Web design - meeting with customer?

[advantech]

I usually have periodic meetings with customers to review the design, and listen to their suggestive changes, etc.

However, the current project im working on is with a pushy customer, who wants to sit with me everyday... for hours, watching as I design. I try going over ALL his changes with him, but he wants to change each thing one by one. He refuses to go on to the next change unless I change the previous.

How do I get myself out of this situation? How do I politely tell him, this is not the way I prefer to do things?

I feel like saying... I'm not a teacher of design for crying out loud!

 

[seoexpert]

I have had clients like those in the past and eventually I just stopped offering them my services as it loses you money in the long run. You don't want your clients to be there in the process of you working on their site as they are just looking to see if it is easy or hard to do on their own.

I would kindly tell him that you don't get paid to have him there 24/7 and that you have to do the designing without him there.

 

[stonedkirby]

tell him politely that you prefer to do things the way you are used to. Having him sitting there is disrupting your natural ebb and flow or making you uncomfortable, and if he doesnt like that tell him (again, politely) that its unpractical and he may have to look elsewhere because its simply not part of your job to work under those conditions. if he really wants you to do this job and respects you as his designer, there should be no recourse. if there is, its not worth your personal comfort and integrity to put up with it. You became a designer because you are creative and dont want the conventional job, and that goes for many designers in the web or graphic field.
good luck!

 

[darrenfox]

Do you have a contract where you list the hours included for the design phase? If not, get one for the future because it will protect you from clients like this. That way, you can require additional billing when you go over. People hate paying extra so they usually try to get it done within the timeframe listed.

 

[suz]

Start charging extra, that usually does the trick!

 

[sheanhoxie]

Exactly. Increase the cost and call it a training fee

Start charging extra, that usually does the trick!

 

[3dmagicaldesign]

I agree with the extra charges, that's the best strategy

 

[AlphanetChrisC]

Your customer needs to know that he's more of a distraction than a solution. Propose that you peridocally show him the designs, but if he's in your workspace than that should really cost more.

 

[starteasy]

Agreed, clean him/her out! lol

 

[wetgravy]

I just had a customer like that the other day. I told him I charge extra for in-house work (as I classified him breathing on my neck in-house work) and if he wanted to pay the 300% price increase that he will have to pay for all work completely up front. turned tail and ran leaving a hole in the door like wiley coyote.

 

[voodish]

Do you have a contract where you list the hours included for the design phase? If not, get one for the future because it will protect you from clients like this. That way, you can require additional billing when you go over. People hate paying extra so they usually try to get it done within the timeframe listed.

Absolutely, have strict and structured phases for your work - sign off things as soon as he has agreed to them. Then if he wants changes to the 'signed off' work he'll have to pay extra; you've got to be strong, it's the only way.

As for coming back everyday to watch you work, that's totally unproductive, does he not have a job? Organize meetings that suit your schedule; ie. after you have completed work that you've both agreed to.

Oh and good luck, he sounds a bit of a 'mare!

 

[digtech]

Next time look for the signs of a bad client. See the red flags and move on.

 

[pingeyeg]

I had a client exactly like that one time. It went on for a couple of months. I finally had to let him know that I wasn't comfortable with going forward with him and that he should find another web guy. Thankfully he understood and that was that. Sometimes you just have to fire your clients.