Not in the Budget

So, I get a call from a design house that needs something done, for which they have no expertise. Additionally, they have already set a budget for the work (with no idea how much time it will take to complete) and they come to us.

Them: "Please code out this section of the site that connects to a third party vendor"

Me: "Based on reviewing your spec, the requirements, and your timeline, this is how much it will cost."

Them: "That's not in our budget, can you do it for less"

Me: "No, this is what it will take for us to build it and fully test it. If we do it in less time we will bill you for actual - If, however scope increases the cost will also increase".

So, why am I writing this? Because I have these questions...

1. How can you possibly offer a project budget for which you have a huge portion you have no idea how to complete?

2. Why are you asking me to bail you out?

3. How would you respond if I called you and said, "I need 5 web concepts, I told the customer you would do it as a donation, that's OK right?"

Apple = Disney, Droid=Universal

End the Holy War please.

There are many more things we should all be worrying about besides how much the latest iPhone or the latest Droid device rules or sucks.

My quick observation is Apple=Disney - the standard. An empire built on quality and control which is often emulated by others.

Droid is more like Universal - edgy, the anti-Disney, trying to establish itself not so much by what it is, but what it is not.

This is an age old "battle" and frankly tiring - neither are going away - let's just hope it motivates them both to create awesome products.

How Long is a Piece of String?

So, here's what happens.

I get contacted and I have a 3 minute conversation which usually includes phrases like:

"You've done this a lot so you should know...", "It's really not that hard to do", or "Give me a ballpark, I won't hold you to it..."

Actually all of these are lies. Anyone in our industry knows this to be so.

This post is not meant to be a rant, but it may end up sounding like one.

I actually think that those that are making the statements are not doing it to take advantage, they are more just in a position of either not knowing, or not appreciating what it takes to do what we do. So I hope this post will help educate - if nothing else.

For the record, I am done giving pricing without full specs. I am done with ballpark numbers, I am done with brainstorming after those numbers have been revealed. I am done with Ad agencies dictating design without ANY idea what matters and what actually works for the web, especially after pricing has been discussed.

Imagine that you are building a house, you tell the architect you want a house with walls and a roof. How much is that? He'd be crazy to answer, yet I am expected to give an answer without hesitation.

Go into Home Depot, ask them - "How much is a piece of string?"

Answer: IT DEPENDS

Depends on length, type, features, materials, craftsmanship, etc. etc.

The same is true for our "product". IT DEPENDS.

"By events calendar do you mean, I can see when events are happening ONLY - or I can register, create a custom t-shirt, invite friends, tweet, add it to my calendar, send myself reminders, blah blah blah?"

So I am done.

This IS a rant, more at myself for letting it happen then at others for asking.

We are not laying pipe in a 100' trench - we are dealing with emotion, marketing, expectations and the only way to make those expectations clear is to fully define them.

So, it ends, at least in as much as it's been done before.

Here's what I want...

I want you happy, not let down. Conversely, you should want me happy, because it is in your best interest for me to be here and not go bankrupt eating features and costs because you wanted a price up front.

Twitpics from Space

So just a few minutes ago I received this tweet from astronaut Soichi Noguchi @Astro_Soichi

http://twitpic.com/1dwswl - Space Shuttle Discovery arrived!

I was stunned by the image and the access - in real time - to relevant news. A quick retweet by by brought this response from @izenmania - ""Twitpics from space" really sums up a lot of what's cool about scientific progress."

Imagine the record we are collectively chronicling through our tweets, some mundane, but some granting access to events like never before.

Brands I Love Series - Nisqually Cleaners

OK, let's not kid ourselves - if you are going to run into me out in the real world chances are "business casual" is not going to be part of my equation, a suit and tie - even less likely. So I guess that all adds up to one thing, I am not a "regular" at the dry cleaners. I don't wear a ton of clothes that need a lot of TLC...BUT! and I mean BUT! I do have a place...

This place is not far from my house, and even though I only go there 3 times a year or so, they know me and they take care of me like I visit them every week.

Here's an example.

I show up after like 4 months of not being around and drop off 6 shirts and 4 pairs of dress slacks and the first thing the lady says to me is "Hello Mr. Forth, do you want your shirts lightly starched?" I am so stunned all I can do is manage to nod...I fumble to myself as I exit...

Even better - my wife drops off a similar batch, she gives our last name and the lady says to her, "Mr. Forth likes lightly starched shirts?"

My wife - God bless her - answers, "I guess so..."

What's to learn?

Simple. Pay attention to what your customers want...even those that don't visit all that often. They will appreciate the recognition and attention to detail.

I am now looking for opportunities to get more clothes cleaned at Nisqually Cleaners, a brand I love. Learn more

Brands I Love Series - El Gaucho

Bring a couple of hundred bucks with you if you are going, but don't worry you won't regret it. It's not the kind of place I go often, twice a year (my wife and my birthday) is about it. That's not to say we don't love it, we do. My guess is every night and every occasion is made more special for all those customers dining at El Gaucho.

The big wooden door on Pacific Avenue in downtown Tacoma serves as a passage back to another time where service and excellence are the standard. They focus is on providing a quality dining experience for the customer. They serve the finest food, best wines, and top it off with table-side preparation of salads and deserts that enhance the dining experience.

There are a lot of reasons I love this restaurant (brand), but here are a few points:

1. They are consistent - from the quality of ingredients to the level of service from each staff member they are spot on - no let downs
2. They take care of the little things - from picking you up at your hotel to holding leftovers in their fridge until your show is over for later pick up, they make it happen
3. Dining at El Gaucho is an experience you want to share. Our conversation always ends up focusing on who we know we'd love to take to El Gaucho

We don't get there often, but when we do we savor every moment. When our dinner and dessert are done we depart and begin the process of looking forward to the next time we can visit.

Going to El Gaucho is probably one of the lowest stress dining experiences you can have. While it is definitely not the least expensive option, the time and overall experience of service and quality bring more than their fair share of value.

Note: I will be focusing in the coming few weeks on different experiences with brands that I truly admire. It will be interesting to see what common characteristics will exist across all of them. I welcome your feedback and insight as the conversation develops.

In Tomorrow's Paper?

I'm pretty sure I will never NEED to read a newspaper again. I might WANT to read one, but I definitely don't need to.

Here's why.

This morning I had coffee (you read this already) with a friend and while there I ran into another friend. This second friend is the Executive Director of an organization with some big news coming out. This friend said to me - hey there's news coming out about us (which I already knew about) in the paper tomorrow.

This afternoon I read online (twitter, facebook, etc) all about this news. Will I or anyone else be surprised tomorrow when we read it in the paper?

Did you just find out this morning the Lady Zags lost in the Sweet 16 in the paper?

I rest my case.