Inside the Marketing Mind | Marketing and self promotion ideas and tips

Doing the Facebook Fandango

2009-07-09T10:01:00.000-04:00

I was very active on a particular graphic design forum for many years. About a year or so ago, I was busy with this and that and didn’t check in as often as usual. Then I started to notice that others seemed to be dropping off, too. “Hmmmm,” me thinks, “Where’d everybody go?” It didn’t take too long to find them all hanging out on Facebook.

I had set up a Facebook account a while back at the request of a friend who felt I needed to be on it. Frankly, I didn’t pay too much attention. My ears perked up, though, when all the forum folk started showing up and the name, “Facebook,” was popping up all over the place. My ears perked up more when I read the following:

"According to a recent study by Aberdeen Group, top companies are using social-networking sites like Facebook to achieve improved interaction with customers. The study revealed that companies that use social-networking websites are 17 times more likely to improve customer satisfaction than companies that don’t use the sites."

Source: Using Facebook for Business Networking By Kevin Gaul

Here’re some other interesting factoids to know and tell, straight from the mouth of Facebook:

More than 200 million active users
More than 100 million users log on to Facebook at least once each day
More than two-thirds of Facebook users are outside of college
The fastest growing demographic is those 35 years old and older
More than 1 billion pieces of content (web links, news stories, blog posts, notes, photos, etc.) shared each week
More than 5 billion minutes are spent on Facebook each day (worldwide)
People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are almost 50% more active on Facebook than non-mobile users

Why ... why I do believe this Facebook thing deserves further deliberation, thought, study, scrutiny, observation and whatever other words I can find in my handy thesaurus. It also likely deserves some action if you’re not already onboard. But, odds are, if you’re reading this, you’re already facebooking (I’m not sure if that’s a word, but, hey, it works).

Like Twitter and social networking in general, the peeps need to know the lingo. I won’t bore you with a list of Facebook terminology. I found a blog post that will do it for me. Actually, it’s quite humorous. Enjoy.

Sure, Facebook is all nifty, neato and keen to keep in touch with friends and maybe even family. You can become a thoughtful type by adding birthdays and reminders, play a bunch of mindless games, share book info and more. You can even send a gift, although I’ve yet to discover why one would drop some dough on a picture of a cake or a red-eyed Terminator head. But alas, I guess it’s the thought that counts. Beyond those, Facebook apps include calendars, photo and video sharing, groups and a marketplace along a lot of others. Actually, thousands when you start poking around. There are also loads and loads of Groups for every intriguing interest.

Facebook for business is a little different story ... and a different name. People have profiles. Groups have members. Businesses have Pages. Pages have fans. Facebook is a great vehicle to keep in touch with those fans and provide some useful content for them to digest. You can also buy ads (similar to Google Adwords), promote events, engage your fans in discussions and also integrate YouTube content. Plus, Pages allow you to have multiple administrators to share the love ... and the maintenance workload.

The fine folks over at HubSpot have an excellent resource for businesses seeking to leverage the power of Facebook – The Facebook for Business Marketing Kit. Yup, the name kind of says it all.

Facebook, like other social networking sites, is all about building and nurturing relationships. A strategy for Facebook is much the same as I wrote in my previous Twitter entry. The trick is to give things some thought and have a strategy. That will help ensure you don’t go on a Facebook binge.

Jumping On The Twitter Bandwagon

2009-07-06T12:09:00.003-04:00

I jumped on the Twitter bandwagon just a few months ago. Like many, I didn’t get it. I didn’t really care that so and so was eating a ham sandwich or that what’s his name was watching this or that on television. But, as I followed more folks, I came to see some real value to help keep one on the radar screen.

With something along the lines of five to ten thousand people joining Twitter each day, there’s a lot of opportunity to get the word out, learn some new, useful stuff and meet some interesting folks as well. Plus, Twitter can give you pretty easy access to high-profile people in or out of your current marketing arena. It a great way to connect on a personal audience with a larger audience to share thoughts, ideas and resources. Also, you can post tweets from your mobile phone.

Before you take the plunge, it’s a good idea to poke around and get a feel for things. You’ll want to get a handle on tweetspeak too. Here’s a link on Mashable to get you started. They also cover 99 Essential Twitter Tools and Applications.

At first, I tweeted from Firefox using Twitter’s plain ‘old interface. Then I tried Power Twitter. Neither one really yanked my chains. Then I discovered TweetDeck. TweetDeck lets you post and reply to tweets, retweet, conduct searches, filter tweets, create groups and more. Swell stuff. It’s an Adobe AIR desktop app and really enhanced the whole Twitter experience for me. Here’s a good tutorial for getting up to speed with TweetDeck.

