| LED Digest 1536: Email Management Software |
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================================================== The LED Digest Moderated Discussion List "Effective Online Advertising, Since 1997" ================================================== List Moderator: Published by: Adam Audette LED Digest ................................................. March 12, 2003 Issue #1536 ................................................. .....IN THIS DIGEST..... ====== NEW ====================== --== Email Management Software ==-- ~ Tony Court "...looking for recommendations on software to manage email lists..." ==== CONTINUING ================= --== Outsourcing and Globalization ==-- ~ Michelle Acosta "Do your research." ~ N Rajesh Khanna "...'Onward and Upwards!' as my American clients would have me say." --== In-House Web Design ==-- ~ Joann Chokrach "...if prospective clients think you are overpriced, then you are." ==== BILLBOARD =================== --== Sender Warranted Email & Habeas ==-- ~ Paul Harman ====== NEW ======================================= From: Antonio Court Subject: Email Management Software & E-Commerce Hello Fellow LED'ers (and Adam)! I have not read these postings for about one year now so I apologise if this is covering old ground... I am starting up a career oriented web site (www.careersmart.cc) with general tips on interviewing strategies and market trends focused on IT. I will be selling several types of information via newsletters and downloads. I am looking for recommendations on software to manage email lists AND exact methods to allow automated downloads purchased by my clients (i.e.- how to enable my site for e-commerce and what additional software to have for file transfers). I am comfortable with Frontpage and will use it to design my site. initially. Any help is greatly appreciated! Cheers! Tony Court "Smart Careers create Lavish Lifestyles" ===== CONTINUING ================================= From: Michelle Acosta Subject: Global Outsourcing > Explaining what we wanted done often took multiple > emails... because of both the language differences > and the fact you couldn't easily pick up a phone to > discuss anything. - Janet Attard, LED 1535 Hi Janet, I absolutely agree with your comment although I must add, we outsourced a development job to a "local" company (about 200 miles away) and experienced the SAME problems. Getting a point across generally took three or four e-mails and we STILL didn't get what we wanted. To add to our frustration, getting these guys on the phone was a nightmare. It seemed the only way to get them on the phone was by not paying on-time and then the billing person would miraculously get the programmer / developer to call us! Did I mention it took nine months to finish what we originally planned to complete in 6-8 weeks?! By the time we got to the point where we wanted 'out', we already had too much invested. It was a question of dealing with the legalities of getting out of their contract (we're a small business without a dedicated legal department), finding someone else to complete the job they'd started, etc. At best, we'd be able to resolve the issue but end up having a disgruntled project manager responsible for our site! We were totally at their mercy... I'm sure the difference here though is that it wasn't a question of experience, rather it was a small company that was growing much quicker than it had anticipated and just didn't have time to bother with us 'little guys' anymore -- the project wasn't so little but in comparison to the Fortune 500 clients they now have, we were small potatoes. The point however, we're going to deal with inefficiencies and we need to take a VERY active approach towards eliminating or at least decreasing it as much as possible. It's true that generally speaking, not all jobs can be outsourced to foreign firms as the technology / experience isn't always to the level we require to but many are and can be gotten for considerably less. You do get what you pay for though. A lesser price will likely mean greater work somewhere else. Figure all this into the equation BEFORE deciding and also keep in mind that hiring an American firm or a more expensive service does not necessarily mean you'll be getting a better deal. Do your research. All the best, michelle acosta, business development : partner relations cosmicbreath.com marketing group ------- new post - same topic ------- From: N Rajesh Subject: Outsourcing Web Development I have been witness to a thread here for a couple of days now on outsourcing to India. As someone who is in the business of outsourced web design and development, I feel compelled to relate my story. Three of us, my colleagues Krishna Unni, Ranajit Tendolkar and I, started Pigtail Pundits (and it's the only company we own) in May 1997. Both Unni and Ranajit come from a professional communications background and I from an entrepreneurial one. We were fascinated by the internet and felt that we could offer our communications expertise to it. Armed with just a dream, we cobbled together our 3 personal computers, hired a garage, put up a board and dived straight into the web pool. We started by designing brochure ware sites for local clients. Since we had little technical back ground, memorable design was what we touted in the local market (what with Unni and Ranajit having worked at some of the top advertising firms here in Mumbai). Unni and I beat the street, brought in the business and Ranajit (who has a tremendous aptitude for teaching himself new things) learnt HTML in 15 days (he was already a Photoshop guru) would design and build the sites. This carried on for a couple of months and the dot.com boom ensured us of our tiny share of the business. Then one day Unni decided to fish for some overseas work. The local market was erratic and we had to explore other avenues. We put out a post on Frankelbiz (shameless plugin, actually, which must have escaped Rob Frankel's gimlet eye) and lo behold! We got a response! This was our first overseas enquiry for designing a small website for a client based in San Francisco. He was participating in an exhibition and wanted his website done before the exhibition (Are you listening, Scott?). Which didn't give us too much time. We had by then grown from 3 to a 6 people (doubled our manpower) organization. We delivered the site on time. The client loved