ok, i see that all you people have design sites and stuff, and I just wanna know how you get clients? I know you have to be at least a little compitent in some programs, but I’m wondering how you first started out.
Did you contact people with ugly sites and ask if they want it redesigned? :chinaman:
thanks <:} <- dont know why I keep posting that. christmas is over!
IT starts with who you know. Think of the ppl you know and that your family knows who would maybe like a website. Offer these ppl a deal of a very nice website at a very low cost(you may have to pimp your self out for one or two jobs). DON’t let them disclose to other ppl what they paid for the site. You don’t want ppl thinking you will always work for that cheap. Once you have these easy give away sites done you will have a portfolio to show other clients. It is really all about who you know. You can do cold calls and approach business’s if you want but the majority of your clients to start with are ppl you know or a friend of a friend sort of deal. The more jobs you ahve under your belt the easier it will be to get outside business of ppl you have never met. Word of mouth is key.
sounds good. my uncle wanted a website for his motorcycle gang (haha… hes not a fat santa man, btw) and I keep egging him on to give me more info so I can do it, but he hasnt gotten back to me.
And I guess advertising is good too? I’m thinking about putting an ad in a local news paper… pretty cheap, and I get exposure. So why not? :cowboy:
Sintax is right, start out small and cheap at first and then once the word gets out about your work, the jobs will come. It’s a slow process at first because you’re trying to get the wheels turning, but you’ll see that one client will lead to another or one job will lead to another job. For example, I was hired to do some tshirt designs for a tshirt company, later they called me again and asked me to design their business cards and letterheads, possibly even work on their website if they decide to launch one. So it’s important that you keep a good relationship with your clients, in other words, kiss arse big time till your nose gets dark brown. :beam:
thank you kindly. :crazy:
my suggestion:
Do a bit of design for your uncle, then invite him over to specifically work on his site, and show him the work you have done, maybe a couple look & feel comps. Once he is involved, and has seen a start, then he will be more motivated to get it done, since he will want to show it to all of his motorcycle friends. Let your uncle know that you need to do this for your business, you need to have sites out there on the web, and he will be doing you a favor by doing this.
Also, get in the habit now of doing a storyboard (can be stick figures), with your transitions and navigation all figured out. Then, with each step (look & feel, content, etc.) make sure to involve him in the approval process, so nobody is surprised in the end.
When you are giving away your site, in order to get exposure, be sure to let the client know how much you would charge normally, and in exchange for his referrals, the charge is erased. If you don’t, you run the risk of your client referring only people who want a good deal, or for free (and those are always the most difficult clients to deal with).
just a suggestion,
Rev
thnx rev.
i dont think i need a storyboard since all i can do in flash is buttons and fading in and out. the design minus flash is more my strong suit.
i’m gonna get my site up first, then call em up and see what the deal is.
anyways, everyone has been a big help. :A+: for y’all. <:}
*Originally posted by redViper *
i dont think i need a storyboard since all i can do in flash is buttons and fading in and out. the design minus flash is more my strong suit.
i’m gonna get my site up first, then call em up and see what the deal is.
redViper:
You should still do a storyboard. It will help show your uncle you know what you are doing (you want him to tell all of his friends how good you are). It can be a bunch of squares on a piece of paper, showing where the nav is, etc. Also, you don’t need to have a site of your own up (off and on, I have had no site up, and had plenty of business), it helps, but not necessary. The main thing is to set a schedule, and follow it. Treat this like a business, seriously thing about what questions to ask, and you will be 2 or 3 steps ahead of everyone else.
[SIZE=1]::note: since you didn’t pay for this advice, feel free to ignore it::[/SIZE]
Rev
rev thats good advice, seems your really experienced at this…this chef fisade is unravelling before my eyes…i think u lied about cooking spam for customers!!!
Rev is right about the story board. if it is good parctice. Your client later on will wnat to know what he is getting before he gives you half the money up front. A static mockup of the main layout then some quick story boards wil lhelp illustrate what ehy are getting and makes it easier to land the client.
Let’s see… How did I start off? 3 Things for 3 Years said with 3 words
Why those 3? I got my portfolio around by creating cd’s… They are inexpensive and are eays to burn and make copies of… I would hand them out along with my business card. I had a bunch of sites I had done for my family and for some gaming sites I did… It wasn’t much… But it caught their eyes obviously…
I talked to alot of people as well… Bowling Alleys… Malls… and Pool Halls… There are alot of people out there who want websites but they don’t want to learn it… TOo much of a hassle… SO they pay for it… it’s just like… Do you make your own clothes? Probably not… YOu go out and buy it from people… You COULD make your own clothes… But it would almost be too much of a hassle… So why bother…
Ramen Noodles… I dined off these for the first 2 years… Inexpensive noodles… I would just buy around 100 and then I’d be set for 3 months… I ended up getting 2 jobs just so I could keep up with my car insurance… It’s a slow start like the others have mentioned… But in the end… And What I get now… it’s majorly rewarding… Soon I’ll be getting some clients as far east as Philly and fasr west as Pittsburgh… Which… For a guy doing websites… Isn’t too shabby… 
Later On… Hope this gave you some advice.
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