Just recently, someone I look up to made me realize some very amazing philosophies on the work we do here at Houston Websites, as well as some other very intimate questions about my own personality type. I was forced to ask myself some very tough questions. These might also help some of you to better understand what we do here.
Here’s a Common Questions that I get Asked Often:
Why would anyone pay fee for a website project, when they can get a free website?
The simple answer is that, we provide a service that costs US time and effort to meet YOUR goals. A free website is free because it costs YOU time and effort to meet YOUR goals. The question above is like asking; why would I pay someone thousands of dollars to build me a house when I can get a hammer for free and make it myself? A hammer my friends is not a service. It’s a product, a commodity. You can buy the same or almost same product from just about any vendor. But building a house is not a product, it’s a service. It costs “someone” time and effort. The more skilled, the more experienced the builder; the better, the end result will be.
This explanation however, is just that. An Explanation. But why don’t we go beyond this and look below the surface? Do you really need a website? Not really! No one does. What you are really looking for is that reason, why you think you need a website. What you’re looking for is to attract more customers, maybe more leads, maybe registration, something. Your website is just a medium or a tool to achieve that goal.
We at Houston Websites, try to look under the cover to make these discoveries. Keep in mind that we work with Small Businesses and Entrepreneurs in Houston Texas region day after day. We understand the needs of our local businesses much better than we will ever be credited with.
A couple of weeks ago, I was visiting a client in Kingwood area. And about 55 minutes into one of our discovery meetings, 1 of 6 VPs of the company asked me just about the same question in regards to GoDaddy. You may have assumed that it would tick me of a bit. Not even a little! The talks went something like this:
Me: blahblahblah.
VP #6: That’s all good. We can use the help. But what I can’t help thinking is, why would we sign up with you guys when there are so many more affordable options out there. We just interviewed another developer who resides just minutes away. And even cheaper option I came across, why not just go over to GoDaddy? I’ve heard a lot of good things about them.
Me: Actually Brandon (real name), I think that if “the most affordable route” is what you’re considering at this stage, I have to admit that there’s no comparison between GoDaddy and Houston Websites. GoDaddy is Without a Doubt a Great Tool! They might even wave off what little fee they charge, if you send them a friend’s referral or such.
Anyways, I got a call this morning from VP #5 who had been our contact person in that company, asking us to please come back and finish the discovery phase and keep the project rolling. Turns out….that the local developer was a 16yr old High School student who can’t work on their website until summer vacations and GoDaddy option didn’t quite pan out the way they had hoped.
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that we are better than GoDaddy. We’re not even in the same business. And our service will NOT fit everyone who is looking for a website. But when looking us up, do know what we do and how we differ from a free tool.
