Mark Faggiano

Website consultant who loves helping others build online companies. Sold @beelya & @filelater. Working on my next cash machine: @taxjar. Crazy about golf & sports. Connect with me on Google+

How to Make Clients [Less than Happy]

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We’re fortunate to get a lot of repeat and referral business. It’s because we take pride in the way we treat our clients. Since our company was founded in 2004, we have set out to treat everyone we work with as partners, not just people that pay us to do work for them (unlike a lot of our competitors out there).

Over the years I have learned a lot about how to work with our partners. And I have heard some horror stories from new business about the way they were treated by a previous vendor. I talk more about some of the most common and powerful ways to make sure clients will be…errr unhappy…in my latest blog post for the Outright community.

Enjoy.

Make Sure You Sign an Agreement Before You Build Your Next Website

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In my most recent post for the Outright Community, I wrote about how it’s critical for web developers to make sure they put everything in writing before they start any project.

I want to expand on that thought just a bit. The exact same thing is true for all of you on the client side of the equation. The next time you hire a website development firm, make sure everything related to the project – the price, the timeline, the requirements – are all in writing before any money changes hands.

It sounds obvious but a lot of firms are small. And they won’t spend a lot of time on details like contracts and agreements. They just want to crank out projects and get paid. Most of them do a great job and the amount of money involved isn’t huge, but it’s still a smart idea to protect yourself in case something goes wrong with the project.

Don’t fear the contract. Most firms will have very basic agreements that won’t require you to hire a lawyer to interpret it for you. Just be sure to read it over and ask any question if there are parts that don’t make sense. Don’t be afraid to push back on anything that doesn’t seem fair. A good firm will be willing to budge on terms in order to make you happy and to keep the job.

Have you hired a web development firm recently? Did they ask you to sign a service agreement? Let’s discuss in the comment section below.

Check Out Our Posts In the Outright Community

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Quick update for Brand5 Blog readers – I’m also going to be writing for Outright’s Community. Outright is a free automated bookkeeping software for entrepreneurs & bookkeepers. It’s an awesome product that I wish had been around when I started my business more than 6 years ago.

I hope to post there a couple of times per week, so make sure you check out what I have to say over there as well as here.

My first post is actually already up. I talk about what a pain it is to have to pay overseas vendors via wire transfers.

Valuable Lessons Learned and Advice From the Front Lines of an Online Business

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caregiverThis the latest installment of our Q&A Series – short interviews with talented, experienced, and successful entrepreneurs who are on the front lines of running online businesses. I’ve always believed that it’s a big mistake to not at least listen to those who have worn the same shoes that we are putting on every day. I hope these interviews prove to be as informative to you as they have been for me.

Today’s guest is Elizabeth Pitt, CEO of CareGiverNeeded.com. I had a chance to sit down with Elizabeth recently. She’s extremely bright and has some really valuable insights on starting a business for the first time, acquiring traffic, and the importance of learning as you grow.

B5: Talk a little bit about what CareGiverNeeded.com is all about.
EP: CaregiverNeeded.com is the fastest and easiest way to find senior in-home care on-line. We have thousands of in-home senior caregivers on our site, and hundreds of in-home care agencies, so when a family is looking for care, we are an ideal resource. We answer a lot of questions families have about home care on the site, and we have experienced caregivers on staff to answer questions live.

Read moreValuable Lessons Learned and Advice From the Front Lines of an Online Business