The Intelligent Blog | Business Strategy, Advice, Timeless Branding, Beautiful Web Design

Five Tips To Land a $50,000 Freelance Contract

2008-07-27T22:32:37Z

1. Have Professional Branded Materials and Attitude

In order to land the big project, it's necessary to brand your company like you're even bigger than the company you're contracting out to. In other words, to get a deal from a Fortune 500 company, you've got to look like a Fortune 10 company. That means your professional materials should be complete with logo and branded in your company's style. E-mails emanating out of the company should be professional and courteous. Your website should be impressive to both layman and techie alike, devoid of broken links and typos.

2. Stellar Customer Service

The importance of customer service has been discussed many times.

Focus on clear, timely communications that serve to solve problems or ask poignant questions. Good testimonials are most often the result of friendly service, rather than high quality of work.

3. A Detailed Statement of Work and Milestone Delivery Schedule

[See How to Tackle a $50,000 Freelance Project on FreelanceSwitch.com for more information on milestone delivery sheets, including template sample.]

4. A Single Fair (and Not Too Cheap) Price, Contingent Upon Milestone Delivery

Never bid on big projects by the hour if you can help it. Try to give the customer one price for the entire solution, everything included. Be sure to permit for client revisions, software and server fees, outsourced labor costs and even more client revisions. A single price avoids the nasty surprises that sometimes lie in hourly wage work. A single price also avoids the client raking up charges for being on the phone discussing their project, which otherwise discourages communication and dampens customer relations. At least 25% should be due up front, with the remainder to be paid when specific milestones are delivered.

5. Ability to Speak the Customer's Language and Ease Their Fears of Being Burned

A $50,000 job is more like a relationship than a contract. The client must be extremely comfortable with the contractor in order to get a bid this large. The contractor must be able to speak the client's language, guiding them through the complex processes of technology-based work without resorting to acronyms and geek speak. At least one in-person meeting is essential to build trust with the customer. If you're on friendly terms with your customers, there will hardly arise a reason for them to leave you.

How to Get Out of Any Awkward Moment Effortlessly

2008-07-11T17:36:50Z

Short phrases you can use to jettison out of any awkward situation like a pro

How to take a compliment

A sincere "thank you" while looking into someone's eyes will suffice 99.999% of the time.

How to say you're sorry after you messed something up

I've used this one a lot: "I made a mistake. My bad, I should have done X but instead I did Y. Here's how I'm going to fix this so it never happens again."

How to gracefully turn down an invitation

"Thanks for the invite, this is something that I would normally be interested in, but I can't tonight."

"Thanks but no thanks. I appreciate the invite though."

You ask "how are you" to your coworker and she breaks down crying

Raise your hand if you've ever had this happen to you

There's really nothing you can say to get yourself out of this one. They just want to talk to someone, so let them. After they're done, try to propose a possible solution if appropriate, or simply ask them if they're going to be OK.

How to console a friend after a loss

"If you need me, I'll be here for you."

Your friend loses their job

"Sorry about your lost gig. Don't fret though, I've got a case of microbrew and a couple of rib-eyes on the barbecue at my house. Leave now, goodbye."

Someone you don't find attractive asks you out on a date

"I think you're a really great person but I'm already seeing someone that I love very much."

Or if they know you're single, you can use: "I think you're a really great/attractive/fun person but I'm not interested in you in that kinda way. I'm sorry if I hurt you." Warning, tread lightly here -- make it your problem and not theirs. See this video for further analysis:

You offend someone accidentally

Firstly, one of the only times you offend someone is when you say something negative about another person or idea. When you're about to say something negative in front of mixed company, make sure the payoff is worth the risk.

When you do insult someone, however, try deflating your insult into a joke (maybe even about yourself) to try to take some of the pressurized air out of the room.

Someone insults you accidentally

Be the bigger man, ignore the comment and move on. Life is too short. Sticks and stones may break your bones...

You're out with your girlfriend and her ex-boyfriend suddenly appears out of the ether

Smile while you let the two of them greet each other and talk. Nod cordially while holding her firmly with at least one hand. Be sure to smile while you wave goodbye once the pleasantries are exhausted.

