Beware of the Marketing Trap
I’m one of those heretics who believes that selling is much more important than marketing. Why? Because, a few years ago, I fell into the marketing trap, and my business almost failed as a result.
What was I doing? Well, I spent a lot of time going to various networking groups, and just didn’t find that many viable clients. What I found were a lot of other people looking for (you guessed it) clients for their own businesses.
I also did a lot of direct mail marketing, and lookie-lookie! It worked wonderfully. For a while. Then I noticed that the people on my carefully crafted mailing list had become immune to my oh-so-stylishly designed and cleverly written postcards.
I might as well confess to all the time I spent on getting those postcards ju-u-ust right. Not just the Photoshop and Illustrator time, but the time spent in running them by other people. Carefully crafting that mailing list ate some hours too.
How to Stick Out and Get Clients to Remember You
We are a stimulated society. Our senses are tested thousands of times over daily. From the city that never sleeps smelling like syrup to the ever-evolving way our eyes are inundated with advertisements, we have both people and things vying for our attention.
What makes you stand out in a client or potential client’s mind? Is it the quality of your work? The color of your hair? Or maybe the firmness of your handshake?
All of these, and so much more, could be things that can make or break deals for you.
Marketing: Necessary Must-Do or Selfish Plea for Attention?
I recently saw a question posted from a new author who said that he feels that marketing oneself is “rude and presumptuous.” Is it? Or is it a necessary task to succeed as a creative freelancer?
I understand that so many creative people feel timid or rude for promoting themselves. But let me tell you the truth: If you want to be in business and make your creative talents profitable, marketing is a must. Some creatives I know are just making things for the sake of creation, so marketing isn’t necessary. But in this case—trying to sell a book—marketing is vital.
I know because I’ve done it. I’ve published two books, Creatively Self-Employed: How Writers and Artists Deal with Ups and Downs and Ramen Noodles, Rent and Resumes: An After-College Guide to Life. The first book was self-published, so I had to do all the PR. Lucky for me, I have a background in journalism, so I at least knew how to craft press releases.
Don’t Rely on One Client: 5 Ways to Avoid Trouble
During my first year of freelancing, I relied on one client for my bread and butter. When that client gave me a week’s notice that they no longer needed my services, I felt like I was up a certain creek. Over the years, I’ve had the problems with relying on just one or two clients hammered in. If there’s even a minimal problem with the one client taking up all of a freelancer’s time, that freelancer might not be making rent next month.
But there are ways to move from relying on one or two clients — just like there are ways to move from a full-time job — that can wind up making your freelance business more successful in the long run.
How to Make Your Portfolio Work for You
Clients can sometimes be nervous or hesitant about purchasing freelance services. Most of the time, freelancers (whether they are writers, designers, or something else entirely) won’t have a tangible product to sell, so it’s difficult to show clients what they’re paying for up front. This can provoke a lot of remarks from clients such as, “You design the logo for me and if I like it, I’ll pay for it,” or “Can I tell you if we plan to purchase the press release you write after we see it?”
I’ve found that to make clients feel more secure about purchasing services and to avoid spec work requests, a well put-together portfolio is key. People like to interact with portfolio pieces and feel the paper, see how an item folds, etc. If freelancers can use more than one of the five senses to show work to clients, it becomes a little more interactive, engaging and interesting.
The Four Flavors of “No” & How to Deal With Them
We’ve all heard it when we’re seeking new business. No.
It’s a short but discouraging word. One that will make you feel like crawling back into bed and pulling the covers over your head.
But, before you do that, come with me to the FreelanceSwitch Test Kitchen. We’re going taste the Four Flavors of “No.”
1. No way, go away! Might as well get the harshest, bitterest taste out of the way first. This is the “No” that is sometimes delivered with a hostile tone. As in, you’d be a fool to ever contact this person again.
What to Do When Clients Don’t Like Your Work
I wrote a post recently about my logo design process and thought there was no better way to illustrate it than with an actual client piece (check it out here). The client I chose to use as an example didn’t end upusing one of my logo options, however, I did end up with some work I was very proud of and still use in my portfolio today.
Reading through the comments after the article was published, many readers wanted to know what happened next; was I compensated for my time? Did I end up creating a different logo for the client? Did I do any other work for this individual? Never had it really occurred to me to continue writing about what to do when the client rejects the work. Thankfully, I’ve only had to deal with this twice in my career. Here’s when and how I end a client relationship.
How to Win Clients with Time-Tested Sales Techniques
I would never call myself a salesman. The word brings to mind a host of stereotypical, manipulative, sleazy jerks I’ve encountered who have very transparently tried to pad their wallets through coercive tricks. I have, however, worked some sales jobs over the years (reluctantly) and each provided lots of sales training, tips and tricks. Frankly I hated it, but when I left the world of sales to pursue a creative career I was surprised to find that my sales training comes into constant use when dealing with clients.
Questions & Answers: How to Describe What You Do
When it comes to the questions we’re asked, “What do you do?” is at the top of the list. There are times when the answer is best delivered in the form of a catchy little “elevator speech.”
And then there are times when a longer answer is needed.
For example, a prospect may be visiting your website. Although he loves your site’s design and the pieces in your portfolio, he just can’t figure out what you do. So he clickety-hops away, never to be seen again.
Although they seem to be an anathema to many designers, photographers, and other visual types, nothing beats words when it comes to explaining what you do. I like the Question/Answer format that’s commonly used on website FAQ pages. It’s simple, direct, and easily customizable. Continue Reading
Getting Through Freelance Rejection
The new year is always a good time to reflect upon your business practices of the previous year. Did you perform as well as you’d hoped as a freelancer? Or did you get rejected more often than you were expecting?
When you’re turned down for a freelance gig, how does it make you feel? It stings, right? Even when you have a few years of experience. It’s tough enough being a lonely freelancer, tougher still being rejected for a gig you were hoping for – or worse, counting on.
Product Review – GetSignOff
For most designers it is pretty rare that your first design will be a complete hit with your client. More often than not your initial design is going to undergo several revisions before you arrive at final version that your client can sign-off on.
That means that you and client will be going back and forth with suggestions, changes, and tweaks; and typically this will all be done via email. But what if there was a better way?
Gaining an Edge in Tough Economic Times
With economic conditions rather on the grim side, it makes sense to look for ways to distinguish yourself from the competition, to strengthen your appeal to existing and potential clients. This goes beyond just a general increase in marketing activity. It is a matter of enhancing your value to your customers, of showing them how doing business with you can stretch their tight budgets a little farther.
Most freelancers can add value to the services they offer by tapping an area of expertise they may not realize they have. The fact is that as you work with clients and complete projects, you become more and more knowledgeable about the world your client contacts live in: their constraints, their needs, their preferences, their goals, their habits, their procedures, their biases and assumptions about working with people just like you.
