Click to Print  Building a Client Base  Make sure prospects know
they can trust your company by describing exactly what they're
getting from you. January 14, 2001  Q: I started a Web site
design company last year, and I am now having trouble building
my clientele. How would you suggest that I build my customer
base?  A: One of the problems you are facing is the uneasiness
that people feel about hiring a company to provide a service
about which they know very little. In your case, computer-
challenged people may be intimidated because they don't
understand the jargon, and they're not sure of how many hours or
how much money it takes to put a Web site into place with
design, content, links, hosting, registering, etc. So when you
tell them it will take a certain amount of time to complete a
task, they have no way of knowing whether they're getting ripped
off.  Often Web site design companies do not reveal that they
list themselves as the registrants of the client's domain, and
are therefore in complete control of