If there has ever become a time to hire an expert, it’s before you create a Website Redesign RFP. Your team may have sat down on numerous occasions and drafted some “Must Have Features” or a “Feature Wish List” for your new website. That’s great you have an idea of what you are looking to create, but there is a problem. Before you decide to remodel your house, do you jump right in? No, you hire a contractor to give you some valuable insight on what’s needed or what to focus on. The same thing goes with redesigning your website. A consultant is someone who has expertise in an area that you are interested in. As for your new website, and in this article, you will learn why you should hire a consultant first before creating a website redesign RFP.
You Do Not Know It All
That might sound harsh, but it is the truth. If you ask my wife, I’m sure she would tell you the same about me. I’ve read many books on many different subjects, traveled to other places, had conversations with many people from different walks of life. So you can say that I’ve gathered many different viewpoints about a lot of subjects. One thing I continue to learn is that I do not know it all.
The same goes for redesigning your website. You may have gathered feedback from many different end-users (which is excellent). You may also have your own reservations about the website. Or you could have taken it one step further and did some of your own data gathering & research. One thing you do not have is an objective viewpoint about how your website should operate. The challenge here is that we become jaded about what we need that we develop tunnel vision. The hard truth is that when it comes time to include the person that will actually do the work, we think we have it all figured out and end up telling the EXPERT what to do. Does this sound familiar?
Leave the Pro stuff to the Pros
When your organization decides to redesign your website, take all of the information you have gathered and hire a consultant. A consultant can objectively help you figure out what is needed to build your website to sustain you over a long time. They have years of experience and plenty of battle wounds (hopefully) that will fast-track you to success. Some things that can help you with before creating your Website Redesign RFP:
- Picking the right set of plugins & themes so your website can work in harmony.
- Give their expert advice on hosting options.
- Provide you with valuable insights on maintenance.
- Completely educate you on budget vs. ‘must haves’.
- Create an objective list of requirements that will satisfy your needs.
- Keep your sanity in check.
Ok, I understand why. What should I look for?
I am glad you asked! I won’t toot my own horn here, but I have over 10 years of experience working with WordPress. I provide consulting on website development, and I’ve worked at agencies. I even get a chance to work alongside the core team who actively builds WordPress and their VIP team (who are fantastic, by the way). That should give you some insight into what type of experience I have. As for a checklist of sorts, a quality consultant should have (at least):
- Some verifiable experience with references. Whether their own projects, agency projects, consulting, or hobby projects. They should be able to produce some track record of their work.
- Proof of on-going education. I’m in no way advocating that having a degree is a requirement for your consultant. It’s a great plus, but not everyone is cut out for higher education. As someone who has attended grad school, I’ve met people who are 100x smarter than I am with just a high school diploma. But as someone who is sought after for expert advice, your consultant should be someone who seeks after advice. The tech industry is constantly evolving, and you have to continually learn to stay afloat. Whether it’s certifications, nanodegrees, or a Udemy course, some sort of on-going education should be a part of their journey. How often? Trust your gut here as long as it’s relevant.
- Some type of exposure or visibility online. The person you are hiring doesn’t need to be the next Eric Thomas or Les Brown, but they must show they are remaining, in some way, visible to their audience. This can be in the form of valuable blog writing, industry conferences, Meetup Presenters; the opportunities are endless. Being visible also ties into education. In some capacity, being visible also relates to staying relevant with information. How can you teach if you don’t know what’s going on?
Where to find quality consultants?
In my experience, finding quality work (in any field) is definitely a challenge. The same holds when it comes to designing and developing websites. You could spend an endless amount of hours on LinkedIn (my profile) searching for eligible consultants, but that could take time you don’t have.
I have another solution. Submit your RFP to a credible marketplace where experienced consultants and solutions providers hang out. There are many out there but my favorite is Prosal.
Prosal is the go-to RFP marketplace for nonprofits to hire any agencies or vendors for their projects and campaigns. If you have needs for any type of service from website development to strategic marketing, Prosal is for you. The submission process is very easy:
- Go to their site: https://prosal.io/
- Click on ‘Post A Prosal’
- Complete the submission form. Takes 2-3 minutes.
- Hit ‘Post Your Prosal’
Then sit back and relax. The consultants that have filled out a profile based on the needs you have will be notified and can ask questions and then submit bids.
Don’t have an RFP yet? Reach out to the Prosal RFP experts team and they’ll help you write one that agencies will actually want to respond to, for free.”
Help Us Help You
I’m sure I speak for every consultant when I say that hiring us before things get too murky helps us. Hiring a consultant before doing your Website Redesign RFP will benefit the developer or agency you hire to bring your vision to life. We all speak the same language, so knowing someone has helped you roadmap what’s needed is incredible. Then when the time comes to do the heavy work, the hard work is already done. The team that builds your final product will thank you immensely.
Final Thoughts
I hope all of this was helpful. Honestly, we consultants and developers love what we do. The dollar isn’t the ultimate motivation. We get gratification from helping someone bring their vision to life.
Do you have any questions? Drop me a line any time, and I’ll be glad to help.
All the best!
