When you’re talking to marketing and business consultants, one of the things you often hear is that you need a company vision statement. Something that gives answers to questions about your business purpose.
Your business vision should invoke a sparkling imagination as well as give some clarity to your customers as to your personality and your goals.
Most importantly (and ideally), your vision is what makes you different from competitors. For example, other tech companies sell laptops. Apple sells individuality.
Some companies sell products and services, other companies (often more successful) sell real value and experience.
What makes us different
That being said, I often get asked what makes our company different from other software development outsourcing companies and what’s our vision statement.
One might say that we’re just a small team of programmers from Serbia, doing the same old web development as thousands of them out there on the market.
So why would I choose you? What makes you different?
Well, our vision statement differs a lot, to begin with. The first thing we say to our customers is:
“We don’t really care about your specification and we won’t send you an estimate for it.”
…
Now, bear with me for just a minute before you rage-block me, there’s a point to be driven home here. Let me elaborate.
Specifications are often just wishful thinking
Let’s be honest from the get-go since we really care about your project as much as you do. Sometimes even more. Most of the specifications we receive are identical:
- Hi guys, we THINK we need a website (because we spent hours on boring meetings and agreed to make it, everyone is going online blah blah.)
- We don’t have a clue how it should look like and what it should do. But we do know we need a website. “Like that one over there.” That will do.
- This is the budget. There ya go, do something with this. Come on, do your thing.
- Ta-dah. Magic. Let’s promote it and never really ask ourselves if users are having a pleasant experience.
The end result? Average websites that drive average results. A “good enough” software. Indifferent users.
Is that really all you want to achieve? I guess not. Let’s ditch specifications for a second and ask ourselves the only right question.
What problem are you trying to solve with your software
That’s like the first question we ask without even looking at your specifications, and you should too. When you write up tens or hundreds of checkboxes, it’s easy to lose perspective on a problem that initially made you consider ordering a website or software.
What’s the problem? Why do you even want it?
Let’s say you’re an online business coach and you want a shiny new website for your coaching services.
Your spec sheet says “make me a highly functional website with 4 pages”.
What’s your goal? To bring more readers? To keep them stuck to their screens while they read your blog? Fancy animations? Why 4 pages?
Maybe we could make a more efficient (and cheaper) version on 1 web page that perfectly suits your needs. Or we could make a 10-page monster packed with features so people coach themselves, and you retire and passively sell online coaching.
If we act like spec are cast in stone, most of the time you get the results you wanted but not the results you needed.
How we make sure you’re getting a problem solved and not a half-functional solution
This is a list you could use to check even our competitors. That way, you’ll be sure you’re getting the best value for your money.
Research like Nicolas Cage in “National Treasure”
If you haven’t watched the movie, A SMALL SPOILER AHEAD – but he became a fugitive just to complete his mission.
I’m not saying we’re ready to break the law for your project, but we’re ready to research like we’re searching for aliens.
It’s just essential to do extensive research – on you, your company, and your industry before the meeting – and ask many questions. That’ll pave the path for a solution that’s solving the root problem and not just treating business symptoms.
Establishing trust and transparency
Business is a relationship, not just a money transaction. Before even commencing cooperation or sending specifications, make sure you’re on the same wavelength with the company.
We’ll be fully transparent with you. Meetings, NDAs, contracts, portfolio, reference checking… Everything you need to establish trust.
But we’ll need you to do the same. That’s far more than a job specification.
Saying NO without hesitation
You hire a company to help you, not to follow you blindly. Writing an estimate for your specification is easy, but solutions are usually far more complex than marking check-boxes.
Your partner should strive to work with you on creating a product that will generate value for you and make your life easier. If we don’t think we can deliver value to you, we’ll point you to somebody who is best equipped to help you.
If we think something’s not right for you, we’ll say it loud and clear.
Our job is to help you stand out.
Sometimes that will mean that we will challenge you, get you outside of your comfort zone to make sure we are looking at this from all possible angles and doing the best things possible. Sometimes we’ll be the bass player in your band, providing you with support while you pick up the laurels, and sometimes we’ll be in the audience, cheering (or booing and throwing tomatoes).
That’s why we don’t really care about your specifications. We care about your project.
We put your goals first. And you should too. Approach your project like a riddle that needs a solution. We’ll draw a map to a goal easily once we define the actual goal clearly.
So if you need some programming and typing done, we’re not the right company for you. But if you need someone who’ll provide you with a real and affordable tech solution to your business problem, then contact us.
We’re not like a genie from a lamp that will give exactly what you want without even thinking for just a bit.
We at Softerrific will give you what you need.
Ready to impress your customers and free yourself from tons of paper and specifications?
Let’s schedule a meeting and talk about your project.
