So true - people like to work with and promote people they trust and have confidence in.

Yes. Honesty and transparency will actually go further in the long run.

I have never had a problem acquiring or maintaining clients using words like I, me, and mine instead of us, we, and our.

I use a single email address for all support issues instead of various email addresses for different subjects such as sales, billing, support, etc.

I don't charge them $500 to run their site through Google Webmaster tools to optimize their website and claim to be an SEO expert.

I don't pretend to own a server or data center to host client websites when in reality, they are on my rented hosted plan or server.

I don't offer the moon. I tell them I don't know but can find a solution. Clients are usually satisfied with that and I earned their trust, as well as their money, while offering a professional service.

Paintbrush and Tom, I very much like your approach with (potential) clients. I try to do the same.

I have never really used VSD for creating websites. I learnt to code in html back in 96, very basic to begin with, as probably some more of you. But I have found that VSD can be of help if I want to achieve some effect which I don't know how to code. I drag the elements into place in VSD, study the code, and then I go back to the HTML Editor and write it. One example I remember off the top of my head was when I first started using layers. I saw how it was done in VSD and used it with the Editor.

I have heard of others who use VSD for the design of a site, and then they modify the code in the Editor, knowing full well that they can't go back to VSD once they have changed the code outside it.

I create sites for others using the html Editor. But I also offer a kind of 'DIY' in which VSD is part of the package, including a couple of hours' training with the programme. So far nobody has taken up that offer, though...

I too create small websites for independent business owners. My experience has been that they could care less whether I am hand coding the pages or using a program to do it. In fact, if you say html or css to them, they will look at you and say, "huh?" Do they know how to view the source code of a page? No! All they care about is that I create a quality website that works and that will help them with their business. That is what I do. I work hard to give them exactly what they want and need. I don't sell them stuff they don't need and I don't make things complicated for them. My motto is, "Let me build your website so you can build your business." Some of my clients have tried the "one night, do it yourself" website builders and came away completely frustrated and then called me. I don't take advantage of my clients' lack of knowledge. I try to educate them for what they need to know and the rest is why they pay me. They don't want to know all the technical stuff -- that's why they called me. I am the professional when it comes to building their websites, they are the professionals when it comes to building their businesses.

I find the CC software perfectly acceptable to use in order to give my clients affordable websites. If I hand coded, I would have to charge them a whole lot more. Honestly, I would say that 99% of my clients do not want to make any changes themselves to their website. They are happy to let me take care of it so they do not have to add one more thing to their pile of tasks.

I have to just pop in here to say Cheryl, Tom, Paintbrush, Inger- you people are awesome in the way you think, not many take that approach, so proffessional, and I for one thank you for it. All the help here in the forums shows exactly how professional you really are and caring to boot.
Thanks again all of you for your support. ( was that to mushy?)

Hiya Cheryl,

All good points there also, but... you do need to keep in mind that at some point there are going to be clients that "do" want to edit their own sites after you have finished it or at some point later. This being the case it does matter if you are able to show them the software itself if you're using VSD, or if you are able to show them how to code it. Granted, if you need to teach them it's definitely ok to charge them for that service or not to depending on your own setups. And when you're doing a site for someone in VSD you should always at least let them know that should they decide in the future that they want to edit themselves, that they will need to purchase specific software to do so. Just good business to keep that all out in the open.

If you are unable to code them yourself and are relying strictly on visual designers, you should let them know that if they decide to take it over themselves that they will be responsible for learning the coding themselves. This is something you can let them know at that time I'm sure, but just little things that are important to some customers and should be taken into consideration so that they are aware of their responsibilities if they take the site over at some point when it's finished etc.

Having said all that, your points are all valid, most clients don't care what you use to build their websites at all, they just want a nice site to use for their purposes.

I have two gripes about VSD. Large image files and way too many divs. Not very clean when you have to edit things by hand. When the old designer is gone and there is no VSD file, it will be a nightmare to manage.

Bruzer, you are too kind. You should include your name in that lot.

Hi Cheryl,

I am glad to see that is working for you. Though I haven't fully implemented it, I am hoping to go that route myself. For general informational websites that (as far as I'm concerned) every business should have, I disagree that it is likely that many of those people are going to suddenly get the urge to hand code it themselves. I am currently working on a site for someone that is going to want to do updates herself. I haven't yet decided whether to buy the program (Scott said I could do this through the business office) or to just dig out the affiliate link I have never used and let her buy her own copy and just collect my affiliate payment. : )

From seeing what's 'out there', I would consider people who have 'done it themselves' to be my best source of customers. LOL

linda
www.thebodycodetohealth.com
'Physical & Emotional Healing for People & Pets'

Thanks Tom, and JoAnn it does include you as well sorry .......

Bruce, you are one of the keenest helpers in this forum, to the extent of creating a site with examples for various solutions. Not all of us have the time, the dedication - nor the patience - to do that.

Now, on New Year's Eve, when we probably raise a glass or two anyway, we might as well raise one for the great helpers in here, and you are definitely among them!

Happy New Year!