Category : Business

in Business, Clients, Freelancing, Video Posts

Episode 14 – Where Does Customer Service End?

I’m all about customer service. I have kind of taken on the Zappos philosophy when it comes to that area. I constantly go above an beyond to help my customers out. Rather than just give them design advice, I also help them with their business and marketing for free. I’m around to answer any of their questions five days a week and sometimes on the weekends. I make small changes to the site for free and a lot of other things that I could easily charge for.

Normally this isn’t a problem. But, it got me thinking, where does this sort of customer service stop?

Obviously major design and development things are going to cost the client extra. I guess more of what I am questioning is the back and forth changes? The little things that add up fast and make me feel like I’m being taken advantage of.

If, like me, you do all these sort of little things for free, when do you say that you will have to start charging for them? Better yet, how do you explain to your client that you’ll have to start charging them for it after doing it for free for so long?

Obviously you can setup guidelines in the contract, but I don’t like being restricted like that. I guess it’s just a slippery slope either way you look at it if you want to do business this way. That said, I have found that by doing business this way I have been getting a lot more repeat work from clients. Even before I finish one project for them They ask me to start on another one for them.

So, I guess there is something to be said about this business model.

in Clients, Video Posts

Episode 13 – Screencasting for Communication

My buddies over at 45 Royale worked on a project called Screenr. Basiclly, Screenr is a online screencasting tool that allows you to sign up with just your Twitter account. You can then create five minute long screencasts and share them on Twitter or just use the permalink created to share with others.

I’ll admit, at first I wasn’t very impressed with Screenr. Not because it wasn’t usable or functional, but because I didn’t really see the point in creating screencasts to share on Twitter.

My love for screencasting came one day when I had a client who was new to WordPress and wasn’t very internet savvy. After a handful of support calls that were very basic WordPress functions, I decided to create a simple screen cast for the client. The screencast walked the client through how to use the theme specific features as well as some basic WordPress functions.

I have not had a support request from that client since then.

Normally I used to walk clients through how the theme worked over the phone. They would write notes and learn how things worked. No doubt they would forget much of what we went over on the phone as soon as we hung up. The beauty of these screencasts is that they have them to view any time. So, if a month after they have tweeked their theme they decide they want to change something; rather than call me, they can check the screencast first.

I also use these screencasts to talk to my developers and explain to them how I think the theme should work or what some parts of the design may be. I’ll share one of these videos below in case you are interested in seeing it.

in Business, Clients, Video Posts

Punks Not Dead, But Your Portfolio Is

Talking Shop – Episode 12

Like it or not, the age old bit of Kevin Costner wisdom, “if you build it, they will come”, couldn’t be more untrue for the designers portfolio site. Hoping that a potential client finds your needle in a haystack portfolio site out of the clear blue is idiotic at best. Obviously, some good SEO and online advertising can help, but that’s still far from a good start.

So, how can you resurrect your dying portfolio website?

You don’t.

That’s right, you don’t.

Rather than trying to give life to a dying breed, why not create your own superhuman soldiers to find clients for you? And by superhuman soldiers I totally mean join design oriented social networks.

Why Join Design Networks

The better question here is why wouldn’t you join these design oriented social networks? By not joining social sites like Behance, Flickr, and DeviantArt you are cutting back the number of potential clients that could see your work by over 50% or more. OK, so I made that number up, but I’m sure its more than accurate.

By showcasing your work on all of these other social sites, you are increasing your chances for clients to see your work and in turn, contact you for paying work. Even posting your work on stock sites is a way for clients to to find you. I have hired several designers and illustrators over the years that I have found through stock sites. This is not an uncommon way for clients to find designers. It happens all the time.

Your Thoughts?

What do you think about all this? Im sure many of you would like to share your two cents and I encourage you to do so. I also encourage you to share the social sites that you are a part of. Feel free to add links!

in Business, Clients, Video Posts

Episode 11 – Your Clients are Idiots

I know we have all had our fair share of clients who are just complete idiots when it comes to design, technology, or both. Some people just don’t understand good design or development, but other are just dumb. Regardless of how dumb they are, we shouldn’t treat them as such.

This is especially true when talking to new clients.

Treating your client as an equal is going to get you a lot further than treating them like you are the almighty design god. I can’t begin to describe how much of a difference being personal and straight with your client makes. But, I’m sure you have had an experience in the past where you worked with a service provider, maybe a CPA or banker, who just made you feel really good about working with them.

Thats what I’m talking about.

Treat all your clients, new or old, with that respect. If you don’t, you can kiss your clients goodbye. They will remember that attitude, and probably tell others about it. Take this post as a prime example. It was sparked by a call I made to a potential CPA I wanted to work with. From the minute he picked up the phone he seemed annoyed that an idiot such as myself would even bother to call him. I was so annoyed with the way he was treating me that i almost hung up on him in mid sentence.

Later that week I talked to a nice young lady who was nothing but nice and helpful from the moment I started talking to her.

