Occasionally we get calls from Yahoo! Store merchants looking for widgets or plug-in designs, which we can do, but without a comprehensive approach, doing these kinds of “chop jobs” just sets everyone up for a loss. Fastpivot president, Matthew Ledford, is always reminding everyone on the team that “we really aren’t just a web-design group, we are an ebusiness consulting group. People come to us wanting design & widgets but what they really need is help growing their business!”
Here are two scenarios that demonstrate the difference between a Yahoo! Store web design and development agency with and without a business consulting focus.
The cold cut hand-off
1) A lead calls in and wants to add a few things he or she thinks will be beneficial to their Yahoo! store. It could be social media icons, product photo enhancers, a rotating banner, etc. This brings to mind the picture of a customer walking into corporate fast food sandwich shop USA and selecting some random item off the shelf to fill a perceived need. There isn’t anyone there who will explain where the ingredients were sourced, who will care about what’s being put into the body, or who really cares what you do after the sandwich is paid for and gulped down. That’s not the kind of services we sell at FastPivot. We cater to a sophisticated crowd who understands that the success of their Yahoo! Stores depends upon the long term relationships it has with developers who invest the time into making it shine.
A lasting handshake
2) No offense toward the lead in number one, because many times any lead, even with budgets of 5 or 10k can benefit from this higher level of cooperation between merchant and developer. It’s all in how the lead is treated that makes the difference. And that starts on the sales end. Treat that lead like a one time sale, a passing sandwich buyer, and wham, you’ve defined your design agency as a fast food joint. Treat them as a partner, and see how the relationship can be mutually beneficial, and you’ve got a client for life. As clients profit from the work a web design company does, they invest in deeper phases of ecommerce success. That takes a consulting mentality, not a deal closing, salesy one.
At FastPivot, we like to see ourselves doing business as described in the second scenario, where it’s not just a re-design we do for stores, it’s analyzing the entire business to determine a plan that will make the store and our development services a success. Naturally, this means being selective, and not working with those who are just interested in short term accomplishments, but with Yahoo! Store merchants who are adding real value and looking far down the road of sustainability.
Along these lines, a powerful quote we look to for inspiration: You don’t get paid for the hour. You get paid for the value you bring to the hour.”
Jim Rohn quotes
