Are all web design companies clueless?

October 20th, 2010 | by admin |

Are web design companies generally clueless about sales, negotiation, customer service and revenue streams? Do most really think the whole population knows nothing about developing websites and databases? How does someone say that it takes two days to build an e-mail form? What rubbish!

I have never met such a bunch of entrepreneurially challenged people in my life. Has anyone ever found a serious, professional web design business that relies on more than just technical ability to stay afloat?

Haha. I think that your critique of most Web Design companies focusing more on technical abilities and not enough on "sales, negotiation, customer service" is absolutely accurate and fair.

On the other hand, any technical consulting work will always take more time than if you (or an in house colleague) did it. Two days for implementing a new page or form is a fast job, even if it’s technically simple. I have worked as a Web Designer/Developer in the past and clients often don’t understand the work that really goes into seemingly small changes, or why a consultant (with several projects) can’t be at their beck and call at any time.

  1. 4 Responses to “Are all web design companies clueless?”

  2. By Tim on Oct 20, 2010 | Reply

    Haha. I think that your critique of most Web Design companies focusing more on technical abilities and not enough on "sales, negotiation, customer service" is absolutely accurate and fair.

    On the other hand, any technical consulting work will always take more time than if you (or an in house colleague) did it. Two days for implementing a new page or form is a fast job, even if it’s technically simple. I have worked as a Web Designer/Developer in the past and clients often don’t understand the work that really goes into seemingly small changes, or why a consultant (with several projects) can’t be at their beck and call at any time.
    References :

  3. By mnmboy on Oct 20, 2010 | Reply

    Ellipse,

    Without knowing where you are looking, there are a lot of good web development companies out there. A lot depends upon what your design needs and requirements are, and what your data-mining requirements and needs are. The long and short is that you get what you pay for; the better designs generally speaking, cost a little more. There is a whole lot between "Burger King" and "Ruth’s Chris Steakhouse", if you catch the drift. So to lump everyone as clueless is a bit over-generalized, but they do tend to over-focus on "technical" expertise at the expense of all else.

    Best of luck.
    References :

  4. By Paul Benoit on Oct 20, 2010 | Reply

    From the initial research we did before founding Webs9, we saw an opportunity in the market to provide full web services that are integrated and support one another.

    I think you’ve touched on the biggest fault of specialization. Specialists know their thing incredibly well but generally don’t have a clue about other things. I haven’t the foggiest idea how to manufacture a tire but I know internet sales, marketing and revenue monetization extremely well. I’ve then brought in specialists in web development, social marketing and web design in to assist in providing full service.

    When you are looking to do major renovations to your house, you engage a general contractor who can then sub out the specialist jobs for plumbing, electrical, drywalling, etc. The same thing applies for marketing your product online.

    Try looking for a full service firm that can offer specialists in sales, marketing, design, and development instead of a company that just provides the one as their main focus. You can look at their portfolio to see the variety of projects they provide. If they’re mostly design, then they’re not technical. Unfortunately for a designer who makes an awesome design, it might actually take them 2 days to make a contact form because they have to research the functionality.

    A full service internet marketing firm can provide a contact form with one specialist making the design, another providing functionality, and a third studying conversion patterns to increase the number of contacts the form actually generates.
    References :

  5. By Jane on Oct 20, 2010 | Reply

    It is possible for a web design firm to have lots of work and they need to schedule your work. Another thing is the communication and approval process adds to the overhead. e.g. create mockup, send mockup, wait for feedback, make suggested changes, get final approval, then create the form based on approved mockup, test it, send for approval, make changes, final approval. If you were sitting right besides them, this would be much much quicker.
    References :

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