Ricky’s Online Business Blog

Business owners today are well aware that they need a website to be more accessible to their customers, but they often make a vital error – they tend to approach web developers empty handed. Armed with nothing more than just the desire to have a website, business owners rarely prepare a defined job scope to help web developers understand their expectations. On the other side of the coin, web developers tend to be over confident, thinking that they’re experts in ‘everything.’

As a result, most web developers fail to grasp their customer’s true requirements, and most times, they rush to ‘close a sale’ and fight to stay afloat in the ever-competitive web industry.

Clearly, this situation and the disputes that usually follow, aren’t ideal for business owners or web developers. The seemingly endless design corrections and frustrating arguments that go back and forth will make the business owner think that the web developer is incompetent, and the web developer will start to label the customer ‘fussy.’ When the web developer doesn’t deliver on time, or the customer holds the payment, it becomes yet another project failure that could have been avoided in the first place.

In the world of business, they say the customer is always right, which is true in many ways. For many web developers, a project can sometimes appear like a line of HTML code, but that’s not usually the case, not everything is as it seems. A project is complex, and comprises of a good mix of management and development. Here’s what we think are the five pillars of a successful project:

1. The negotiator

The negotiator’s job is to meet customers and understand their requirements and expectations. He or she can also help customers decide on a budget, inform them about what a website can do, and understand a web developer’s job. When both sides agree on a preliminary budget, the negotiator’s role ends.

2. The proposal writer

A good proposal is one that can be understood by everyone. It shouldn’t be technical, but it should put the customer’s expectations down in written form. It will define the job scope and note what items are to be delivered.

3. Administration

The administration side of the operation follows standard procedures to get the paperwork done. They issue official quotations, receive purchase orders, send invoices, receive payments etc.

4. The project manager

This person forms a bridge between the customer and the web talent. He or she assigns tasks to the team and makes sure that deadlines are followed. It is also the project manager’s duty to inform the customer about the progress of the project and to ensure that everything is going to schedule.

5. Specialised team members

A web project has to be broken down to smaller tasks. This is one of the hardest parts of the project, as someone must search for talents and identify their area of expertise. Specialisation eliminates errors, is the key to keeping costs down, and improves the value of each team member.

A team member who works on a specific aspect of the project will eventually become skilled and excel. If you have a team of specialised talents, the possibility of the project going smoothly, and as planned, would be much higher than that of a ‘one man show’. Each talent must be given an introduction to their job scope and recognised for their professionalism. Ultimately, your database of skilled talents can help you seal the deal with your customers.

(Pin will write more on individual roles and how to turn expectations of web owners and web developers to writing)

About The Author

Are you a web or apps developer? You are invited to join http://groups.google.com/group/friends-1-com-my

Pin is the founder of 1.com.my. He hosts email and websites for his customers on Cloud. He has written two books on Online Business and Linux, and he also founded a Web Developer Group that has over 100 friends. To learn more, please visit his website at http://www.1.com.my

This is a guest post from Pin, the founder of 1.com.my. He runs a company that hosts emails. Pin is very kind to offer to help you solve your problem related to your email hosting. Just let him know what it’s about.

1. Web developers do not deliver a good job (I have tell you n times about everything you need to know, including inserting auto-play background music. I have also given you guys a benchmark website which I want – I want it to be similiar or better than Dell’s online ordering website. I have budget, yes I have!)

2. My site ranking is poor, something is wrong (Why other websites are listed on the the first page of Google but not mine. I should engage my friend who is a SEO expert working in eOneShreak)

3. Isn’t my website should be fully automated (What I want to say is, web developer should create an auto-pilot website or money making machine version 2.0. I just need to sit there waiting for money to come in)

4. Keep my online business ideas confidential (My ideas is first in the universe. I have discussed this plan with God and both of us agreed that this will hit and overtake Facebook. You are lucky to be involved in project like this)

5. The site is not what I want… (Isn’t that you know everything about website? You should propose something fresh, innovative, better, faster….)

Web developer says:

1. Well, we are afraid that this is what we can do with your limited budget (Even given the same budget as what Dell has invested, you are only a copycat and your business will fail because a website is not an online business. You need to have strategy to make it work and remarkable)

2. There is no overnight trick to make your page to first in Google (Idiot, do you know what is PR? Not Public Relations but Page Rank)

3. We have done all the integration right (If we are able to come out with such thing, we would not be here doing the website for you. You know, you don’t even buy anything online before and you expect your online business to be built and money piling up in your Paypal account. Again, do you have Paypal?)

4. Sure! We will keep this ideas to no one including my cat. My fish do not talk but I won’t tell them too (This is the n times of people mentioning this ideas. To make you happy and to make sure we get the project, we will agree that you have done all the search in Google and happily confirmed that you find no similar website or ideas)

5. Let’s us try again and we hope it is closer to what you want this time (We have another final payment to collect so we will have to bear with you a wee longer. We do not understand what do you mean by better, give us clear guideline)

This is a guest post from Pin, the founder of 1.com.my. He runs a company that hosts emails. Pin is very kind to offer to help you solve your problem related to your email hosting. Just let him know what it’s about.

1. My site has no visitors

(Web developer: It is not within our scope of work. Our job is to complete your project and make sure the final payment are deposited to our bank account)

2. My online sales is slow

(Web developer: You own a restaurant. Your contractor are working on the renovation. Do you expect your contractor to guarantee your sales? We are more or less the same. Your website is a business to you, but it is only another project to us)

3. My site has never completed

(Web developer: The changes are never-ending. If you stop giving us more updates, we can get it done anytime)

4. The design sucks

(Web developer: We are designers, please trust us. If not, why would you engage our service? Anyway, you are the boss, we would still listen to you and make the design sucks for you, who cares?)

5. Why so expensive?

(Web developer: We, web developer, are dedicated to create a website with extraordinary patience. A lot of effort are spent to make sure you are the ONLY person in this world to like the website, not anyone else.)