[thelist] Convincing the client to change hosts
Kasimir K
evolt at kasimir-k.fi
Sun Apr 18 11:45:06 CDT 2004
Hello Alex
Ah, clients, they are tricky little beasts to program... But if you
leave your own feelings out, and arm yourself with some cool common
sense, it's a lot easier.
> I have a client who is adamant that he is staying with the BT hosting.
...
> How do i go about convincing him its worth the trouble of changing hosts?
First you find out what are the reasons your client wants to stay with
BT, what he thinks or feels he gets from BT that he likes. Make a list
of these reasons/thoughts/feelings. Then you one by one go through that
list, and tell your client how each item is covered/dealt better with a
proper host, and prove your points too. E.g:
He says: "BT is cheap", you say: "Other hosts are cheaper, look at these
price lists".
He says: "BT is reliable", you say: "Other hosts are more reliable, look
at these independent studies"
etc.
Don't accept ambiguous reasons, but insist breaking them down to
explicit reasons. E.g:
He says: "BT is good", you say: "How good a host is depends on many
factors, and on your needs. Please specify."
> If i cant, do i change clients (!?!)
If what your client wants can be done with BT, then do it. If doing it
with BT is more difficult than with a proper host, tell your client you
must charge more.
If your client wants things, that are impossible with BT, tell him that
he must either change what he wants, or change host. If he refuses to do
either, then you are unable to deliver what he wants, and in this case,
you obviously can not have him as a client.
Of course one thing to keep in mind is how many new clients are knocking
behind your door...
hth,
.kasimir
More information about the thelist
mailing list