So, while I try to keep this journal personal and very much separate from anything that might lead back to my job, I do have a vaguely work related question for you guys
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Gyms and Law Firms definitely have some interesting potential... Gyms do weird recurring and special fees, and like to keep track of what their customers are doing, and Law Firms certainly have a lot of unique records to keep track of.
It sounds like lots of medical software is pretty crappy, at least judging by how many medical profession people are complaining about it, but they are big into reliability... And there are a lot of laws and standards involved there, too.
You do make a very good point about perceived value. It seems like we potentially make the most money for people who have a hard time tracking their costs... People who build things out of parts, materials, and labor end up estimating a lot when it comes to the price, and often can't tell if they're losing money or making a profit unless it's a big margin. Especially with items that they (or some since-departed shop employee) made a long time ago.
For other businesses, it's more of a time saver, though for people who have to track appointments and hours, it can mean better efficiency (and thus, packing in more work, avoiding scheduling problems, and generally getting paid for more of your employees' time.)
I guess the most widely applicable part is the Website aspect; If you have a website (and can somehow get people to click on it), you're getting a whole new source of sales... From around the country and the world, even, but only if you're willing to deal with shipping and returns through the mail, and mainly if your product is unique (or competitively priced). If people can get your product elsewhere for less on Amazon, it's not really worth going online at all. Though there is something to be said for warehousing obscure items (so your listing pops up when Amazon and friends are out of stock.)
We've been considering a more comprehensive package, where we not only build you a site, but help you keep track of it and manage links and advertising and stuff... So far, though, that hasn't been a big draw for our existing clients. They're usually very enthusiastic about "getting on the web", but want to spend as little money on it as possible, and avoid any extra expenses. They especially don't want to devote much time to maintaining and operating it, unless they are big (or affluent) enough to afford a full time computer/web guy... In which case, they may choose to shell out for a computer/web guy who is also smart enough to make them a website.
Still, most of our internet work so far has been for people who do have a computer/web guy, who is busy enough with their core business that he's decided to outsource the art and programming aspects of the site to someone else (in this case, us!) and just take are of management/advertising aspects. That seems to work out pretty well, since someone from their company is making sure that the site is representing them properly, getting attention and advertising at the right times, and generally being business-compatible, while we're entirely concerned with the technical details.
It sounds like lots of medical software is pretty crappy, at least judging by how many medical profession people are complaining about it, but they are big into reliability... And there are a lot of laws and standards involved there, too.
You do make a very good point about perceived value. It seems like we potentially make the most money for people who have a hard time tracking their costs... People who build things out of parts, materials, and labor end up estimating a lot when it comes to the price, and often can't tell if they're losing money or making a profit unless it's a big margin. Especially with items that they (or some since-departed shop employee) made a long time ago.
For other businesses, it's more of a time saver, though for people who have to track appointments and hours, it can mean better efficiency (and thus, packing in more work, avoiding scheduling problems, and generally getting paid for more of your employees' time.)
I guess the most widely applicable part is the Website aspect; If you have a website (and can somehow get people to click on it), you're getting a whole new source of sales... From around the country and the world, even, but only if you're willing to deal with shipping and returns through the mail, and mainly if your product is unique (or competitively priced). If people can get your product elsewhere for less on Amazon, it's not really worth going online at all. Though there is something to be said for warehousing obscure items (so your listing pops up when Amazon and friends are out of stock.)
We've been considering a more comprehensive package, where we not only build you a site, but help you keep track of it and manage links and advertising and stuff... So far, though, that hasn't been a big draw for our existing clients. They're usually very enthusiastic about "getting on the web", but want to spend as little money on it as possible, and avoid any extra expenses. They especially don't want to devote much time to maintaining and operating it, unless they are big (or affluent) enough to afford a full time computer/web guy... In which case, they may choose to shell out for a computer/web guy who is also smart enough to make them a website.
Still, most of our internet work so far has been for people who do have a computer/web guy, who is busy enough with their core business that he's decided to outsource the art and programming aspects of the site to someone else (in this case, us!) and just take are of management/advertising aspects. That seems to work out pretty well, since someone from their company is making sure that the site is representing them properly, getting attention and advertising at the right times, and generally being business-compatible, while we're entirely concerned with the technical details.
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