Five early warning signs of a difficult web firm
Posted by: Carl Smith on Sunday October 21, 2007
A few weeks ago I posted Five early warning signs of a difficult client.
In the spirit of fair play, I am giving prospective clients a few essential tips on selecting a web firm.
So without further delay, I present Five early warning signs of a difficult web firm.
1) Nobody’s home
You called several times and nobody called you back. You emailed and never got a reply, not even an automated one. It’s one thing to play hard to get, it’s another to be absent from your business. Sadly, there are a lot of firms who look good on their website but don’t really seem to exist. “But Carl,” you’re saying, “how can we hire them if we can’t get in touch with them?” Ahh, excellent question. The good ones surface long enough to send a deposit invoice and then they disappear again. With over 10 years in the web biz, this is the story I hear the most. So if you don’t get a response within a reasonable timeframe, keep looking.
2) They never ask about your users
Any successful web developer wants to know about your users. Demographics, psychographics, web usage, anything you have. If you don’t have any info, they’ll want to do primary research. The only way they can build a successful communication or tool is to know who they’re creating it for. This is an easy one for you to miss because often a bad web firm will ask what you want. They’ll tell you that you’re right and know what the site needs to be. With all due respect, you don’t. And the developer doesn’t know either. Only your users know how and why they will buy your product or service and how your website will play a role in that purchase.
3) They give you a cost immediately
No survey to see what you need. No probing questions about requested functionality. They just say it’ll cost this much. I hear stories from big companies who are actually shocked when everything gets wacky. It’s not a widget, it’s a customized communication with varying levels of complexity and functionality. No serious web firm can quote a cost in the first meeting unless you have the simplest of needs.
4) They don’t have a website, or worse, it’s total crap
I know you think I’m kidding. They may have one page that lists a phone number and email address. Or they have a site, but it looks horrible and is hard to figure out. If they can’t put together their own website, then how can they help you? I know someone may have told you they are talented, but they are not a business. Any legitimate web development business will have a website that anticipates what their users (aka you) need. If their site doesn’t, move on.
5) They never ask about your business
Understanding your business is critical for a good developer. Especially knowing how the sales process works. If they don’t understand how your business works, they can’t use their knowledge of the web to help you determine the best way to be successful online. Ultimately, the key to a highly effective website is to find the sweet spot where the user’s needs and your company’s goals overlap.
So there you are, a gift from us to you. Ultimately you have to find the group that’s right for your needs and capable of building what your users want. Oh, and if one of the groups you’re considering asks more questions than you think they should, and the questions are hard to answer, then they’re probably the one to hire.
Filed under: Business
Geof Harries
10.22.07 at 10:29am
Solid list, and for those of us at the service end, a helpful reminder of how we should be conducting our business:
1) Be responsive
2) Perform research
3) Customize proposals
4) Marketing works
5) Ask and listen
Carl Smith
10.23.07 at 6:22am
Hi Geof. I think everyone and every company fluctuates between good and not-so-good depending on how busy they are and the nature of their organization. In writing the post I thought about a few times I wish I could have a do-over on based on how I had approached things.
I just printed out your list and taped it to my new biz folder. It’s an awesome reminder of how to avoid the pitfalls.
Geof Harries
10.26.07 at 8:05am
Definitely agree about the ebb and flow of everyday operations. It’s all too easy to get caught up in the now and forget about the bigger business picture.