4 Non-Technical Questions to Ask a Web Site Developer Before Hiring

You've decided to create a website for your business or organization. You have your list of questions but keep wondering about what else you should be asking. We all know that is important to ask your potential web developer detailed questions about technical abilities but what should you ask beyond that?

Put all aspects of a web developer under a magnifying glass and find the right one for you. Here are 4 questions to ask a potential web developer that don't deal with the technology aspect of your project:

How many employees do you have? Whether you are dealing with a 1 man company or one with hundreds you likely have an idea going into initial meetings but it is wise to get a better idea. You want to make sure they have enough time/personnel to handle your project but not too many that contact with those you are working with becomes difficult. Likewise, too many people involved means a higher chance of miscommunication.

Is all the work and customer support done in your local office? We know the horror stories of dealing with overseas help. Even if all the people who would be working on your site are located in the same country if they are in different offices that can create additional roadblocks and miscommunication during and after website creation. Make no mistake, if a web developer reaches for outside help it can make your site better but beware of the pitfalls.

Do we have access to what we need if you go out of business? In all the excitement of creating a new site one could easily forget about contingency plans. It is important to confirm with a potential web developer who actually owns the site, logo, graphics, and so on. There have been plenty of occasions where a seemingly good and honest web developer suddenly goes out of business. A developer with a high end office can just as easily disappear as a guy working out of his parents basement. Do you have access to all the files and records you need to keep going?

How is business? Of course, you can expect to hear that things are going well and have them put a good spin on their business situation even if things aren't going well. However, use this to inquire about some recent business and perhaps some references. Once you dig a little deeper it will work to your advantage to ask how their business is doing and it can save you a headache later on if it turns out things aren't doing so well.

Of course, there are countless other questions you could ask. What are some other ones? What is the most important non-technical question you would ask your web developer? Comment and help us grow our list of questions.

Using eBay Listing Promotions to Test Market Your Products

You've listed and listed items on eBay before but some products don't sell all that well. You're afraid of listing over and over as eBay listing fees add up quickly. Likewise, you know you want to try different pricing levels but again fear wasting your money on more eBay listing fees only to have your product not sell.

There is a great answer for you to keep costs down and still be very flexible. Frequently eBay will have free listing promotions for sellers. Even though I will date this posting I will mention that eBay just began a free listing period from September 28, 2010 to January 7, 2011. This, and any other time eBay has these promotions, is the time to test market your products.

During these promotional periods for the first 100 items you list in an auction you are not charged an initial listing fee. You are only charged the final value fees if the item sells (and any upgrades you make before listing the item). Of course there are the typical catagory exceptions. If you care to read about that follow this link: http://pages.ebay.com/promo/ListFreeHoliday2010/. You can start your listing at any price for free.

Take advantage of this and try:

• New items you have never listed before.
• Adjusting the price of items you have already tried.
• Different quantity levels of items you have listed in the past.

While it is fairly obvious I can tell you from experience that I have used my eBay account (shameless plug for Sourcical: http://shop.ebay.com/sourcical/m.html?_nkw=&_armrs=1&_from=&_ipg=25) to try those various things. For example, I initially started by listing 500 Tyvek wristbands in one auction but used the promotion to try different pricing levels and higher quantity levels. During the current period I also plan to try new items. It is an ongoing situation using trial and error but you can learn a lot and increase your eBay sales.

In fairness to you I will mention that there is at least a couple of disadvantages. There will be higher competition so it can be more difficult to sell your item. Also, higher competition may mean your item does sell but not for as much then it would have during a regular time period. Try to keep these things in mind when measuring results but since its free to list you should still creating some test listings.

What do you think? Have you successfully used these promotional periods that had positive effects afterwards? Are there more disadvantages?

One Practical Use for Tyvek Wristbands That You Didn't Know. Pipe Inspection and Construction!

The word "wrist" is right in the word "wristband" so it is no wonder that the idea of using a wristband for anything other than something to do with a wrist would seem a bit odd. Perhaps you may have thought of creating a chain of wristbands similar to what you did for art in 1st grade or there about. However, there is at least one other practical real world use for Tyvek wristbands that doesn't involve your wrists...

Use Tyvek wristbands for documenting pipes during construction, inspection, or similar ways.

