Re: Foot-dragging clients

--- Rachel Hartman <rhartman(at)io.com> wrote:
> What techniques do you use to maintain client excitement and 
> interest?  Overall, I do fairly well in maintaining a good client 
> relationship (it's those Southern genes), but I'm always interested
> in 
> hearing what others do.

I have several projects that have been postponed indefinitely due to
lack of content, so I've been in your shoes more than once.  I also
have 2 sites that are ready to go live, but haven't been able to get
a response from the clients (one is from October of last year!).

No matter what you do, you will still have the clients that won't
work with you.  These are the clients I like to drop like flies.  :)

To get clients excited and interested in the project, I constantly
send them updates...every 2 or 3 days...and ask for their input.  By
making them feel like I value their input, they seem to become more
involved with the development of the site.

A few times, to get lackluster clients involved, I tell them that
their site is looking great, but I need content before they can see
it.  I create a "you give me something, I'll reward you" type of
relationship, and this sometimes works.

I have a clause in my contract that states (paraphrased) "If you
don't give me what i need in a timely manner, I reserve the right to
terminate the business relationship and charge you half the estimated
cost for my time and trouble."  Reminding clients of that clause gets
them moving...especially when I point out that they'll be spending
their money and won't be getting anything for it.  I assume that it
will look poor to their bosses and, well, they could have some
trouble.

With the last being my final effort, I collect 50% of their 
estimated cost and send them on their way.  I expect that the
majority of those clients will never have a web site and/or will be a
headache for another developer.  

--skb

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