What do you have that’s not in Mumbai?
When it comes to the evaluation of your web skills or what you have to offer a client on a dollar for dollar basis what are you worth? How do you value your time, skill level or the bottles of unbridled enthusiasm which embodies that passion you have for your work? Yes, I’m asking what you have to offer that’s not cheaper or more easily obtained from Mumbai? Or Bulgaria for that matter? These are valid questions to put out there because much of the time your business is competing on this level. Why you? What’s your value proposition to the client?
My answer to that has changed over recent years from availability, service and attention to detail to become one of quality. I sell quality. I am not and never will belong to a code factory churning out junk by the hour full of bloated and badly written JavaScript that works. I’m selling something that Mumbai can’t easily provide – strong natural English comprehension skills, I’m subject to Australian confidentiality laws not a foreign one, I provide high quality templates without resorting to hacks, I focus on accessibility and usability and have the audacity to be asking for a lot more money than someone in Mumbai. Why? Because my pedantic bullying nature (or what I prefer to call my firm conviction) is something that adds value to my work rather than deprecates from it.
Ultimately I believe my value proposition is that I’m authentic. I’ve been me for a long time and this set of beliefs and the life that has gone with it have brought me directly to this place. I’m not a facade of some call centre when you get into trouble, I’m me and I’m there. There are industry peers who like me and others who loathe me for my opinions, and that all makes up a part of where I stand. Because standing somewhere is at least something.
One of the major industry issues with web development is that clients nearly always have no idea about the technology or complexity or even the value of quality. What is quality when the only comparison is on the cost? Of course Mumbai sounds like value.
My value to an organisation isn’t necessarily in what I am employed to achieve for them, its also in the rounded industry knowledge which I bring to the conversation. And there you have it – I offer you a conversation. A person. A real authentic experience. And, in most cases, a fast turnaround.
So, stranger, what do you have that’s not in Mumbai? Feel free to self promote in the comments.
May 4th, 2008 at 1:27 pm
Really good point mate!
In fact, if I know of anyone (else) in Taz or Oz – who needs some web work doing, then I’ll suggest they contact you rather than some cheeky geezer in Mumbai!!
I will promote myself on:
- the fact that I know what I’m doing (re: web design)
- have highly professional values
- aim to give a client and their customers/visitors exactly what they need – an effective, bespoke solution.
May 4th, 2008 at 2:59 pm
And don’t forget to emphasise any data they trust you with remains protected under British Law, Matt. That’s a biggie. Once people ship their information off shore they don’t realise that other countries laws might not provide the same protection.
In an service industry like ours there is a lot of risk – one burned customer or three and we’re in the commercial toilet. I don’t think its worth the risk.
But I see quite a lot of Mumbai jobs of late so it has been plaguing my mind a bit more than usual. When the only measure of a web solution is cheap – then that’s a worry.
May 6th, 2008 at 10:33 am
Just spotted this, and it reminded me of your article…
http://www.usabilitynews.com/news/article4704.asp
…trust the Brits to come up with it eh?
May 6th, 2008 at 8:04 pm
Interesting read Matt, thanks. I guess a part of the problem with most organisations is it all just goes under the radar regardless of any set standardisation or documentation stating how to do it cost effectively and efficiently.
To some companies shipping this work out to Mumbai is just like gettting 10,000 t-shirts shipped over from China. But when stuff is cheap, buyer beware.
Those code factories just produce piles of junk, convoluted javascript, table layouts… as long as it works. All produced by your friendly third world Phd wanting a better life. So their idea of quality is entirely different than ours.
Ha I could say that of gov’t departments on the whole too, lol.