A single standard 3/4" wide x 10" long Tyvek wristband can create an approximate 2-1/2" diameter circle. Obviously then, any pipe that is under that size can be fitted. But don't forget that 2, 3, or more can be stuck together (end to end) to fit larger pipes.

Likely the band will stay in place if either made tight enough or let it rest on a joint. In some situations part of the exposed adhesive on the underside of the wristband can be affixed to the pipe. Obviously it will depend on the maker and type of adhesive used but in general terms you should have no problem using Tyvek wristbands for this use.

But let's get to the real practical use here. Many wristbands now come with consecutive numbers printed on them. For construction and inspection a worker can write down that number or enter it in to a spreadsheet, laptop, iPad, etc. Any information about that pipe, the location, the inspector, the time and date, and so on can be recorded and linked to the exact number on that wristband. Some Tyvek wristbands can be even be written on so information can be placed directly on them. Perhaps the date, a worker's initials, etc.

Of course, wristbands can be used in a similar manner with other construction projects or just about anything where the band won't simply slide off. Wrapping a wristband around a wooden stud or perhaps around some wiring also comes to mind. Just record the number and whatever information you need connected to it.

I will plug the Tyvek wristbands available from Sourcical (http://www.sourcical.com/tyvek-wristbands) because I know that they come with an aggressive adhesive and standard consecutive numbering but know that this blog post is mostly to get you thinking about ideas for tagging your pipes and similar materials.

Comment on this post and let us know what you think. Is this a sensible idea? Can you think of other practical uses for wristbands that don't involve wrists?

Is the Laptop Doomed?

About 6 months ago I picked up a new laptop and decided to go to the higher end of my budget. This in spite of the fact that the iPad had just come out with much fan fare. I remember thinking at the time that (assuming no catastrophic errors or crashes by my new laptop) this might end being the last time I bought a laptop at least in the conventional form that most of us know it. With the popularity of the iPad I was thinking that more and more people would seek out more portable devices like the iPad. No doubt there would be more options from Apple's competitors which we have already seen and this will push prices down and make them more mainstream.

While I am hardly a predictor of the future I get the feeling that as iPads and similar devices are able to handle more advanced features, take on more memory, and so on they will become much more common place. Likewise, there is no reason to believe that these devices will not be able to handle everyday online business needs. For that matter, there is no reason they can't handle the set up and maintenance of websites.

In many ways smaller handheld devices already do. Smartphones can accept credit cards and handle most web duties. There may be some arguement as to how effeciently they can do certain web activities but no doubt tech companies will continue to improve the speed and physical ability for such devices to meet business needs.

Ok, we maybe a ways off from considering the conventional laptop dead but I think you get my point. There is no reason to believe that a handheld device won't soon do everything a laptop does with the same ease.

How long do you think conventional laptops will survive? Will iPad like devices overtake them? Do you see them as useful replacements to manage online businesses? What are your thoughts?

Social Media - THE #1 Reason to Get Involved

The future is now! Sounds like a motivational speaker doesn't it? But there is some serious truth to that phrase when it comes to online marketing. Slowly but surely businesses are discovering how social media can help potential customers find out about their business but there are still countless businesses that aren't taking advantage of social media. Because internet searches are the Yellow Pages of our times you should use social media to maximize your business' chances of being found on the internet. That is THE reason to get involved.

If you have an online business you really should be looking into social media now. I stress that for online business because you are selling online so why shouldn't the internet be one of the first sources of creating business. Your customer base will likely come from people looking for your products by doing searches on Google, Yahoo, and other search engines. It depends on the line of work your business is in but likely your competitors are using social media already. Put your company's name in a blog, a Twitter account, a YouTube channel, etc. Search engines are like advertising in print. The more your name is out there the more likely someone will find your business in a search. We have begun using these means of marketing at Sourcical.com and it has resulted in better search engine positioning. We have a long way to go but every little bit helps.

If you have a brick and mortar store or service business you have an even better chance of social media paying off for you. In most situations businesses that aren't focused on internet based sales are slower to use the internet as a means of marketing. This gives you a chance to beat the competition to it and get the name of your local business or service out there on the internet. Everyone searches for local businesses every now and then so don't think you're wasting your time. Likely you've done it many times before yourself... "(insert city name here) restaurants" or "(insert city name here) plumber". Using social media will improve your chances of being found all the more in those internet searches.

