I recently went to a luncheon and introduced myself to the person sitting next to me. I told him who I was and that I was a website designer, he shared with me that he gets emails from people who do what I do all the time and that he got five that day. I mentioned to him that I myself get a lot of website sales emails even though I build websites for a living. There is a tremendous hunger to stand out from the rest in all businesses, however, the volume of website solicitations in which this person received was mind blowing. Almost SPAM-ish. It made me think how many more people may also get this volume of solicitation from companies within the tech industry. This brief conversation taught me a hard reality within my industry, not only from a customer's perspective but from an industry perspective.
Once a person becomes interested in getting a website built, the website design solicitation emails may become of more interest. The professionalism within the tech industry ranges from “I know enough to get a website going” to being a highly specialized custom websites professional. How can you tell between the good and bad website professionals through a solicitation? The answer is, you can't. I've met many folks who've gotten into contracts with companies that don't perform to what they were promise, or, they can't get a hold of the professional after trying for months and when they do their updates takes weeks to get done if all. If you get an interesting email solicitation bookmark it. Narrow it down further by taking into consideration if they are local, national or international. Of course price will narrow the search down as well. It comes down to the quality of product and customer service at this point. If you want to take it further, get references from the professionals you interview or look on their website for a list of customers and call them yourself. This can help give you a better understanding from the customer on their work ethic.
The tech industry is growing every day, expanding into different markets and opening a need for other user experiences and automation algorithms. Since around 2013 there has been a big boom in design and tech trends to accommodate all devices. With that boom came a lot more talent, not so talented and a hunger for business. In the end, it only leads to more solicitations. Be cautious, but sometimes, your spam or junk folder can open new doors to better service.
