360angles

Internally at my agency we now have a running joke – the two-year web site. This is mostly based on our experiences of the past six months.

Since mid-2011 I’d estimate we acquired ~six new clients who were escaping bad situations with other agencies taking excessive amounts of time to complete website development projects. And in the cases we experienced, the timeline always seemed to be around two years.

The conversation kind of went like this:

Client: “I’d like to see if you could help us out.”

Voltage: “Sure, tell me what’s going on and I’ll see what we can do.”

Client: “Well, we hired this agency to build our website and it’s been in development for about two years now, is XX months past due, and $XXk over budget.”

Voltage: “I’ve heard this story before.”

On the upside for my agency, a pretty low bar has been set. On the downside for my agency, we are now starting in a position of distrust and we’re immediately on the defensive.

My point is this … I understand. I understand where the client is coming from: why they’re distrustful, why they’re hesitant to start over, and why they’re considering just giving up on the project altogether. And while I thank the other agency for practically handing me business, I’d like to give them the “what-for” for making my job harder.

So why does this happen? In our experience, it seems to follow a standard formula. Here are the things to keep an eye on when starting any website project:

1. RFP:
   Many companies initiate a web development project by issuing an RFP to agencies. They collect estimates form those agencies and then select an agency for the project. Make sure your RFP is written in a manner that will garner apples-to-apples pricing and deliverables from your potential vendors. Too many open ended requests (etcetera and miscellaneous items) and little specifics leave room for speculation and great variation in deliverables and pricing. In the case of some larger projects it’s well worth the time and money to hire a technology consultant to help with this process.
2. Requirements:
   Whomever your vendor may be, make sure they plan to detail the requirements of your website project in a written format. If they don’t plan to do this, run. These requirements are essential and should be based on your goals for the site. By their very nature website requirements will be highly technical, so if you’re not technically savvy then make sure to ask lots of questions. If your vendor can’t explain the document, then run. If they can and you still don’t understand, then seek the assistance of a third-party IT professional who can check the validity of the document.
3. Revisions and Approvals:
   Make sure you understand how revisions and approvals will be managed. Most agencies allow for two rounds of reviews and revisions on project deliverables – it’s an industry standard. And if you go beyond two rounds, you’re looking at change orders. This responsibility falls on both parties: a) the agency is responsible for communicating to the client the phase of revision being reviewed, and b) the client is responsible for making sure all decision makers provide input before submitting revisions to the agency. Change orders are not unheard of, and certainly not the death of a project, but run-away change orders can sour a relationship.
4. Realism:
   You’ve probably heard the term “You can have it cheap, fast, or good. Pick two.” This truism never fails in the website development business. For example, good and fast work will be expensive, and fast and cheap work will be bad. Unfortunately, some agencies will tell you what you want to hear to get your project (it’s hard not to). If your website project is large and complex, then be prepared for more money, a longer timeline, and more in-depth discussions with your agency – it will pay off in the long run. And if that’s not possible and you need something cheaper and in short order, then consider a phased approach where you launch a minimum viable product and phase-out the less essential items for post-launch.
5. Vendor Lock-In:
   Beware of systems that you don’t own, must license, can’t access or that beholden you to the agency that developed them. This is not always a bad situation, especially if you have an a-typical need that requires the application of specialized technology like vast e-commerce installations or CRMs (and even then, many open sourced solutions can be modified to fit your needs). But if you’re building a primarily content-driven website that sells products in a standardized fashion, accepts donations or allows users to register for an event (to name a few), then you probably don’t need a proprietary system. Some estimates state up to 80% of websites are powered by open source technology systems or are hard-coded in a standard programming language like PHP or ASP. Chances are you fall into this category.

In the end, consideration of the above will go a long way in keeping your project on time, on budget and you and your technology partner on speaking terms.

Job Description

Do you have solid experience and/or cutting-edge talents along with a great personality? We’re an online development agency looking for a contract-to-hire PHP MySQL Web Application Developer.

