Right Tool for the Job

If you've read around this website, you will have noticed that I don't like loading up websites with whacky features and flashy animations and stuff. If you haven't, please take a moment to do so.

When it comes to marketing a website and turning visitors into customers, I believe strongly in a minimal approach to programming. Write only what is needed, make it as simple as possible, and make it provide the best service to the prospective customer as possible. Don't load it up with flashy things to impress them, but do load it up with features they need to become customers.

That's what I call the Right Tool for the Job.

Programming to get the most out of marketing efforts

To be completely blunt: 90% of the programming done for marketing purposes is stuff the customer never sees. It's in reporting, and automating other marketing tasks. Or it's in the tools needed to build the best website possible for the job.

It's not always about giving the customer what they need, it's sometimes about giving you the information you need to see whether your efforts are working or not, and to make good decisions based on good information.

Marketing isn't always the job at hand

But in this day and age, there are a lot of internal applications used by many businesses that are web-based, or need to be hooked up to a web application, or even need to be hooked up to your website directly.

Customer Service is your middle name

Here's an example: You are an automotive repair facility and you want to provide web access to your existing customers to all of the service records you have for their cars.

Here's another example: You are a restaurant that wants to provide a way for visitors to your website to make reservations and possibly place advance drink/food orders, or even orders for pickup.

More programming, all of it programming, and all of it to provide a higher level of customer service to existing customers. That's not marketing at all, that's customer service! So let's do that, too.

Internal development, CRM

Then there's all the applications you run internally that are crucial to daily operations, but usually don't do everything you want or need them to do.

The biggest example I can think of is in Customer Relations Management, or CRM. Those programs never do everything you need, in part because they're not written to do that, but also in part because every business has different needs. I spent two years working as a contractor for SugarCRM and have fairly extensive experience with their product, and I can tell you from personal experience that it's just not possible to write a one size fits all CRM package.

Of course then there's accounting, ERP, billing, time clocks, menus, etc. The list just keeps growing on what sorts of software businesses need just to take care of business. Few, if any, ever reaches the view of your customers.

You need a skilled programmer

You definitely need someone who knows what he's doing, and has been around. I've done everything from server programming to game programming, with desktop applications squeezed in there. I've written web applications from scratch, modified existing applications, and even hunted bugs in other programs just to make the report. I have been involved with the open source world for a decade or so and have acquired a few credits along the way.

So you want a skilled, talented, and well-rounded programmer? You've found him!

Lowest Costs

My rates are reasonably low, and I leverage open source software to deliver superior results for lowerst cost.

TODO: Make a OSS page about myths and realities and why they matter to my clients.

No Lock-in

Would you take your car to a mechanic shop knowing they're going to put a padlock on your hood so that you can only ever take it to that same shop for future service? No, you wouldn't. As a matter of fact, major automobile manufacturers fought for years with aftermarket parts manufacturers in a battle ultimately decided by the supreme court in your favor which created a competitive parts industry.

Why do so many programmers think they're immune to the free market?

I make no bones about it. I want you to have a choice. I need you to be able to fire me at will and hire some other programmer. I will not lock you in to my services. I want you to do business with me because you like me. Maybe I'm old-fashioned, but I want to establish real relationships with my client that are based on mutual trust, understanding, and hard work. I don't want you calling me up because you don't have any choice, I want you to call me because you want me to do more work for you.

You will receive all of the code I write for you, as well as any instructions another programmer may need to build it, and any custom tools I have written and used on my own. And as I previously mentioned, I will use open source tools and applications as much as possible. That is the most important deliverable I have to offer: your freedom of choice.

So when you're talking to other programmers, ask them how they will protect your freedom of choice.

On Time and On Budget

TODO: Edit this section so it no longer looks like I copied and pasted it from a different page (which is exactly what I did).

Of course, at the end of the day, you may be thinking "This is all well and good, Dave, and I definitely want what you're describing, but I've got a budget for this sort of thing, and it's not as high as you want it." And you're probably right, it's not as high as I want it. But it's not about what I want, it's about what you need.

Quite frankly, you need me to build your website and deliver it on time and on budget.

In my experience, it's all in the planning. When you receive your estimate, you will receive a document that I have carefully thought through and checked each and every piece to make sure I can deliver each piece as promised. I will already know what your website is going to look like, what will be on each page, how many pages it will have, and so forth. I will engage you early and often to make sure that every piece is built to your satisfaction, and we will proceed smoothly to completion.

I'm reasonably relaxed, but I knuckle down to get the job done. That makes me easy to work with and reliable. What more could you ask for?