subject: Finding the right company to do our new website design [print this page] Finding the right company to do our new website design
The other day, I was tasked by my boss to look up a web design company to create a new company website. Our existing one was ancient and if I may say so, extremely ugly. I had only basic knowledge of web design and I did a quick search on the Internet for suitable companies. I called up three companies and invited them to come to my office for a short presentation on what they can offer.
The first company was a company known as Fast Solutions. True to their name, the salesperson was pretty fast with his words. He blazed through the presentation with some technical jargons like SEO, CRM Development and ADP Services. I tried to ask him to go slower and to repeat some of the explanations. He looked at him in a whimsical manner, took a deep sigh and shook his head slightly. I couldn't believe his blazon attitude. Needless to say, he was out of our office door before he can even say SEO.
The next company was represented by a male and a female. They were well dressed in matching suits. I must admit I was pretty impressed with their presentation. They spoke about giving us custom programming, free hosting, as well as providing us with a database that might match our clients' profile.
They were agreeable to almost all requests that I mentioned. Surely, there was a catch somewhere. Then it happened. The lady brought out a brochure and I got a rude shock. The price was beyond exorbitant. I tried to reason with her. "Didn't you mention that the hosting was free?" She replied in the sweetest voice imaginable. "Yes it's free for the first seven days."
The male then brought out a contract and pressurized me to sign it. He smiled like a Cheshire cat. "You will get a 20 percent discount if you sign with us today." I replied that I had to check with my boss first and his face transformed immediately into a darker shade of black. I thanked them for their time.
The last company was called Phoenix Web Design. I said a silent prayer that this was going to be THE ONE. A young man came up and introduced himself as David. He had a casual, unassuming way about him.
He started his presentation, which was pretty impressive. In fact, he had planned and designed a sample for me to see. It was very sleek and professional looking. I then asked him to explain to me all the technical jargons like SEO and ADP services. He managed to make them sound simple by using some interesting metaphors. I was impressed. Very impressed.
He then showed me the price plan and it was almost a quarter of what the previous company quoted me. I smiled and offered him my hand. He shook it and it was the beginning of a fantastic partnership. I just thanked my lucky stars that God answered my silent prayer.
