Sales is not a dirty word.

At her WordCamp Atlanta 2018 talk, “Selling to Enterprise Clients,” Director of Business Development at WebDevStudios, Jodie Riccelli, made this statement, but it’s also a common expression used by sales professionals to encourage others to not be intimidated by the traits required to be successful in the industry, no matter the type of client. However, when it comes to specifically selling to enterprise clients, Jodie says that you have to “handle them a little differently.”

She says that enterprise clients involve a long sales cycle, requiring patience and a list of commitments you’ll need to make to not only attain the client but to also maintain them. You can watch her talk below and learn what it takes to  win over clients like Campbell’s and Microsoft, such as creating personalized proposals and not relying on cookie-cutter templates.

Jodie’s advice for selling to enterprise clients is valuable. Click the play button now and find more WordCamp talks at WordPress.tv.

The post Selling to Enterprise Clients appeared first on WebDevStudios.

WordCamps are excellent places to learn a new skill, get up-to-date on design trends, meet potential clients and partners, and geek out about WordPress in general. Having attended countless WordCamps across North America, here are my top tips on how to maximize your WordCamp experience.

A laptop is *optional*

It may not be apparent, considering this is a conference about technology, but unless you are planning on using your laptop to actively debug or work on your website, such as at the Happiness Bar, or participate in a live workshop, consider leaving your laptop at home. It’s widely accepted that written notes result in higher comprehension levels than typed notes; some sponsors even give away notebooks and pens to use. Leaving your laptop at home means one less thing to carry around and think about all day. As a presenter, I’ll often take a minute to store my laptop back in my room for just this reason.

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Browse the schedule in advance

WordCamps often have different rooms of presentations simultaneously. You will simply not be able to attend every presentation, so it’s wise to spend some time before the conference browsing the schedule and reading more about each talk you’re interested in attending. Speakers are encouraged to provide longer descriptions about their talk to help selection, but this description is rarely printed out at the WordCamp itself and is usually only put online. Don’t wait until the day of the conference. This is when the website is most busy, and Wifi at the event can sometimes be spotty.

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Don’t stress about missing a session

Despite our best planning, there will inevitably be an overlap of two talks you really want to attend. So, you’ll have to miss out on one. Don’t fear! This is where your local WordPress Meetup comes into play.

WordCamps are once-a-year events, but your local WordPress Meetup likely has a meeting every month. Attend the next meetup and request the topic you missed at WordCamp be discussed. You may luck out and have the exact same presenter willing to give their talk again! Some WordCamps also record their presentations and publish these on WordPress.tv for free viewing. Check with your WordCamp to see if this is the case.

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Stay the whole day

WordCamps vary from one to two days in length and are very inexpensive compared to other technology conferences. Many times, someone will choose to attend the first day but not the second, or may leave a one-day event early due to traffic or other reasons.

I strongly encourage all WordCamp attendees to stay for the entire conference. Not only does this give respect to speakers who present in the latter half of the event, but it also follows one of business’ most valuable rules: be the first to arrive and the last to leave. I can’t count the number of times I’ve had very influential chats with huge names in the WordPress ecosystem simply because I stayed later to help clean up!

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Make friends!

WordCamps are very friendly and inviting spaces by design. Pre-printed name badges are commonly provided, so use this opportunity to meet new people.

WordCamp attendees vary greatly: from business owners to bloggers, programmers and designers, from your local area, nearby towns, and sometimes states and countries away. A common business cliche is that the best time to network is when you do not need work and this is absolutely true. I make it a goal to never leave a WordCamp without having met and exchanged contact info with at least three new people. As a result, I have a healthy and diverse network of WordPress users, experts, and participants.

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Are you unsure of when your next WordCamp is? Or, maybe you’re interested in taking a “workcation” at a different place. Have a look at the WordCamp Central website and begin planning your next WordCamp today.

And if you see me at a WordCamp, don’t hesitate to say hello!

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The post Going to Your First WordCamp? Here’s What You Need To Know! appeared first on WebDevStudios.

One of the results of Russ’ role is that he is very passionate about educating others on the importance of keeping WordPress websites updated. In fact, he spoke on the topic last year at WordCamp San Diego. You can watch his talk below. He addresses specifically the many ways a website owner can keep a network of WordPress websites updated. There’s no reason to be complacent when there are plenty of things you can do to keep all your sites current.

If you’re interested in watching more WordCamp talks, visit WordPress.tv. Find out which WordCamp events we will be attending by visiting our WDS Gives Back page. If you see us at an event, don’t be afraid to say hi!

The post The Many Ways to Updating Your WordPress Sites appeared first on WebDevStudios.

Congratulations! Today is your day.
You’re off to create Child Themes! You’re off and away!

You have brains in your head. You have nothing to lose.
You can pick a WordPress theme any style it up how you choose.

You’re on your own. And you know what you know.
And this session will help you decide where to go.

You’ll look at many designs and layouts. Look ’em over with care.
About some you will say, “I don’t choose to go there.”

With your head full of brains and poetic code oh-so-sweet,
you’re too smart to go down any not-so-good street.

And you may not find any Themes you want to bring down.
In that case, of course, you’ll just straight code your own.

Watch the video of Lisa’s session below. It takes you through the basics of creating Child Themes based off an existing theme in order to customize a theme to your liking, without having to code or develop the whole kit and kaboodle. Child Themes are a timesaver and a great way to learn about WordPress Themeing.

Want to see more tutorials and talks from other WordCamp events? Visit WordPress.tv. To find out which WordCamps you can connect with WebDevStudios, visit our WDS Gives Back page. We list the events we’re attending there.

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