As with all things marketing, it’s good to have a plan and a strategy. Give some thought as to what you’re trying to accomplish. Perhaps it’s to connect with some movers and shakers in your industry and niche. Your goal might be a speedy way to communicate new offers or services. Lots of tweeples use Twitter as p.r. distribution vehicle by sharing links to their articles, news releases, events, etc. For others, it’s simply a way to keep their visibility up by tweeting and retweeting links to useful stuff for their followers.

Speaking of followers, it’s important to remember that Twitter isn’t about sheer numbers. It’s more a quality than quantity thing. It’s also not about direct selling. People tend to find that annoying. Consider it a marketing tool, not a sales too. They’re different things.

As I mentioned, I’m still a Twitter newbie. Here are my plans:

Identify movers and shakers and follow them.
Follow friends, business associates, clients, colleagues, writers & reporters
Check out who they’re following to see if there might be some good connections.
Set up a file of useful, relevant links and resources for future tweets
Use TweetDeck to scan tweets and retweet interesting tweets (Boy, was there a lot of “tweet” in that line or what?)
Use TweetDeck to post to both Twitter and Facebook
Try to find that app that also posts tweets to LinkedIn
Use TweetLater or other app to schedule tweets for down the road
Add a link to my Twitter account in appropriate locations

Lather, rinse, repeat.

Next up – Facebook.

Are You Socially Challenged?

2009-07-02T10:06:00.003-04:00

I’ve been doing the social networking thing for a while. In the old days, (which, in Internet terms is about an hour and a half ago) that consisted of discussion groups, forums, email and blogs. Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know that important adds to that mix these days are Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn, among others. Over the next few posts, I’ll address each. Social networking/media can be a very good marketing tool. But, like other tools and tactics, you need some reachable goals and a plan to get there.

To start, a bit of data is needed. Fortunately, Michael Stelzner,
Founder of WhitePaperSource.com, has published a great report about social networking for marketers. You can download the report by clicking here. Don’t forget to subscribe to Michael’s newsletter, too. White papers can be an excellent marketing tool and Stelzner is the Big Kahuna in this area. Here are some of his top findings:

• "Top three questions marketers want answered: (1) What are the best tactics to use, (2) how to do I measure the effectiveness of social media and (3) where do I start?

• Marketers are mostly new to social media: A significant 88% of marketers surveyed are using social media to market their businesses, BUT 72% have only been doing so for a few months or less.

• How much time does this take? A significant 64% of marketers are using social media for 5 hours or more each week and 39% for 10 or more hours weekly.

• The top benefit of social media marketing: The number-one advantage is generating exposure for the business, indicated 81% of all marketers, followed by increasing traffic and building new business partnerships.

• The top social media tools: Twitter, blogs, LinkedIn and Facebook were the top four social media tools used by marketers, in that order.

• Social media tools marketers most want to learn about: Social bookmarking sites were ranked of highest interest, followed closely by Twitter."

The bottom line? If you’re not involved with social media, it’s time to get on board. Don’t feel bad though. As mention above, a whopping 72% are also just getting started with this marketing method. You’ve got to start somewhere.

For me, Facebook was the starting point. A colleague suggested I get involved. Like Twitter, my first thought after setting up an account was, “Okay, how the heck does this work?” It didn’t take too long to get a handle on it. Then came Twitter, where I thought, “Um ... yeah. I don’t get it.” Twitter seemed to be a 140 character discussion group for those with Attention Deficit Disorder. After the 2009 HOW Design Conference, I‘ve become more active and it’s making a lot more sense.

Watch for my next post where I’ll start off with the ins and outs of Twitter.

2009 HOW Design Conference Wrap Up

2009-06-29T16:26:00.003-04:00

It’s Monday. I’m back in Lauderdale after the 2009 HOW Design Conference. This was my first time speaking at HOW and, for that matter, my first time attending. It was, in a word, brilliant. The HOW staff went above and beyond to put on a memorable, educational and overall fun event in Austin.

I arrived in Austin on Wednesday. En route, I realized I had left my watch on my dresser and my mobile phone in the car. “Gee,” me thinks, “I’m off to a great start.” Fortunately, I was able to have my phone overnighted to my hotel.

