How much does it cost to build a Serious website from India? Answered to the dot

How much does it cost to build a website? from India? This is a question that is faced by any one in the Indian technology services delivery, from micro to large businesses trying to establish powerful presence online. So, no more beating around, in this blog, this question will be answered to the dot.

How much does it cost to build a Serious
website?

Well, the cheapest option is to find an online program that allows you to build your own website for free or approach a Freelancer. I am NOT going to recommend any of these methods here because they are really not suitable for commercial business websites. The type of websites that is too risky to just throw it to a Freelancer to save few bucks

Entrepreneur: How much does it cost to build a website?
Technology Professional: Ok, i can surely answer that, but can you let me know how much of business are you expecting from your website in the first year?
Entrepreneur: I don't know, i don't intend to sell directly from my website.

Technology Professional: Do you expect customers to find you online and learn more about you from your website, decide to business with you or not seeing and comparing business like yours?
Entrepreneur: Yes.

Technology Professional: Good. For a moment, let us forget about Website. How many customers do you serve per day today on an average?
Entrepreneur: 10  to 12

Technology Professional: How much is the average business revenue expected per customer?
Entrepreneur: $50

Technology Professional: How many customers could you serve at full capacity in a day?
Entrepreneur: 20, but i can expand and scale quickly if demand is more.

Technology Professional: So, let me now answer to your question, how much does a website cost?!
Since your annual revenue today is $180000 (10 customers* 50$* 360 days), you have the following rule of thumb choices.

Choice#1: To continue in the business and to NOT to loose the existing customers. If this is the goal, spend at-least 1% of your annual revenue, in your case it will be 1800$, that will allow a vendor to spend between 80 to 120 Hours, assuming a 20$ Indian offshore billing rate.

Choice#2: Attract new customers and increase revenue by 50%. If this is the goal, spend at-least 2% of your current annual revenue on your new website. i.e. your new website should cost you $2500, that will allow a vendor to spend between 110 to 150 Hours, assuming a 20$ Indian offshore billing rate.

Choice#3: Looking to expand rapidly (2 to 3 times the current revenue or more) in the first year itself, would like to go all out with inbound and outbound marketing initiatives, as soon as the website is up and running. If this is the goal, spend any where between 2% to 4% on your current annual revenue on your new website. i.e. roughly new website should cost anywhere between $3500 and $9000, that will allow a vendor to spend between 150 to 440 Hours, assuming an average 20$ Indian offshore billing rate.

This rule of thumb generally work for commercial websites, unless you have gotten someone who doesn't value their time or a vendor desperately trying to make a presence even at a loss.
The billing rate used in calculation is indicative of the rates from reputed vendors. You could still find someone charging all the way from 7$ to 30$!!

Here again, the math is simple, a good designer and developer in India would cost $6 to $10 per hour  (i am referring to the Salary Cost alone here. Billing rate will be typically 2 times the Salary Cost). Project Manager typically cost above $10. In such a scenario, you can make a decent guess of the quality of people involved, when the billing rate goes down drastically or when the website price is too low

And, how to find the billing rate that a vendor is operating in?? simple, ask for the # of hours they are going to spend on the project!

Note: Many Good agencies charge upto 30$ on an average per hour as billing rate in India. So you can change the calculation above appropriately

                          

My definition for Digital Marketing or Online marketing!

With my early years of career purely in Technology and Architecting e-commerce products and services, and after spending much of the latter years of my career in Project Management, Product Management, Practice and Program Management, and now with that experience when leading a Digital Marketing team along with Engg and IT team for the last several years, i felt, i am bound to have a unique perspective on Digital Marketing.

And so, here is my definition for Digital Marketing or Online Marketing

“Online Marketing is where Marketing, Engineering, Creative Art, Writing, understanding of Audience behavior and Industry Knowledge converge to produce return on Internet Marketing Investment”

Any comments :) ?

Customer Support Team on Social Media?

What is the single biggest tip to convert a customer who visits your website/social channel?
No, it is NOT the request for quote form!

Be "Available", period!

Three Simple Steps to being 'Available'

A. Have your company phone number posted where visitors can easily see it on your Web pages/Content and on Social Pages.
B. Have a live chat attached to the site if possible, but phone is a must.
C. Hire Strong Customer Support Reps with Social Media Community Management knowledge who are passionate, available and empowered to respond/engage.

Done !

Most people in the world, still would like to pick up the phone or just talk/chat, ask some questions, and get answers from a human. Do all it takes to make that experience less frustrating.

Rackspace is great inspiration if you are still not convinced. They call it 'Fanatical Support' - it tells a lot about the seriousness with which they view Support.

