[thelist] How to Talk Down to the Client (WAS: getting rid of the quote builder)

Joel D Canfield joel at spinhead.com
Wed Dec 8 12:17:58 CST 2004


[I'll try to make these comments stand alone so I don't have to quote
extensively from your extensive and interesting query]

I find that my clients/prospects tend toward the less technical end of
the range, from 'slightly computer literate' to 'absolute zero.'

I do find that the farther down the techlit chain, the more grateful
they are, and I love explaining technology in terms anyone can
understand. "A little learning is a dangerous thing" - the ones who know
a little bit often think they know more than they do, and are more
difficult to deal with on occasion. But it's usually just a matter of
personality as much as technical knowledge.

Why does your explanatory web writing need to be 'more formal'? I'd
write a high level overview aimed at what *you* consider 'average'
technical level for your current (or desired) clients. Then, in every
place where you think it might be over *anyone's* head, provide linkage
to clear, simple, and yes, humourous, explanations in excrutiating
detail. (Write like a newspaper: critical info in the headline,
important stuff in the first paragraph, then continue in descending
order of importance until you get to the fun trivial stuff in the last
paragraph.)

As I said, I love teaching technology, and most of my clients appreciate
it (or ask me to stop 'cause they don't care, which is fine, too ;) The
ones I end up avoiding and hoping they'll go away, it's really because
they're demanding and unreasonable - and they'd be that way whether we
were dealing with technology or ditch digging.

joel


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