I went to the Austin Convention Center directly from the airport to check in and ensure that my presentation was all in working order. I’m not real big on Powerpoint. It seems I always have font issues. So, I did up the visuals as a Flash slideshow and saved it as an swf and also as Mac and PC projectors. I also saved the native FreeHand file as a pdf, just in case. I popped the files on a CD, two flash drives and also put it on my server. Paranoid? Me, paranoid? As it turned out, I used the pdf as a full screen presentation. Flash didn’t want to play nice come the day of the show. Typical.

While I was checking things Wednesday in the Speaker Ready Room, Jonathan Gouthier, of With Creative, stopped in to check his presentation. In a case of “really, really small world,” it turned out that Jonathan knows my stepbrother and his wife. How weird is that? Given that Austin’s motto is “Keep Austin Weird,” I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised.

As I wandered aimlessly around the main floor a bit later, who should I run into but fellow speaker and friend, Toots Caboose, a.k.a. Jeff Fisher of Jeff Fisher Logomotives. I hadn’t seen Jeff in quite a while and it was good to hook up.

Next, it was time to check into the Radisson, a couple of blocks from the convention center. In a fortuitous turn of events, my room wasn’t quite ready. The desk attendant was on the phone and I overheard, “... Okay, I have you set up in a smoking room ...” Truth be told, I smoke. Yeah, yeah ... I know. But this time it worked to my favor. I said to the desk attendant, “Gee, if I had known you had smoking rooms, I would have booked one.” She said, “Oh, you’d like a smoking room? No problem. Because I forgot to ask, I’ll give you a BIG smoking room.” Such a delightful young lady. And boy, she was true to her word.

I went up to my 8th floor home for the next several days, opened the door and walked into a corner, sun-drenched suite. Sweet! It had a living room, kitchen, large bathroom and a bedroom, complete with a king size Sleep Number™ bed. It also had three two-line phones, two desks and two large screen television sets. “Yeah, this’ll work,” thinks me. As a matter of fact, I made a conscious point on Friday to sit in the living room and watch something mindless on the tube, just so I could feel like HOW got their money’s worth.

Wednesday night’s opening reception was a lot of fun and I had the opportunity to meet several great folks. I had been up since 3:30 AM and by the time I finished the day, I was so ready to crash on that comfy bed.

Thursday was presentation day. I was scheduled for 10:45 - Noon. Sadly, Von Glitschka, of Glitschka Studios, was speaking next door in the same time slot, Jonathan’s was around the corner and Peleg Top was speaking a few rooms down. I really wanted to hear all of them.

My session was titled, Consultative Selling for Graphic Designers. I figured this would be about as exciting to many designers as watching paint dry, but a topic they, and especially independents and small shops, needed to learn. I was pleasantly surprised when the room filled up.

Many, many thanks and bows at the feet of Katie Dehner, HOW's crackerjack copywriter who creates all the conference materials and, no doubt, a lot more. Katie helped me get the room set up and made sure all was well with session. She and her HOW cohorts also w0-manned the conference registration desk, answered all my silly questions and ensured I didn't get lost in the place.

Design diva, Debbie Millman, also showed up. I’m thinking, “Wow. Debbie Millman at my presentation? Who would have thought?” As it turned out, Debbie introduced me with some gracious words.

The session went well and even ran a wee bit over. But, the lunch break was next, so that worked out. I had lots of great questions from the audience after my talk.

Later that afternoon, I had the chance to catch Ilise Benun’s session, Do You Have What It Takes to be a Successful Freelancer,? along with help from her Marketing Mentor partner, Peleg Top. The session was excellent. I’d worked with Ilise on a few projects over the years, but we’d never met in the flesh before. It was great to have the chance to talk for a bit with her and Peleg.

Friday it was Behind the Scenes with Hoops & Yoyo,™ with creators, Mike Adair, Bev Carlson and Bob Holt and Logo Design from Texas to New York, by Felix Sockwell.

Later that afternoon, I couldn’t miss Jeff Fisher’s session, Why Pay for It When You Can Get It for Free? Jeff presented a great talk, as expected, covering marketing and promotion techniques, along with using social networking. The bonus was watching him speak while wearing his Toots Caboose clown nose. (Sorry, Jeff. I couldn't resist adding the image)

Friday evening was all about the BBQ. I joined Karen Larson, of Larson Mirek Design, Jeni Herberger, of Jeni Herberger Creative Concepts and Big Fish, Steve Gordan, of RDQLUS Creative and, of course, the always delightful Mr. Fisher at Iron Works BBQ. Great food and conversation.

Saturday, I listened to Wayne Geyer’s, Write More Good: Copywriting for Visual Thinkers. It was a thought-provoking session and I learned a lot. That was follow by a stellar closing keynote address by World Studios,’ Mark Randell, titled Design Ignites Change.

