My marketing manager sometimes goes through Craigslist to develop new leads. I have to say, very few people know what it takes to design a website. And how much it is. Sometimes I read some of the post my mm sends me and I laugh when people say: “Need a great state of the art website, nothing too complex, we need to be able to edit it, need a blog, need a picture galleries…$100 flat fee.” Come on people, are you serious? This is like a slap on the face. I’m sure they get responses from the companies in India, who say they can do your site for $50. If you’re looking to throw your money away, please call us, at least we’ll donate it to the charities of our choice. But if you’re seriously looking to create a quality site, I would suggest to hire a local company.
Here’s an excerpt from an e-mail from the most recent client of ours: “I am debating on 2 other developers and the only reason I am even considering them is that they are $1,000 less than you. I
really don’t understand how I am getting so many different quote
ranges. I seriously have got everything from $800 – $18,000. All of them are basically saying the same thing and all of them are guaranteeing that I will get a kick ass FLASH website.”
Now, I always tell my clients, don’t try to get the cheapest site. I’m all for a bargain, so negotiate. But at the end of the day, your decision should be made not because someone promised you a “kick ass” website, but because their portfolio is a great example of the quality of the work you’re after. And always take a meeting.
More on this subject later…
