Have you ever had a really big idea? I live for big ideas! The excitement, the research and the speed with which things happen initially is invigorating. I feel like I have big ideas all the time; but in the end very few of them come to fruition, and for good reason.

You may be working on a big idea right now ... I know I am! However, it's important to understand and appreciate an idea for what it is: nothing but a spark. It's a glorified plan, where the benefits are crystal clear and the hurdles have yet to be realized in full if at all. Until executed with precision, an idea has no value at all.

So many people see an idea as a stroke of luck for one or a few individuals who somehow achieved overnight success as a result. Seeing an idea through takes incredible fight, faith and perseverance. Most importantly it takes execution, for which successful entrepreneurs deserve all the credit.

Successful companies like Amazon.com, 37signals, Google, Tesla and so many others win not because they were the first with a specific idea, but because they execute better than anyone else.

As an entrepreneur, understanding the value of solid execution has made a huge difference in how I approach ideas. Take our app called Feed My Inbox, for example. The idea is not new or sexy, but no one was doing RSS to email well. In a little over a year, 60k+ customers and not a dime spent on advertising yet proves that you can succeed on solid execution.

You don't have to be the first with a game-changing idea; you only have to be the best at executing it.

Ideas are awesome. They can bring about innovation in an industry or even turn one upside down. But never bank on an idea getting you anywhere. Execution is and always will be the game-changer.

What do your clients say about you when you are not around? Never mind the one-on-one communication ... what do your clients REALLY think of you? What are they telling others about your company?

Does the thought of this make you a little nervous? If you care about building a successful business on the web or anywhere else, this is the kind of feedback you need from clients on a regular basis. Our little company depends solely on referrals for our business, so if our clients are not raving, our phones aren't ringing!

Often times we think of surveys when doing website testing or helping a client implement new features. Just as they are effective at gathering feedback for those uses, surveys are also a powerful way to hear what your clients are thinking, but may not be willing to say. If you come up with good questions, it is also guaranteed to point out things you can do better.

So early this year, I swallowed my pride and got in touch with every person we worked with over the last two years. I asked them to participate in our first annual client survey. All responses were completely anonymous and confidential. The survey consisted of 34 total questions. Most of them were multiple choice (rate from 1-5), and some were open-ended requesting specific feedback.

After all was said and done, about 35% of our clients filled it out. Each of our 1-5 rating questions (5 being the best) got either a 4 or 5 over 85% of the time, which I was very pleased with. Some questions had too many 2's and 3's, and I am now much more aware that we have to do better on those things. Either way, the 1-5 rating questions were a great way to observe overall client satisfaction with a solid number.

I'm really glad each section of our survey also had a text box for specific comments or feedback. I went through and read every single comment. Some of them were encouraging, and some of them were downright mean. Read them with an open mind and "customer is always right" mindset, which means making excuses is a waste of time. Just do better! The best responses included helpful suggestions, which we immediately implemented as part of our business.

Overall, I am so glad we went through with the client survey. We found some things we can do better, and probably never would have known about without the survey. We also set a benchmark, which is something we can look to improve on in coming years.

For our survey we used http://www.survs.com. They just launched their service publicly, and I had an incredibly positive experience using it. I have also heard nice things about http://www.surveymonkey.com. It's ugly, but is the current industry leader and seems to have additional features.

To view a copy of our survey in full, check out this page: project83.com/survey.

In school I learned that 50% of marketing is effective, but marketers have no real way of knowing which 50%. Thankfully, this rule does not apply on the web. Not only can you track 100% of your online marketing and website activity, but you can also test multiple variations simultaneously and make changes on the fly.

The most successful websites aren't the ones with the best designs, although that would make our job much easier. The best websites have people behind-the-scenes that are obsessed with testing and analytics, constantly finding incremental ways to improve. So while educated guesses and "gut feelings" may be acceptable elsewhere, this approach is sheer laziness on the web.

