We build "Hard Working" web sites for Small Business

A web developer building small business web sites must have the following skills (in order of priority).

1. Sales & Marketing skill.
2. Communication Skills.
3. Technical Skills.

You will notice the technical skills are the last on the list.

There is no doubt the Internet is like the Wild West, there are snake oil salesmen everywhere. Finding good web developers is hard, especially in regional areas like the one we operate in.
(Glen Innes, Armidale, Uralla, Tamworth, Guyra, Tenterfield, Stanthorpe)

Collectively my son and I have more than 15yrs Internet and web development experience, and we have unfortunately had to deal with a lot of shonky colleagues.

Why are technical skills not the most important thing?

A small business web site is first and foremost a selling tool, therefore good sales, Marketing, and communication skills need to be applied for the web site to be effective; if the sales and marketing skills have not been applied the web site will fail regardless of how good it is technically. Most web developers you will come across only have technical skills.

Most web developers only have technical skills because the training received by most web developers is focused on the needs of large companies; these large companies build web sites using “teams” of people, some with marketing and communication skills, and some with technical skills. Small businesses cannot afford to use teams to build their web sites. The web developer used by small business must posses all the required skills, Sales, Marketing, Communication, and technical.

How to assess a web developer’s skills:

1. Go to the Web Developers web site: If their web site has a clearly articulated message, and inspires you to use their services then it is a positive start. If it is a site full of technical know how and wizardry keep away.



2. Ask some basic sales,marketing, and communication questions: In my opinion the two most important areas are 1) writing good copy (ie the words on the web site), and 2) an effective sales and marketing message.
   
   
   • Writing good copy:
     
     Your web site is like a brochure to the world, showcasing your business; web developers need to understand, who is going to be visiting, and the words put on that web site are critical.
     
     A Good Web Developer Question
     I’ve heard the pyramid principle is the most effect writing technique for the type of communication required on the web, what is it?
     
     Answer:The pyramid principle is a technique to ensure thoughts and ideas are relayed to readers in a clear manner; you start by answering the question your reader has, then through a series of supporting key lines and paragraphs you slowly justify the answer you provided.
     
     A technical Web developer will not know about the pyramid principle; however the pyramid principle is used by the world’s best communicators, from management consultants, to marketing and communication experts.
     
     As a web developer myself; I use the pyramid principle as the foundation for all words appearing on a web site – I don’t know how web developers without these skills survive.
     
     
     
   • Effective Sales & Marketing Message:
     
     Just like all advertising your web site needs to have a strong call to action, and your visitors need to know why you are a successful small business:
     
     A Good Web Developer Question
     I think listing all the features of my product is a good idea, what do you think?
     
     Answer:Bad Idea, you want to talk about benefits to the visitors of your web site not features, leave the features for a part of your web site where people are looking specifically for a list of features.
     
     These are fundamental sales and marketing concepts, a technical web developer will not understand the importance of these for new customers.
     
     
     

When it is all said and done I believe small businesses need a special kind of web developer, somebody who understands the technical aspects of the web, and understands the sales, marketing, and communication aspects of what you are trying to do.

At LetItGo, we understand the sales, marketing, communication, and technical aspects of success on the Internet, does your current web developer?