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When I got into consulting I read that MacKenzie article and answered an ecstatic "Yes" to all three and yet people see my resume and previous work and just imm

When I got into consulting I read that MacKenzie article and answered an ecstatic "Yes" to all three and yet people see my resume and previous work and just immediately slot me into the "code monkey" territory. I am able to negotiate a great rate, so I've done very well, but I believe I could do better if I was able to get the higher value projects, but no one has yet to perceive me this way.

rpeden 8y ago
Is it possibly because you've positioned yourself in a such a way that you attract customers who will only ever see you as a coder for hire? I love the look of your consulting website, but "We create beautiful, engaging applications" isn't a very strong positioning statement. Most generalist software shops have something similar on their site. And if you position yourself that way, whether online or in person, I think that most customers will inevitably see you as an implementer of software. In smaller text, you write "If you’re a healthcare or fintech company, we can help you launch products faster with fewer resources to increase conversions and get results". Now that's definitely a stronger positioning statement. Do you think it would be helpful to position yourself more strongly along those lines? Like, instead of your big hero text saying something general, could it be something more specific like "End-to-end app development for healthcare companies", or to narrow it down even more, something like "Dashboards for fintech companies". That last one might seem really narrow, but that kind of narrowness also helps you build up a reputation as more than just a code jockey. It's hard to become known as the go-to person for beautiful, engaging applications, because there are just too many people who market themselves and their companies that way. But it's a lot more doable to become known as the go-to person for reactive fintech dashboards. It takes a bit of time to establish your authority in a niche like that, though. But since you're already doing software consulting profitably, you're in a good position to move in that direction. And once you're known as an authority in a specific area, you almost automatically become seen as more than just an implementer. Instead of coming to you with exact specs that need to be coded up, you'll have more conversations along the lines of "this is what we're trying to achieve; since you're the expert on this topic, how would you recommend we do it?". Since you've completed customer projects successfully, you now have project management experience. In your marketing materials, and in conversations with potential customers, would it be possible to emphasize the project management angle? Because that could be a solid point of difference that works in your favor. Unlike most software developers, you have project management experience. You don't just deliver code. You deliver complete end-to-end solutions that don't require the customer to specify everything in excruciating detail. Instead, you're like an amazing machine to which customers only have to insert high-level business requirements. Please note that none of this is intended as criticism. You're obviously already enjoying success! Over the years, I've just seen other people in the same position you're in, asking the same questions you are. And so I figured that sharing a few observations might be helpful. If you haven't read it already, Philip Morgan's positioning manual covers this in a lot of detail: https://philipmorganconsulting.com/the-positioning-manual-for-technical-firms/ https://philipmorganconsulting.com/the-positioning-manual-fo... I don't have any connection to him aside from being a customer.
- acconrad 8y ago
  This is super actionable and useful advice. I love it, thank you so much!
  - rpeden 8y ago
    You're welcome! I'm happy it was useful.
- AgalmicVentures 8y ago
  Thank you so much for writing this. I've struggled with positioning for a long time, and although I have a niche, it was a challenge to communicate the value I offer in a succinct way. This nails it: > You don't just deliver code. You deliver complete end-to-end solutions that don't require the customer to specify everything in excruciating detail. Instead, you're like an amazing machine to which customers only have to insert high-level business requirements. Reading over the website, The Positioning Manual seems to have more actionable information than the sum of all other source I've found, so thank you for that too.
  - rpeden 8y ago
    You're welcome! I'm glad it was useful. If TPM seems useful to you, you'd probably enjoy signing up for Philip's newsletter. He sends out an e-mail every day, and I usually find them useful and insightful. Along the same lines, you might like Jonathan Stark: https://jonathanstark.com/ https://jonathanstark.com/ I haven't bought anything from him (yet), but I signed up for his e-mails and find them valuable.

rpeden 8y ago

Is it possibly because you've positioned yourself in a such a way that you attract customers who will only ever see you as a coder for hire? I love the look of your consulting website, but "We create beautiful, engaging applications" isn't a very strong positioning statement. Most generalist software shops have something similar on their site. And if you position yourself that way, whether online or in person, I think that most customers will inevitably see you as an implementer of software. In smaller text, you write "If you’re a healthcare or fintech company, we can help you launch products faster with fewer resources to increase conversions and get results". Now that's definitely a stronger positioning statement. Do you think it would be helpful to position yourself more strongly along those lines? Like, instead of your big hero text saying something general, could it be something more specific like "End-to-end app development for healthcare companies", or to narrow it down even more, something like "Dashboards for fintech companies". That last one might seem really narrow, but that kind of narrowness also helps you build up a reputation as more than just a code jockey. It's hard to become known as the go-to person for beautiful, engaging applications, because there are just too many people who market themselves and their companies that way. But it's a lot more doable to become known as the go-to person for reactive fintech dashboards. It takes a bit of time to establish your authority in a niche like that, though. But since you're already doing software consulting profitably, you're in a good position to move in that direction. And once you're known as an authority in a specific area, you almost automatically become seen as more than just an implementer. Instead of coming to you with exact specs that need to be coded up, you'll have more conversations along the lines of "this is what we're trying to achieve; since you're the expert on this topic, how would you recommend we do it?". Since you've completed customer projects successfully, you now have project management experience. In your marketing materials, and in conversations with potential customers, would it be possible to emphasize the project management angle? Because that could be a solid point of difference that works in your favor. Unlike most software developers, you have project management experience. You don't just deliver code. You deliver complete end-to-end solutions that don't require the customer to specify everything in excruciating detail. Instead, you're like an amazing machine to which customers only have to insert high-level business requirements. Please note that none of this is intended as criticism. You're obviously already enjoying success! Over the years, I've just seen other people in the same position you're in, asking the same questions you are. And so I figured that sharing a few observations might be helpful. If you haven't read it already, Philip Morgan's positioning manual covers this in a lot of detail: https://philipmorganconsulting.com/the-positioning-manual-for-technical-firms/ https://philipmorganconsulting.com/the-positioning-manual-fo... I don't have any connection to him aside from being a customer.

acconrad 8y ago
This is super actionable and useful advice. I love it, thank you so much!
- rpeden 8y ago
  You're welcome! I'm happy it was useful.
AgalmicVentures 8y ago
Thank you so much for writing this. I've struggled with positioning for a long time, and although I have a niche, it was a challenge to communicate the value I offer in a succinct way. This nails it: > You don't just deliver code. You deliver complete end-to-end solutions that don't require the customer to specify everything in excruciating detail. Instead, you're like an amazing machine to which customers only have to insert high-level business requirements. Reading over the website, The Positioning Manual seems to have more actionable information than the sum of all other source I've found, so thank you for that too.
- rpeden 8y ago
  You're welcome! I'm glad it was useful. If TPM seems useful to you, you'd probably enjoy signing up for Philip's newsletter. He sends out an e-mail every day, and I usually find them useful and insightful. Along the same lines, you might like Jonathan Stark: https://jonathanstark.com/ https://jonathanstark.com/ I haven't bought anything from him (yet), but I signed up for his e-mails and find them valuable.