New client forms for web site work.

[Paullas]

Hi
Just a general question to see how others do this.

When you get a new client for a website design or website refresh do you give the client a form to complete and sign off to what needs doing/being done or just general email conversation as to what is needed then give a price.

thanks

Paul

 

[Adam H]

Depends on the initial enquiry and your business structure. I much prefer a few emails before going into large amounts of detail or getting into a long winded call, only to gain enough info to qualify them making sure they're expectations match their budget.

An informal chat and initial brief with some direct questions in the first reply such as budget, time scales etc. Prior to getting into to specifics and an official proposal being sent as those take time, time which can't be wasted on non-starters. The biggest time wasters for me in a number of service related markets is managing leads which have a brief of a 10-20k project but have a £300 budget, so those need to be qualified and dealt with appropriately before customer waste their, or your time any longer than needed.

That said, It depends how busy you are and whether you can pick and choose your customer base.

 

[Ben Thomas]

Depends how your leads come in I guess. If taking a call I usually have a brief conversation about their wants and needs so that we are on the same page. Then if I want to go ahead with the design and they’re a good fit for me, I’ll send them a form out to fill in. However I’m rebranding at the moment and I’m going to have an online form process to go through instead of a PDF form.

I think it’s important to do this part so that you can put together an agreement that they can sign off on so that you and the client are both aware of what the project covers and what it does not cover. Nothing worse than scope creep or a client who continually wants alterations outside the existing agreement. Because then you have to explain that your time costs money and things get messy.