Note: this series will continue with the next issues. In the meantime,
if you have any questions for all three businesspeople, send them to
me: mailto:judyvorfeld@ossweb.com?subject=Interview_Questions
Click Here.
QUESTION 1. Why do people hire you?
TERENCE KIERANS http://www.virtualservices.com.au
From the US - Skills and reliability and time zone advantage.
Others - skills and reliability I guess.
MARTHA RETALLICK: http://www.westernskycommunications.com
Much of my current design business comes via referrals from other
people who have hired me.
PEGGI RIDGWAY: http://www.wordpix.com
People hire my company because of the great things our customers say
about our work style. When customers make statements that include
words like "reliable," "personal service," and "timely and responsive,"
it's a no brainer. These are the characteristics people look for.
There are lots of companies that offer the same services we offer. It's
how we treat our customers that makes the difference.
QUESTION 2. How important--to most prospects--are the following: your
talent and skills (as seen, in part, via your portfolio and your
testimonials), your rates, and your ethics? In what order? Anything
else?
TERENCE KIERANS
Ethics, time zone advantage for US prospects, talent & skills, rates.
MARTHA RETALLICK
My expertise and experience are most important. I'm currently in my
11th year in the web design business.
PEGGI RIDGWAY
When it comes to hiring a web services firm, there are two groups of
customers: (A) The customer who wants a first-class, professional website
that reflects the latest technology and visuals, who takes the time to
review web portfolios of potential vendors and who is willing to pay a
little more for the special features he wants his site to display; and (B)
the customer who just wants a "nice" website and a low, low price, who may
look at a few other sites but really doesn't plan ahead very much for his
own site.
The first customer (A) reviews our portfolio and is usually not surprised
(or is pleasantly surprised) by our pricing. The (B) customer makes a
cursory pass through our portfolio but pretty much leaves the design and
organization to us, just so we make the project affordable (i.e., no bells
or whistles, just a basic info site). Both customers appreciate honestly
and integrity.
QUESTION 3. What are the recurring issues you find when a prospect needs
help in fixing problems that came about because the s/he didn't choose
wisely the first time?
TERENCE KIERANS
Primarily, their reluctance to pay for the excessive time needed to fix
the problem(s).
MARTHA RETALLICK
That they'll have to pay again to get the work done right. But when they
come to me, it /will/ get done right.
PEGGI RIDGWAY
When people transfer existing websites to our company, it is usually for
one of these reasons: (A) For whatever reason, they can no longer get
timely responses from their webmaster; (B) Their webmaster has relocated
and is now out of touch. In our ten years in the web services industry,
these two reasons have repeatedly brought us many, many customers.
Managing departments and businesses previously (before we started our
web company) taught us that customer service and customer relationships
are the most important reason that companies succeed and fail. We see
solo web developers losing touch with their customers as their workloads
increase and their customers leave them as service deteriorates. Two
plus two equals four. If you can't provide timely, personal service, you
need to hire help or move on. Customers are the vehicle, the business is
the engine and genuine service is the oil that keeps it running well.
QUESTION 4. What advice do you have for small business owners who have
small budgets and can't wear all the hats required to get the business
up and running?
TERENCE KIERANS
Market, market, market; network, network, network-and sub-contract what
they are not best at.
MARTHA RETALLICK
Get out of that multiple hat-wearing mindset as soon as you can.
Concentrate on doing the work that draws on your strengths -- and
subcontract the rest. If you have to take on a part-time job in order to
have enough money to afford the subcontractors, do it. I did this -- and
lived to tell the tale.
Also, a lot of small biz people could benefit from having a Virtual
Assistant. As we both know, a VA can help free up time for the money-
making projects that would otherwise be drowned out by a pile of
administrivia. I also have a special fondness for errand-runners, aka
courier services. There's a limit to how much 'cross-town bicycling I
want to do. Especially during the summer months.
PEGGI RIDGWAY
Hire a son, daughter or relative part-time (or for overload projects).
Learn to break up projects into a series of tasks that can be delegated.
Plan and prioritize daily. Look at ways to get projects going while
you work on others. I'm always looking for ways to set the wheels in
motion and get other people doing things while I'm taking care of
priorities.
On a typical day in my work week, I'll do like tasks together. For
example, on Tuesday morning, I might delegate the artistic design for
a brochure to a graphic designer (building the designer's estimate into
the cost I quote the customer, of course) and get the designer started
on the job. The same morning, I might start another designer on a web
design job, email project updates to several customers for their
approvals, and write a proposal to a prospect. I have just spent the
whole morning delegating and sending out "assignments" and I am off
those projects until I hear back from those people. After lunch, I can
do production work. Segmenting and categorizing like tasks helps me
maintain control and peace of mind.
Sometimes, when the workload is especially, unbelievably heavy, I have
to talk turkey to myself: It's not time to retire yet! I am running a
business here and I must get through this week. I don't have the help
I'd like so I'll get it done myself somehow. It might require me to
burn the midnight oil, but I know there's an end to this siege. And the
rewards are a customer payment, a happy, loyal and continuing customer
and a well deserved and anticipated break for me at the end of the project.
If the workload is always so heavy that there's never a break in sight,
then I have to shift my thinking and make some changes in the way I conduct
my business. I have to force myself to take an hour twice a week to be
quiet, take no phone calls, look at no email, organize my desk, make a plan
and find a helper. Work in a mini-vacation every chance you get - an hour
at the gym or a walk in the park will do wonders for your spirit and body.
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