Stop Scope Creep Double Your Profit & Remove The Stress of Selling Websites
Why Do Projects Go Wrong? Imagine this: You ve agreed to do a specific project with a client. You start off well. But as the project progresses, the client makes small changes to it. Then, they request minor additions...then they want a few more minor updates. You find yourself overwhelmed with requests as the project ballooned into something you don t recognize and can t control anymore. Yet, the agreed price stays as it is. You feel like you re sinking and the whole project is drowning with you. That is scope creep. It s arguably the most hellish thing any project manager could ever experience. It s a revenue-killer, a timeline demolisher and a relationship destroyer all rolled in one. But scope creep only happens if you allow it to. And it creeps up on you when these things aren t clearly defined:
How Scope Creep Creeps Up On Projects 1. Lack of Clarity This is a big one, and very common. There are at least four parties involved in building a website: the client, the consultant (that s you), the designer and the developer. If the goals and objectives of the project are not clearly defined, it s very easy for communication issues to arise. You can end up with the client wanting X, the consultant advising Y, the designer creating Z and the developer building Q. If there is no clear description of what the final project should be, you will waste time sending the work back and forth to check, correct and double-check. It s a complete waste of time because you d be spending more hours on it than you should. Your project is likely to blow out in timeline if not cost, and your client will surely get frustrated in the process.
2. Lack Of Confidence Website building is a big deal to your client. It s likely the most important aspect of their marketing - one of the biggest marketing investments they will make. And why not? They will be depending on an awesome website in order to build a great business. Thus, a client needs to be confident in the ability of its developers to build their website. If they don t trust you as the expert, they will add their own ideas to the site s layout and design. In some cases, it can distort the design beyond recognition and you will lose sight of the original goal. These changes they make will cost extra time, not just for you, but for the designer and developer as well. It will delay the project and eat your profit. And when the website isn t working, do you think the client will think it was your fault? Of course. They knew you had no idea what you were doing. And guess what? They would partially be right. 3. Changing Plans During The Project It s not as common, but it stems from lack of clarity from the get-go and not having the confidence of your client. Some clients are more prone to this than others. This is especially true in start-ups. Perhaps you have done everything right. But sometimes, when the client sees the design and starts providing feedback, they slowly shift the idea of what they want to another direction. All of a sudden, they want a different outcome from what they have originally asked for halfway through the project. They may do this unconsciously, ignorant of the consequences of such changes.
So you end up with a dog's breakfast. The design was created with goal X in mind and now you need to adapt it to goal Y. And maybe, your client would think they might need goal Z and ask you to add it, too, just in case. Additional time is wasted relaying changes and re-doing parts of the design. And the development becomes so much more than the original plan and quote. After the site is up and the business isn t getting any sales, the client wonders why. He would think it s your fault with your bad design. 4.) Delayed Content This is extremely common. If there s anyone in the world who knows all about the client s business, it s the client himself. He s the one with all the photos, videos and other materials needed to build and design the website.
But the thing is that sometimes, it takes them way too long before they gather and give the materials to you. This delay causes a ripple effect. It isn t just the content that s going to be late; the whole project will be delayed and most likely, the deadline will not be met. Or sometimes, you build the site and six months later, you are still waiting for them to get those product descriptions to you so you can take it live and collect the final payment. Delayed content forces the designer to use blocks of Lorem Ipsum which could confuse the client and not match the final size of the content. Positioning of placeholder videos may not match the content of the final video - a video might contain the main sales message or just be supporting proof. The fact is, we are all procrastinators to some degree. If writing is not the client s thing, they put it off. Hell, I put off writing this article several days after planning it! 5.) Cost Change During The Development Most changes in cost happens when the project wanders off the initial, agreed plan. But it could also happen when the developer fails to get the full picture of the project. Unless you have a dodgy developer or designer, you should be able to get a solid quote right from the start so you could work out your margin. Make sure the final instructions are the same as what they quoted for and that there are no changes and additions. Otherwise, you can t blame them for needing to charge extra. This would put you in a tough situation. You end up having to decide between making suppliers hate you, copping a reduced profit (or maybe just break even), or having that awkward conversation with the client so you can explain what happened as you look at their disappointed faces.
6.) Communication Hassles A project that s not clear from the start is one thing. Shifts in expectations as the project progresses is another. Such shifts - which could come from the design unexpectedly taking longer to finish, additional design that has not been relayed to the developer, etc. - all affect the timeline of the project. Apart from actual language barrier in a global business world, there is also the language barrier of the technical and the non-technical. What the client calls the banner might actually be the header, a button or a full-width section halfway down the page. Without clear communication, you end up in scenarios where things have been done the wrong way and needs to be fixed at extra cost. Here s the good news: scope creep CAN be stopped. You have the ability to place systems and processes that would help prevent these problems.
