Kristin Savage

… they just want it packaged in a hassle free way.  It’s often said Tradesmen are set in their ways and anti-web. Our experience is showing this to be untrue.  Tradesmen are constantly using better and faster tools to make their physical job easier, so the response to having a web-page for their business which is simple to use, has been mostly a positive one.  In our experience, tradesmen are very receptive to the use of helpful web-based tools that will enhance their business.  As long as it’s a hassle free process.

As we’ve been developing this site which helps tradesmen profile their business online, we’ve made sure to keep a simple and flexible approach to taking new registrations. Even though we’re a web company, we’re also using the good old phone to make contact with our potential clients, and at times manually entering registrations over the phone. We’re lucky… most of our target market (self-employed tradies) religiously advertise their mobile numbers, allowing us to conduct targeted text marketing campaigns. From a promotional perspective, this subtle point of contact has been helpful. We don’t take it for granted.

At first glance, these words might conjure images of two old foes finally gathering to do battle. Tradesmen don’t use the internet, they don’t have time, can’t be bothered, too practical, too busy! That’s precisely why any site related to tradesmen and providing them with web services to help their business should be designed with these issues in mind. Why have an interface which requires that the user press save when ajax makes it unnecessary. Respect your user I say. Make it easy…. “Don’t make me think!” Thanks Steve Krug.