It is not my desire to turn this blog into a place where I rant and rave about the aggravations I face in the business world, however, every once and awhile I run into something that needs to be shared. I actually decided to create this post after searching google trying to find a similar post so that I could give a prospective client a good answer. Here is the situation.
I recently contacted someone who had put an add online requesting some very simple web design work, around 5 pages nothing to spectacular, looking for a web designer that wants to add to their portfolio. (I should have seen the red flag there.) However being that I am in the early stages of branching off and taking on clients of my own outside of work I decided that I would reply. In my reply I gave a rough estimate that was quite low compared to what one might expect to charge for professional web design out of a bigger company. I also opened up the discussion for negotiation in my initial email but at no time did I indicate that I would be willing to do pro-bono work. The reply I received was “would you be willing to do it for free and add it to your portfolio?” Ok here is the kicker, this company advertised itself as a small finance company. So I stepped back and thought about how I should reply to this one, and here is what I came up with. My reply went something like this, “Unfortunately I am unable to take on this type of work right now, I apologize, I misunderstood your need.” Line 2: Unless of course you are in the business of giving out zero interest loans to small businesses, then we might be able to talk.” The reply I received was a bit funny but ended with “no problem I will find someone to do it for free.”
So why is it so appalling that I might suggest that they provide their service for free if they are requesting mine for no charge? Obviously I did not expect to get the job when I replied in the manner I did, but I wanted to make a point. The problem that I have here is that I run into this time and again, it seems as though there are a great number of business owners out there that greatly undervalue the work that we as designers and web developers do. In some ways I feel like the kid who used to do drawings of animals for his classmates because he happened to be pretty good at it for a 3rd grader. Odd thing is I imagine that a business would have no problem paying for ad space in the local business publication, so where is the line drawn that says design and development work is of lesser value than “real, paid advertising”. Yes I understand that you want to have a line on your business card that starts with the letters www but why not take full advantage of what that www can provide you. Believe it or not more people turn to the internet to find a business, product or service they are in need of than anywhere else. So what gives?
The sad truth is, he is absolutely right. He will in fact find some poor college student who just needs to add a few more work examples to his portfolio before he graduates and he or she will be more than happy to do it for free. I have no problem with that college student doing the work either, they will do what they have to do to get ahead and hang their hat out in the corporate world.
Sorry but web design and development is a service and yes some people actually do it as a full time job and even get paid pretty well. No we don’t all learn to do this after creating our first myspace profile, we actually read books and take classes to stay up on the latest technologies so that we can provide you with a website that will work as a viable business tool.
Now as a disclaimer, there are some instances in which I would create a website for free. Here area few off the top of my head. I would consider doing work for a viable non-profit organization for free. I would also be more than happy to create a blog design for a young cancer survivor who wants to share his story with the world and touch other children dealing with cancer. This is not an extensive list but you get the idea.
So my question is how do we combat this plague on our industry?
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’ve been seeing more and more of this lately, and the only thing I can figure is that people are doing work for free, or really cheap, which encourages more people to ask for it. Of course good designers and developers don’t come cheap and those who want a really good website will have to pay for it but it’s frustrating how little people think of our kind of business.
I won’t do work for cheap anymore, not even for friends, because I’ve found the kind of person that asks for it is the kind of person that will drive you crazy with future requests and unreasonable demands.
Charge what you’re worth and let those looking for something free get a crummy website from someone else.
Thanks Jess -
It seems that there are more and more companies sprouting up offering “website design starting at $99″, it is unfortunate for the rest of us that most people having little or no knowledge of good design and usability see this as the obvious choice. To the non web savvy consumer who just wants to get their business online, this type of offer makes many of us appear to be over charging for our work.
I completely agree with you on working with clients who start out by proposing unreasonable demands, they often become the ones who expect every extra add on to be part of the original contract.
The unfortunate problem here is that many of those students who are willing to work for free in order to fulfill a course requirement are actually quite good at what they do. It’s to bad that their clients find taking advantage of their skill an easy alternative are unwilling to pay them, as they are probably even more in need of the money than your average freelancer.
The way I see it, those who offer their services really cheap will eventually get frustrated with the type of clients they have to work with and their inability to pay their bills and will either give up what they’re doing or charge more. However there will always be more to take their place. But there are discount businesses in every field and I’ve found the best thing to do is to specialize in your field, be the best, and charge what is fair for both you and the client. You’ll be in a league above the discounters and won’t even be competing for the same type of clients.
I feel bad for the people who sign up for those cheap website programs without an understanding of what they’re really getting because in the end someone is getting the short end of the stick.