A while back I was talking with a client about the importance of multi-variate testing when considering some major changes to their site, when I got the "gut" line. They said something like, "I've got a gut feeling this is the best way to go", thus dismissing my pitch for doing some testing.

This is a really great person and client, but I think they made the wrong decision. In this case, meeting an internal deadline, checking it off the to-do list and moving on to something else potentially cost the company thousands in lost revenues. When lots of dollars are involved, it's simply not worth leaving decisions up to one person's opinion. When you take the time to test properly, thousands of customers can definitively make a decision for you.

I believe that's the most unfortunate thing about being a web design/development agency. The project-oriented nature of our business inherently lacks the post-launch follow-up and ongoing relationship to make sure the client achieves their goals. Up to the launch we're making educated guesses, but after that is where serious ground can be gained.

The "set it and forget it" mentality may result in a pretty site, but it won't help you build a business online. Still so many people do it that way because testing takes time, money (not a lot) and the desire to learn new things. Regretfully, many people feel they are too busy to see the incredible long-term benefits of such effort.

For those that are interested, we are teachers and doers at Project83. We enjoy teaching others how to implement multi-variate testing on their own, analyze results and re-test. We also don't mind doing it for you! All it takes is an open mind and a strong will to get better results from your current website.

Seth Godin recently touched on this topic (of course more eloquently) in an article called, "Everyone Gets Paid on Commission." It is definitely worth a read. The web changes things, people!

Here are some tools that we use on a regular basis for testing:

• Google Analytics (http://www.google.com/analytics/)
• Google Website Optimizer (http://www.google.com/websiteoptimizer/)
• ClickTale (http://www.clicktale.net)
• CrazyEgg (http://www.crazyegg.com)

The process of estimating time in our business is broken. At most, we typically have a document of basic requirements, alongside a few calls with the client to go over questions about a project. In turn, we are expected to provide a budget/timeline and stick to it for what can easily be 3-6 months or more.

For many projects this is enough, but for larger or more custom work, estimates in many ways are just a shot in the dark. The process is often inaccurate and risky. It's like remodeling a house. The project often takes longer and costs more than you originally planned. Since we're committed to meeting both the timeline and budget, there are times when an inaccurate estimate can present a bit of a pickle.

An incorrect estimate isn't good for anyone. Overestimating isn't in the client's best interest and can keep you from getting the project, but underestimating almost ensures that the project will not promise to be your best work and it can be very frustrating for both sides. Ick.

Recently we have begun suggesting a paid "exploratory" period (needs a cool name). We spend all the time necessary to define a clear project scope, write out written requirements and estimate the time needed to complete the project. An accurate quote can easily take at least a few days when done properly, and it is only fair to be compensated for that kind of time.

Since the client pays for the time, they own the work that we do to define the scope and create written requirements. That way, getting bids from other companies should not only be easier, but all the bids should be more realistic.

Another benefit of paid exploratory periods is being able to partner with a client/company before diving in head first. It is very important for both sides to get to know each other, and get a good feel for what it's like to communicate together. If it does not work out, you can look elsewhere without being empty handed.

We don't do this on many projects, but it is extremely helpful for some. Here is a list of questions I consider when deciding whether the project needs further exploration:

1. How well do I know the client? How quickly do they typically communicate and get things done? Do they trust our expertise or value the same things we do in a quality website?
2. How long will the project take?
3. Have I done this before? How much of the work is new for us or custom?
4. With what we know about the project now, is it enough to provide a very accurate quote or do we need more information?

I'm definitely most comfortable with this approach right now, but it took nearly 4 years to figure it out. I believe it is perfectly reasonable to ask for compensation if it will take a significant amount of time to provide an accurate bid on a project. If you can master the art of pricing and estimates in web development, you are on your way to building a very successful business.

For additional thoughts and ideas on estimating time as a web designer/developer, our friends at Smashing Magazine published a very informative article about it.

Great companies, successful entrepreneurs and product innovations start with a simple question. Why?

