We had a prospective client fly into Jacksonville to meet with us yesterday. I was here in person and Allan was videoing in from his vacation spot in the Bahamas. (Yes we work on vacation.) The client flew to the airport, took a taxi to Panera’s, had a meeting with us, took a taxi back to the airport and flew home. Apparently he has been doing this with various development shops around the country.
Before the meeting this morning we exchanged emails wherein we described what we were wearing. After describing myself as having “dyed red hair and nose and eyebrow rings,” he replied that he didn’t think I would mind him wearing jeans.
During the meeting I mentioned that since this is such a large project, Allan might decide to redesign the site(s) before launch. I explained that Allan has a strong desire to create websites that make users feel so strongly that they pressure their friends into using it. I continued to explain that for us, building web sites is not about our ego, it’s about the users. To this the client volunteered that this was the component that seemed to be missing when he talked to other firms. That we “got it,” while they did not.
After the meeting I thought about his comment regarding the jeans. Have people actually cared what he wore? Do some people actually pick who they will work with based on how professional their dress is? As always I say “fuck professionalism.” Being “Professional” means being slow, and catering to the lowest common denominator. Making things as bland as possible so you don’t hurt anyone’s feelings and making sure everyone who sits through the meeting gets a say. I’ve been a professional most of my adult life, and only now that I am not a professional am I able to put the users first. To create things for them instead of for some stupid mid-level manager who shits on his underlings while licking the asshole of his superiors. Why do you think most managers have bad breath?
I don’t know if we’ll get this project or not. I would like to get it. Not because it’s for a big name client (because we’ll likely never mention their name, it’s not our style) but because we like working with clients that also “get it.” We like working with people who want us to make something that stirs the hearts of users. Something people love. That’s what we do.
And that’s what you should do. Always. The next time you meet with prospective client that wants to make a newer, better Sharepoint or clone Basecamp or replace MySpace, tell them thanks, but no thanks. Recommend them to a friend, but don’t take the project. Only take projects where you can do your best work. Where you can be proud of what you did. Even if you never tell anyone it was you.
Or, if you’re hiring someone to help you develop your idea, only hire someone who believes your success will come from the way the people feel about your company and who puts themselves into your project.
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