The pitch sounds good: “As a web development firm, we specialize in ONLY (insert industry here.) We’ve developed sites for dozens, or even hundreds, of companies just like yours. And we have a complete, pre-packaged solution that is absolutely perfect for your (industry.)”
And the demo looks good! It’s slick. It’s easy to use. It looks like everything you need—and it’s already up and running!
And who wouldn’t want the security of choosing a vendor that dozens, or hundreds, of other companies in your same industry have chosen? They know your unique industry challenges. They know the buzzwords and gotta-haves. They won’t have a big learning curve. It’s a decision that’s easy to back up in front of the board.
But before you dive in and sign that contract, there are some questions you should ask yourself:
If dozens or hundreds of my competitors are using this system, does it provide the competitive advantage I need to stand apart from them?
How “like yours” are all those other companies, anyway—don’t you have unique processes, procedures, sales support, or other needs that may not fit into a one-size-fits-all approach?
Will we stand out enough among all the other companies they’re working with—will we matter, or are we just a number to them?
And, even if those questions don’t give you pause, here are some you should ask your vendor:
What happens if we want to make changes to a standard module, or create a new module to serve a unique need we have, during the development process? What happens if we want to do this after development is complete?
What does your system training look like, and can you go through a quick demo with myself and a non-technical person now?
What’s the bottom-line one-time cost—a single number, not a range, not a smorgasbord of options. Do you guarantee zero variance?
What’s the bottom-line ongoing cost—again, a single, easy to understand number? If there’s ongoing “maintenance,” what does it cover? If there’s ongoing software licensing costs, what does this cover and why is it necessary?
Can I put the site on the host of my choice, or does it have to reside at your datacenter? If I put it on a host outside your datacenter, does it cost more?
Do I own the code you developed for me?
How will the search engines find me? Do you offer SEO services?
What if I want to move away from your platform in the future? How hard is it to get the data out of your system? What are the costs associated with getting data into a standard, portable format? Has anyone done this? Please provide references of clients who have done this.
Now, just to be clear: there are good pre-packaged solutions out there. And there are bad ones. This is just a guide that might help you steer around the gotchas.
Because, if you don’t do your homework, and look deeper than the simple answers and shiny, scripted demos, you can end up with a system you’re locked into, a system that doesn’t serve all your needs, a system that ends up costing far more than you expected—and has ongoing fees which never end.