The Surgical Team Revisited (aka the Web Consulting Dream Team)

2008-07-10T02:17:25Z

In his classic book called The Mythical Man Month, Frederick Brooks describes a provocative pattern (first proposed by Harlan Mills) for a 10-person development team called the surgical team. According to Brooks, this team of specialists is optimal for large software projects.
The proposed notion is to split the project into small team-sized chunks, with an eye on optimizing communication between the groups.

Here is a diagram of the team structure he proposes:

While Brooks' surgical team model still works perfectly well for large, offline software projects, it must be modified in order to be used by the modern web development firms. For example, while there is little need for a program clerk in a web design shop (does HTML & CSS really need a full-time commenter?), there is a much greater demand for a search engine optimization specialist or an online copywriter.

So in the spirit of building upon one of the great computer science books of all time, I present the new, web 2.0 (and XHTML valid no less), surgical team:

The project manager-
As you can see above, the project manager is intimately connected with all aspects of the business. The manager is the business hub, while the specialists form the technical spokes.
The project manager handles the money, people, space and machines. They also take care of various paperwork, taxes, forms, quotes, invoices, estimates and all other administrative functions.

However, their main role is to establish open communication. The PM communicates with the technical folks to ensure everyone is prepared to deliver on-time and to alleviate any roadblocks toward delivery. A good project manager also communicates with the client to ensure they're happy and comfortable throughout the development process.

The web designer-
The web designer is a specialist in graphic design, usability and interface design. They've read Steve Krug's Don't Make Me Think at least a dozen times.

The web designer should also be brand conscious and stick to the corporate style whenever possible (using consistent logos, colors, fonts, themes, etc).

The web designer develops the initial concepts and sends them out to the developer to be transferred into code. Since the designer's input is necessary for all the other specialists to perform their roles, it is critical they are able to deliver on-time.

The web developer-
The web developer is a specialist for site implementation. This includes choosing the right content management system, programming language, web server and database. Of course, the web developer should be well-versed in W3C standards. They are responsible for implementing the designer's compositions exactly as they appear on-screen.

The online copywriter / blogger-
The online copywriter is a word specialist. They work closely with the web designer to develop the marketing text and brand message of the site. They are also the public face of the website, responsible for updating the blog with company news and industry information. A qualified online copywriter understands the delicate balance between word economy and keyword density.

The search engine optimizer-
Unfortunately, a beautiful site without traffic is like a eunuch in the Playboy mansion -- mostly worthless. The job of the search engine optimizer is to drive traffic to the site by obtaining in-bound links from relevant sites, as well as by optimizing the "on-page" keywords, metadata, titles and links. The search engine optimizer works closely with the copywriter to ensure the most effective keywords are being spread evenly throughout the site.

The cross-platform / cross-browser testers-
The tester's job is to ensure the website looks pretty in all browsers and in all platforms. Even the dreaded Internet Explorer 5.5 for Mac should be consulted during a full-on test (even just to laugh at). The tester works closely with the developer (bugs), the copywriter (typos), and the designer to ensure everything looks 100% perfect before the final hand-off to the client.

Some very useful testing resources available on the web:
Firebug - Must have Firefox extension.
YSlow - Ditto the above.
BrowserShots - Find out what your site really looks like at your own peril.

The system admin-
The system admin's job is to set up the domains, e-mail address and servers. They ensure all software is up-to-date and all potentially vulnerable services are either disabled or locked-down.

The system admin also sets up website statistics tracking (like Google Analytics) and submits a sitemap to the major search engines (via Google Webmaster Tools and others).
The admin works closely with the developer to make certain that all required web services are activated.

Note: It is possible for one person to fulfill two or more of these functions if they're capable. However, it is best, especially for large projects, for each part of the surgical team to be one, talented specialist, rather than a good generalist just 'getting it done' in a familiar field. The value of good professionals can never be understated.

BlackHat SEO in Plain English

2008-07-08T00:29:36Z

A quick and very dirty guide to BlackHat Search Engine Optimization

This list is in no way comprehensive. Some of it may already be outdated and could potentially get your domains banned from every major search engine on the internet, so use at your own discretion. (It is called blackhat for a reason.)

While we at iD don't necessarily utilize the techniques below, we believe that everyone should at least have access to this information so they are better equipped to understand what SEO is all about and how Google really determines search engine rankings.

Frankly, if your company's search engine optimizers are not implementing at least one of the below linking strategies, your competitors will soon. Like Kosmo Kramer said upon the first public unveiling of his name, "The cat is outta the bag!"

