“In all walks of life and in any career that you choose, perseverance will always be the defining characteristic of your own success”.  -Luke Wiseman

What drives you? Is it money? Is it helping other people succeed? For some of us these answers are simple and yet for others the answer is unknown. When I started in the web design industry 4 years ago, I really loved the freedom that comes with this career. I get to meet people every week from many different walks of life. I get knee deep into what they do for a living and then figure out the best way for our company to help their business achieve its goals. Do I get paid to do this? Yes. But what I really enjoy is helping other people and businesses succeed.

Here in Phoenix there are many web designers to choose from. Every job and situation is different but one thing that is for certain is that we will be competing with other local companies for many of these jobs. So what sets me apart from my competition? Perseverance.

We run into situations, on a monthly basis, where it becomes obvious that we are not the best fit for the client.   In the same regard, the opposite is quite often true where the client is not a great fit for us. In either case, once that is identified, my personal time becomes free to advise the prospective client on the path they should choose. Basically, even though I know our company isn’t going make any money, I still have their best interest at heart and do what I can to advise them on how to move forward.

So how does our company succeed? We persevere. Putting the best interest of the client ahead of your own guarantees that each job that you do will be done right and that every path you go down will be the right fit for your client and your company. Having this as a core principal in your business will guarantee your success over time.

The last thing you want or can afford, especially in a web design business where your reputation and reviews mean everything, is a reputation this is less than exceptional. When you put the interest of the client ahead of your own interest, this becomes obvious to anyone who does business with you. People will realize that you are completely trustworthy and they won’t hesitate to refer their contacts, friends and family over to you when an opportunity presents itself. Being referable is the trademark of an honest company who takes care of its clients.

There are times that even with all of this, being a good fit, putting the clients interest first, and being competitively priced with your competition, we still don’t earn the business. I am sometimes left to wonder, what did I do wrong? Did I not listen well enough? Did I miss a key point that my client needed me to address? Was there a booger in my nose? While we here at NEXTFLY win more than our share of business in the Phoenix market, sometimes we are surprised when deals don’t go our way. Some companies, upon learning that they didn’t win would instinctively try to bash the victor. They would search for reasons that the company the client chose wasn’t a good fit for them and take a last ditch effort to salvage some sort of deal. We here at NEXTFLY promise to never do this either. If we weren’t the obvious choice, and I mean 100% obvious, then it is probably all for the best. Our reputation and track records speak for themselves. If there is any level of uncertainty, I personally feel that I didn’t do a good enough job and you were probably right not to go with me. I always wish the client the best of luck with their project and I ask that they keep me updated if anything changes. Some of our favorite clients have already ventured down an incorrect path with their web design project and we welcome them back with open arms if they reach out again in the future.

Day after day, month after month and year after year, we persevere. You win some and you lose some and you live to fight another day. We may not always be the perfect fit for a client and they may not always be the right fit for us. There is an entire of ocean of businesses and partners who are. Perseverance will ensure that you will win your share of the good partnerships. All the best!