Sadly, the conference was at a close. Jeff and I hooked up for lunch and shared a taxi to the airport. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport seemed like HOW: Part Two with HOWies scurrying hither and yon.

All in all, it was an excellent experience. If you get the chance, try to swing over to Denver for next year’s conference. You’ll be glad you did.

See you in Austin!

2009-06-05T13:25:00.001-04:00

These days, it’s more important than ever to stand out from the competition and make the most of your skills. Invest in yourself today by signing up for the HOW Design Conference in Austin, Texas, June 24-27—where I’ll be speaking this year.

Whether you work in-house or at an agency, freelance or run your own business, the HOW Conference has sessions targeted directly to your particular business and career situation.

Tailor your program to fit your needs by choosing from more than 60 sessions on:

Getting the most out of your software, from Photoshop and InDesign to After Effects and Flash
Finding inspiration and transforming it into creative design solutions
Negotiating like a pro to get what you want at work
And more

Can’t make it for the whole Conference? Take advantage of daily and individual session options.

Make a wise investment this year—head to Austin June 24-27 for the 2009 HOW Design Conference. Visit HOWconference.com to find out more about sessions, special activities, pre-Conference workshops and more.

See you in Austin!

Score Big With SCORE®

2009-05-14T09:45:00.003-04:00

Maybe you’ve been in business for a while. Perhaps you’re one of many who, for whatever reason (read: laid off), have found yourself in the position of needing to go into business. Or, perchance, you fall somewhere in between, freelancing here and there with visions of opening your own shop down the road.

It’s no secret that business is challenging. You’re likely are good at that thing you do, but running a successful business is more ... much more ... than just producing your product or service. You also have to deal with foreign things like financial statements, budgeting, financing, insurances, licenses, taxes, marketing and sales, to name a few.

Whatever your situation, you can hear that big, scary 800 pound gorilla outside your door trying to knock down that shingle with your name on it.

Sure, you can dig deep into your pockets and buy the knowledge and information you need. But that gets expensive really quick when it comes to consultants and even employees. Here’s a better idea, and in true Marketing Mind form, it’s free – tap into SCORE®.

SCORE, Counselors to America's Small Business, is (from their site) “... a nonprofit association dedicated to educating entrepreneurs and the formation, growth and success of small business nationwide. SCORE is a resource partner with the U.S. Small Business Administration. (SBA).” The organization provides a wealth of useful information on their site to set you on the straight and narrow path to success.

Aside from their incredibly helpful site and national resources, SCORE really shines at its local level. There are 370 chapters throughout the United States and its territories, with 11,200 volunteers nationwide. Volunteers are the beating heart of SCORE and they are both working and retired executives and business owners who donate their time and expertise as business counselors. How handy is that?

Through one-on-one, confidential counseling, SCORE counselors can help you draft a business and/or marketing plan, make sense out of all those numbers staring you in the face every day, provide financing ideas and more. When you consider that business consultants can cost you anywhere from $100 – $500 per hour, SCORE starts to make a whole lot of sense.

Counseling can simply be one meeting to ask a few questions, or several sessions, even years if needed, to hammer out the big picture for your business or business idea. Plus, with the wide variety of talent, skills and knowledge available at the chapter level, if your counselor doesn’t have the answer, odds are, they can find it or put together a team just for you.

Beyond this oh-so-nifty mentoring are SCORE workshops. Local chapters often offer free and low-cost business workshops and seminars for both start-up and in-business entrepreneurs. Workshops cover a variety of topics, from writing a business plan to importing / exporting to e-commerce, marketing, etc. Workshops also offer a chance to network with local, small business owners.

Here’s a list of a few of the workshops our chapter has recently presented:

Introduction to Business
Developing a Dynamic Business Plan
Internet Marketing for Small Business
Trading Area Promotions
The Secrets of Customer Service

In days gone by, SCORE was known as the Service Corp of Retired Executives. For some, that moniker may conjure up visions of a bunch of out-of-touch former suits who aren’t up on what’s happening in business today. Not so. In fact, really, really not so. SCORE is on the technological forefront. Sure, they have a site. Who doesn’t these days? But they also offer online counseling. That comes in handy for the hermits among us and people who otherwise don’t or can’t get out much. SCORE also produces podcasts, e-newsletters, has a presence on Twitter and Facebook and other social networking media. In addition, they offer a myriad of online courses to help get you in the know.

