Qualifying clients isn’t easy… But luckily I just recently revamped my process for selecting clients. Revamp as in, actually having one instead of winging it or hoping that the phone doesn’t ring. My problem was, that when it came to dealing with established clients, I was fine. But when someone emailed me or called me out of the blue, asking about my services, I had no idea what I was doing. I froze up. Finally…
You’ve heard the terms thrown around a lot. Branding. Logos. Identity. What do they all mean? How do they differ? Does their order matter? And if so, which came first, the chicken or the egg? In this 3 part miniseries, I will detail each of these “steps” and explain their differences, their importance, and meaning of each. This week, allow me to introduce Step 1: Branding. Step 1) Branding: the emotional perception or idea…
Today it seems that designers are a dime a dozen; anyone with a computer and a copy of Photoshop considers themselves a bona fide graphic designer. How can you possibly tell who’s good and who’s not? Simple, just ask yourself these 10 burning questions before hiring one. (And designers, double check that you can pass these benchmarks as well.) 1. How strong is their portfolio? This is paramount, because at the end of the…
Not so long ago, I had a commenter ask me a tough question: how do I find clients? Especially in a weak economy. Fierce competition doesn’t help either. I know for myself, clients and projects wax and wane, but I’ve been very fortunate to establish some pretty loyal clients early on in my career. The question is, how can you do this too? You’ve probably heard the suggestions I’m about to offer before. They’re not…
Hint: it’s not what you think. What’s the biggest mistake your business could be making during a recession? Drum roll, please… Cutting back on marketing dollars. It’s true. The best time to spend more, not less, on marketing and advertising is when the economy is down. Fortunately for you, not many people are aware of this fact. Here are a few reasons why this secret is true and why you should utilize it to your…
I’ll give you a hint: saving money’s involved. Hiring any kind of professional to do work for you can be a big investment of time, energy, and of course, money. So it follows that you would want to make the best possible decision when choosing someone to design your new logo or business card. Many people are understandably anxious about hiring a freelance Graphic Designer over a design agency, but the odds are definitely in…
(*Unless you want to be mediocre, in which case, I can’t help you) Is your business awesome? Amazing? Stellar? Of course it is, but the real question is…are your customers aware of this fact? If the answer is yes, then you can stop reading right here. But if the answer is no, or you’re not sure, then you’ve come to the right place, because that’s what I’m here to do…to help make sure everyone knows…
