I have clients, but need help organizing myself

Zach,

I suggest you stay away from a scope type project. Doing web design meeting one on one is a nightmare because the biz owner doesn't really know what the hell they want.

If you do meet one on one I highly suggest you come in with a mock up design such as WordPress template type site so they have something to look at.

About 80% of the time the client will run with what you showed them. In addition it's easier to revise something existing.

Congrats on landing the clients!

Dennis

I think using a simple form may be a good idea, the secret is using your questionnaire to lead your client where you want. The question is this "what is good site design"? right? So the answer is much like the old saying "What is the best camera?......the best camera is the one that you have with you." but the big difference here is that the best design is whatever your client "feels" that is.

This in mind, I would suggest to look at sites in the same niche, local market or business and see which ones you think will fill the customers needs. Next, find a similar template or theme, depending on which cms or application you plan on using for the web site development. There are plenty of template sites that you can find a few close ones usually, then choose "the one" that you think is the best. Then invest an hour of your time to write a list about the most compelling aspects of the layout and how it would benefit your client.

Now you must do a little reverse engineering ok. Think about what question you can ask on your list that would make them answer the "selling point" you have previously defined. This check list will be worth its wait in gold. You can then either say "OK, let me and my design team get together and the next time we meet, we will bring a mock-up for you" or my favorite "OK well I've looked through your responses and from what I can see your interests are right in line with this layout that my development team has already created this mock up of".

If you choose the latter, then you pull out a thumb drive or laptop with a jpeg or psd of a screenshot and photoshoped version of the template you originally found in your research stage!

OK, here's the scratch. Once and a while you will have wasted an hour skimming through hundreds of themes to find a few good ones and yes you will have to use your brain for a good hour to make a logically laid out and luring checklist. This is the biggest problem with this method, but the good news is about 80% - 90% percent of the time you will walk out of the meeting after you have blown your new clients mind with how professional and prepared you were.

The only reason this works, is because you have already done the work for your client and as stated above, usually they don't know what they hell they want in the first place.

Hope this helps,

Nick

Instead of a book, why not devote a section on your website to this? You could also check out videohive and maybe make a video about the process using a AE template.

I was reading through your website. Something is annoying me. You use the word 'too', as in 'I am too hot', in the wrong context ('I like to' - Yes | 'I like it too' - No). Same as in your post above. It's also on your FAQ page.

Some advice for what it's worth...

I have had one on one meeting with clients and I have found that telling or teaching them anything about your business is just a waste of time. You will either scare them away or bore them to death. My suggestion is take a book with about 10 pages of front pages that you have done or give them one sheet of paper with links to sites that you have done for their own research.

Chances are if they are looking for a web page designer or whatever, and taking bids so to speak on jobs the other guy will scare them first and you win the contract.

Consider writing an ebook and placing it on kindle or clickbank. Heck, even on your own site for list building. If that doesn't impress them I don't know what else will.

I agree we need to change it and lead the customer to a specific action. Video on the front of website would be great. My dad was talking to me about power point presentations, too. I got my my first two clients by meeting face to face, so I want improve on whats working. Clients are finding out about us through bandit signs. So, Im thinking more bandit signs and more meetings is whats going to get us to a full time income.

bandit signs for web design! I love it.

glad you brought this up!

marketing to get clients is only step 1. HANDLING & DELIVERING is what people need to master. just my 2 cents. =)