Tony Mazzarella Software Development Manager of Wanna Pixel Inc and co-creator of the UkuuPeople plugin likes to learn things the hard way. In this session, Tony will share entertaining anecdotes and real-life lessons from his 14 years of managing digital projects and the clients who accompany them. It’s all about balance—Yin & Yang. We’ll explore the balance between marketing yourself and under-promising so you can over-deliver. Tony will also cover the art of effectively pushing back while still being professional. Tony will illustrate the importance of finding good clients and getting your people in the right place.

1. THE TAOISM OF
WORDPRESS PROJECTS
A BEGINNER’S GUIDE TO MANAGING CLIENT
EXPECTATIONS

2. Tony Mazzarella
VP, Software Development
Wanna Pixel Inc
Co-Author: UkuuPeople Simple CRM
tony@wapix.co
@tonymazz
wapix.co
tonymazz
@tonymazz

3. Wanna Pixel Inc
• Full service Digital Agency that
services Social Good Organizations
• Based in Denver, CO
• Distributed Team of over 100

4. Free Simple CRM Solution for
Wordpress
• Manage Contacts, Touchpoints and
Tribes
• Over 1,000 downloads
• nearly 200 active installs
Integrates with:

5. Taoism
noun | Tao-ism | -ˌi-zəm
: a Chinese philosophy based on the writings of Lao-tzu that stresses
living simply and honestly and in harmony with nature

6. So what does this have to do with
Wordpress projects and managing client
expectations?
• Simplicity – Implementing simple, easy to follow
processes and clear project expectations reduces the
amount of thinking the client has to do.
• Honesty – By being upfront and honest the client know
you have their best interest at heart and trust your
decisions… and be more understanding when issues
arise. Honesty builds trust.
• Harmony – Harmony is balance. Your goal is to
maintain a balance and mutual respect throughout the
course of your engagement.

7. “When I let go of what I am, I
become what I might be.”
Lao-Tzu

8. You are no longer a web designer, web developer, programmer or a “geek”

9. Discover who you really are…
• You’re a problem solver
• You’re an artist
• You’re an expert
• You are a professional
• You’re a creator
You’re exactly what your client
needs!

10. Be your true self…
• Truly believe in your value
• Be confident, but not arrogant
• Build trust through kind, simple gestures
• Foster mutual respect and demand it when necessary

11. When you are content to be simply
yourself and don't compare or
compete, everybody will respect you
Lao-Tzu

12. Finding good clients…
• Don’t compete by lowering costs, compete by increasing
value
• Avoid clients that want “just a website” or need it urgently
• Don’t respond to RFP’s or clients that want line item costing
• Demonstrate thorough knowledge of the client and the
project
• A decent client knows they don’t have all the answers. A
good client understands they don’t even know the
questions. A great client is willing to pay for the questions
and the answers
• Have a niche. Play to your strengths and ensure consistent
success

13. Criteria
• Importance
• Values
• Priorities
• Tone
• Relationship

14. He who controls others may be
powerful, but he who has
mastered himself is mightier still.
Lao-Tzu

15. Problem clients say things like…
• I need a simple wordpress site and I don’t have a lot of
money and I need it ASAP!
• That much! For a Website!
• Well, it should do ______!
• _________ is a basic functionality, I shouldn’t have to pay
for that!
• This will be completely unusable unless you ________.
• I just have a few changes that we NEED to get
implemented.
• I’m not approving this project until _______, _______ and
______ are done.

16. This is a sign of an unbalanced
relationship
• Push back and confidently explain your position and try
to create balance.
• Demonstrate you’ve “mastered yourself”
• Reference past work that relates to their project
• Illustrate your process
• Reference project documents and communication
• In most cases, consistent and firm correction will create
balance
• If all else fails, be willing to walk away

17. Accountability
• Use a project management platform to centralize
communication and collect project requirements and
documents
• Set clear, quantitative expectations
• Get signoff on everything, including criteria for
deliverables
• Set deliverables and deadlines for your clients, and hold
them to it

18. If you do not change direction,
you may end up where you are
heading.
Lao-Tzu

19. Steering project in the right
direction
• How you market your services sets the tone of a project
• Don’t take on large projects without paid discovery
• Set clear boundaries
• Clearly outline the project scope and deliverables
• Set quantitative milestones
• Define the process and tools for the project, or the client will
• Write tests for design and functional requirements and get
client signoff
• Draw a very DISTINCT line between project work and
post-launch support

20. If you do not change direction, the
road may never end…
• Launch should be a set milestone, with criteria… not a
subjective decision by the client
• Tell the client upfront that there will be issues post-launch
and that you will be attentive to them
• Set a reasonable, but firm warranty period (we use 90 days)
• Changing the platform, changes the mindset
• Once we go live on a project we immediately transition the client
from Basecamp (Project Management) to Helpscout (Support
Platform)
• We are purposefully slow to respond to direct email and tell them
for a better response they must submit a ticket
• On average this reduces the number of support issues by 50%,
almost completely eliminates user-error related issues and actually
improves client morale

21. Nature does not hurry, yet
everything is accomplished
Lao-Tzu

22. Set realistic timelines
• If a client’s timeline is unrealistic, attempt to change
expectations if not walk-away
• Account for changes / bugs
• Account for scope creep and unidentified dependencies
• Account for testing
• Missed deadlines diminish client confidence more than
mistakes or bugs
• If you are going to miss a deadline, communicate with
the client

23. Kindness in words creates confidence.
Kindness in thinking creates
profoundness. Kindness in giving
creates love.
Lao-Tzu

24. Plain and simple…
• The most effective way to handle any conflict is with
patience, understanding and kindness
• Always compromise, selectively concede

25. A leader is best when people barely
know he exists, when his work is
done, his aim fulfilled, they will say:
we did it ourselves.
Lao-Tzu

26. Mantra: Under-promise, Over-
deliver
• Projects fail before they start because of
sales/marketing tactics
• Demonstrate your abilities
• Be honest about your experiences or limitations, avoid
false confidence
• Avoid terms like easy, typical, small, etc
• Make your client feel unique, even if they’re not

27. Finally
• Congratulate your client on a successful project
• Give them all the credit
• Be a friend