Zappos built their company by asking why companies spent more on marketing than customer service. Ricardo Semler created democracy and empowerment within the workplace by asking why companies don't trust their own people. Apple asked why mobile phone manufacturers put all their efforts into fancy hardware when the software is what sucked.

All of these ideas come about as a result of dissatisfaction with the status quo. To these people, "industry standards", company policies, or the way things have been done in the past are nothing but excuses. What excuses have you made in the last 30 days that kept you or your company from being it's very best?

It's a simple test, really. In everything you do, ask yourself the following:

1. Why is it done this way?
2. Can it be done better?
3. How can I become the best or be most effective at this?

It might be appropriate for you to ask yourself why people don't ask why more often. I ask myself that all the time! It's because asking why is never popular, it's never cheap or easy, and it's never the most productive thing at that moment. But if why is the difference between you and being average, wouldn't it be worth it to ask every time?

Sometimes when you ask why, the answer is to change nothing, and sometimes the answer is to change everything. In both cases, there should be a great reason to do so. For the record, none of the following count as "a great reason":

• That's how our competitors do it
• I don't have time
• Our industry has always done it this way
• My boss or my client doesn't like it that way, and I don't want to rock the boat

That last one is loaded, because sometimes you have to give in and keep the boss/client first. But you still shouldn't be afraid to question something that can be done better, and challenge anyone that is afraid to leave their comfort zone.

If you are content running in the middle of the pack and not getting noticed, then by all means do not ask why. If you want to be the best, ask why at every opportunity, and be prepared to take action at whatever cost.

A thrilled customer is the biggest WIN a company can have in my opinion. Happy customers can single-handedly keep you in business, and outlasting any challenges a recession or struggling industry may bring about. For Project83, our customers are everything, considering we have yet to spend our first dime on marketing (and don't plan to).

That said, providing an outstanding customer experience in our business (web design and development) takes work—a LOT of work. It's something I was severely under-prepared for in starting this company, and I definitely have room to get better; even after nearly four years of learning.

If you are considering a career in web design or already have one, I feel it's important to be aware of what it takes to WOW a client over the course of a project.

It's a Marathon

When you typically think about customer service, it's a sprint. Purchasing a product in a store, going to a restaurant, or calling a 1-800 number are all forms of customer service that begin and end in a short span of time, thus the reason I call them sprints.

A typical web design project is very different. It's a marathon. It can easily take 3-6 months of work to provide one single outstanding customer experience to a client. That also means you have six months to screw it up.

My advice? Be patient, communicate constantly, take responsibility for mistakes and meet the deadlines you set. Do those things and you've already surpassed most companies in our business.

The Work is Subjective

By providing a creative service, literally nothing we do is black and white. It's all up for debate until you have analytics to back up your theories. All of our work is subjective, and in the end the client has final say on which direction the project goes. If we believe a project is perfect, yet the client believes it's not close, then it's not close. Sometimes that can be a hard pill to swallow.

Consider creative differences as a challenge for you to get better, and to get out of your comfort zone. At times we simply have to trust that our clients understand their business better than we do, and just make what they want happen. At other times you should be honest and try to steer them in another direction. It's a delicate balance, but always make your points with respect, and be willing to move on if they don't agree with you.

Personal Relationships are Everything

Web development is still like any other business in that it revolves around people. Due to the long-term nature of a web project, you are expected to initiate and maintain a great working relationship with the people that hired you, or else things can go downhill. If you are an unbelievable designer with bad people skills, it's virtually impossible to make your customers happy, despite the work being good.

My advice is not to be a hermit (I can struggle with this). Seriously, don't lean solely on email communication with clients. Check-in with them on a regular basis over the phone or in person to keep your relationship on good positive terms. Email can be so easily misinterpreted and cold, that you simply must do more to keep your relationship with a client on solid footing.

It's Not About You

As a matter of personal pride, it is perfectly natural to want each project you work on to be your very best. But that won't always happen, and you have to be able to smile through it.

