Zen Cart Zoo

Q: What's your name and position in the company?
A: Melinda, Director

Q: Describe your company in 5 words.
A: Zen Cart experts and enthusiasts!

Q: What's your business philosophy?
A: We want to deliver both quality and value to our clients - in spades! We want our clients to be up and running with their new zen cart site as quickly as possible and to get their first online sale! We know how awesome it feels when you get that first online sale :-) We run our own zen cart sites and still get that warm fuzzy feeling when we get a "New Order" email and see the money rolling into our paypal account.

Q: Describe your office environment.
A: We are very 21st century! We work virtually. We work in style and comfort. We work when we need to, to get the job done on time. We work from home. We work from an office. We work from coffee shops. We work from the beach. We use the latest technology including ipads (and we love them!).

Q: Describe how your team interact and work together.
A: We use a swag of online services to manage our team and our work flow. This enables us to communicate with each other and to ensure that all team members have access to the needed info wherever they are. Here are a few of our favourites: --> skpe (for communication - chat, calls and the fabulous screen share!) --> basecamp (for managing projects, tasks and timelines) --> freshbooks (to manage invoicing) --> mind-node (for brainstorming) --> google apps (for mail, reader, docs etc)

Q: What makes you different from other web design companies?
A: We are internet entrepreneurs who walk the talk. We don't just build websites; we run our own and know the challenges and joys of running internet businesses. The business model is beautiful - sometimes the implementation fails the model!

Q: How do you get the majority of your business?
A: Referrals from our clients and people who we have met through our seminars and other networks. Oh and through Google of course :-)

Q: Describe how you manage projects from the initial client contact to completion and handover.
A: We receive the initial enquiry. We talk through your vision for the website and how you want it to work. We scope the project. We provide a fixed-price quote. 90% of the time, clients pick one of our existing packages and no extras are needed! We then liaise with you throughout the project. once the website is finished, we celebrate :-) We also provide you with access to a range of training resources (depending on your package) and also internet marketing support. basically - we are with you as long as you need us!

Q: What do you think is the most crucial element of creating a good client relationship?
A: Delivering on your promises and communicating effectively.

Q: How do you manage demanding clients?
A: We try to set clear boundaries - sometimes that does not have the desired effect though :-) We focus on getting the job done and we understand that some clients will be more demanding than we might like - but that is part and parcel of any service business.

Q: If a client was trying to decide between a shortlist of web design companies, how would you recommend they go about selecting the right one for them?
A: Talk to each company. Pick the one that you think will best assist you to reach the goals you have set for your internet business and that you feel most comfortable with. You are going to be spending a lot of time together over the coming weeks, months and possibly years!

Q: Where do you see your company in 10 years time?
A: In this business, it is impossible to predict where we will be in 10 years time - I think we can say that we will still be running internet businesses in one form or another (and who knows what form that will take!).

Q: Where do you see the web design industry in the future?
A: Websites will be way more integrated into our daily lives - all content - books, tv, radio, movies etc - will be web-based. The challenge will be to filter all that content to find your nuggets of gold.

Q: What computers do you have use in your offices, PCs or Macs?
A: Both PC and Mac

Q: How was your company name chosen?
A: After a massive brainstorm lasting about four weeks! We knew we wanted to have the words "Zen Cart" in there - so it doesn't leave much room for anything else! And we wanted the name to be a bit quirky. So replicating the "Z" and 3 letters seemed to work pretty well! The animal theme also gives us lots of metaphors to play with.

Q: If you were to give your clients one tip on how to get the most from their website what would it be?
A: My top tip is about internet business rather than the website itself and that is: with every business (including internet business) do your due diligence first! Make sure you know there is a market that will buy what you have to offer. Once you have identified your target audience (and demonstrated that they exist and they are hungry), think about how you will market to them. Your website is then a tool to engage your target audience. The other part of the equation is getting them to your website in the first place! This will not happen on its own. Your website also plays a role in this - but so do a bunch of other strategies. if this sounds like gobbledegook, gives us a call and we'll talk you through it! It is super important to understand this stuff (it is the core of internet business) before you get started on this journey.