Selling Usability Services

Abstract

This chapter discusses the issue of how to sell usability services. While selling is often considered a dirty word it is a necessary activity for usability professionals, be they salaried or self-employed, who believe in the value of their work. This chapter is aimed at both the usability professional and the potential recipients of usability services. The best consultancy assignments are those where each party understands the motives and limitations of the other and where business is conducted in an open and responsive manner. The earliest of meetings between consultant and client set the standard for their subsequent relations and this is why these meetings are so important. This chapter discusses these first meetings and provides a perspective on how a usability consultant should aim to influence these meetings towards a productive conclusion.