Economics of Software Design
Every once in a while I run across something that I want to share with you, though it may not have anything directly to do with improving your business. I encourage you to read this essay by Joel on Software titled Hitting the High Notes. In the essay, Joel riffs on productivity, the weakness of groups, the economics of software development, and iPod design. It is worth five minutes of your day (or should I say six minutes, since you lawyers out there will round up to the full tenth of an hour). Here’s my favorite quote:
Essentially, design adds value faster than it adds cost.
Build your Workshop
Jim McGee has a thought-provoking article titled, Building Your Knowledge Workshop that says (better than I did in this post) knowledge workers — and that includes lawyers — should stop looking for the perfect all-in-one software solution:
Since at least the days of Lotus 1–2–3, software marketers have promoted the notion of the one true tool; invest in one software product to support all of the knowledge work you will ever need to do. We keep falling for their seductive promises to our continuing disappointment.
For many projects, Swiss Army knives and Leathermen Tools are the answer. Multi-purpose tools are fine for toy problems and simple tasks, but no one serious about a craft works with a single tool. Good craftspeople depend on a collection of tools that work together and in a workshop where they can be found and used as the need arises.
We are at a point in carrying out knowledge work where we would be well-served by setting aside the quest for the one true tool and turning toward the problem of creating and equipping a knowledge workshop suited to our needs.
Jim uses the workshop metaphor, which I think is apt. Here are some of his tips for building a productive knowledge workshop that are spot-on for any professional equipping their office:
Pay attention to whether tools you are considering play nice with one another.
[B]e conscious of how the tool mix is developing. Is there a balance between big tools and little specialty tools? Do the specialty tools bridge the gaps between what the big tools handle? Do the specialty tools get used often enough to be worth keeping, or do they exact greater demands on your memory than they return in improved effectiveness?
While selecting, assembling, and (eventually) integrating a random collection of tools into something more useful, consider how you will assemble relevant supporting materials. If you are a wordsmith, do you want an online dictionary available? Do you want more than one? If you perform market analysis, are there general statistical tables or reports that you draw on repeatedly (e.g., the Statistical Abstract of the United States)?
Are the tools and materials arranged and organized to make your work easier, or are they a long list of random entries or icons on your desktop?
Finally, Jim advocates taking some time out to play in your new workshop:
Set aside time to play with your tools and discover their limits and features. If you want to take advantage of pivot tables in Excel, waiting until they are essential to the product you must deliver by the end of the week is a mistake. Do you need to discover that pivot tables exist first? This is all in the nature of “productive play,” of learning what is possible from the workshop you are designing.
This last tip is probably the best of the bunch. My father is a woodworker whose collection of tools rivals Norm’s from ‘This Old House.’ Whenever he buys a new tool (all too often, if you ask my mom), he plays with it for a few days. He learns the tool’s in’s and out’s and never works with a fine piece of wood until he understands the tool’s limitations. When is the last time you’ve set aside time to “play” with the tools your work depends upon?
Think Outside the Suitcase
If you are starting to think all websites look alike and want to to think a bit outside the box suitcase, take a look at this website.
Serve the Rich
Roy H. Williams shares 5 Tips for Reaching the Rich on Entrepreneur.com. Though Williams is talking about getting your “product” in the hands of the rich, much of his advice makes sense for service providers as well. His five tips (read the article for explanations) are:
1. Hang out in their hangouts.
2. Become useful to them.
3. Put your product where they can see it.
4. Target through copy.
5. Pull, don't push.
At the end of the article, Williams suggests that selling to the rich isn’t as important today as it once was:
Today a middle-income office manager may save her money to buy a single luxury item, like a Chanel jacket, the same one worn by a wealthy woman who has a dozen others like it in her $2.5 million house. While it may feel good to have the truly rich woman as a customer, you don't want to lose sight of the fact that for every one of her, there are at least 250 of those middle-income managers anxious to buy that same Chanel jacket.
Remember that last sentence. Are you better off in the long run working your tail off to land that one huge client, or looking at ways to become indispensable to small yet growing businesses?
Your next ten hires.
Tom Peters summarizes a new book by Tom Kelley of IDEO, titled the Ten Faces of Innovation. In the book (not yet available), Kelley identifies ten people every organization needs to build an innovative workplace. How many of these folks does your organization have?
The Anthropologist. Master of human behavior ... "gets" the user.
The Experimenter. Mr/Ms Fast Prototype.
The Cross-pollinator. Explores odd connections.
The Hurdler. Master remover of B.S. roadblocks.
The Collaborator. Brings intriguing combinations of people together.
