Now don’t get judgy, this isn’t a rant about how folks act inappropriately. I want to talk about my individual quest to be a good person as well as in business. Like many young adults, I felt destined to make a mark on society as a means to be revered as a good person. I was so wrong but my road to this self-realization slapped me in the face quite abruptly. As a young career minded adult, my plight for success never faltered. As I was leaving a highly reputable medical practice for what I perceived as the next best step, the practice physician called me into his office to say goodbye and bestow upon me some words of wisdom. He left me with a phrase that would haunt and challenge me for the rest of my life. “Kallie, sometimes being a good person is enough.” I was insulted, miffed and indignant. How could he marginalize me? I was worthy of more than just being a “good person”. What the heck!
Don’t get me wrong; I am not talking about being kind, sweet and living the life of a saint, this is for sure not what I am speaking of. I am talking about when the going gets tough, do you step up and do the right thing for your family, friends and yes, even clients. Or do you do what is the easiest and most comfortable for all involved? I am talking about living everyday with integrity in your voice and actions. Do you walk the walk and talk the talk? It isn’t easy.
How does this correlate to a web design business and life in general? Here is a list that I try to live by with my clients and what you should look for when hiring a company or individual:
- Deliver what you promised. Don’t scrimp on what you promised your clients. Make sure your intentions are understood and clear. This can also be used in everyday life with your family. If I tell my kids we are going to the movies on Friday, we go to the movies unless someone is sick or dead.
- The client might not always be right but they are signing your check. Help to educate and communicate with your clients. But don’t bite the hand that feeds you unless the hospital bill is going to be real expensive. Kindness and understanding can go a long way. I might not be patient at waiting for things to develop but I tend toward having great patience with people who want to learn and understand. It is important to be able to differentiate between the two.
- Alternatively, don’t do everything for nothing!– My first 6 clients, I designed their site for free. Your heard it free! Business is about money but what builds your business better than word of mouth. I was hedging my bets that those 6 clients would give more referrals than the total cost of doing their sites. Marketing is not my strong suit so this was my way of marketing my business without doing cold-calls. Yuck! Personally, I love charitable giving. I don’t mean $$$ either. I mean showing up and giving your time, energy or talent to a cause. Nothing makes me feel better than helping someone or an organization make someone or something better. If you can’t squeeze the time in, give a monetary gift. But give anonymously, what is the point in giving if someone has to pat you on the back for your efforts.
- Give your ideas away from free, but get paid for your work.– I know this sounds convoluted but stick with me a second. I am a regular reader of a blog by Trent W. Nelson who is a Online Marketing Consultant. She believes that giving potential clients free ideas for their problems helps to solidify your knowledge and integrity in business. It also signals to the client that you care about them and not just the paycheck they can provide.
- Leave work at the office. This is a prickly one for me because I work from home. I have a hard time leaving work when it is family time. Your family will know you have their undivided attention, other than the laundry. This not only gives your clients respectable boundaries but signals to your family exactly how important they are.
- It is not about you! You heard it right. Stop being so self-centered. As a business person, I want my clients happy with the product and service I provide. I have done a couple projects I did not like the outcome of the design. However, the client had a strong opinion about the design even after I voiced my opinion. In this case, it was not about making my business look good. It was about the client’s happiness. Now some clients like controlling all aspects of their business and feel they have the clearest vision for their web presence. Not a problem. Some are right…..some are WRONG! Ultimately, it is the client’s decision. Stand back occasionally and let folks do life their way.
- Lastly, sometimes you just need to shut up. My husband says if you go to lunch with a client and they finish their meal before you, you are doing your job wrong! You are hired to solve a problem. Let the client relate the full extent of this trouble to you. Listening closely will give not only added insight into the problem you will solve but get a feel for the best path to making the process for your client painless. I have to confess a personal pet peeve. I love a heated conversation on just about anything but when the person I am conversing with is too busy coming up with what their next point is, they miss my point thus not listening. The conversation is one-sided and a little insulting. Being a patient listener will help you to gain more knowledge than a long list of questions.
I know this initially sounds like a lot of bunk. But give these items a couple of minutes to sink in. We all have regrets about a situation or person that we handled badly or ignored. I am guilty as charged. What I am trying to say is, having a set of rules or code to live by enables me to sleep at night without regrets. Because when all is said and done, being a good person is at the beginning and end of everything we do or should be doing in life and business.