Why are clients so difficult

Hey guys,

I just want to vent a bit.

I have this client with a great idea. I have a great relationship with this client and we get along well. We don't ever fight though we do have discussions. The idea they have has a lot of potential

However it is still frustrating trying to explain design to them. One of the partners has gone into the premium design theme that I offered and compeltely changed it around to the point that they say if they update wordpress it will revert back to the default theme, their solution is to not update wordpress.

Let me make this clear the idea is like an authority site with a lot of content. They don't want to update wordpress though because they don't want to go through the code again. I am trying to tell them the security risk of not updating wordpress (or the theme) but they simply don't want to do it.

My hands are tied because one of the partners came on before me and the main stake holder says he has designed websites for the government. I have at best an intermediate design knowledge but I think it is just not a good design. One of our most common arguments is "it's not suppose to look like a blog it is suppose to be a website" to which I reply "it is a blogging website, we need the homepage to look like X" it never ends the way I want it. Granted I don't think I will get all I want but having a website that is properly designed so we don't have to worry about security would be a great start.

I don't know what do you guys reckon I should do?

I would make every effort to explain the potential risks and damage of not doing things properly but they are client and in the end they make the decisions.

And the guy who boasted about designing websites for the government - that's not necessarily a sign that he knows what he is doing. Look at the mess that was made of the US Govt. healthcare site just recently. $500 Million for a site that didn't work and could have been done for less than a million.

Why dont you develop the website that you want to develop on your own hosting and then show them what your vision and experience is when left to do your job.

Alternatively if they are paying you well and you like the money then put up with it.

Trepanated said:

I would make every effort to explain the potential risks and damage of not doing things properly but they are client and in the end they make the decisions.

And the guy who boasted about designing websites for the government - that's not necessarily a sign that he knows what he is doing. Look at the mess that was made of the US Govt. healthcare site just recently. $500 Million for a site that didn't work and could have been done for less than a million.

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I've tried but she just says "I'll think about it" which I do believe she will but she doesn't know much in terms of security or website development. I am now trying to find some articles and youtube videos to show how dangerous it can be, do you have any suggestions?

I actually hmm'd out loud when she said that he did websites for governments. She said to give him a chance, I gave him the chance. It's not at all that I dislike the guy or that he is bad at what he does, in fact a lot of the things on the theme I couldn't change the way I wanted he did. But I just think in terms of the website layout he is just doing what she wants. Which is a good thing from her perspective because she (sorta) gets what she wants but a bad thing from mine because I don't think it will work as good as it should

Duffers5000 said:

Why dont you develop the website that you want to develop on your own hosting and then show them what your vision and experience is when left to do your job.

Alternatively if they are paying you well and you like the money then put up with it.

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I did but mine wasn't what the main stake holder wanted. Granted I didn't fully complete it but the main point is she trusts him over me for design because he goes with what she wants rather than what would be better. It didn't help that she had an idea in mind for the site and when I said I couldn't change the code to suit it using the theme providing she didn't like it. But now since he is doing it she jumped at the chance.

I am actually not getting paid. I am getting a budget for SEO and social and I will get a % of the company in exchange. If it takes off full time she wants to hire me on as a full time employee. I know a lot of people are going to call me stupid on this but in the beginning I thought it would be fine, I do the marketing (which I am good at but decided to outsource using some better people on here) she does the content (which is good content) and we have a guy to designing and manage the website. A solid team for a start up, now we are only a couple of days from launch and I just don't feel confident putting it up. Like I said in the title frustrating.

Be confident, you are an expert, they pay for that, tell them what should be done, make it very clear why, explain what could happen if they don't, have them sign something waiving all liability and acknowledging you warned them.

Yeah sometimes they are the most difficult part of the business.. That too for no good reason

Explain that yours is the best solution, be creative and strong with your customers. Remember that they need you because you know more in your field! So explain that you're the expert and they can only make the idea and cutomize it, for tecnical problems/solution they have to follow you. take the situation in your hands.

STiPEN said:

Be confident, you are an expert, they pay for that, tell them what should be done, make it very clear why, explain what could happen if they don't, have them sign something waiving all liability and acknowledging you warned them.

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I have tried, believe me I tried, I just left it as "it is your choice what should happen with the site but here is my professional opinion". I have sent multiple emails about this so if it comes down to the unthinkable I'll have the records to prove it.

arganrecords said:

Explain that yours is the best solution, be creative and strong with your customers. Remember that they need you because you know more in your field! So explain that you're the expert and they can only make the idea and cutomize it, for tecnical problems/solution they have to follow you. take the situation in your hands.

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How I wish this was so. It's definitly treu I knwo more in the field, I have explained why and have reference multiple documents. But it is the owners decision as to what happens, I explained as politely but strongly as I could. For now I will stress the importance of security and back off the design maybe in 3 months if the site is doing well I'll say we can do better with an improvement to design.