So, at the end of the day, when that 800 pound gorilla comes a knockin,’ fire up your browser or pick up the phone and contact SCORE. You’ll be glad you did.

The Cycle of the Sale

2009-04-21T08:47:00.003-04:00

Since sales is probably the one business function that most of us would prefer to steer around, or completely ignore, I thought it might be good to visit. So, put on your favorite pair of checker slacks and that stunning plaid jacket - we're goin' sellin.'

Selling services are different that selling a tangible product. With product sales, the prospect looks it over, compares features and benefits, compares competitive prices, etc. In days gone by, people would visit several stores before making their buying decision. Now days, they compare products and prices on the Net, often long before they ever step into a store or showroom. With service sales, the "product" is intangible during the sales cycle. That's one reason why the sales cycle (going from first contact to signing on the dotted line) can be 6 - 8 months or, often, longer. To keep yourself afloat, you'll need to have several irons in the fire at various points in the cycle. Some will close sooner, some later and some not at all.

Typically, there are three phases of the cycle: making contact; building the relationship and, finally, closing the sale. Let's take a look at each.

Making Contact
There's several articles across the Web (and on this blog) that talk about self-promotion and marketing tactics and techniques - all the fun ways to get the word out. None the less, it's always good to have a reminder. Here are some of the typical methods:

Networking events such as ad clubs, chambers of commerce, trade shows, clubs & organizations.
Direct Mail such as postcards, sales letters, printed samples, brochures, 3-dimensional pieces
Cold/warm phone calls
Speaking engagements such as seminars, lectures or talks and workshops to a targeted audience
Press releases
Writing articles
Online prospecting
Working on charitable events and programs
Award competitions
Skywriting above your prospect's place of business (Okay ... that's a wee bit extreme).
Asking for referrals from business contacts, friends and family
And of course, your Website, blog and social media of choice such as LinkedIn, Biznik, Twitter, Facebook, etc.

The idea during this phase is to actively be working several methods to get your name around, known and remembered. You want to meet people. But, not just anybody. Ideally, you want to meet and qualify folks who need what you provide and have the dough to pay for it. Plus, it's a good idea if they also offer the potential for repeat business.

Find those techniques that fit your style and personality. Shoot for at least three to five activities each day. If you plan well it won't take too much time. Maybe you make a few phone calls, attend a chamber breakfast, shoot off an intro letter with a few printed samples one day. Then, on the next, you give a talk at the local Rotary Club, attend a Board meeting at a nonprofit and crank out some emails to current clients and friends reminding them that you're always on the lookout for referrals.

If you're diligent, you'll meet several new people who just might become clients. But, to do that, you'll need to build a relationship with them.

Building the Relationship
Building a business relationship is like building a personal one, so don't sweat it. Unless you're a total hermit, you've already got the experience you need. Just like with a significant other, you need to show up. What I mean is to be available. Listen. Learn and remember what's important to them and help out where you can. Timing is the trick. You don't want to come off like a stalker or pain in the hind quarter.

Here are some methods

Take notes during your conversations.
Find out their spouse's and kids' names. Who's their boss? What are the challenges they face in their job and industry? Who are their key competitors? What kind of hobbies do the enjoy? Look around their office if you've gotten that far. What's on the walls? Any nick nacks and perhaps a paddy whack or two?
Pop all this info into your handy contact manager (you've have one, right?) and set it up to alert you on important days.
Be sure to ask how their family members are doing.
Send out cards for birthdays, special achievements, etc.
Send a handwritten thank-you note when appropriate
Take them to lunch, dinner or a special event
Forward articles of interest, special deals you may hear about, special events (Like that club meeting where you'll be speaking. What a coincidence!)
If they've mentioned a problem or challenge they're having, and you know the answer, for goodness sake, tell them. Don't go too far with this, though. You can easily cut into your billable potential if your answers to their woes are the services you sell. Think of it as sampling and whetting their appetite for more.

The point is to become a resource and someone who is looking out for them. It's very important that this be true and authentic. People can usually spot a thrower of baloney. Have some integrity. Integrity, by the way, is rooted in the word, "integrate." That means what you believe on the inside is what you do on the outside. That's one reason why it's good to find prospects you like as people. Hopefully, you'll be spending a lot of time with them working on that big project. But first, you've got to close the sale.

Closing the Sale
The day finally comes. Mr. Marketing Manager gives you a call and asks you to submit a proposal for Da Big Project. You set up a meeting to go over the specs, at which time Mr. Manager clues you in that you'll be competing against three other groups. You're still not as "in like Flint" as you may have thought. You've still got one big hurdle to jump. You also learn you'll be presenting to a couple of VPs and the CEO, along with your buddy, Mr. Manager.

