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Who Needs a CMS?

What makes a web design prospect a good candidate for a Content Management System?

Imagine that you are in front of your prospect. They love your portfolio and the previous work you've done and they recognize the value that a web site can provide their business. How do you determine whether a CMS is a good option for their organization? Showing a prospect an online demo of how easily they can take control of their web site content can be a powerful "oh, wow" factor. For some prospects, they can connect the dots and immediately see the value that a CMS can bring to their business. For most though, you'll need to build a business case and demonstrate the "What's in it for me?". Here are a few quick questions you can ask your client to see if a CMS is an applicable tool for your prospect:

What makes you different from your competition?

If the answer to this question is the quality of work they do, then wouldn't their web site visitors want to see recent examples of their work on the web site? If it's their competitive prices, maybe having "this week's specials" online will bring more people to their door? If it's their expertise within their industry, an easy to use tool that allows them to have an "ask the expert" or "industry news" may be the differentiator that gives them a leg up on their competitors.

Do the products/services you offer change?

A website is intended to be a reflection of the organization it represents. For most organizations, change is an everyday occurrence. Whether it relates to international exchange rates, a new home listing for a realtor or an upcoming food drive for the local food bank, organizations need to be dynamic and their website should reflect those changes.

Do you want control?

Let's face it - when we're not busy with other web site projects, it's great to hear from a client who wants to make some text or image changes to their web site. We can quickly make the changes and bill our client appropriately. But, on those days when we're juggling 15 deadlines and we get that same phone call, we just aren't able to address changes as quickly as our client would like. If you can paint a picture for your client where the local newspaper runs a glowing article about their organization which lists their website and they want to take advantage of this web traffic with a special on their site...and their web designer is on vacation...for some, this is a deciding factor.
Each client is different, but hopefully these questions and examples can help you determine whether a CMS is right for your client.
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