Web design work is about honoring the client, and providing a product for them that will generate a great return on investment. Most importantly, you want them to have a big smile and tell all their friends about the great experience they had working with you. Do that and everyone wins. Make the project about you or your ego and you will lose most of the time.

I am not writing this post because we have the customer service thing down; because we don't. However, I do think we're getting better at it every day. Being conscious of common pitfalls in our business is the first step in rocking them out and providing outstanding customer service.

So we made our way down to Austin, TX a couple of weeks ago for the annual geek-fest we all know and love, called South By Southwest. Yes I do know that SXSW is more well known for the film and music festivals, but we're not cool enough for those yet. "Interactive", as they call it is a fantastic time for bonding over brews, seeing some web design superstars and learning some stuff in the process.

Most of all, I've found SXSW to be an incredible source of inspiration. This was the 4th straight year I went to the festival, and we come home overflowing with ideas and motivation to take on the world wide web each time.

Many of the panels have now been posted on the SXSW website, and if you did not have the opportunity to be there, here are 5 recommendations (in no particular order) that are definitely worth checking out:

1. Opening Remarks: Tony Hsieh

If you know us, we're BIG fans of Zappos and all the great things they are doing in the business of customer service. We even made a trip to Vegas in January just to get a tour of their offices, and it was one of the more valuable business experiences of my life.

Tony (Zappos CEO) made a big splash at SXSW last year, and was brought in for one of the keynotes this year, so he could talk about culture, service and marketing.

Listen to the podcast

2. Even Faster Web Sites

Steve Souders (Google) is one smart dude, and he is one of the foremost experts when it comes to the need for SPEED on the web. He created a great Firebug extension called YSlow while at Yahoo!, and in this panel takes a deeper dive into advanced techniques that can make your website(s) faster.

I found the panel to be incredibly informative and useful. I learned more at this one than any others. Be on the lookout for the 2nd edition of his book, High Performance Web Sites (O'Reilly) this summer.

View the slides

Listen to the podcast

3. From Freelance to Agency: Start Small, Stay Small

This panel had some very different, yet well-respected folks on it that have companies providing web services. It was moderated by who many consider the godfather of web standards, Jeffrey Zeldman of Happy Cog. Members of the panel talk about making the switch to freelance, hiring, firing, benefits of staying small and more. This is a must-listen podcast if you are thinking about doing your own thing, or if you run a small agency like we do.

Listen to the podcast

4. Oooh, That's Clever! (Unnatural Experiments in Web Design)

Paul Annett is a designer (and hobbyist magician) for a shop based in the UK called Clearleft, who does absolutely brilliant work. His presentation was well researched, well delivered, entertaining and absolutely inspiring. Anyone interested in design for the web simply must watch this presentation, and it makes sense to see the slides he has also.

Watch the live video

Hear the audio and watch the presentation slides

5. Gary Vaynerchuk

I'm sure this panel had a name, but all you need to know is that the one and only Gary Vaynerchuk took the stage at SXSW for over an hour, and it was memorable to say the least. Gary works his butt off and KNOWS social media unlike anyone else.

He is one of the loudest, most fired up people you will ever meet, and it's all real. Best of all, he knows what he's talking about, and especially knows wine. Watch his keynote and you will definitely want to go conquer the world like he is doing right now. Be advised, the language is pretty heavy. He's from Jersey.

Watch it here.

Not long ago, I left a parking garage after a one-night hotel stay. They charged $30 for the twelve hours I was parked there, because they knew I had virtually no other choice. As great as my hotel stay may have been, I left with an awful taste in my mouth about that experience, and about that company.

Yesterday I looked at my merchant account statement and found a $20 "customer service fee". Why am I charged for customer service when all they do is bill me every month and we never talk?

I call fees like this a "gotcha" fee. Big companies think they are so smart selling you something at a fixed price, then tacking on additional fees after you have no other choice. Yet they forget how angry it makes the customer.

