I like many others, am a firm believer in "The customer is always right". However, many in the Design industry feel this is wrong, their attitudes are of a somewhat "I know best" nature. At the end of the day, who is paying the bill? Don't get me wrong - the client may not have the best ideas, but it is up to you to inform them of your knowledge and experience - and to better advise the client on how the site should be done - and if they don't agree that's ok to.

Learn to compromise, it is up to you to let the client know that while their opinion may be valid - you have experience and they should maybe go in another direction. With a downward spiralling economy and client expectations changing - designers must respect and value their clients more so than ever. Nobody has ever succeeded by ignoring the opinions of the people around them.

Work with the client - don't just blindly fob of their ideas as "stupid" or "uneducated". Remember, two brains are better than one, and do you really want to lose the client because you where to arrogant to listen to their ideas? Never tell them how their web site should be done, the website isn't yours, the web site belongs to the client. Occasionally you will be approached by a new client who knows exactly what they want, but don’t have the skills or knowledge to put it into production. Don't adopt the arrogant attitude of "if you know so much why don't you build it?” this attitude will most likely result in a dispute and the client walking away from you.

After the client has left your office and the job is complete or incomplete - you want a good review. You want the client to go away thinking there is nothing like you and that your work is second to none. Bear in mind that people always like to believe the worst, so if your client has gone away and said to someone you were argumentative and unwilling to work with them, this will stick and you WILL develop a bad reputation.

In today’s world, allot of people have forgotten what good Customer Service is. Customer service is a process of forming and maintaining a working relationship with your existing and new clients. A good designer will always be respectful and considerate, even if the ideas being presented aren’t as educated as what you had wished for. You will always get more business when your client walks away happy, even if you aren't. Hopefully this post will inspire some of today’s designers to rethink their attitudes towards others when dealing in business - your opinion may not be as important as you initially thought.