The Problem with Internet Consulting

Yet, a multitude of businesses are having their web sites and Internet campaigns designed by non-professionals. They might be professionals in their own field (printing, off-line marketing, computer sales, etc.) but they're not Internet consultant experts. This trend was especially clear when the Web just started developing into a "big deal", and bigger companies started adding Internet development services to their core business. Printing companies opened up Internet development wings, as did other non-web related businesses such as marketing companies and computer sales companies. And the truth is, that even though a printing company may be great at printing, they might be really lousy web designers.

One example of this that really irritated me was with a friend of mine who works for a multi-million dollar company (that must remain nameless) that has just decided to implement an intranet. He is involved in the IT department, and as such was in close contact with the intranet site development. As the plans started developing, people from all different corners of the company got involved, a sales and marketing guy, an HR person, etc. Each of them wanted something different, and each of them knew nothing.

The sales and marketing guy for example, was adamant about having cute, animated graphics throughout the site. Sadly enough he had more clout than the IT people, so animated graphics were added. Then this company decided they needed to outsource some of the work. They ended up picking a company (which must also remain nameless) that specializes in graphic design to assist them in planning, designing and implementing their intranet. Does anyone see a problem with this?  Many more examples abound, of companies picking non-specialized people to assist them, and each time this happens, it causes problems for those people really trying to specialize in the Internet consulting business. So why is this going on?  The problem is that many companies who decide to build Internet or Intranet systems don't know what to expect. They've been told that the field is brand new, and everything is up in the air as to what should be done, how a site should look, etc.

Often companies do not have any experts on staff to consult with, and many companies are completely uneducated about the Internet. At CyberAds Studio for example, we get calls from people who simply say, "I want a web site." Well that's great, because we then have the opportunity to get a new client, but now what? Many companies, being uneducated and a little scared with the Internet and technology go to a company they have had previous dealings with, whether its their printing company, computer sales company, graphic design company, or something else quasi-related to the Internet. They go to these non-specialized businesses, feeling safe in the fact that they have done business with them before, probably thinking, "…of course it was in printing brochures, but now the company has a web development unit, they must know what they're doing…" Wrong. This is not a guaranteed truth.

A printing company or graphic design company that has been around 20 years, with an excellent reputation, great service, etc. might not be able to handle your Internet development needs. So what should you do?  You must become a smart consumer.  Educate Yourself: With all of the information available online, it is very easy to spend a couple of hours surfing around and doing some research. There are plenty of impartial resources that can help you figure out what the Internet, Web and Intranet are all about. Get a feel for the Web, surf around, see what's out there. You don't have to become an expert, but it will help in asking the right questions, and dealing with Internet consultant companies, if you spend a little time and educate yourself.  Shop around: There are tons of Internet consulting companies out there.

The spectrum runs from some guy in his basement who spent 2 hours learning HTML, to the huge, multi-million dollar printing company that just added a web design team to their staff. Once you have educated yourself, and you are more clear on what you are looking for, you will be able to do an in-depth sweep of the Internet consulting companies available, and start narrowing down the field. Look for the company that specializes in Internet consulting, this should be a decent starting point.  Ask the right questions: This business is relatively new, but there are a number of companies out there who have established themselves quite nicely, and many others that are on their way to solid ground.

You need to have a list of questions to ask these companies to continue the weeding process.  Here is a quick list of questions you may want to ask potential consulting companies:
1. Is the firm reputable? Can they provide verifiable references?
2. What expertise are they offering? Do you understand what is being offered?
3. Have they had previous experience in the field of expertise being offered? Are there samples I can see?
4. Are they certified to provide networking solutions / consulting?
5. What industry organizations do the consultants belong to? Are these organizations verifiable?
6. What are the terms of the contract, especially with respect to intellectual property rights?

Clearly the keys lie in the work they have done in the past, how well you feel you could work with the company, and where do their specialties lie.  

The common feeling I get from many companies taking their first step into the water's of the Web is that they are scared and uncertain. The Internet's terrain is new to many, and don't know where they are going or how they are going to get there. They end up jumping at the first comfortable opportunity and this can lead to infinite problems. Find a company that specializes in Internet consulting, or maybe even more specialized than that, depending on your needs. For example, if you need an Intranet system developed, there are Intranet-specific companies out there. The bottomline is that just because a company says they do something, it doesn't necessarily mean they do it well. Do your homework.