Viral Widget

A viral widget serves two purposes, the first of which is to be attractive enough to be placed on a user's website or profile. The second is to gain a link back to the creator's "money" site.

A viral widget is typically an image, template, or small application that allows the user to embed content into their Facebook/MySpace profile or website. The embedded widget contains a link back to the blackhat's site, giving them valuable in-bound links from a variety of diverse sources. This technique is sometimes called "link laundering" and it's only discouraged by Google if the link back is targeting a site other than the one which the widget was originally downloaded from.

Common examples include badges, free icon sets, mini-games and Facebook applications.

Cloaked Linkbait

Linkbait refers to an article created specifically to be on the front page of user-driven news sites like Digg.com and reddit.com.

Generally, the author creates a solid linkbait article and uploads it to a new domain.

Then that article is submitted to Digg to be tested against other submissions.

If the article receives enough votes to make it to the front page (either through buying votes or organically), the author forwards the URL behind the scenes to their "money" site. So while Digg users see the article correctly, Googlebot spiders are directed to porn and Viagra sites, allowing the author to gain in-bound links to their spammy money sites which would have otherwise gone linkless.

Cloaked Reciprocals

A blackhat SEOer creates an e-mail requesting a reciprocal link exchange to other websites in their niche. Then an e-mail harvester gathers e-mail addresses of niche specific sites. A spam bot is then used to send e-mails out to thousands of webmasters. A simple PHP script is set up on the blackhat's domain that auto-generates a links page to anyone who linked to their site.

When the Googlebot spider looks at the blackhat site, they find that the two-way links created were in fact "rel=nofollow" links, which does not transfer PageRank over to the reciprocal site and gives the blackhat a valuable one-way backlink. (Google's algorithm values one-way links much higher than two-way links.)

Link Buying

Companies with a lot of capital but little online presence can buy keyword targeted text link ads through services such as TextLinkAds, PayPerPost and BuyBlogComments. Buying text links is officially discouraged by Google, but many companies do it anyway to get a jump start on their competition. Link buying is standard operating procedure for many less-than-trustworthy SEO companies nowadays.

Buying Databases

For a nominal fee, it is possible to buy large databases of content (e.g. movie quotes, real estate listings, baseball statistics) and create a script to pull out all of the content and organize it into hundreds of thousands of static pages. One such database reseller is Seocracy.

By channeling link equity effectively around the site, it is possible to pour a lot of PageRank into your long-tail targeted pages automatically.

More information on automatic database content generation.

Five Tips to Network Effectively

2008-07-01T17:02:15Z

*Photo courtesy of daveypea

When in a business or social setting, networking is an exceedingly effective tool for extracting meaningful contacts and information. Follow the tips below to improve your general social skills.

1. Think of yourself as the host of the party or featured speaker at an event.

In football, the home team always has an advantage over the visitors. The reasons is simple -- they are more comfortable playing on their own field and in front of local fans than the opposing team. This comfort breeds familiarity, familiarity begets confidence, and confidence leads to fewer mistakes and more heroic feats. So one technique to harness the supreme confidence lurking within, is to act like you're literally the host of the party, even when you're not the host.

For example, when you meet people, say, "Hey, nice to meet you guys! Thanks for coming out." It's easy to be the life of the party when everybody feels welcomed by your presence. People feel your warm attitude and it becomes contagious. Suddenly, you will find yourself surrounded by other people who all want in on the good vibes you exude.

"We are what we pretend to be, so we must be careful what we pretend to be." - Kurt Vonnegut

2. Make an impression that will be remembered.

A distinct visual style is a good way to leave an impression which others will remember more easily (and more distinctly) than your words. Dress modishly and take (some) risks. Good fashion consists in successfully integrating your style with your mindset so both are in harmony. Just because you're in IT doesn't mean you have to wear IZOD knit shirts and Dockers to work every morning. You are allowed to keep up with modern fashion trends without being blackballed completely from your weekly meetings for being too "Hollywood."