By the way, is your Customer Support Team on Social Media (Atleast on FB/Twitter/G+/LinkedIn)?

   One out of 4 (some studies, even says the number is every 3rd user, which is a whopping 33%) users, would prefer contacting you on Social Channel than over phone! So be "Available to Engage through Social Channels"

Sources:  www.slideshare.net/sreejeshkm/understanding-chief-executive-social-customer-and-the-plan-to-achieve-social-media-goals;

 http://www.slideshare.net/Desk/the-social-customer-24253944

Hello Directors and Managers, time to engage in Social Media is Now!

Today, customers are expecting to hear from the leadership team on social media channels, as a
direct way to connect and engage with prospective service providers, brands they love, architects behind products they love and causes they support. I am not talking just about B2C consumers here, but very much about B2B customers as well.

Remember, artificially just trying to be someone else to create a larger than life persona, just don't fly in the long run, and you are not going to like that fake persona yourself, either. So be yourself, but be conscious in not disclosing confidential info, and also be aware of the damage a bad comment in Blog or else-where can cause.

A Leader's (Especially, CXOs/Directors/Managers/Architects) engagement in social media raises the brand profile and instills confidence in your company’s core team. Those who engage with strong positive commitment over a longer period, are better equipped to lead a company or a product or a Service line. Better communication, improved brand image, and higher level of transparency is the order of the social world today, and it is important for the Managers and CXOs to pull up the socks and start engaging!

So, now what Social Media channels? This is a more complex to answer, but the quick answer for a tech firm would be to start with a Blog or Active Discussions in LinkedIn Groups. Again, it is important to be yourself, and let the world know who you are, the way you are, and listen to your thoughts and ideas.

For more tips on taking your brand to next level, please read this blog

Cloud Ready Business Email is the way, if you are a start-up, looking for a head start

The Advantage of getting started with a Cloud Ready Business Email (Smart Business Email) is that, it allows you to use more and more cloud based tools and Apps as your business grow. (e.g. Tomorrow, you may want to have an Invoicing App, Or a Billing Application, i am sure there are hundreds of providers with GoogleApps/Office 365 integration, giving you that service on 'Pay As You Go' model, or sometimes even for free, for single user, forever)

     To get qualified as 'Smart', a Business Email need to be ready to harness the power of "Free" or "Pay As you Go" On-Demand Cloud Apps. Here is a quick check list to determine cloud readiness for your business email.
     a) Cloud Apps - Can i integrate productivity Cloud apps like Invoicing, Time tracking,CRM and millions of Apps right into Email, as and when i need them in the future?
     b) Powerful Search - Can i have a powerful Search, so that i never miss an email or content sent by some one in the past- how about a google like search for your inbox and for other content?
     c) Chat, Video with my employees or external vendors/clients - How about instant chat built right into my Email Inbox- so, i can decide to chat or write email or have video call, to improve efficiency? all centrally connected to your Email.
     d) Does it work like a charm on the Cloud, without me worrying about up-time, spam mails, infrastructure issues, IT personnel cost. remember, unless you are an Enterprise looking for serious in-house email infrastructure on your private data center, you would go with cloud.
     e) Can it support shared Calendar with all my employees, so that i can setup meeting more easily and even knowing their schedule?
     f) Does it allow me my Org, to go Social, and collaborate (read Google+ business integration with Google Apps) and create effective org wide social exchange and collaboration, within your office employees?
     g) Can i start leveraging more powerful Cloud Apps tied to by business email, in an easy to govern control panel (E.g. Some Apps only subset list of users/emailIds in my organization)?
     h) Can i get rid of license cost for Office productivity Apps, and turn my Capex into Opex?

    If your answer is "YES" to all the above points, you would probably need a Cloud Ready 'Smart' Business Email.

What are the Cloud Ready Smart Business Email options available today?  
     There are only very few options if you are really interested in Cloud Ready Smart Business Email
      #1 Business Email Powered by Google Apps
      #2 Business Email Powered by Microsoft Office 365 (with Exchange Online)
      #3 Zoho Email (Relatively less powerful compared to Google Apps and Office 365
         
Remember, it is NOT mandatory to have Cloud Powered Business Email, to start using Cloud Apps, but having a Smart Business Email, powered by Google Apps/Office 365 makes the cloud journey all the more easier and manageable.

How to get a Smart Business Email? Sign-up with Google Apps or Office 365 yourself, if you can handle the DNS changes and Domain verification and Setup yourself. You can alternatively contact Service Providers like TobocBiz.com or others.

