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Special Interest Group:
Marketing for Usability Consultants
Howard Tamler, HT Consulting
Thursday, July 1, 1999, 5:15-6:30 pm
Many usability professionals are independent consultants rather than staff
employees, and there seems to be a growing trend toward contract work. While
there are many issues of particular importance to consultants, marketing
their services to clients may be the activity which is most essential to
their success. That is, one can be competent at usability work without being
competent at marketing; and no matter how competent a professional is, she
won't succeed in business if she can't market herself.
Marketing has at least two aspects or goals: Selling the importance of
usability per se to decision makers who do not fully appreciate it, and
selling oneself as a competent professional to a potential client who is
already in the market for usability services. There are many ways to market
one's services; and while many of these techniques may be universal, some may
be intrinsic to our profession. Moreover, marketing takes up a significant
amount of time for many consultants, and it therefore behooves consultants to
invest this time wisely.
The goal of this SIG is for current and prospective consultants to share
ideas that will help us all to market ourselves more effectively and
efficiently.
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