How about mobile phone companies? Have you ever gone 10 minutes over your plan for the month? Or used data service by accident while out of the country? Instead of upgrading your plan for the given month at the normal rate, they charge an outrageous fee just because they can.

Airlines are the worst about gotcha fees, and it is one of the main reasons no one likes companies in the airline business. $2 for headphones, $5 for a coke, $10 to watch a movie, and $15 per bag to check luggage. Southwest is the only airline smart enough to focus their marketing on AVOIDING gotchas. And for that reason, I will be flying Southwest twice in the next month.

If a company needs to charge more, then charge more. Just don't make the customer feel like they have been tricked. Offer a fixed price, and stick to it.

One instance of a gotcha on the web is inflated shipping costs, which quickly result in more abandoned shopping carts. Customers are too smart for gotchas! In a time when everyone is watching their budget, don’t make the mistake of losing a sale or losing a customer all together for the sake of a few extra dollars. 

We live in a world that is more intrusive and distracting than ever. It takes more coordination and concentrated effort to complete a list of tasks in a productive fashion than ever. Getting a project done without at least one interruption of some sort is seldom at best.

I'm even being interrupted as I write this article ... excuse me while I take this call.

Okay, I'm back, sorry about that!

In order to be happy with your personal productivity, you have to control distractions. The first step is to minimize noise. Incoming emails, instant messages, twitter updates and text messages ALL make noise by default, and it is literally killing your productivity.

None of these communication methods are ways to inform someone of anything urgent, so why do we feel the need to stop what we're doing and go check something every time we are summoned by the noise? Here's a thought ... turn them off!

That is my challenge to you: turn noises for email, instant messaging, twitter and text messages OFF for a week. Check them on your own time, not when it causes you to be less productive. I am willing to bet you will like the change of pace, and get more done in the process.

The only noise I am willing to stick with is the phone. Everything else can wait until you are finished with what you are doing. If it's urgent, believe me, they will call.

I can't help but be excited about this time of year. It's a lot of fun. However, if you end up wasting (all) your time being lazy and getting fat over the break, you will indeed regret it. So I present 4 ways to make the very most of your thanksgiving, while still enjoying plenty of downtime.

1. Get Organized

Find one big room or project that you can clean out and organize from top to bottom. Throw stuff away, donate to Goodwill and bask in the unique feeling of accomplishment that comes only from a clean slate. For me, the project will be my office. I can't wait!

2. Read a Non-fiction Book

Find something you are interested in and get better at it. This does not have to be related to your work, but the book does have to be non-fiction. Learn how to build something, or learn about new technology, or better yet how to become a better person. It does not matter, just learn something of value and look to apply that knowledge in the near future.

Over the holidays, How to Win Friends and Influence People is always a great book to read again or for the first time. I will be reading Mobile Web Design by Cameron Moll and listening to Tribes by Seth Godin.

3. Reflect, then Take Action

Make it a point to spend time alone, without any distractions, reflecting on the past several months. Both personally and professionally, how could you have done better? What can you be thankful for? And most importantly, what decisions can you make or goals can you set that will have a positive impact on your next several months?

Aside from personal reflection, I love to spend time thinking about work with a "big picture" mindset. I focus on how we can do better creative work, how I want to spend my time and how I can interact with our team and clients better. For me this is a great way to visualize the next several months and how they will play out, then get fired up about it.

And by the way, if you are NOT fired up when you visualize the next several months in your life, make sure you write down the steps necessary to change it.

4. Have a good attitude

Hanging with extended family for long periods of time is not always the easiest or most comfortable thing to do. However, being a team player and having a great attitude is a difference maker. Try to be active in conversation and help out with food, decorations or shopping even though lying lifeless on the couch is much more appealing.

For many of you this may be easy, but being an introvert myself, they are things I can struggle with. The first 3 things are easier for me, but the fourth thing is the most important.

Do these 4 things and you are guaranteed to feel better about this week when you get back to the daily routine on Monday. Have a fantastic Thanksgiving!