A bonus reason for getting involved is that it's free! Twitter accounts, Facebook pages, YouTube channels are free and most others are free at least for basic accounts. Of course, you can buy ads on Google and a lot of sites but that is an entirely separate topic. You have to keep at it for social media to pay off but since the internet is the Yellow Pages of our times why not take advantage of it?

Alright, you and your friends, coworkers, etc. can debate if this really is the number one reason to get involved in social media but you are hurting your business if you are not taking advantage of social media in some way.

Do you agree? Some social media sites will fail but I firmly believe social media as a whole is here to stay. What do you think? Is there a more important reason to get involved in social media?

Essential Shipping Final Touches - Packing Slips and Thank You Notes

It is surprising to me how often I order an item online and when it is received there is nothing in the box besides the item and some packing material. A thank you note done properly can go a long way to sealing the deal and creating return customers.

In no way do you need to make a long message of thanks. In fact, you want to keep it short to keep the attention of your customer. Simply thank them for their business, remind them you are there for their needs, and add your contact information. Likewise, on the packing slip just add a line for each item included in the box, the price, and a total. It is probably wise to add in bold or large type the phrase "This is NOT a bill" just to avoid confusion. If you wanted to you could simply create a packing slip and add your thank you wording to it. One sheet all done.

On a personal level I like the thank you messages that are typed and then signed by hand (no stamped signatures). It is easier than writing the entire thing but the hand signature gives it that personal touch. This is what we aim to do at Sourcical.com. We have a base template of thanks but then add a greeting with the buyers first name, mention the item they purchased, and sign above our contact info at the end. If someone buys Tyvek wristbands or green powder coating tape from us we'll mention that in the thank you. That is going that extra personal step in my opinion. I realize that some aspects of this may be too time consuming for some businesses but choose what is important to you and try and not make the message sound too canned.

Undoubtedly there will be times when your packing slip is simply ignored by the buyer but for those who do take the time to confirm the order and read how you appreciate your business it can go a long way. As I've mentioned in previous posts, why not take that extra step for your business to stand out. In virtually every line of business competition is growing as the internet has allowed for more small and at home businesses to sell to consumers. With so much competition it is essential that you give your company the edge in every way possible even if it does seem small. Even for only occasional eBay sellers a thank you note and nice organized packing slip can get a buyer to add you to their favorite sellers or get that positive feedback and 5 star detailed seller ratings you need.

What information do you put on your packing slips that may not be ordinary? What are the most important things to include in a thank you note? Give us your comments and help out other online retailers.

Is it Time to Buy Shipping Supplies in Bulk?

So you've started your small business and it is doing pretty well. Maybe you should consider buying supplies in bulk to help bring your costs down. This post is a reminder to frequently assess whether buying supplies in bulk is right for you.

Most likely you have thought about this when first starting out and perhaps you even bought a few supplies in bulk to begin with but are afraid to again because you sat on the first batch for such a long time. This is typical of many people who start an eBay business or something similar out of their homes. Expectations are high when you start out and you may over buy on some supplies. But as your business expands it may benefit your bottom line to save money by purchasing in larger amounts.

Like many of you, our business (Sourcical.com) is in that in between stage where we are trying to determine when and how much we should purchase in bulk. While not the most important step in our immediate future it is one that can snowball in to huge savings down the road as we determine other areas that we may buy in bulk.

For eBay businesses and other online retail websites you probably want to consider buying things like packing tape, boxes, shipping and handling labels, etc. in bulk. Consider that you will be making far fewer trips to your local shipping supply store saving you time and wear to your vehicle. Yes, our website offers a variety of bulk shipping supplies from economical 3M 371 tape (http://www.sourcical.com/3M-371-clear-tape) and premium 3M 375 tape (http://www.sourcical.com/3M-375-clear-tape) as well as various fragile labels (http://www.sourcical.com/labels). But the point here is to get you to think about reevaluating your small business and remembering that buying supplies in bulk can save you big money in the long run.

When do you think it is right to start making the step toward buying supplies in bulk? Do you think you should from the get go? What has been your experience? Feel free to comment and help other small businesses.