Stopping Scope Creep For Good 1.) Rules Of Engagement There are no universal rules for buying a website. Clients don t know how to buy a website. They don t understand the website development process. You need to set the rules and show them how to do it. Clearly define the rules in your proposal. Explain these things to them: What instructions, content or logins they need to provide, and when. Let them know the project won t proceed without the content. Why you don t take shortcuts or do things the cheap way. Terms of payment for the services and any additional software, domains etc. (it is always best if they pay for any ongoing licenses or domains themselves). How you will be charging for any change that affects the cost of production after the brief has been approved. How you will be charging extra for major changes to the website after the designs have been approved. The timeline; when they can expect things and when they need to supply materials or feedback. How communication will work and who they will communicate with; whether they should communicate through phone or email; how they should provide feedback on design mockups or final website edits.
Who you will deal with, and how you need them to cooperate with you. Avoid dealing with multiple decision-makers. It is best if only one client is providing feedback and decisions on the project. If you have a client who doesn t want to play by your rules, then rethink if you want to continue working with them. 2.) The Goal What is the real reason why they want the website or the website redesign? What is the real goal? Dig deeper and get totally clear. Often the surface reason is not the real reason. Getting clear on the purpose of the website provides a number of benefits. It becomes easier to get positive results for the client in the long run. It makes the whole project run smoother. It also allows you to increase your profits from the project.
SPIN Selling is a great book which explains the process of asking questions and digging deeper into the needs of the client. Getting clarity around why they need the website and what benefits it will bring them will make it easier for you to sell them RIGHT solution - and to sell it at the right price. Think of yourself as a doctor, asking the right questions to get a more accurate diagnosis. Not only are you positioning yourself as the expert, you are also projecting to the client that you do HAVE the solution to their problem. This way, the client will be confident in your ability to make them better and would be more than happy to pay the cost for the correct prescription. The same goes with website design and development. Always align your decision to the goal which the client will set. If the client doesn t want more phone calls, don t put the phone number on the header. Let each page of the site support the goal. Anything that distracts from it or is dead weight should simply be removed. Doing this will yield positive results. 3.) Positioning Positioning yourself as the expert and maintaining the respect of your client means they are less likely to second-guess your advice and micro-manage the project. You want to avoid that as much as possible. When clients start micro-managing every aspect of the project, you end up mixedup and muddled. And when you lose sight of how the project should be and where it should go, you are likely to change plans, which could cost you time and money. Remember: they are not the experts in this field. You are. Trust us to provide them with great results. And if you find your clients continuing to micro-manage, either your have a process problem or you have the wrong type of client.
Quite often, discount clients are the ones who are prone to micro-management. If they are not paying properly for your service and advice, they are not giving it enough value. 4.) Project Proposal There is no need to delve into specifics during the initial proposal for the project. What it should mainly focus on are the outcome, benefits and goals of the project. It should outline the rules of engagement, cover the terms, timeline and investment. Having an FAQ section is a great way to reinforce the way you work, cover off a lot of common objections and educate the client on how they should be buying the website. Another great thing to have is a What Next and a What To Expect section. These will show clients exactly what they need to do to get started on the project and how the project flow will work. 5.) Project Brief You should charge if you are developing the project brief. Add it as a line item in the investment or build it into the overall cost. However you do it, get paid. It will determine how smooth the rest of the project will go. The project brief should clearly explain to the client what they should expect. It should convey to the designer and developer what the client is expecting and what they need to create to meet this expectation. Do the brief properly, once. Then, get the client to sign it before production begins
so you don t have to repeat the requirements to everyone, answer silly questions, get unnecessary feedback, redo things that weren t done right, deal with scope creep and other such problems. Your brief should cover: The purpose and goals of the website; the expected outcomes and results it should generate. The unique selling proposition, target market, Call-to-Action, headlines and other marketing copy. Design details: the look and feel, branding style guide, examples of similar websites or parts of websites that are close to what is wanted. A wireframe of the website layout, especially for key pages or page templates. A sitemap of all pages and navigation. Details of all content and media required for each section on every page; who will supply this and when. If SEO is being implemented, the keyword targets for each page, how the URLs, content for the page titles, headings and descriptions should be structured. Technical details of logins, accounts, software, plugins and third party apps that are required for the project to go live. Details of any special functionality required, like shopping carts, animations, integrations, search filters or interactive elements. 6.) Process Have one and stick to it. For example, clients should NOT be shown the website during construction. Why? They will get confused about how things look when it s half-built. And because they don t understand it, they will start providing changes. What you should do is to do tests and checks to make sure the website matches the brief.
Do this before showing it to the client. This way, if any change is asked for, it would be easier to delineate the out-of-scope requests. Strictly follow this process. Some clients my try to bend your rules, but as I said earlier, perhaps you need to ask if they are the right client for you. Once you have developed your own process and have all the templates for the proposal and briefs, begin organizing your work. You can hand parts of it to an assistant or cut down the time you spend by using a ready-made template. That s when you start increasing your profit margins even further. What s more, you will also be able to provide consistently great results to your clients. These clients who were happy with your service, will ultimately become long-term clients; raving fans who are willing to refer more clients to you, pay for recurring services or buy another site or a redesign in a year s time. This. This is the sweet spot. I hope you got value out of this. Please feel free to reach out to me at support@evergreenprofit.com if you have questions or need any further help. And if you're interested in developing templates and processes for your business, hit Reply to the email you got this download from.
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