This week, a 12 month web design consultancy contract I’ve been working on came to an end, and the client immediately invited me back the following week to look at renewing it for an extended period: something I’m very happy about!
The train journey back from London gave me time to reflect on why I enjoy web design consultancy work so much, and from that came this list.
Web consultancy doesn’t require pitching or tendering
Generally speaking, the web consultancy clients I have worked with haven’t asked for a tender or for me to do a creative pitch: I talk to the client, discuss their issues and aims, and suggest a course of action, and a likely budget and deadline. From there, I’m sometimes asked to provide a CV or profile of my web expertise: easy, and more time to get on with the work itself.
Simply, I enjoy the consultancy work because I get to talk with the client, rather than at them, which is what pitch-style commissioning tends to breed.
I get to talk with the client, rather than at them, which is what pitch-style commissioning tends to breed.
The work is varied, challenging and thought-provoking
I love building websites, but web consultancy gives me another perspective on what I do.
I find it also gives me a chance to think about my other clients with the benefit of distance, so I come back to the office refreshed and often with the solution to other projects’ challenges in my head!
Chance to work with some impressive clients
Many of the high profile clients we’ve worked with have come to us for specific consultancy work. We’ve helped:
- the University of Edinburgh with HTML & CSS training, as well as WordPress websites
- the Scottish Government optimise their web content workflow and strategy
- write web design exams and assessments for another country’s curriculum
- Northumbria University, acting as a visiting lecturer for their students and helping develop their web design projects
We also work with some great brands and organisations as a more typical web design agency, but consultancy, by its very nature, seems to attract a greater density of high profile clients.
Consultancy clients buy lunch
Finally, and most importantly, consultancy clients tend to buy lunch! This does tend to be because we’re on a client site and they have a canteen, but a free lunch is a free lunch…
If you’d like to work with me on a web consultancy project, contact me via Peacock Carter Ltd!