The Budget Conundrum

Posted by on Dec 15, 2008 in Frequently Asked Questions | No Comments

When I consult with a new client, one of the questions on my list is “What is your budget?” About 1 in 5 people actually answer this question, but it is a pretty important one.

I understand why people don’t want to answer it – they are afraid that if they say $2000, I will sell them a $500 web site for $2000.

But I won’t, I promise. Knowing your budget will save us both a LOT of time. If your budget is not large enough for what you are asking for, then I can start the process by making recommendations of things to cut or do differently in order to get you a web site that you can afford. If I don’t know up front that your budget is not big enough, then we may spend hours consulting about features that in the end just can’t be implemented without a larger budget.

If your budget is larger than necessary, I will give you the real quote for what it would cost – no inflation. But I can also tell you some things we could add to your package if you like to boost web traffic and build your brand. These items would be entirely optional – I am not much of a salesperson – but might be items you did not think you could afford.

If you are adding a shopping cart to your web site, your budget becomes even more important, so that I can offer you several tiers in your price range. If you only have a few products and they won’t change often, I can put together a shopping cart to add to your web design package for as little as $75. If you have a lot of products and you want to be able to add/edit/remove items yourself, I have a no-frills cart that is really affordable and has no monthly fees. If your budget allows, I will give you the above option, plus the option for a another cart that costs a little more but has more features.

Don’t be afraid to share your budget – I am not going to rub my hands together and greedily mark up your quote to get your money. ;-) It just helps me give you the most web site you can afford, and I actually enjoy being able to tell someone I can give them what they need under budget. It makes me feel like Santa!