[NCLUG] "Professionals" (Was "local-end user support")

[DJ Eshelman]

You know, you bring up an excellent point.

It's so frustrating when clients will not consult you when the decision
needs to be made, but will expect you to 'just make it work' after the wrong
product has already been bought...

I feel for you tho- freelancing is both the best and worst thing in the
world depending on what the circumstances are.

>From my experience those that are in that situation are always brought in *
after* the bad decision was already made.  It's sooooo much easier when you
can convince your client to be involved with the "Big Picture" decisions
before they're made.

I blame sales people.  It's their job to make the sale, even if it means
making it sound like your product will be able to do something.  Words like
"capable" are used a lot in sales.  "Capable" doesn't mean "Does", but the
average CEO doesn't hear that, now do they?  :)

Hopefully that won't offend any sales people out there, but I share your
frustrations...  It's hard to feel like you're adding value when all your
doing is being an electronic janitor, cleaning up other peoples' messes.

-DJ

PS - the day I find an actually universally usable CRM is the day I'll be
able to retire happy :)



On Nov 16, 2007 5:00 PM, Paul Hummer <paul at eventuallyanyway.com> wrote:

>
> >> Actually in the last 3 years I've led a business model of 'work
> ourselves
> >> out of a job' at the majority of my clients, which has oddly enough
> worked.
> >> I've gone from literally needing to spend 40 hours at one clinic, down
> to
> >> about 7 hours a month (yes, I said month) by fine tuning things to that
> >> point and teaching their users to be more self-sufficient.
> >> It defies logic, but since starting this approach, we've taken on 5
> >> additional high-end customers and I'm guessing we're on our way to
> crack 2
> >> million in revenue this year...  not that I see much of that
> personally,
> >> mind you, but it's not bad for a little three person shop that doesn't
> >> charge enough for our services.
> >>
> >
> > I've been known to define a true professional as someone who works
> toward
> > the day when he's obsolete.  In other words, I think you're on the right
> > track.
> It's funny this should get brought up.  I've been doing a lot of
> freelance work recently, which consists of lots of consulting, and
> sometimes writing code.  A few times, my recommendations are not
> implemented, and another idea becomes the direction.  I have learned to
> not much care that they want to take the harder road, because it means
> more money for me.
>
> A perfect example:  A client wants to set up a web based CRM that their
> clients can use.  However, instead of having me write one, he's opted to
> license another CRM from another company (@ 5000 startup, $350/mo), and
> have me create "front-ends"  for it.  However, the database is not
> accessible to me, so all of the data has to be retrieved and manipulated
> using xml-rpc.  So, instead of spending the time using an existing
> framework to create a full CRM, I get to (a) write my own, or (b)
> shoehorn an XML-RPC service client into another framework.  This will
> probably end up costing more than just writing one from scratch, and
> will cost more residually through support everytime the XML-RPC
> interface changes (which, from what I have seen from user forums, it
> does often).
>
> As long as we have stubborn people who are trying to pinch pennies the
> wrong way, I don't think I'll ever become "obsolete."  :)  Well, maybe
> obsolete like old mainframes, but the old mainframes that people still
> use because the upfront cost is too high to upgrade (even though they
> lose the money quicker in the long run).
>
> Thanks,
> Paul
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