Skills & Requirements

What we’re looking for:

• 1+ years PHP & MySQL experience. We are looking for someone who can complete a project start to finish with a web server, database server, a text editor, and no frameworks. Experience with frameworks is valuable, but is secondary to self-sufficient coding.
• Experience in supporting technologies such as XHTML2, HTML5, CSS3, jQuery and Subversion important as well. Must be competent to hit the ground running.
• Flexibility with respect to approach is a must. Our coding standards and methodologies support our team approach to coding. New ideas and innovations are encouraged so long as they are not overly disruptive.
• Plays well with both designers and marketing people. Can talk with strangers.
• Can show us something cool you’ve built in your own time.

Bonus Round (Not required, but will give you an edge):

• Acumen in hacking WordPress themes and/or plugins
• API experience with any of the following: Facebook, Googe Maps, MailChimp, Twitter, Authorize.net, UPS, AWS
• Fascination with cloud computing/what the industry is doing/wow look at this site!!/etc. An eye for the future.
• Proven experience in building mobile-friendly Web sites and mobile applications.
• Linux & OS X system administration

About Voltage Creative

We’re a fast-paced online development studio in downtown Kansas City. Our roots are in design and branding and we hold close to those by practicing user-focused design and development with a marketer’s eye. We work on Mac’s, we have a pinball machine and there’s beer in the fridge. We offer health benefits and three-weeks paid vacation; two at our employee’s discretion, the third is when the shop closes between Christmas and New Year’s. We’re a small shop; we wear a lot of hats (i.e. we all answer the phone and we all work closely together) so you can’t be afraid of broadening your horizons, at times you’ll need put in extra hours when deadlines are approaching, and you’ll need to check your ego at the door. All of our employees can operate fairly independently just as well as in a team.

Apply:

To apply for this job send a resume and a link to something cool you’ve built in your own time to devjob_1 [at] voltagecreative [dot] com.

• Candidates only please, no recruiters
• Must be able to legally work in the US
• This job is on-location in Kansas City, MO

Daily deals sites are red hot right now. Appearing on one of these sites can be a big exposure boost, but it’s also important that the deal offered works for you and your business. That sounds like a no-brainer, but the web is filled with horror stories of mom-and-pop shops or early start ups getting burned by the big daily deals sites like Groupon and Living Social.

This is a judgement-free post by the way. The daily deal thing works for some businesses and doesn’t for others–despite possible misconceptions by business owners or proselytizing by Groupon’s sales department.

Getting Down to Business

First, you need to realize that this will be a cost center, not a profit center. You will lose money doing a daily deal, and in many cases the boost in exposure will be well worth the expense–it’s your call. What we want to do is minimize the expense once you’ve made that call.

Here’s a few tips to help you out. Some of these apply to general negotiation, but this specific post is obviously specifically tailored to wheeling and dealing with Groupon and the like.

1. Know you’re outgunned: Be aware that you’re negotiating with someone who attempts these negotiations 10 times a day. Ostensibly, they’re good enough to get paid to do it professionally. They will press hard on terms; they’re supposed to. This isn’t a good/bad thing–it’s their job so they do it all the time. It’s not your job so you should prepare a bit. Figure out what you want, what you can afford and don’t budge. Accepting the reality of this situation can also offer some valuable perspective as you’re listing to their pitch.
2. Pick your battles and be realistic about demands: There are some conditions, like terms of use and duration of acceptance, under which they negotiate with a lot of flexibility. Then there are others, like dollars of revenue, under which they are more constrained.
3. Recognize the value of exclusivity: Be very clear on the existence or absence of any non-compete agreements. Don’t accept one from anyone except Groupon either. They’re the biggest fish in the pond by far, and in my opinion, the only one worth entering a non-compete to do business with. Groupon, last time I checked, requires a 90-day “no other daily deals” agreement. That might be fair in their specific instance, due to their market reach. In the other cases, it’s not and you should make sure to reject a non-compete agreement unless you get some real concessions made elsewhere.
4. Play low power to buy time and objectivity: Finally, whoever negotiates should pretend not to be in charge, whether they are or not. This sort of allows you to play good cop bad cop all by yourself. “That sounds good to me, but can you put it in writing for my boss?” is your best defense against making a poor decision in the heat of the moment. It is totally acceptable and can diffuse a high-pressure sales pitch. Forcing a quick decision is one of the oldest and best negotiating tactics because humans are emotional creatures and perform poorly under pressure. Use this tactic to buy yourself some time to think things over. As long as you play man-in-the-middle, whether you are or not, you have the ability to stop and start negotiating sessions. You can take the time you need to run numbers, do some research or just take a step back and think it over.