After the meeting, you get to work and begin to craft your perfect proposal and plan your presentation. You review the company again, its products, its competitor and audience. You go through the project goals and draft some delicious prose showing how you're going to meet them with your brilliant work.

Judgment Day comes and you make your pitch, showing what needs to be done and why your the right solution for the project. You ask for the sale. You're in good shape from all you learned during the relationship building process. You have an edge over the other groups who were called in cold. Your presentation is dead on-target. They give you a standing ovation, sign on the dotted line and write you a deposit check on the spot. The planets align and rainbows appear in the sky. You've closed the deal - all because you're the one who took the time to make the best use of the sales cycle.

Size Matters

2009-03-18T09:01:00.002-04:00

In marketing, targeting is simply taking careful aim. It’s about knowing and understanding your best prospects. Who are they (ideally, by name and title)? What is their business and industry all about? What makes them tick? What are their buttons and what can you do to push the right ones?

When it comes to targeting your market, in most cases, size does matter. It matters for a couple of reasons. First, you’ll need a market that’s large enough to have an ample supply of prospects. Second, within that target, you’ll want aim for companies that are large enough to need a bunch of what you do.

Without enough prospects in your selected target market, sales can be tough. Competition gets stiffer. You run the risk of having one key client representing 25%, 30% or more of your revenue. That’s a very dangerous place to be. If something happens and, for whatever reason, you lose that client, you’re up the proverbial creek, sans paddle.

If you live and work in a smaller market area with few local prospects, you’re going to need to consider branching out. Tap into the largest city near you. Get aggressive on the Net. Become active in a few clubs and associations. Consider budgeting some money for sales trips. That is likely to mean putting some dough aside from a decent gig to hit the road.

If there are a good number of prospects, but they’re all small companies, you find yourself with a constant stream of “one off” gigs – one-time shots or once a year deals. That means you’ll need to spend significantly more time, and also money, marketing and promoting your business. That might be fine for you. I know a lot of creatives who do just that. But, if you’re like most of the folks I’ve worked with on their marketing, you’d rather be designing, shooting, writing or whatever than spending most of your time on the phone, networking and generally schmoozing it up looking for your next meal ticket.

Focusing on larger companies can be more effective in the not too long run. Sure, the sales cycle is longer, but the rewards are worth it. Larger companies often have a steady stream of projects with bigger budgets. They usually have a better understanding of working with outside resources. And, frankly, some notable names on the client roster can help landing some more down the road.

Even after you land some larger clients, it’s important not to rest on your laurels. Marketing is still critical. I believe it was Heraclitus, who said, “The only thing constant is change.” He was spot on. Continuous marketing and promotion is needed to ensure you have prospects in the pipeline. Contacts come and go. Management directions get reworked and you may find you’re not part of a client’s brave new world. It happens. Having several prospects in the hopper at various stages of the sales cycle will help you fill in the gap faster when a key client goes bye-bye.

MeetUp for Meet Ups

2009-03-06T11:13:00.002-05:00

Here’s a quickie. Looking for networking opportunities, but tired of Chamber Of Commerce business card orgies, lead groups and industry meetings where everybody does the same thing as you?

Try poking around MeetUp. MeetUp is a web-based service that helps to put like-minded folks together. These are real, live, in-the-flesh meetings. There are groups for all sorts of interests, including business. And that’s what we’ll be addressing in this post.

Fire up your browser, cruise over to MeetUp.com and pop in what you’re interested in and where. If you’re a designer, you might try an American Marketing Association, small business or similar group. A photographer might try a designer group. You get the idea. The point is finding groups where your target prospects hang out.

I do both graphic design and marketing consulting for creatives. So, it made sense for me to attend a creatives meetup. One group I found is pretty laid back and the people all seemed pretty nice. They usually put on some type of presentation and have plenty of time to hook up in a conversation or three.

Give it a shot. Odds are you’ll meet some good prospects and have fun at the same time.

Scoping Out Suspects & Prospects

2009-03-03T15:59:00.003-05:00

Before you can become a leading designer, photographer or writer with great clients and a wall full of awards, you’re going to need to scope out some suspects and prospects. A prospect, simply put, is a potential or “prospective” client. They’re in your sales loop and qualified, but haven’t yet graduated to being a paying client with loads of work for you.