The Director. Brings out the creative best from an odd mix of talents.
The Experience Architect. Turns "products" into "performances."
The Set Designer. Creates fabulous office environments that foster constant innovation.
The Caregiver. Anticipates customer needs like a magician.
The Storyteller. Creates narratives that capture the spirit of the group and its products/services/experiences.
Does this mean solos can’t be innovative? Or do we need to add six or seven “hats” to the ones we already wear?
To the Moon, Alice!
Check out Google Moon on this, the anniversary of the first manned moon landing. If you think the folks at Google haven’t lost their sense of humor, go ahead and zoom all the way in on the map for the highest level of detail.
Don't Do This, Do This Instead ...
I was reading this fascinating summary of the SENG Conference over on the Eide Neurolearning Blog. The post’s author collects some great advice for parents of gifted children, though much of the advice is equally applicable for all parents. One piece of advice from Dr. Paul Beljan really struck me:
Don't just say, "don't do this" - give children a positive alternative - "don't do this, do this instead..."
Now, replace the word “children” with “clients” and you’ll start to see what struck me. Lawyers are often thought of by clients as deal breakers. Next time your client is about to do something unwise, give them an alternative. Show them you are thinking about making their businesses better. Tell them, “Don’t do this, do this instead …”
And for parents, the entire post is worth a read. The other great pieces of advice from Dr. Beljan I know I’ll be trying with Grace are:
[T]he 'Zen of Bean Sorting' - Children are given a calming and pleasant sensory task when they lose control or can't regulate their impulses. Privileges are suspended until the beans are sorted.
For time-outs, don't use a clock. Use the same words every time. "When you're quiet, you can come out."
Be careful how you talk. Be instructive with requests - "Put this in your room", not "Can you pick this up?"
Before you go to your next conference, take this advice.
Here are some great trade show tips from Gaspedal. I really liked these three:
6> Speakers: How to turn the audience into customers: If you don't have a handout, you've wasted your time. You spent all this time and money to speak, then you give people no way to buy from you. Always print a 1-page flyer, staple it to a printout of your slides, and put it on every single chair before you start. It's a guaranteed way to get new business.
9> Travel light: Leave the briefcase behind. Take no paper from vendors. Just bring a nice suit and business cards. You're here to meet people and have conversations. You don't need any stuff. Spare your back, lighten your load. You'll be in a better mood and you'll be more effective.
15> Skip the Sessions, Work the Halls: If you're looking for customers then never go to a presentation. You can't network in a dark room during a speech.
Assess your firm culture.
Arnie Herz points out this Firm Cultural Assessment that’s worth looking at. The only problem is that those who will ignore the assessment are likely the firms most likely to benefit from it.
Here's how to get the senior partners to finally use their computers.
From the great blog We Make Money Not Art comes this description of a possible way to get those computer phobic lawyers (they still exist, don’t they?) to “buy in” to technology. From the Deal Me In website:
Deal Me In uses a custom-designed deck of cards and card layout surface to provide users access to their digital archives, bypassing traditional mouse-and-keyboard interactions. The project is targeted at people who are unfamiliar with technology, primarily those who were already adults before the invention of the personal computer.
You really have to check this out to believe it. Imagine a deck of cards, with one card representing each file. Lay the card on the surface and up pops the digital file. Pretty neat.
Don't forget the barbed wire.
In what may be my only Martha Stewart related post this year, I had to share this snippet from Worthwhile (quoting a Vanity Fair piece on the Maven of Style):
Martha Stewart's business precepts, as she tells Vanity Fair's Matt Tyrnauer, are: 1) People Matter. 2) Invest to get perfection. 3) You have to take risks.
And what does foresee as the future of stylish living? (Hint: It's exactly the opposite of the ornate tract-mansions featured in most magazines and being built everywhere I look.)
Instead, Martha has been studying Shaker design: "I want to have a new kind of house, a smart house," she tells Vanity Fair. "No paints on the exterior, stamped-concrete floors, really simple and planned to reduce the maintenance. This is going to be the future."
And a stainless-steel lavatory and toilet in the corner too? Sounds like she’s describing the place she just left, not the one she’s going to build. Is this the new prison chic? (Also, did she just use the word “invest” to describe one of her business precepts?)
Are you your own worst boss?
Jeremy talks about his horrible boss, too bad he can’t find another.
