Adam Silver and Kyle Maurer (@heyadamsilver and @MrKyleMaurer) gave a talk titled WordPress Experts AMA on Sunday, May 1 at 9:00 PM.
Note: this question and answer session was a last-minute addition when both of them volunteered to fill in an unexpected gap in our schedule. Here are the two sessions they came to give:
- Breakdown of Common Beginner Struggles & Solutions – Adam Silver
- Disastrous Deals to Profitable Projects: Comparing My Best and Worst Client Experiences – Kyle Maurer
Session Announcement
Hey @WordCampChicago! New to the schedule: at 9am today, @heyadamsilver and I will be doing a WP Experts #AMA in track 3. Join us! #wcchi
— Kyle Maurer (@MrKyleMaurer) May 1, 2016
Social Recap
Thanks to @heyadamsilver & @MrKyleMaurer for a very informative Q & A session! #WCChi pic.twitter.com/LyFjlQSxsQ
— Geoffrey Shilling 🌴 (@geoffreys808) May 1, 2016
Here’s our live twitter coverage that captured many of the questions at the session
Q: Client Meetings
Q: Client meeting: what to give away ? How do you factor cost if you don't make a sale? A: @heyadamsilver charges flat discovery rate #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Clients who want to solve it all in 1 meeting may be dissatisfied, but value your time & expertise – @heyadamsilver #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
.@MrKyleMaurer has other process: consult meet is free, goal to show expertise, deliver value w/ education, evaluation, examples #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
.@MrKyleMaurer wants to stimulate clients imagination to see larger role for their website in their business w/ new automation, etc. #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Q from @heyadamsilver: how much time to get clients to "I didn't know that was possible!"? @MrKyleMaurer's A: 1 hour max (attention) #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Q: What about training clients & hand-off?
Q: What about hand-off? A from @heyadamsilver – no maintenance / hosting – training is included in costs (w/ https://t.co/eqklwiPcOn) #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
hand-off starts earlier for @MrKyleMaurer – make sure the dashboard is geared to client needs to save time w/ follow-up support. #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Client-centered design: structures, labels, everything intuitively matched to client needs. Nothing extra, no maybes @MrKyleMaurer #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
example from @MrKyleMaurer – they want to add news? rename posts on the dashboard! Add when features needed & not before. #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Difference for solo vs. agency – @heyadamsilver notes different clients too, startups often need less intensive customization #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Q: How do you start a successful WordPress Meetup group?
Q: How to start a successful new meetup group? @heyadamsilver A: how many? pick your date. Don't pay 1st – close, get discount code #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Q: How do you get people to show up to a meetup? A: feed them! May cost, but way to get it going. Also visit reasonable radius ones #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
.@MrKyleMaurer A for @Meetup success: look for overlap meetups too if you're starting a new one.
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Q: How do help clients see they need to redesign their site?
Q: Project models to avoid "set it & forget it" – monthly strategy sessions, etc. A: @MrKyleMaurer start w/ foundation, then phase 2 #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Phase 2 from @MrKyleMaurer: include sales, cost savings, site as custom software – Phase 3 is above & beyond integrations, apps, etc. #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Phased process is for better for clients, better for work: smoother transitions & less risk, easier sales @MrKyleMaurer #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Q: Sites need redesign? A from @heyadamsilver: this can be a"how do you tell your boss their baby is ugly" question – timing is key #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
.@MrKyleMaurer emphasizes website as software w/ upgrades, get away from brochure site expectations. @heyadamsilver field needs? #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Q: Do you plan to move your developer team to using javascript instead of php themes?
Q: How soon will you move dev team to js vs php themes? @MrKyleMaurer A: API w/ enable new possibilities, evaluating needs, no plans #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016
Q: What project management tools do you use?
Q: Project Managemnt tool? @MrKyleMaurer A: @github w/ issue tracking, labels@heyadamsilver A: @asana, @SlackHQ #wcchi
— WordCamp Chicago #WCCHI (@WordCampChicago) May 1, 2016