Less than 30 years ago, the web was new. There were really no standards to speak of. The innovators of the world were quick to try their hand at HTML code.
Inbound Marketing Blog
I’ve been working in some form of marketing or sales for almost 40 years. Yes, I’m getting old, but I’m not that old. I sold newspapers door to door when I was throwing papers for The Press Enterprise in Southern California as a young lad. But when I was 16 years old, I really got my initiation into the industry by learning how to run a 2-color printing press for my father’s new print shop in Tempe, Arizona.
When shopping for services like web development, you might find it nearly impossible to compare providers. You'll have one provider that will build a website at $1,000, another at $10,000, and yet another at $30,000. You'll have an SEO provider suggest that they can get you all the business in the world for $199 per month but someone else might say that $1,000 or $3,000 is the minimum.
Over the years, I have thought a lot about the right way to offer web services to our clients. How should we make sure that we charge the right amount for the services that we offer?
I know. You are shopping to build a new website or manage your marketing. You might have heard about this new "fan-dangled" approach to web marketing called Inbound.
You've decided it's time to get serious and compare your service providers so you ask for proposals. Some will just give you a proposal and some will actually take some time trying to understand your goals. Some might just ask for a list of features you want (a clear indication that they are just mouse clickers and not thinkers).
And now, you're at a point where you have to make a decision on which agency to choose.
What, OH WHAT, do you do to adequately compare these services?
Here's a fancy chart that might shed some light on the only way you can compare:
The first forms of advertising that we are aware of are from ancient China. According to the Classic of Poetry the earliest forms of advertising were auditory—in the form of bamboo flutes advertising candy to sell. Oftentimes in the middle ages, where the majority of the populace was illiterate, town criers were employed to shout messages through a method of street cries.
Let me get to the switch on that bait right off the bat. Your sales pitch is probably okay. What really sucks is your sales approach. But, that might not make you feel any better.
The sales world is changing. In my opinion, the consumer isn’t really changing but, instead, the options available to consumers in they way they buy makes the consumer realize they don’t have to put up with the crap traditional sales people spin. Inbound marketing has changed the way people buy and if sales people are still using the old methods of selling the consumer simply gets angry.
To earn business, veterinary hospitals have to do more than just put up a sign and hope that pet owners think of them when their pet is having an emergency. The key to engaging pet owners in your community is to offer valuable information and educational opportunities that help them be proactive in the health and wellness of their pets. This could look like in-person events and seminars, or it could be as simple as creating eBooks or one-sheets.
Over the years, I’ve learned two very important lessons about change. First, change can’t be avoided. Second, most people don’t like change.
When I built my first proper website in 2005, it was okay at best. It was a simple Wordpress website that was mostly a blog. Early 2007, I was working for a technology company and I was able to help our agency create the website for our company. While I didn’t understand at the time, there was no strategic forethought to how that website should have been organized.
In 2007, I was working for a local company in Boise, Idaho, and really wasn’t happy in my role. I was working for Fisher’s Technology (at the time, it was called Fisher’s Document Systems) as their VP of Innovation. When I was first promoted to that position, I loved it. I was able to use my passion for new things and technology to bring new products and services to the table. I brought document management to their sales team (among other things).