Guess which one got my business?

in Business, Clients, Freelancing, Podcast, Video Posts

Talking Shop – Episode 10 – Feeling Out Clients

I know we all tend to have the same exact workflow with every client we work with. It only makes sense. I mean, if something works well, why do it any differently? Well, what if by doing it differently you could actually do it better? That’s what today’s video is about.

I have been exploring ways to make my WordPress Designers more about the client and less about me as a designer. In exploring for ways to make this happen I began to wonder what it would be like if I tried changing up my design workflow to be more client friendly.

Basically, what I did was talk to the client several times until I felt I had a pretty good idea of how the client liked to do things. For example, was he going to be a very hands on client, or was just going to be happy with anything I did? Did he seem like he had a very specific idea in mind or was he unsure of what he want exactly?

It seemed to me that if I adjusted my workflow to better suit the type of client that I was working with the benefits would be plentiful. By adjusting my workflow to fit the client, I would have less headaches (maybe), eliminate wasted time on design and development, give the client a more personalized experience, let the client feel more involved, and most importantly; the ability to build n even stronger relationship with the client.

in Business

Land a Job at a Top Web Design Agency

Many job seekers do not always know where to start when looking for an entry level job at a top design firm. Before you start pounding the pavement with your portfolio, review these important steps:

Take Inventory

Writing down some preliminary notes about yourself will help you prepare for the job search process by providing you a mental foundation to launch your search.

First, review your resume.
If you did not get a college or trade school degree with a design major, did you take web design classes? If so, include those in your resume. Also include hands-on design experience, technical web design skills, and any special design workshops/conferences that you attended. Remember, a college education is not necessary to land a design job—so it is useful to point out all the other related training you have received.

Your resume is also another chance to show off your design skills. Your resume should not only include all the pertinent information, it should reflect your style as a designer as well by using good typography and spacing.

Write down your strengths and weaknesses.
Explain how these may affect your chosen career path. For example, one of your strengths could be the ability to learn new things very quickly. This may mean that although your specialty is in web design, given a little bit of training, you can tackle print graphic design projects just as well.

Make another list.
This one will describes your design style. How would you describe it? Do you like simple, clean lines? Are you good at adding lots of bells and whistles to a website and making it work well?

top-design-agencies

Prepare Your Portfolio

When preparing your portfolio, pick out your best work. Include the work you are most proud of and can talk about confidently and intelligently. Most people remember only the first and last of a sequence, so organize your entries accordingly.

Show a breadth of talent in your portfolio as well. You might want to show off one project where you were able to pull off lots of technical additions to a website, one that shows your ability to create an e-commerce site, and one that shows your ability to keep it simple with beautiful and clean lines. The portfolio should reflect your work as a designer so pick the pieces that really represent your talent and creativity.

Contact Design Firms

There are several avenues for finding job opportunities in the web design field, but the most important is networking. Most design firms admit that their jobs are often filled through word-of-mouth. This means that you need to let as many people as possible know that you are a talented web designer available for an entry level position.

Use job placement services.
If you have access to school job placement services, that’s a great place to start. The career counselor on staff might also have leads that have not yet been entered into the job database so it’s always beneficial to have a chat with him or her when you go in.

Try alumni lists.
Sign up for your school’s alumni list. Alumni services often keep searchable lists of alumni who work in certain fields or at certain companies. Reach out to alumni who either are working in your desired career field or at your preferred design firms and discuss your interest with them. This could open the door to an informational interview or more.

Contact top design firms.
Make a list of all the top design firms you would like to work for and find their contact information. Send a copy of your portfolio, resume, and brief introductory cover letter to someone in the hiring department of the firm. Call the firm and ask who you should address your materials to—never send it to “HR” or address anything to “Sir or Madam”. If you know someone personally at the firm, ask that person to hand in your materials for you so that it gets special attention.

Do some social networking.
If you participate in social/career networking sites like Linked-In, try to find someone who is connected to that design firm. If you can, make contact and ask if you can call or email and discuss your interest with them. Remember, your goal is to let people at your preferred design firm know that you are a potential candidate for any entry level position they may have open.

Check the big job databases and the niche design ones like Creative Hot List. It never hurts.

Prepare for the Interview

Design firms not only look at the strength of your portfolio and web design skills, they are also looking at other factors. It’s important that a good attitude and a pleasant personality come across during your interview. Here are some tips for interview day:

1) Pay attention during the interview! Just because this is a creative position, it does not mean that candidates should take the interview process any less seriously. You still need to represent yourself as a professional who knows how to respect clients and work well with others.

2) Sharpen your communication skills. Practice talking about your portfolio, work or school experience, etc. Employers want to know that you can articulate your concepts just as well as you can create them.

3) Convey your ability to be flexible. As a web designer, you will likely come across all kinds of clients and types of projects. The firm will want employees who can wear different design hats depending on the client’s needs.

4) Communicate your desire to grow and learn as a designer. You are applying for an entry level job so be humble when it comes to the chance to learn alongside some seasoned designers!

Finding an entry level job in any field can be a challenge, but the hard work placed into the job search will be worth it when you find yourself starting a career doing something you enjoy.