Just before them in the sales and marketing food chain are “suspects.” These are the folks you think may need what you’re selling, but you haven’t confirmed that through the qualifying process. Qualifying, simply put, is the process of determining whether or not a suspect needs and buys what you have to offer and can pay for it. The process can involve much more detail, but the previous is it in a nutshell.

While I’m writing definitions, this is a good place to define marketing and sales. If you look in the newspaper want ads, odds are, you’ll see several jobs for marketing reps. In most cases, they’re not looking for a marketing rep. They’re looking for a salesperson. Marketing and sales aren’t synonyms. Marketing tasks are those activities do to warm up the sales playing field. It’s sending out a mailer or press release, writing some articles or white papers, attending networking events, along with other tools and tactics to get your name out there and become visible. Sales, on the other hand, is about face time, making calls, drafting proposals, giving presentations and ultimately closing the deal.

Speaking of making calls, contrary to popular belief, most design firm principals do make cold and warm calls. As a matter of fact, design firm consultants, Design Management Resources, did a research study a while back. They found that as much as 30% of a designer’s or firm’s business comes from cold calls and sending cold letters with a phone follow up. That’s pretty significant. If you’re not sending letters and making calls to prospects, you might just want to rethink your efforts.

Okay, I wrote all that to write this. Where the heck do you find suspects and prospects? Search engines and the Web are good places to start. Poke around and look for some growth industries or businesses that are similar to work you’ve already done. Swing over to the library and hit the reference desk. Ask them to point you to the Index Guide of Advertisers and/or the Index Guide of Advertising Agencies, if you do trade work. These hefty tomes are also called the “Red Books” and they provide a wealth of information. Others are The Million Dollar Directory and O’Dwyers Directory of P.R. Firms. There are several other directories the Reference Librarian can suggest. Over the course of an afternoon you can build a pretty decent list.

The Web also offers some helpful sites. LinkedIn.com and Biznik.com are two popular business networking sites. You put together a profile and then build your network. The idea is something like six degrees of separation. Folks you know know others who know yet more. That's a whole lot of knowing going on. In a couple of steps you can gain introductions to several suspects and prospects. Another is Jigsaw.com. It’s an online directory of business cards and pretty slick. The other day I was trying to find contact info for a prospect. They have several locations, but I couldn’t anything about their corporate office and contact info. I popped the business name into Jigsaw and bingo! It returned several key contacts at the corporate office, complete with addresses, phone numbers and even phone extensions. How handy is that? For a pretty small investment, Jigsaw can bring you some big returns. Yet another is Spoke. It’s similar to Jigsaw and they might be just the ticket for you.

Finding and contacting suspects and prospects should be part of your regular week, if not your day. Schedule in the time to do it as though it were any other project-oriented task. Because if you don’t, there aren’t going to be many projects.

Ideally, you’ll want to build a list of about 300 or more people. Sure, it takes time and effort to build that amount of contacts. Obviously, the more contacts you have, the better your odds are of landing a juicy gig. Keep in contact to ensure you’re on their radar screen. Drop them a handwritten note, a link to a pertinent article, a phone call and promo piece here and there. When the time is right, you’ll be the one at the top of their mind.

Hot Off The Press!

2009-02-24T18:44:00.008-05:00

Well, it’s not really hot ... and it’s not really off the press. It’s an e-book I’m just finishing up – Marketing Tune Up: A Turnkey Guide For Creating and Implementing Your Marketing Plan. Actually, this little tome was started a while back, but then all that life and work stuff got in the way.

Marketing Tune Up, affectionately nicknamed MTU, is a fun-to-read discourse about the ins and outs of writing, and actually putting to good use, your marketing plan. There’s nary a drivel of dry and droll marketing speak. What is contained within its pixeled pages are tried and true tactics and techniques to get your name out there, get the phone ringing and the inbox jingling. Okay ... enough with the alliteration.

This is a 75+ page beta version I’m putting out there at roughly half what it will sell for as version 2. I’d appreciate your thoughts, insights and suggestions for inclusion in the next version. If you’d like to email me some of your successful marketing activities, I’ll include them in the next version along with a credit line and a link to your site or blog.

Here are some of the topics covered in MTUv1:

Creating Your Marketing Plan:

The Components of a Marketing Plan
The Four “Ps” of Marketing
Conducting A Competitive Analysis
Conducting A SWOT Analysis
Marketing Objectives & Action Plans
Branding & Positioning
Creating A Budget
Developing Your Marketing Calendar

Working With the Tools:

Advertising
Direct Mail
The Web
Blogs
E-Newsletters
Online Forums & Discussion Groups
Search Engine Keyword Advertising
Banner Ads
Print Collateral Materials
Public Relations
Press Kits
Press & News Releases
Writing Articles
Tip Sheets
Interviews
Speaking Engagements
Seminars & Workshops
Networking
Generating Referrals
Building Buzz

Also included are a Sample Phone Script, a Sample Intro Letter, Competitive Analysis Charts, a SWOT Analysis Chart and an Hourly Rate Calculator.