In any negotiation you will have parties with different goals. This doesn’t mean you have to be antagonistic, but you must be a good shepherd to your own interests and those of your business. Never forget that their job is to make the biggest possible pile of cash selling your product, then take 50%. Your job is to make the pile the right size for your business, and then take 75%. Good luck!

I’d like to extend a big thanks to Tom Kessler for starting the discussion that led to this blog post. You can follow Tom on Twitter @magicclams.

I’ve been tired of Groupon for a while, but I finally decided it was no longer relevant to me and unsubscribed.

After three terrible experiences, I just couldn’t see myself using it any more. So, of course, I ended up at their unsubscribe page.

It’s is great. The layout and functionality of the page itself gets out of your way and let’s you do the deed quickly-there are no dark patterns or hoops to jump through. The Punish Derrick messaging is hilarious in a low brow college humor gag sort of way. In fact, I liked it so much I almost signed-up again… (Then I remembered those three terrible experiences, but that’s another post.)

Regardless, it’s an excellent use of humor and user experience that (even though I was canceling my membership) left me with a positive memory of the organization. Once again, it reinforces the importance of user experience and the fact that opportunities abound, even in the most unexpected places.

We’ve seen an increased amount of site traffic to the Mustang homepage. We’ve seen an increase in leads. We’ve seen an increase in engagement rates when we post about it on our Facebook page. We’ve seen increases across the board.

Source: Ford Mustang Rides Social App For Sales Leads

Yes, social media is oversold. It’s no silver bullet. This isn’t social media’s fault though, sometimes there are only lead bullets. (Most times, actually.)

What social media is is another tool in a vast array of publishing options available to marketers today. And occasionally, as in Ford’s Case above, it’s just the thing.

It’s true. And as a small business owner of a web development agency, I was shocked when I read that statistic. Do a simple Google search on the subject and you’ll find multiple articles and quotes like:

Of the 55 percent of small business owners who don’t have a web site, 57 percent say their businesses will never have one …

On a daily basis, I talk to businesses of all kinds – from small to large and everywhere in between. The common thread is a desire for success and business growth, especially in this lethargic economy.

So the question persists, why are so many small businesses hesitant or apathetic about establishing an online presence for their business? After all, small businesses are fighting every day for market share, recognition, and the chance to prove their product or service is just as good or better than their larger, more established competitors.

I fear these small businesses are failing to understand that a website is often times the first interaction a potential client or customer will have with their business. Fail to show up on a Google search and your business instantly takes a few steps down on the credibility ladder. A business that ignores the power of this first impression is leaving opportunity and dollars on the table for their competitors to easily snatch-up.

Now some of you may be saying, “I get it, but I just can’t afford it” or “I don’t know where to start and certainly don’t have the time or knowledge to do it myself.” Both of those statements are understandable, but the cold hard facts are as follows:

• The internet is obviously not going away
• As gen-Xers (like me) and younger generations born with the internet at their fingertips move into decision making positions, the internet will only increase as a factor in the buying process.

Even the simplest of websites can help even the smallest of businesses look as professional and polished as their big competitors.

We love what we do here at Voltage Creative – which makes coming to work everyday a lot more fun. That of course and our fridge which includes a little Boulevard Wheat.

Working on fun projects for great clients only enhances our professional enjoyment. Add in an awesome cause, and we get pretty excited.

Recently, we had the opportunity to launch another web property for The Global Orphan Project (GO Project).

Mobilizing local churches in some of the poorest areas on earth to care for the neediest orphaned and vulnerable children …

This new website was developed for their GO Threads initiative – a new program that allows individuals and teams the ability to support local industry directly associated with the orphanages and villages GO Project supports. Check it out at GOthreads.org.