My boss needs to be fired. He lets me come in late, he lets me leave early, he doesn't stop me from spending hours doing things completely unrelated to work, and he gives me unlimited vacation days. He doesn't hold me to deadlines, he accepts lame excuses for why I don't get anything done, and he refuses to impose any sort of structure on the work day. He's pathetic. The problem is that I can't fire him because he's me. I'm a terrible boss. I came to the realization a few years ago that I'm consistently motivated more by trying to impress others than by anything inside of me, but didn't really believe that was completely true. It's completely true. To impress someone I respect and want to think highly of me, I will do anything, and I will do it quickly, and I will find the motivation somewhere. It'll just be there. It'll keep me up nights. It'll kick in, every time. Without that, it's like pulling teeth. I turn the Internet off and ten minutes later I turn it back on to check e-mail. I promise myself no food until I write another thousand words, and I eat anyway. I can't hold myself to anything. I need to get better at that, or get my editor to whip me with a belt or something. I'm a terrible boss. Two months and I still don't have a regular daily schedule. I make the excuse that writing is governed by the inspiration. I need to get over that crock of baloney, because I don't think it's really true. I'm just a bad boss. At least when I'm the employee. I suck at this part of being a writer, I really do.
Another Great Business Card Idea
Two days ago, I shared this tip for new business cards. Here’s another from Garrett Dimon.
Fire These Clients Now.
Christopher Hawkins tells us about 11 Clients You Need to Fire Right Now. Recognize any of these folks?
THE DISILLUSIONED consistently expresses disappointment with your work even though it is of good quality and conforms to spec.
THE SUSPICIOUS consistently expresses a lack of trust, disdain for your work, or questions your integrity.
THE CHISELER consistently complains about your bill, even though it conforms to the estimate they agreed to.
THE BULLY consistently is verbally abusive or threatening to you.
THE SOMETHING-FOR-NOTHING consistently increases the scope of the project but refuses to pay for the additional work.
THE SLOW PAY consistently pays invoices late.
THE FLAKE consistently is late meeting responsibilities, but still holds you to the original schedule.
THE LIAR consistently lies to you.
THE BLACKMAILER consistently refuses to pay an invoice until you perform additional work at no charge.
THE MONEY PIT consistently is unprofitable.
THE CLINGER consistently makes unreasonable demands regarding your availability.
The full post has a more detailed description of each “client” and has some great ideas for getting rid of them. Though Christopher runs a software shop, I think his descriptions are spot-on and instantly recognizable to any professional service provider.
Top Tips to Take Tremendous Treasures
JS Logan shares The Best Revenue Growth Tip You’ll Ever Receive. Well, what are you waiting for. Go read it.
Ignorance is Bliss?
The great folks at JD Bliss were kind enough to interview me and post my “success story” here. The interview was done a while ago, and I’d like to think I’d sound much more intelligent and interesting now. ;-)
Treat your clients like dogs?
Patti Digh at 37 Days shares some lessons she learned about communicating with others from the Animal Planet show Who Gets the Dog? — a show where contestants compete to adopt a dog. The episode she watched pitted three groups of contestants against one another as they were each assigned a “trick” to teach Rocky, the dog in question. Patti’s entire post is worth a read, but I thought I’d excerpt some of her lessons:
2) There often needs to be a “treat” associated with learning a new trick: a tidbit, some praise, a clear reason, or (to use the happy vernacular of management consultants worldwide) a “business case” for doing what we’re asking Rocky to do. Rocky’s business case clearly revolves around liver treats.
3) I have to motivate Rocky with what matters to him (the liver treats of #2), not what matters to me (Hefeweisen, Joan Armatrading, those truffles).
5) We need to celebrate success more than we do. Whip out those liver treats and pig ears, let’s party!
7) It takes time to teach new tricks to a dog. A lot of dedicated, focused, engaged, consistent, and individualized time. Enough said.
8) We all make meaning in different ways.
10) Rocky learned best from the group of three goofy guys who got down on the floor and rolled around with him like a dog, shedding their human superiority; they honestly enjoyed him for who he is now, not who they wanted him to be. They went where he was.
Read the last tip again. Your clients will learn the most from you when you shed your legal superiority and appreciate your clients for who they are, not who you want them to be.
More Coffee Talk
Dana VanDen Huevel talks a bit more about marketing with coffee:
We were at a home-town place this morning called 'Ann's Sunshine Cafe' where, get this - there are four shelves of mugs on the wall - all with this Ann's logo and all with the patrons' names printed on them. Wow - holy personalization and loyalty.
About $3.00 per customer to wow them and keep them coming back? Sounds pretty cheap to me.
Ladies and Gentlemen
I ran across Man on a Mission yesterday. It is a blog collecting companies’ “Mission Statements.” I particularly liked the entry about the Ritz-Carlton hotels. Go read the entire thing, but I was taken by the hotel chain’s motto:
"We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen."