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Dilbeck ConsultingI've recently taken a break for several years from consulting. During this time I spent quite a bit of time working with non-profit organizations, learning a lot more about blacksmithing and other metalsmithing, and researching many methods of building and promoting websites for selling online. Dilbeck Consulting is currently a part-time endeavor. I am not looking for additional clients. However, if you are a home business, or small business, owner located in Cherokee County, North Carolina, and you need help in marketing your business on the Internet, I may be able to help. Feel free to email me at jd@johndilbeck.com and we'll see if we can work something out. I no longer consult with schools, or government agencies. I don't do personal consulting nor tutoring; all my efforts are related to business at this time. Philosophy of ConsultingFirst, I have enough experience to be confident in my abilities to find a solution and implement a system to serve your needs. You can also expect it to be different from just about any other proposal you'll receive for a project. I am not hawking a particular set of tools or a proprietary system I've developed that I'm just trying to resell to you. My goal is to solve a problem, implement a solution, and move on. I'm not trying to make you dependent upon me so that you'll have to call me back every few weeks to maintain your system. Some consultants try to get you locked into their proprietary system so that you have to come back to them repeatedly. That's a good thing for the consultant, especially if he likes taking expensive vacations, driving a new car, and owning a large house. I'm a simpler person. I want to be paid fairly for my work, but I'm not out to try to get rich on each project. In most cases, I've been able to tailor a solution to a specific problem using tools that I've never used before. That means I have to learn new skills and develop a new toolset for many projects. The benefit for you is that I'm able to search for the best tools to use for your project. I charge you for my productive time, not for educating myself. So, I don't charge you for a phone call or answering your emails. I don't charge you for reading manuals or learning a new programming language or database system. I will charge you for actually working on your project. When the project is done, I want to take some time off and then move to the next project. I'm an analyst and implementor and not an administrative type of person. I like to tackle a problem and wrestle it into submission. I don't like to do the same task over and over, day in and day out, for the rest of my life. I'd rather take the risks of exploring the unknown rather than suffer the boredom of job security. ExperienceI have been using and programming computers since 1969. I've programmed in many computer language dialects on a variety of hardware platforms. You're invited to see a summary of some of my Consulting Experience that deals with computers, education, and other activities that I think are related to consulting. Over the decades, I've programmed mainframes, minicomputers, and a variety of microcomputers. Now, personal computers are more powerful than any of the mainframes I programmed in the 60s and 70s, the Internet is accessible from more and more locations, and Intranets are showing up in even small businesses and home offices. I've decided to re-open my consulting business and offer my services to home businesses and small businesses that want to market their products and services on the Internet. I know that the great majority of small businesses use Windows computers, but I don't support Windows systems or Microsoft products. I'll do my best to help you develop a website that sells, build traffic, and promote your product or service. I am not interested in helping you learn to use your PC. Services OfferedI will be happy to provide any or all of the following services for your business needs. TrainingTraining -- either individually or in a classroom setting -- can be personalized to your needs, rather than you having to go take a standard class and then trying to adapt your newfound knowledge to your particular business. Customized training costs more, but it will save you lots of time and frustration. The cost and scope of customized training is negotiable. TroubleshootingI will be happy to diagnose troubles with your website and online promotion techniques and suggest solutions, or, at your request, implement them for you. When I say system, I mean it in the older sense: the totality of your computers, networks, operatings systems, applications, and personnel. I do not diagnose nor repair hardware. I'm strictly a software kind of guy. Web Site DevelopmentEventually, every business will need a website, mailing list, and other ways of easily and inexpensively reaching your customers, clients, patients, or patrons. I have experience in working with lots of different companies, and I will do my best to make the website fit your company rather than forcing your company into a template used for everyone else, the way some web designers work. I believe you will do best if you create your website yourself, because that way it projects your experience and personality, also called "your voice," and you will stand out from all the websites that just show a brochure online. But, and this is important, you don't need to learn all the tech stuff - you just want to build an effective website that attracts visitors and sells your products and services. You don't need my help for that. I've already looked at dozens of hosting services, blogging platforms, forum scripts, and content management systems, and the only one I'll recommend to you is Site Build It! Ken Evoy and his team at Sitesell have created the very best way to build your online business or funnel visitors to your offline business. Nothing else compares, anywhere. Find your small business and see how Site Build It! can work in your particular situation. Read between the lines, even if you don't see your exact situation. I know dozens of real people who are building successful - even very successful - businesses using Site Build It! and many of them were complete beginners a year or two ago. If you're not sure if Site Build It! will help you or will work in your situation, contact Sitesell and ask your questions to an experienced SBI owner and user. Of course, there is no charge nor obligation to ask about how Site Build It! can - or can't, if that's the case - work for you. Over the last couple of years, I've built several dozen websites, forums, and blogs, and the only sites that haven't given me any trouble were built using SBI. I've had forums, directories, and blogs hacked and destroyed. I've had to move very large sites from one hosting service to another, and even to another, because of lack of support or problems related to hosting reliability. Nothing else comes close to SBI in terms of reliability, security, support, ease of use, and the features offered. As time goes by, I'll be closing many of my sites and recreating them using SBI. I have experience creating and implementing websites, submitting to search engines, building traffic to your site, and adding additional capabilities that many web designers can't offer. (I learned much of that from being an SBI customer, by the way.) I don't do fancy splash pages, flash, nor java doo-dads that detract from your business aims. The purpose of a business website is to get your message across to your visitors, make information available to help them decide that you're the company they want to work with, and not to impress them with my skill at adding distracting bells and whistles. As much as possible, the website itself should be invisible to the process of passing along information and selling your service or product. I recognize that I'm not the most artistic web designer, but I can provide the technical services that make your site work better for you, rather than just sitting there. I'm a programmer and a right-angle kind of guy, so I prefer sites that are simple, easy to read, quick loading, easy to navigate, and are accessible for anyone using any browser version 3 or later, without the need for any plug-ins. Reasonable vs. CheapThe scope, duration, and implementation of the project is negotiable. I'm easy to work with -- usually -- and I'll do my best to help you find a solution in a reasonable time and at a reasonable cost. Please note, in my lexicon reasonable does not equate to cheap. You'll be able to find people who will agree to do similar work for less money. There's no doubt about that. You'll also find folks who'll agree to do it for much more than I charge. I charge reasonable rates and I bill you only for the work I perform. So, if you want cheap, don't bother to call me. If I take on a project, I want to do it as well as I can, and not always have to be watching the clock to make sure I can cover my expenses. Start small and growIf you'd prefer to start with a pilot project or a study, that's fine, too. I don't mind taking the time for you to evaluate my abilities and see if we can work together. After all, a large implementation can easily affect your business for the next couple of years, and that takes some consideration before commiting. On the other hand, if you want me to develop a design for a project and then you go and hire someone else to create and implement it, don't come crying to me if it doesn't work the way you wanted. In these cases, my rate is doubled -- at a minimum -- for going in and fixing someone else's mess and I won't consider a cap on such a project. I've had to do this too many times, and I don't need the headaches, sleeplessness, and ill-will associated with such boondoggles. It may sound like a good idea to have your neighbor, brother-in-law, or friend create your website for you, but you need to consider their experience and whether or not they've completed such a project before. Have they created a website that ranks well in the search engines, has increasing traffic each month, and actually makes money? I've done all of those things and I'm confident I can do it for you, too. Fee ScheduleI prefer to work on a project basis. I'll be happy to talk to you (at no charge for the initial meeting) and consider a solution to your problem and a price for the project. For small projects and training, the fees and schedule are negotiable, and payment will be due in two stages: 50% up-front non-refundable deposit to cover the expenses to get started on your project, and the remainder upon completion and acceptance. For larger projects, if you choose to accept my proposal, I require a 50% non-refundable retainer to start the project and I'll bill against that retainer at $60.00 per hour. Several subsequent payments will be made based upon a schedule of deliveries that will cover another 30% of the project. The schedule and milestones are negotiable. The final 20% is payable upon completion and acceptance of the project. I offer substantial discounts to people and companies that are easy to work with and who pay quickly. I choose not to work for government entities nor for individuals with non-business problems or projects. For Further Information...Please note that I am not accepting new clients at this time, except for those special cases listed at the top of this page. You will find it much easier to contact me via email than by phone. I'll be happy to come to your business in Cherokee County, North Carolina, and discuss your project with you in person at no charge. If you would like more information or if you have any questions I can answer, feel free to contact me at jd@johndilbeck.com.
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