The Teckki Says

I went shopping at a major retailer to look for insect repellent for my daughter. The stock clerk pointed me to area where it was located, and I recoiled! It was placed in the pest control section, along side the Raid, d-con and Combat! Yes, mosquitoes and ticks are pests, but we don't think of them in quite the same way we do roaches, rats and ants. I walked away.

You might think that this does not matter online. Your web designer, seeking to be efficient, may categorize them as bugs, and they will come up on the same page or search. Your buying public might have a problem seeing the Raid can next to the bottle of Off when purchasing insect repellent for a preteen daughter's outdoor trip.

The store did redeem itself, by also placing repellent in the camping department. Note the imagery here - pictures of camping, and while there are nasty bugs to be found in the wild, it's the ticks, fleas and mosquitoes that are most bothersome. Repellent products in the camping section remind you of that.


Be careful in your online efforts - this happens more often than you think.

You have a responsibility to get the best deal from any and all vendors, and as a vendor myself, I think you should. I say this also knowing that I want business at a price that is fair to me as well. The question, being that we both feel that we can do business together, is how do we do this?

Common wisdom for purchasing is to call at least three sources, ask them for proposals and then compare the candidates to choose the best one. What I have found in web development is that this does not produce satisfactory results in a number of circumstances without a well-written, detailed Request for Proposal (RFP). Here is why you should have one:

1. RFP’s allows vendors to demonstrate their capabilities on the same set of standards, and shows that they will be judged on their capabilities in addition to price. "How much do you charge for websites?" is a question that truly has one answer, "It depends."
2. RFP development allows the buyer to plan her needs, thus giving her and education of her needs and how they can be fulfilled. A proposal not developed from an RFP is likely to be more of a sales pitch than fully detailed response to your needs.
3. The buyer less likely to withhold important information needed to answer the RFP. Again, this leads to a better response.
4. An RFP will inform you if you are asking the right vendors to propose. This will keep you from evaluating vendors who cannot meet your needs, or help determine if your needs can be fulfilled with the stipulations you have in mind.
5. RFP’s should keep you from using prices contained in other proposals to bargain down other proposals. It is good faith bargaining to state your needs upfront in the RFP. I am not against price negotiation; however, your eventual winner knows how the soup is made. Your price victory may be obtained at the expense of cheaper ingredients.

You should approach your project with a well-informed and open mind. Develop an RFP, and let vendors compete at that standard. I find that many vendors are eager to help and do their best at a good price. A well-written RFP gives them the best opportunity to do so.

Welcome to Teffecx Company's Blog. Our resident expert, Teckki, to help you make better decisions on web development, hosting, email marketing, graphics, photography and audio/visual. Over time, we hope to build a number of resources to help you in the planning, building, implementation and post implementation periods so that you get the best from your website and marketing efforts.

I hope that this blog is helpful to you, but it is a two-way street. I invite your questions, comments and insights in developing and maintaining your web media campaigns. If you have a specific question, you can always email me at rsawyer@teffecx.com. I will do my best to answer your questions, but the answers have to benefit a community of people. Specific answers are considered consulting, and will be handled as such. Other than that, there are no questions you cannot ask.

Over the years as a web developer, I have been asked thousands of questions. I have conducted seminars (stay tuned) and have answered hundreds more. Chances are that I've answered your question, too. And, you have the benefit of not having the meter running.

I look forward to hearing from you.

Rod Sawyer
Teffecx Company
"Our Best Work is on the Web - Is Yours?"
http://www.teffecx.com

Every business has to ask and answer the question "Why". As a technology company, my move into new digital media isn’t as straightforward as you might think. Blogging, social networking sites, electronic marketing and such are areas that I wait for a critical mass to develop, try them myself, and then create formal programs for clients. I found that it is best to let demand drive service offerings. In the case of a blog, I have a different reason: to answer questions and give advice.
It's not that I don't do this all of the time. However, I have found that some of this advice turns into consultation and guidance. People are looking for education. I have been a nice guy, giving it too freely in specific cases. I can no longer afford to do this.

It didn't take a recession to tell me that, but something that happens regardless of the economy: burnout. Every year, I would work more, get more clients, and eventually, burn out faster. I have been rewarded, because my business has expanded. But the more clients I got, the less I made, and the faster I got tired. Clients knew what they wanted to pay, but they depended on me for a lot more advice than I anticipated, and this had not been built into the price.

The recession has impacted my business like all others – a significant drop in work and revenue. However, it has given me time to rethink my business going forward, and to complete projects that in busier times would have never been able to tackle, like this blog, a major website overhaul, my new Facebook page, and a major marketing program of which this is all a part of. I also have time to review and restructure the business.

I will try to reach all of you through many different ways, such as blogging, email marketing, Facebook and Linked-In. I will continue to conduct seminars, on my own and through the City of Chicago. These, among other things, will allow me to be a nice guy – to answer questions without the meter running.

I will publish and reach out frequently. I want to become your resource, whether you use my services or not. I thank my clients for allowing me to serve them for ten years, and I owe them more than bills and Christmas cards. Please come back on a regular basis.

Thanks always,
Rod