How to get your clients onboard with Webflow

So, you've decided you want to introduce Webflow as one of (or the main tool) in your arsenal and use it develop client websites. You know it makes site development faster and also lets you design really custom sites without having to write code. But what's in it for your clients? Oftentimes clients haven't even heard about Webflow yet and are wondering if this is the right platform to work with. They are often only familiar with Wordpress and might insist that you use it as the platform for their website. Therefore I recommend  going through the following steps before starting any Webflow client project.

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Assess website requirements

Before actually talking to your client about Webflow, you should assess for yourself if Webflow is the right tool for the job, because let's face it: you don't want to recommend Webflow if it's going to cause you or your client grief in the long run. This means you need to take the job requirements into consideration, look at the features required by your client (Do they need a membership area? Do they want to update content themselves? Is it an e-commerce site?) and investigate if the project in question can be accomplished with Webflow and can be done well. Ask your client not only for features they want to include now, but also for the ones they might want to integrate in the future. If you don't do this you might get an unpleasant surprise if your client suddenly asks for feature XYZ to be added on, which can't easily be developed within Webflow. Also don't forget that some features might need external services to be connected with Webflow that might require an ongoing investment by your client (such as Memberstack, Foxy.io or Elfsight). If you are planning to integrate a service or implement a feature you have no or little knowledge about, take this into consideration as well when you think about the project timeline – it will take you longer to complete a website if you first have to learn or look up how to do a certain thing.

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Highlight the benefits for the your client

After you've determined that the project at hand can be done successfully with Webflow, and that you know how to do this (or are willing to learn) you need to talk to your client. As mentioned previously, your client might have little or no prior knowledge of Webflow and might therefore be quite apprehensive at first. I suggest focussing on the advantages Webflow has for his project/website instead of dwelling on how Webflow makes life easier for you as the designer. In the end clients care most about what's in it for them and their organisation. It often boils down to three questions: Can I get a quality site in a reasonable timeframe for a reasonable price? If you can speak positively to these three points you should be good to go. Let's break this down a little further... Fast website load times, easy site maintenance for clients, easy design updates through the designer (or the client himself if he wants to learn to use Webflow) and a custom, non-cookie-cutter design are just some of the things a platform like Webflow can make possible. Another advantage worth mentioning is that turn around times are often considerably lower as well. Also, oftentimes freelancers or even as an agencies using Webflow can offer more competitive pricing than if they'd build the site with a dedicated developer. These are just some of the items you can talk to your clients about before kicking off a new Webflow web design project. Need some further resources regarding some of the advantages Webflow offers compared to some other websites builders and web platforms? You can check out Webflow's own list of pros and cons here: https://webflow.com/vs/wordpress

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Show, don't (only) tell

While you can (and should) talk to your client about the benefits Webflow offers as a platform, I can only recommend also showing them how the system works. What I like to do if I can't demo Webflow live, I direct them to Webflow's own video on the "Webflow Editor", the tool your client will use to update their site once it has been launched. Webflow's videos are usually done pretty well and the video below is directed specifically at people who aren't web designers or developers.

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There are also a few more videos in the series that explain the basics of the Editor's e-commerce tab, collections tab, orders tab and more. These also come in handy when training your client on Webflow and it's client-specific features. You can find the whole YouTube playlist here.

I want to end this with a brief personal note. I work exclusively with Webflow. So I start by assessing if a new client project is a good fit for the platform. If yes, I tell my client why I think this is the case. If no, I tell him that it might be better for him to work with a designer who is specialised in another platform that is a better fit. While I potentially could get more design work by also working with platforms like Wordpress, Squarespace or Wix, I prefer to focus on a platform that I enjoy working with the most. This lets me direct my energy at learning new skills in one particular area of web design. And by doing what I enjoy, I can achieve a better result for the client as well!

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