Hey guys, I know most of you are pretty good web designers and do that very often.

I am stuck in a situation and wondering if someone could help me.

There is a financial company in Chicago and one day I get a call from them saying that they want me to build their website.

I said ok, and now the CEO of that company wants to see me in person and wants to talk about the website.

I have never done that before and was wondering what should I take with me in order to make everything go smooth (Please do not ask me to take Vodka with me to the interview).

I made a small check list that I could use at the meeting, and I will take an extra note pad with me, but still, I want to make the check list as perfect as possible.
Here is the content from the list:

1) When it needs to be done? ____________

2a) Does the company has logo? ___________
2b) If yes, can I have it in a digital format? __________
2c) If no, may I offer a logo for the company? __________

3) What does the website needs? ____________________________________________________________

4) Online shop with downloads only? ________________________________________________________

5) Will the user get a unique report, or it’s a general report? ________________________

6a) Any color scheme? ___________________
6b) If not, may I offer a simple, easy to read theme/scheme? __________________________

7) Only PayPal or other services are needed? __________________________________

8) Is this a one time job or will I am the in charge for the website? _______________________




What else should I add??:rolleyes:

your on the right track:)

before you go, have an image of the site you would build before you go in. This might help you visualise the things you need to remember. Dont read the questions from a clipboard or anything - theyd think you havent a clue

one of the best things i find is showing them other websites on the web - or ask prehand if there are website designs on the web which has caught their eye

because a lot of the time they dont know what they want in the website

good luck:)

PayPal? Online shop? I thought this was a financial site?

Yes, find out what exactly they do, and what they want the site to do for them.
Interactive?
If yes, in what way?
Informative?
If yes, in what way?

Dress professionaly

you need to know about their target customers and what appeals to them, you need to go in with a changeble idea of what their end users need, and then clarify this with them. will the require speed over graphical fancy bits or is this going to be a showcase more then a practical shopfront.
you need to get armfuls of literature and add campaigns etc, you need facts \ company slogans to incorperate. if they have a corp identity it has to be considered, go in there with a laptop and several designs, before you meet the ceo you should have several mockups from stock designs (basic demonstrations of layout styles) so he can see what your talking about.
this is entirely a game, involving you learning the right words, but remember the words mean very little and just sound impressive. they dont have a 'colour scheme' they have a corporate identity etc, but you have to remember this guy will know the words but you have to spoon feed the facts (which is where the demos come in). ask him what hes seen elsewhere that he likes, not copying of course but inspiration.
as mentioned above , dress professionally, id go for conservative smart, as apposed to anything too fancy and above all be very respectful. lines like 'its a pleasure to meet you sir' tend to work well with slightly older clients.
try and have a visual example of ideas to demonstrate things in practise. also ask if he minds you taping the interview, explain it makes it easier to record ideas without having to pause to write them down and ensure to mention hes welcome to a copy of the tape.
most importantly you have to remember you know ways of achieving things and he knows roughly what he wants to achieve, ensure you dont get mixed up along the way and try and press an idea you like upon him. early meetings should focus on what he wants to achieve and what hes seen that he likes.

best of luck

Did the CEO sign up for one of your free email domains? :D

Originally posted by timechange
Did the CEO sign up for one of your free email domains? :D

LAMO, yes he did and that's how he found out about me too :D


Anyways, the interview went pretty well.
Online shop, he wants to sell reports to his users, first one will be free and after that he'll charge $50 or something.

Company does not have a logo, nor they want one.

All he wants is 5 static/html pages and a shopping cart.

He offered a pretty nice amount and he promised to reffer me to at least 3 more people;)

P.S
I wore a torn up jeans and a very shiney yellow shirt LMAO, you should have seen his face when he saw me.

That's way cool, I need to move to California :D

PS I got an email from Maxtor that our rebates are on their way :D

Hell yeah! dude, I have been waiting for em.

well done:) nice christmas bonus.

That's great! Glad to hear it came out well! :)