comments

Rats. I had every intention of coming and I had it on my calendar. (I even mentioned it at the last networking breakfast of my local chamber of commerce.) But a family situation has cropped up and I will be unable to attend.

Sorry guys. I'm totally bummed!

Thanks for some really useful information. I've been using Google Analytics for a while, but I hadn't full understood some of the terms until I read your article. Very useful!

As a techie myself, I think you make some good points. But I'd add this:

There are lots and lots of technical people who are NOT brilliant. Some techies like to use their knowledge as a way to justify their arrogance. Don't assume that because you don't understand what they are talking about that they are brilliant. In fact, if they are really that smart, they will be able to communicate with you in a language that YOU understand. So, if you are getting ready to hire a technical resource, look for someone who can efffectively communicate and is honest.

Joe - thanks for taking all that information and making it into something brilliant! This has been a very useful exercise. I really appreciate your help!

To whom? Business leaders with a limited IT staff. You are right - it may be a hard group to target. My industry experience is somewhat varied (non-profits, an executive coaching firm, a financial aid application processor, a lawn sprinkler parts company, and a custom window manufacturer - and those are just some current clients!) A lot of freelancer programmers work on big projects where an organization uses a freelancer to augment their existing staff. But lately my best experiences have been where I'm working with a customer who doesn't come to the table with an existing development staff. The projects are smaller and I have more control over the process. That's why I'm trying to get at that group. (Also, I think I would market myself differently for larger projects - emphasizing my teamwork skills, etc.) Make sense?

Frame of reference? The programmer that will painlessly work with you through the custom software design and development process. This was my fault - sorry. I wrote "customer" instead of "custom". Big difference! Does that make it clearer, or does it need more work?

Benefit? My thinking on "painless" was that I was trying to play a bit on FUD of working with technology people. If you are a business with a fairly limited IT staff (maybe just someone who keeps the office computers running), working with a programmer might be scary. Techy people can often talk down to non-techy people, and make them feel intimidated. Then again, as I write this I realize that if I'm targeting business leaders, they are unlikely to be intimidated by that! Ugh.

So, here are some more concrete benefits. Do any of these jump out as a better approach? My fees are always fixed-price and not hourly, so you can budget accordingly. I focus on business value, and not what is "cool". I work with my customers through the entire process, including requirements development, system design, software development, user testing, and deployment. I can help coordinate user testing so that users understand how to test effectively. I provide access to an issue tracking system so that there is a centralized location for tracking bugs and enhancement ideas. I use code generation tools where practical to minimize the costs. I use build scripts to make deployment a repeatable process. This cuts down on mistakes that can be made when manually deploying applications.

Supporting claims? Okay, let's wait...

Joe - this conversation has been incredibly useful! Thank you to you and all the others who have contributed to this so far.

Here's my first attempt at a positioning statement. When you have a chance, I'd love to see your feedback.

To business leaders with a limited IT staff, Avonelle is the programmer that will painlessly work with you through the customer software design and development process because Avonelle will focus on achieving the benefits to your business instead of geek-stuff.

Note on the "because": Joe, I see you are linking to an "endorsements" page in your example. I currently have testimonials on my site, but they are not organized on a particular page. One testimonial appears randomly on the main page of my site each time the page is loaded. I am considering revamping the site a bit to also include them on a single page as you have done, do you think that would be helpful? (I only have a couple of three or four of these...I'm still learning the fine art of asking for a testimonial from clients!)

I was just thinking about this today in a slightly different context. I recently built some software for one of my clients. When the project was done, they had a project wrap-up meeting where they discussed what they learned (what went well, what didn't, etc.), and they didn't invite me! I think it was too bad, because it was an opportunity for both me and them to learn how to do things better.

I know exactly what you mean. I personally use Quicken Home and Business as I am a windows user and my accounting needs are not sophisticated (I don't have inventory, etc.) I have looked at QB for some software development work I am doing for a client, and I know it is overkill for my needs.

There was a discussion on this topic at FreelanceSwitch in the forums. http://forums.freelanceswitch.com/comments.php?DiscussionID=24&page=1#Item_33

Since several freelancers there who post are mac users, perhaps there will be a suggestion there that will help.

Sonya - you certainly have the right to start any kind of group/site that you like, but I personally have no desire to participate in a place where I qualify because of my gender. I'd much prefer to participate in something where I was selected because I was saying interesting and useful things.

Gender-based sites/blogs don't interest me much. Compelling content does!

Monica - I love the title of this message! I used to love jigsaw puzzles, but I haven't worked one in ages. You've inspired me to think about digging out some of my old puzzles.

I hope you have a great experience on Biznik!

Don't leave marketing as an afterthought.

I have a hard time with this. My business is to create software that solves business problems, so I spend a lot of time in front of my computer or working with my existing customers, and not a much time in front of potential new clients. But even happy customers have changing needs, and eventually some of them didn't need my services as much as they did in the beginning. So my advice is to pay attention to marketing even when business is good, so that you are better able to handle changes!

Kathie - this is a great article! I love the way you have broken it down into specific objectives. I'm definitly going to look at putting these ideas into practice!

Shea - good point about using Google Alerts. I've been using it for awhile to keep up with where my name appears on the web. I didn't know you could use it for links, too. Thanks for the tip!

I can see why you might be frustrated by that kind of behavior, especially since they were so late in delivery. And I don't blame you one bit for looking for ways to prevent this from happening again.

I just think that it would be easy to draw the wrong conclusions by an unannounced visit. Just because people at a company have fun doesn't necessarily mean they are not committed to your project. (In this case it was clearly true, but one doesn't necessarily mean the other.)

It sounds like you had quite a bad experience. I hope things improve.

I'm not a web designer, but I have worked for consulting firms that have employed web designers, and I'd agree more with your point about being able to see regular progress than I would on the notion of visiting their offices at any time. In my experience, you'll get a much better indication of progress by looking at results as they happen than you will by standing over someone's shoulder. (Unless you are concerned that they are packing up and disappearing into the night!)

I'm a huge fan of Freelance Switch. In addition to their articles, I've also gotten a lot out of their forums. For example, I have gotten lots of great marketing ideas and suggestions for dealing with challenging situations.

Good tip!

I posted a few weeks ago in Biztak to see if there was any interest in having a Twin Cities meet-up, and got zero responses. We've added a few more people to the Biznik Minneapolis area since then, but my suspicion is that we're going to need to give it a little more time before a meet-up has more than just Shea and myself!

Hi, Shea! I'm on the north side in Shoreview. I see our Twin Cities Biznik community is growing a little, but it still pretty small right now.