it. The monies were wire transferred directly to our bank. Upshot: The client got the job done cost-effectively and we in turn did not have to beat the street. Very, very cost effective and win-win for both of us! Emboldened, we started an Associate Programme to cater to more such clients, entrepreneurs, consultants, other web designers with overload... Two years ago Unni and I took a decision to travel to the US and put a face to the name. This was a very critical decision as it was going to cost us a bomb! But it was important. Not only to build confidence with our existing associates, but also to induce confidence, so that they could in turn source bigger projects that we were capable of executing. In retrospect, I can say that this worked like a dream! The project sizes increased by more than 100%! Since our trip, we've worked for 4 more clients / associates who we've yet to meet! If all goes well, we'll see them sometime this year. ;-) Till date, we've done over 40 projects for seven clients and associates in the US. Some of them we've yet to meet! Over the years we have managed to overcome the technology challenges as well and most importantly, survive the dot-com crash. We now employ 15 full-time programmers who craft bespoke e-commerce sites and make databases dance and a team of 4 creatives who do 'wow' web design. So how does this work? Many factors really: wow services, clear communications, market positioning, etc 1. Deliver Wow services: We at Pigtail Pundits believe that you have to wow your customer with your service. This could be in terms of value-adds, quality, design, ideas, or all of them. Since our entire creative team comes from a professional communications background, we're able to add great value to a web site or an application from a branding point of view, a positioning point of view, an idea point of view and the end customer point of view. This is essential, for this is what helps a product to succeed. 2. Deliver the service at a price that can't be beat. (Almost a truism now) 3. Communicate like hell! When you do business with clients sitting 10,000 miles away, constant communication is very important. Reply, re-assure the client that you're around, working on his project and show him the progress. Of course, a facility for speaking and writing in English helps in understanding the brief correctly (which is so darned important, isn't it?), in replying to issues, in clarifying details, in persuading them to accept a point of view, etc 4. Never assume anything or take the client for granted: Reiterate / rephrase issues which aren't clear: "Is this what you want?" or "Is this what you're saying?" This ensures that we are 99.98% of the time doing the right thing! As they say in advertising, "assumption the mother of all f*** ups". 5. Position yourself correctly: Are you a design agency, a software development agency, an interactive agency, a writer? We have got most of our work because we provide an end-to-end service. Design + Programming + Writing + Ideas + Value Adds. We help the client solve the entire puzzle. 6. Stick to your knitting: One of the big lessons from the dot-com crash is that folks should stick to what they know well. Investments bankers, driven by greed, turning into electronic publishers? Software folks trying to run trading exchanges? HTML artists trying to communicate? Traders getting into the Internet by hiring their nephew for their on-line presence? Idea merchants getting into entrepreneurship? Sure, some will succeed, but the majority will fail. We at Pigtail Pundits, felt that we knew how to build spades. So when the Gold Rush happened we built more spades. We didn't run for gold and come a cropper. We're still around as a result. Thank God for that. Of course, I must admit that we are not a company that caters to the Fortune 500. I don't think we would ever have the resources to do it. But we sure have the resources to cater to the 50,000 SMEs all over the US. So "Onward and Upwards!" as my American clients would have me say. Cheers. N Rajesh Khanna (Founder, Business Zealot) Pigtail Pundits Web Solutions Pvt. Ltd. http://www.pigtailpundits.com ------- new post - same topic ------- From: Joann Chokrach Subject: In-house design > But even though I know they get a good value, that > doesn't make much of a difference if the prospect's > perception is that we're overpriced. What do you guys > think? - Beth Earle, LED 1534 In my opinion, your definition of value, "since these are manufacturers, in many cases simply one sale pays for the site itself," is flawed. A printed brochure, distributed to a much smaller audience, will produce a much higher rate of return. Years ago, someone told me "If you want to know what business you are really in, just ask your customers. It may be different than what you think." Likewise, if prospective clients think you are overpriced, then you are. $8000 for a "basic" 10 page website, with few graphics and little text -is- high by any standard. The typical development charge for your example site, would be around $500. Joann Chokrach http://www.wits-end.com ==== BILLBOARD ==================================== From: Paul Harman Subject: Habeas When I read the first posting about Habeas, I was not concerned. I went to the websites, followed the links, was not worried. I hate spam. I do not like the sexually explicit mail with porno pictures, nor the ones offering me viagra or breast enhancement. But after reading the reply I began to worry. With the statement that led-digest could enroll for only $200 not $3000 made me stop and reconsider. We all have delete keys. My ISP offers spam protection that I can adjust. It can be set from 1 to 100, 100 letting everything through. After not receiving many e-zines & e-mails iI wanted, I set my spam to 100. So I delete 50 or 60 spam mails. Not a problem, and it does not cost the e-zines I am subscribed to a dime. We all want an internet reasonably free of government interference, I think we should also worry about a commercial enterprise that seeks to protect us without our consent. Paul Harman ------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1995-2003 Adam Audette. All Rights Reserved. ----------------------------------------------------------------- "It is not our purpose to become each other; it is to recognize each other, to learn to see the other and honor him for what he is." - Herman Hesse |
