough so that a client doesn’t waste a ton of money if the developer doesn’t pull through, but still can satisfy the web developer’s need to get paid for their time.
5. Always keep detailed records of the time you’re spending on a project…even if it’s a flat fee project.  The reason…you can always show your client the amount of hours a certain task has taken and if they believe they’re not getting enough work from you, you have a good backup for those discussions.  It probably would help sending those hours summaries each week as well.

I’ll probably have a few followups to this subject, but if you have any horror stories you’d like to share and what you’ve done to avoid them in the future, I think we’d all like to see them.  I’m not ragging on all clients…I have several really really good ones who are great overall…but there are a few which really get your goat…and it really isn’t fair.  So take these suggestions for what it’s worth and I hope it makes for a better client experience for you and your web development company.

Web Design Flat Fee Projects vs. Charging Hourly

Many times this question comes up from both potential clients and fellow web programmers.  “Should I or Could I get a Flat Fee for this Job?”.  The answer isn’t so simple in many cases and can get you into a lot of problems as far as what to provide for your client, how to handle change requests, and more.

Why You as an Employer Shouldn’t Ask for a Flat Fee

As a business owner who is ready to get their idea going on the web, the first thing you need obviously is a product or service to sell/offer, and then get a website to do just that.  You would love to have a fixed cost associated with developing the website idea and know that when all is said and done…that’s the price you pay.  However you’ll find in many situations, that this creates a strain on the relationship between you and the devleopment company you choose.

Changes…They’re Inevitable.

We all believe that as good business people, we spec out a plan, spec out a website, know all of the drop downs we want, the pages, the look, the feel, etc.  I can tell you from over 18 years of experience of designing webpages I have yet to have a project where a client hasn’t wanted to change something.  In many cases I’ll hear, “This is just a small change.”.  But because of the backend programming…it may not be.  Here’s where the trouble of a fixed cost project comes in.

But that’s more than I wanted to spend!

So the client changes their mind, I tell them that according to our Flat Fee project agreement, this is different than what was agreed to and hence a change fee is now going to be charged because now the hours I thought the project was going to take is now going to be longer than expected, which means other projects coming up may need to be shifted back some, or I may have to get another developer to work on it which may be a higher cost, etc.  You see where this is going.  Now we’re into an argument over why its a change request when it’s just a small change.  Now the relationship is experiencing strain.

Hourly Rates to Save the Day

Now, if we took that same scenario, and placed it into an hourly contract.  We see it is much more manageable.  The client makes a change…no problem…we say that change is about 2 hours worth of work, and we do it.  Everyone is happy…no change fees, etc.

Real Desires vs. Lofty Desires

When a project is hourly, the client has direct control over the final cost of the project.  When bidding, we give them a range of what we feel the project will take to complete it.  So they know the top end, and try to stay under it.  So you find those “creative changes” are kept to a minimum and thus…so does the project’s cost.

Web Developers Nickle and Diming Clients

Now, I’m not saying the hourly projects don’t have their drawbacks.  You need to really feel good about working with the development company you choose, and don’t be afraid to ask for references.  I personally do not charge my clients for every single email I answer and every phone call I get.  Now, if the phone call ends up taking 30 minutes, or the email requires me to research some items to get back with the client…certainly….but ask your company how they bill.  If they say in houly or half-hour increments…that could be pretty expensive.  Justice Solutions personally bills in 15 minute increments since usually an email that required research or a phone call takes in total at least 15 minutes to do.

Ask for a Weekly Time Sheet

Also don’t be afraid to ask for a time sheet showing the hours for the week.  If you know where the project is every week, the final bill or quarterly bill won’t be so shocking.

Conclusion

Flat fee projects sound great at first, but can very quickly strain a relationship between you and the developer.  Ask for an hourly contract and then have them put into the agreement a guide to give you an idea as to what the project will ultimately cost.  Now if you change the way the website will behave, you can do so without worry, but make sure to get an estimate on the hours the change will cost.  It will help you decide if you should make that change now, or maybe wait until a future phase of the project.

Thanks for reading and hopefully this will help you keep a good relationship between you and your clients, or you and your developers.

Doug.