3. If you make a verbal commitment, follow through as if it were written.

I'm curious as to the percentage of verbal agreements which are actually carried out in this country. Every agreement that has ever been made and kept, whether at a bar, sporting event, funeral, bris, etc., divided by the number of agreements total. I think the number may be soberingly small - a percentage similar to the size of a nanochip or the number of Texans who voted for the Green Party. If people actually followed through on the pledges they've made verbally, they would be shocked to find how rewarding it can be. Making an earnest effort on behalf of another, with no expectation or desire for reciprocation, is a gesture held in high regard, particularly in business. Use some self-restraint, and stop making verbal promises you won't follow-up on. On those you do make, however, employ all of your effort to execute your end of the deal. Sometimes you'll get burned; your partner will flake or start backing out. Failure is inevitable; every successful businessman has suffered similar wastes of his time and resources on his way to the top, but keeping your word is the best long-term investment.

"He who promises more than he is able to perform, is false to himself; and he who does not perform what he has promised, is a traitor to his friend." - George Shelley

4. Meet every single person.

Over-thinking and over-rehearsing what you are going to say will make you sound over-thought and over-reharsed. Instead, when you enter a venue, focus on the single goal of meeting everyone: security guards, bartenders, event staff, the guy in the bathroom giving you a paper towel. (You're the host, remember? It would only be polite.) The more people you meet, the better chance you have of meeting someone who can help you. Greet, meet, and move on. Only stay to chat when the other party beggs for you to join them. Since you're meeting everyone, there will be ample opportunities for you to display your depth; you can afford to be choosy. The main benefit of meeting as many people as possible is that the next time you meet, you will already have an instant connection.

"Lead the life that will make you kindly and friendly to everyone about you, and you will be surprised what a happy life you will lead." - Charles M. Schwab

5. Smile.

Meeting new people is supposed to be fun; try to make every interaction a positive one. If you're entering a group, try to provide more positive energy then what you sense from the group. They will rise to your level. Smile like you own the place. Smile like the host of the party who's already downed five shoots of Grey Goose before 11:30 PM. Smile to the people who can't help you the most. Thank them for their time, because you've squandered theirs just as much as your own.

"Don't cry because it's over. Smile because it happened." - Dr. Seuss

What is Branding? Mini-FAQ

2008-06-27T22:46:52Z

What is branding?
A brand is a relationship with a customer founded on consistency, communication and service.

What does that mean practically?
Establishing an effective brand strategy ultimately means being able to go into a pitch to a Fortune 100 company, with full confidence that your logo, marketing materials and website speak louder than words - they tell your prospective client that they are dealing with an extraordinary company.

How can I get my company to the next level?
Through meticulous market analysis, innovative strategic guidance, and a thorough dedication to "sweating the small stuff," we can help your company reach its fullest potential. At ID Brand, we value visionary creativity, diligent preparation, and providing the highest quality customer service to our clients.
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Why Brand with Intelligent Design?

2008-06-27T16:10:42Z

Customer Service

At iD, we believe its a whole lot easier keeping an existing customer than it is acquiring a new one. That's why we value customer service above any other ideal. If our customers are happy, we're happy -- it's as simple as that. We are only finished with your project when you are 100% thrilled with the results and not a minute sooner.

Knowledge

Our staff is constantly keeping up with the latest web trends and compliance standards. We are the best at what we do because we are constantly seeking new and innovation ways to become better at our respective crafts. Wether it be art, web design, back-end development, business strategy or branding concepts, our team of specialists have the know-how and the talent to take your company to the next level.

Expertise

Since all of our consultants are members of Generation Y, we've grown up firing off e-mail, posting videos on YouTube, setting up Facebook profiles and generally researching on the internet for hours on end. With nearly two decades of web experience between us, Intelligent Design Branding Consultants is the primer group for creating an attractive, branded web presence. We speak the language of the internet so you don't have to.

Network

If you're in need of specialized web development or just have a vision for a website that's 'out of the ordinary', you've come to the right place. With our deep network of contacts throughout the industry, Intelligent Designs is able to make any web dream a reality. Fill out our short feedback form and tell us your vision now!

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Benefits of SEO

2008-06-20T04:50:46Z

Targeted Traffic

Increase the number of visitors to your website who are already actively searching for your product or service.

Cost-effective

Effective SEO leads to higher ROI and a higher volume of sales.

24/7/365 Promotion

Generate sales while you're sleeping.

Increase brand visibility

Give your company an international footprint for a relatively small investment.

Fast results

Unlike print marketing, which takes months between initial agreement and first sale, SEO leads to increased sales in weeks, if not days.

Improve your sites accessibility

SEO makes your site more accessible to all visitors of your site, even if your visitors are using an outdated web browser.