A Smart Business Email is like a 'Smart Phone' for your business

Today, there are over a million reasons why you would choose a smart phone over a traditional mobile phone. The million Apps available on market places of Android and iPhone does make your life easier and more fun.
But, what about your Business Email, can it become Smart like your smart phone?  yes, it can, and it has been there for a while now, and are being used by many successful start-ups, micro businesses, SMBs and enterprises alike.

How to get a Smart Business Email?    Let us first try to understand why is it called smart!

Why is it called 'Smart' Business Email?

     To Qualify as 'Smart' a business email need to be
     a) Apps - Can i integrate productivity apps like Invoicing, Time tracking and CRM right into Email, as and when i need them in the future?
     b) Powerful Search - Can i have a powerful Search, so that i never miss an email sent by some one whose name also i don't remember now- how about a google like search for your inbox?
     c) Chat, Video with my employees - How about instant chat built right into my Email Inbox- so, i can decide to chat or write email, to improve efficiency?
     d) Does it work like a charm on the Cloud, without me worrying about up-time, spam mails, infrastructure issues, IT personnel cost
     e) Can it support shared Calendar with all my employees, so that i can setup meeting more easily and even knowing their schedule? and can it send a SMS/Text message alert for my meetings?
     f) Able to go Social, and collaborate (read Google+ business integration with Google Apps) and create bonding and effectiveness, within your office employees?

    If your answer is "YES" to all the above points, you need a 'Smart' Business Email.

    Getting a Smart Business Email is simple and will not even cost you the price of your morning news paper!
    So, It makes sense to get one.

What are the Smart Business Email options available today?     

     There are only very few options if you are really interested in a Smart Business Email
      #1 Business Email Powered by Google Apps
      #2 Business Email Powered by Office 365 (with Exchange Online)

How to get a Smart Business Email?  

Sign-up with Google Apps or office 365 yourself, if you can handle the DNS changes and Domain verification and Setup yourself.

You can alternatively contact Service Providers like Toboc.Biz or others, who will set it up free of cost.

Sales Process simplified for Startups and Small Business

No matter what you're selling, the process of converting your Leads to Customers require a process/structure.

In order to succeed and thrive in sales you would need to master each one of these below steps.

 1. Choose a Sector/Industry to focus

The product or service that you are offering is probably needed by the whole world. But, don't target the whole world yet. Choose one or two sectors with sufficient study done via channels like Surveys, Personal interview with potential buyers, Advisory board, Social Media, Blogs etc...

2. Convince yourself about the product or Service that you sell.

You can't convince a prospect effectively without knowing all about your products and services. If you don't understand the product or service OR if you are not convinced yourself, you cannot expect someone else to buy it, simple!

3. Understand your target audience 

After the step1, and once you are convinced about your products and Services, the chances are that you may start focusing too much on your brand and your products, while communicating with your audience - there is a big trouble here, as your target audience is more interested in knowing how the product/service will solving their problems.

4. Create and Manage Leads well

To succeed, you must make sure not a single lead is ever missed!, and to do that, you have to ensure that, the Leads generated through various marketing activities are seamlessly flowing into an central platform like CRM tool. Remember, setting up this integration is not a rocket science, and there are many firms that can help you get a usable and working CRM tool up and running for your small business for as low as Rs 500 ($10) a month!
While setting up CRM tool, please ensure that the 'Contact us' form and 'Request for quote' forms are bringing the data straight into the CRM Leads database. To learn more on top CRM apps for startups, micro and small business, click here

5. Identify the "Prospects"

The 'Potential' qualification stage usually takes place at the appointment itself, although you can also qualify briefly during your initial contact. The idea is to confirm that your prospect is both able and potentially willing to buy your Product or Service.

6. Set an Appointment

It's time to use those leads you collected in step 4. Many salespeople prefer to cold call over the phone, but you can also call in person, send one on one email or even use e-marketing activities to targeted Lead.
Use the right cloud based tools like Skype or Zoho meeting, which allow you to meet the prospect over a web meeting, which will help you minimize the cost.

7. Presentation(s) to Prospects

Presentation to the Potential customer is a key step. Do mock trials with a group of colleagues or friends. Personal branding and flaw-less presentation of your product/service with sufficient eye to detail is essential to generate and sustain the interest from the prospects.

During the presentation, you do get to deal with your prospect's concerns. the most common being "I may have to think about it” - prepare well to tackle this as an 'answer' during your presentation itself.

8. Ask for the Sale, Close the Deal

Once you've made your presentation and answered your prospect's questions and concerns, it's time to ask for the sale and close the deal confidently.

Ask for referrals, with or without a successful sale with your prospects, add them to Leads database of CRM, continue the process from step 5 onwards.