Introduction to E-Commerce Tutorials
First Steps With Our Client / The Sales Call and First Analysis
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Subtitles of the Movie (Introduction to E-Commerce / First Steps With Our Client / The Sales Call and First Analysis)
The sales call gets the whole thing started. As a developer, you may or may not be involved in the actual sale of site development work. If you are not, this can create some problems right off the bat if you are working with a sales staff with questionable ethics. Some people will tell potential clients just about anything to get a job going. In most cases though, selling an e-commerce site is just like selling anything else. Treat every potential client like someone who could move in next door to you. If after everything you have promised, you can imagine seeing this person twice a day, each and every day of the year, you are probably doing it right. I tend to take this a little too far. I spend one entire sales call, a couple of years ago, trying to convince a potential client not to set up an e-commerce site. She eventually did and I was the developer but with greatly reduced expectations and was in fact happy with the end result. In the sales call, be sure to ask the potential client what the budget is for the work they need done. This would tell you right away whether you are the right development company for the job. Often, prospects are reluctant to disclose a final amount believing with good reason that the proposal will then be raised to the amount discussed and they will miss the opportunity for a bargain. An effective answer to this reluctance is to ask for a range. You also can tell the customer that you need to find out if this prospect is looking for a Volkswagen Bug or for a Lexus SUV. Leave out this question at your peril. I learned this the hard way after spending hours on a proposal in the five thousand dollar range only to discover that all the client was willing to pay was five hundred dollars, an amount that would have immediately taken me out of the running without all the time I put in on the proposal. If the sales call goes well and the potential client requests a proposal, the next step is an analysis of the business and its needs to see if you are a good fit for the e-commerce development. If this business has already distributed a request for proposal, you are ahead of the game. A request for proposal is a very good idea for a business that is soliciting bids for work particularly web design or development work. However, a good RFP usually contains detailed descriptions of exact functionality requirements and can be quite time consuming to produce. So many businesses don’t have them. If there isn’t an RFP, your task is to write a brief analysis of the business, its situation and its e-commerce needs. This is a very good idea even if it seems tedious or a waste of time. For example, if the potential client is a non-profit organization, they may require a web development company that can discount its work or a web development company that has worked with other non-profits and understands their legal requirements. If you write an analysis, you should be able to describe the business and its core e-commerce needs in no more than a few paragraphs. It’s not meant to replace an RFP. It’s only meant to make sure you understand the core needs of your potential client to determine if you can satisfy them. Our client Hanchy Richards has not written a request for proposal. So we will need to write a brief analysis of her business and its e-commerce needs. Here’s what we have got. A year ago, Hanchy Richards purchased a packaged e-commerce service and launched a web site called calalillycollection.com featuring unique gifts for men and women. She was unable to customize and personalize the site as much as was needed however and her sales suffered. She has taken the site offline and is looking for an upgraded site with more flexible features and functionality. Hanchy’s site look and feel should reflect the unique personality of its owner like a small exclusive bricks and mortar boutique. Hanchy’s sales will depend on her customer’s relationship with her and the site should be warm, friendly and conversational in its design. So that she can continually update product information and review orders, Hanchy will require a full featured administrative area. The admin area will allow product, category, customer and order information to be created, edited and viewed. Hanchy is the only one accessing this admin area so it must be password protected but it does not need multiple levels of access or authority.
Tutorial Information
| Course: | Introduction to E-Commerce |
| Author: | Darcey Spears |
| SKU: | 33628 |
| ISBN: | 1-932808-79-5 |
| Release Date: | 2005-08-25 |
| Duration: | 7.5 hrs / 102 lessons |
| Work Files: |
Yes |
| Captions: | No |
| Compatibility: |
Vista/XP/2000, OS X, Linux QuickTime 7, Flash 8 |
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