Outsourcing Crossroads

I tell all my clients that web design is a 4-8 week process. Clients will believe whatever you tell them - that's why it's important to manage those expectations.

As long as you manage those expectations, then they WILL wait a week for a mock-up while you hammer it out with your Fivver or WF'er outsourcer.

Either way, as long as you keep in contact with your potential client, let them know what's going on, they'll be OK. I'm always making sure clients are FULLY-AWARE of how we work and the reality of the process. Makes everything easy.

Thanks Voasi! What about single images, graphic designs? I think everyone these days know that the right guy behind a photoshop can get an image done in an hour or less. How do I explain 3-5 day waits on those?

Changing a design for color to opaque is one thing. Creating a completely new design that the client will like actually takes creative, thought-process and time.

"everyone these days..."

No, they don't. People have no clue. That's like saying "I've got a buddy who can put an engine together in about an hour, so you should be able to do it in an hour too". Sure, their probably are people out there that can put an engine together in an hour, but I wouldn't want to drive that car, let alone see how much I can get out of it. Plus, who I am to argue with someone one does it day-in and day-out when all I do is punch numbers into my company at my cushy VP of "fill-in-the-blank" job.

I'm no expert in mechanics, but if someone told me it was going to take 7 days to build an engine with 500hp, etc... and justified it (managed MY expectations), then I would believe them.

I suppose you're right about that. Art out of thin air can take some time.

The client should also expect you to have more work to do than just their single design. When I tell someone there needs to be a revision or a new design there is a process to get it done, people have a schedule, etc, and their work gets put in the schedule to be completed within X period of time.

Even though a plumber might be able to fix your pipe in 2 hours, that time doesn't start when he hangs up the phone, it could be days before he even shows up to do the work.

It's super important to give yourself plenty of time when you are explaining how long something well take. A client would much rather wait an extra day or two rather than you being a day or two late. You see what I'm saying?

Plus, if you tell them you can get a logo made for them in a couple of hours they might not think the quality is that great because you are rushing it.

"Under promise over deliver". Live by that quote and you'll do just fine in the offline world.

Whatever the estimated build time is based on best case scenario I find I just multiply it by 3 and add then add one week. Always helps me to under promise and over deliver!

Good luck with it

Take sufficient time to complete your quality work. When your clients see results and if they impress by your work they never complaint about time you take to complete their work.

The problem with working with just one guy for Web Design and Graphic Design, and featuring him/his work on your site, is does he create the exact type of site that meets your clients needs?

Does he do html/css sites? WordPress? eCommerce?

Do you lump all of those under "Web Design" in your site's categories? Some people would, others wouldn't.

If I was going to do the one source per category so that I could feature someone else's work, I would have to make a lot of very specific categories. I would have a WordPress guy, an eCommerce guy, a Graphics guy, etc.

While it sounds good to have an instant portfolio of work to show on your new site, from my experience, and from what I have heard others saying on the forum, almost nobody is even going to ask to see YOUR site let alone sites you have done for others.

I have only done a handful of offline clients in the past and nobody asked to see my site, not back in 1998 and not in the last few months.

Now that I am getting serious about it, yes I am setting up my own site, I know it isn't necessary but I'll have it just in case.

On my site I am only going to talk about the benefits I can provide and the services I can perform. No samples, no featured sources. I'll add samples later.

If I need to outsource something I don't want to be tied to using the guy whose work I featured on my site, I want to use whoever I feel can provide the best value for me and my client for that specific project.

On the off chance that someone asks me for samples before I have any, or for types of projects I haven't done yet, then I will find out exactly what they need and contact a source who specializes in exactly that and get samples from them to use only to show that client for that project.

This way my site gets done quicker, I'm not tied to the wrong people for the job, and I can always provide my clients the absolute best solution for their needs.