How to Work with a Geek
In the previous article, we learned how to go out and hire a geek. Now we’re going to learn how to work with them.
Following are a few tips which can help you “speak geek” and make sure you get your project done to your expectations. Let’s dive in…
PAY BY THE PROJECT, NOT BY THE HOUR
This is a must if you want to avoid getting taken advantage of. My suggestion for how to approach this is to come up with a list of tasks you need done, consult with your geek about them, then come up with project prices that you both feel are fair.
As you’re talking with your geek, you will want to ask them a few key questions for each of the tasks:
1. How do you intend to accomplish this task?
2. How long do you think it will take you to do?
3. What goes into this time estimate; why do you think it will take this long? What specific components of your work take up what amount of time?
4. Are there any alternate ways you can think of that will accomplish a similar result with a smaller time investment on your part?
I encourage you not to pay a deposit or anything like that – just keep it simple and pay them when the work is finished.
If you’re working with a high school or college student on a project that will take more than 10 hours, I suggest a brief 5 minute phone call after every 3 or 4 hour block of work to check in on progress, and keep them working diligently.
Once you’ve gone over everything with them and agreed on what to expect, be sure to send them an email confirmation, just to make sure everyone’s on the same page.
MULTIPLY THEIR DEADLINE BY TWO TO AVOID DISAPPOINTMENT
Multiply your geek’s proposed deadline by 2 or 3 to avoid getting disappointed. Usually when your geek puts together his or her quote in their head, they are planning it out under ideal circumstances. But so very rarely are the circumstances in a computer project ideal; something almost always comes up.
REMEMBER THEIR EGO
This point is huge when working with geeks. Honestly, upwards of 50% of geeks will get personally offended if you bluntly tell them that you don’t like their work. The way that you get around this is by being specific, and outlining as many up-sides as you do down-sides.
Example: “I really like where you’re going with this design, but I am not a big fan of the background color in the header. Can you have it be more of a deep blue, like they have at xyzwebsite.com?”
NEXT STEPS…
In this series of articles, I’ve given you the basics. Do you have any questions of comments? Please let me know below!
Guest blogger, Zach Swinehart, is a true geek. He is author of The Geek Guidebook, recommended for those who want to hire a geek and get it right the first time.
Hmm, not so sure about not agreeing on some payment up front. Not everyone who hires is trustworthy and once for instance the website is up and they won’t pay, the only recourse is to law which may not be cost-effective.
Interesting this series is written by a “Geek” in this article you’re pretty heavy handed to your own kind.
You gave some great tips for the client on how to be on the offense but you don’t mention ways that will help them work with their web professional.
Such as do your homework, follow through, expect that when you say “Can’t we just . . . ” is going to cost money and time. Meet your own deadlines. Half the time a project gets off track is a client not responding or providing the content they were supposed to. Or not being prepared and announcing in the middle of the project some new significant specification.
And I won’t touch a project under $500 without a deposit. That’s a great way to kill your cash flow and lose money. A deposit not only helps cover your initial time and possible costs it also engages the client.
They now have a vested interest to get the project done. They also know at the start this is going to cost money, and not have a bunch of work happen and then get hit by a big bill. And for most clients having payment is better.
A good working relationship is a two way street of preparation, delivery, follow through and respect.
You also didn’t mention an absolutely critical element of having a contract and keeping things documented.
Good article. Not so sure I agree with the payment details too, but each situation will be different. It will depend on how skilled and professional the provider, or geek as you would have it.
Great tip about the ego. I use this in most aspects of my life. Always point out the good things first and the “bad” won’t seem as catastrophic!
Thanks for the great series.
Jenna
Hi Zach,
I like what you said about checking in every 3 to 4 hours. That is a great idea and as you said it should cause them to focus more on your project – as opposed to working more on someone else’s project!
This article should really be titled
“How to work with unprofessional and marginally skilled ‘geeks'”.
I don’t think any of this applies to working with a professional service provider especially given your list of where to find help in the first article.
Agreed. A lot of clients haven’t put enough thought into what they want. In many cases project management and education takes more time than the actual design and coding. So what is missing in this post is “Engineers love specifics and certainty. The more detail you can give to your Geek – the happier both you and he/she will be.”.
Excellent Article my dear Joel, thanks for sharing