Two competing business owners, Luther and Eileen, are looking to grow their companies with a new marketing platform on the web. They both have the same vision in their head about how the platform should look and what results they should expect over the next few years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Luther finds a web developer online who charges $20\/hour. After explaining his vision for the platform, the developer gets to work right away with great enthusiasm. Just a few weeks later, the platform is launched and Luther is only out $2,500.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eileen asks her friend for a referral and is recommended to speak with a web consultant. After listening to her concept, the consultant comes back with a list of ideas for alternative approaches to the platform and how it can be more readily adopted by customers. The platform project has turned into a marketing + sales tool that will take $10,000 to build. Eileen approves the project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two months after launch, Luther hasn\u2019t spoken to his web developer and it ended up only generating $2,500 in sales. And when he tries to contact the developer, he\u2019s told that they are on to new projects and can\u2019t help maintain his system anymore.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two months after Eileen\u2019s launch, her beast of a sales tool is generating $10,000 in sales \u2013 monthly! She\u2019s been able to take on additional staff members and grow her business with the revenues from the project\u2019s success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Two budding entrepreneurs trek out into the marketplace with a vision: their exciting and dazzling idea for a web business. They both have the same idea, but stake out two separate paths.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackie connects with a web developer \u2013 he\u2019s cheap, does whatever she says, and never says no. After two months of instructing him exactly how it\u2019ll look, she has her exact vision up and running after paying him just $15\/hour. She \u201conly\u201d spent $4,800!<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fabio, on the other hand, goes a different route. After asking around, he meets with a web consultant. She charges more than $100\/hour, but has a great referral base. After just 1 hour of consulting time, she suggested Fabio use an out-of-the-box solution that was available for free \u2013 solution found. He paid just $200 for this same result.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jackie and Fabio both turned their ideas into reality. Jackie also feels like she got a good deal! But in the end, Fabio\u2019s decision to work with a web consultant saved him greatly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A web consultant\u2019s goal is to solve their client\u2019s problem with the business\u2019s success in mind. A developer\u2019s goal is to write code to meet your project specs. Button here, notification there, image over here, strategy nowhere. The solution the client has in their mind isn\u2019t always the best way to achieve your goal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A web consultant listens. A consultant considers the business model, the audience, the competition, and all of those considerations play into the project at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A web consultant isn\u2019t afraid to say no. When a client suggests something that the consultant doesn\u2019t see as a good fit for the project, or it\u2019s not the right time, the consultant will be willing to say no. A good consultant will follow that up with an alternative approach or a full explanation for why the idea is being shut down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A web consultant wants to see their work succeed post-launch. Rather than just focusing on launch day, they are more concerned about the long-term success of their guidance and development. They are willing to check back later to recommend potential changes or upgrades that can accelerate growth or success.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A web consultant only starts writing code when the solution is clear and tackles the true business issue at hand.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A web consultant will not suggest their own services if they don\u2019t believe there\u2019s a good chance at a reasonable ROI. While they can\u2019t guarantee an ROI and they don\u2019t know every industry\u2019s key to success, their experience with previous projects and businesses gives them a leg-up above business owners looking to grow their business using web technologies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
While coding and technology are in our nature, problem-solving is our true passion. It just so happens that technology can solve a lot of business pain points and help to achieve goals of all kinds. The more efficient our solutions, the more accomplished we feel at the end of the day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n