But what if that becomes the norm?
What if everyone does it?
What if the client becomes so pampered that she expects over-delivery?

Nah.

Over-delivering means putting a muzzle on greed. Really putting the client first rather than just saying it in a slogan. Few succeed because, in a crowded marketplace, the temptation is to milk every client for every possible penny. Few have the guts to over-deliver in tough times, so over-delivery remains rare even in a crowded marketplace.

Planning is a must. So is having a backup plan. But swimming becomes easier when you know that your feet can’t touch the bottom, when the alternative (sinking) isn’t really an option.

Let’s get this straight: In the offline world, location matters. You make money because you are close and convenient. I’m not going to drive to the larger (cheaper) hardware store if your hardware store is just around the corner.

That does not work on the web. Your “web store” is no closer than Amazon.com. Besides, I know Amazon. I have bought from their store before. I trust them. They are fast too. Why would I change to “i-sell-cool-stuff-from-home.com”.

Why would I risk entering my credit card details there?
Why would I wait 2 weeks for you to ship the thing?
To buy a DVD that I could get cheaper at Amazon?

I won’t.

You will have to do better. Web stores that sell a collection of cool stuff don’t work.

What should you sell?

Something no-one else is selling. Sure the market is probably smaller, but this is the web. Every single one of the 7.5 billion people on this planet is around the corner from your web store. Specialize! Be #1 in something – anything – and you will have a viable start to your business.

Then there are those who are utterly disabled by comparatively little.

Sure it’s to do with genes and personality, but it is primarily a choice. If you are not okay, know that there is always someone, somewhere who is okay but has less reason to be. Someone who simply decided to not lie down, be average or produce mediocre work. Who instead *chose* to be okay in spite of, not because of their circumstances. You are also free to choose to be better than just okay. Choose “remarkable”. Why the hell not?

1. It will have to include people who are not Internet or computer savvy. Right now the Internet business sphere is still predominantly by and for nerds. Call them intellectuals if you like. I’m not talking about Hotmail users or the average receptionist who knows how to use Facebook, but the relatively few who actively buy and sell online.

2. It will have to refer to the Facebook way of doing things. It does not have to be a social networking gizmo, but it has to make sense to the Facebook user. Whether we like Facebook or not, people know it and understand it. If the next big thing is going to pull the masses, the next big thing must “feel” like Facebook.

I recently pitched 5 logo concepts to a client. He rejected all of them. I’m now working on the next batch of 5 concepts. He did give some meaningful feedback so these should be much closer to the mark, but there is of course the possibility that he will reject these as well. This would be extremely discouraging if those rejected logos went into the bin. They are good logos, dammit. Lots of time and thought went into each of them. Every one of them could potentially grow to represent a household brand.

There are design firms who do not recycle rejected concepts, but they charge much higher rates. Effectively the client is paying for many logos, not just the one she approves. I think it is better to charge her for one logo. The ones she did not like can be offered for sale as pre-designed logos – either on the designer’s own site or on a third party logo seller like LogoGround.

And there is another benefit to the client, apart from the price: The designer is now motivated to spend more time on each design. To make it as good as it can be. He now knows that each logo he makes will become someone’s brand some day. He will get paid for each logo eventually – and the better the logos, the more he can charge for them later.

Logo recycling benefits the client, the designer and the clever shopper who picks up a great pre-designed logo at a fraction of the cost of a custom logo.

The best money-back guarantee is an unconditional, unlimited one.

Second best: Unconditional but limited to x number of days.

Third: No refunds, but a satisfaction guarantee which means we will keep at it until you are happy.

Fourth: Nothing.

Fifth: Pretending to offer a money-back guarantee.

I found a logo designer today that claims to offer a money-back guarantee, but when you read the fine print it states: “…once the initial logo designs have been delivered to you, we are no longer able to provide a refund”. Huh? So your money-back guarantee does not apply if you send me crappy logo concepts? Why do you have a money-back guarantee then? Oh, wait, I know this one. People think you have one so they feel OK about ordering – and then there is no way they can get their money back, even if you don’t deliver. Sneaky!

I feel sorry for their clients, but I can’t complain when my competitors shoot themselves in the foot. You can’t build a business on deception.

I’ll bet the average length of search phrases has doubled over the past decade.

That opens the door for the little guy. Or rather, it keeps the door open. It’s always been open on the Web.

So focus on differentiating your business/products/services. Make yourself the perfect destination for a tiny fraction of the online community and you will be doing very well. We offer logos for sale. Sure we do custom logos too, and some stationery and web design. Right now that helps to pay the bills. But selling pre-designed logos is what we shine at. Thanks to the long tail it has become possible to do away with the other stuff and sell only pre-designed logos – and it will one day be possible to build a business purely on selling pre-designed logos within a specific industry.

This applies universally, of course. Whatever it is that you are doing now, chances are that your occupation will be broken into 2 or more specialized areas over the next 10 years. You could wait for it to happen or you could lead the way. Be the first web developer who specializes in ___. By the time ___ is in high demand, you will be the established, respected leader in the field.