"Consultation" consolation prize

Even after a solid night's sleep, I'm still not thrilled about The Sales Call That Ate Friday Night. (Memo to La Crosse area contractors: You have an hour to measure the house and crank out a quote or I send you an invoice for my time.) Despite the fact three and a half hours was too high a price to pay, it would be a more grievous waste if I hoarded the reminder that I did glean from it.

That reminder is that two basic components apply to the work of the contractor, regardless of whether the work is tangible (e.g. siding on a house) or digital (e.g. a website). The first component is competence in craftsmanship; the second is competence in process.

In the case of siding, the contractor is the one who's supposed to remember to check for any permits needed before the work begins, and to not not kill the grass by forgetting to have the rollout dumpster hauled out of the front yard at the end of the job. The website developer is the one who's supposed to save you from your instinct to use the bargain-basement domain registrar and/or hosting company. Ditto making sure that your accountant has a way to drop more quarters into the internet machine so your online shopping cart (or what-have-you) doesn't stop working a year after registration.

Never forget that you have the right to expect both compentencies, regardless of whether the deliverable is something you can touch, or something you see on a monitor.