You can read more about MTU here. If you’d like to cut to the chase and skip the descriptive stuff, you can use the button below to place your order.

When The Check Doesn't Come

2009-02-20T11:01:00.003-05:00

So, you landed a gig with a new client, shot off your proposal and they bought it. Yippee! The client seems nice enough, but you did have a wee bit of back and forth about the 50% up front stuff. “Ah ... it happens,” you think. Times are tough. You need the work. It’ll be a quick job so you decide to forgo the retainer and jump in. You’re thinking,“I can get this done in just a couple of days. By the time I get the half, it’ll be time to bill the rest, anyway.”

You’re slaving over a hot keyboard making sure everything’s picture perfect. Your client approved everything with only a couple of minor revisions. Now the gig’s out the door and ready for your favorite sport – billing. You fire up your accounting software du jour and whip up an invoice. Net 30. Into the envelope it goes and off on its merry way.

30 days come. 30 days go. No dough. Okay, so you decide to let it ride for a while. Every day you make the short walk to the mailbox and peer inside. Nothing ... except some more bills.

45 days come. 45 days go. Still nothing. So, you send off a very polite email reminder. No response. You’re getting a little antsy. You send off another copy of the invoice with “Past Due” stamped across the page.

60 days. 90 days. Nada. What’s a creative to do?

With good marketing comes work. With work comes billing. All too often, with billing comes your share of late payers and their evil cousin, the non-payer.

Collections is one of those tasks that creatives often shy away from. Many fear confrontation. Some are afraid of losing a client (even if they don’t want to pay). Still others are concerned about getting some negative buzz. But, collect you must, unless you happen to be independently wealthy and highly philanthropic.

There are a few ways to handle your collection activities. You can do it yourself. But, that means losing time you could spend on paying projects. You can turn it over to your attorney or hire one who specializes in collections. Or, you can turn the matter over to a collection agency.

Lawyers can be helpful, but expensive. Plus, if they’re good, they’re busy and it might take a while for them to get to your problem-at-hand. Collection agencies can creep some folks out, but they can be your best bet to get some money for your labors. Sure, there’s a fee, but it’s likely less than what an attorney would charge. Plus, getting some, or most, of your money is better than getting nothing.

Iris Salmins, V.P. Sales and Marketing at EJL and Associates, a firm that specializes in collections for creative services, says, “All collection agencies are not evil, we are helping small business people stay afloat.” She added, “If they are not paying you, they are not your client, they are your dependent.”

“Every contract should include a clause that says that if your clients don’t pay in time, they will have to pay for court costs, attorney’s fees, any other legal fees and collection agency fees,” said Salmins. Good advice.

Iris also shared the following tips when working with a collection agency.

If someone hasn’t paid you in 60 days it is time to get the account into the hands of a trusted collection agency.

Never pay anything up front. The agency should be paid only if you get the money from a client whose account you have turned over to them.

Never sign a contract with an agency that includes an exclusivity clause.

The agency should be willing to give you the name and phone numbers of three existing clients.

No amount of money should be too small or large for them to handle for you.

The management staff of the agency should have a good knowledge of your industry.

When all is said and done, collections is part of doing business. At some point we all have to face this and having a plan is place is a good idea. In the long run (and even the short one) it will help you avoid a load of aggravation and anxiety.

Features are okay. Benefits are better. But, solutions sell.

2009-02-17T10:01:00.002-05:00

All companies have problems. Sometimes they’re big. Other times they’re small. Usually, companies within industry niches have the same kinds of problems. If you can identify those problems and find an authentic solution to them you’re well on your way.

So, how and where do you start to scope out some problems? Industry association sites are a good place to start. Check out their articles, news, trends and other information they may have to offer. Odds are you’ll spot some common woes.

Often, business club and association sites will carry a membership roster. Follow some member links and check out their sites. Naturally, Google can be a great help in finding suspects for your detective work.

Many of my readers are web and communication designers. Let’s say you’re one of those. You might find that company sites are having a hard time converting visitors into buyers. They might need a better landing page and stronger call to action. Maybe there’s a lot of “me too” marketing going on with everybody saying the same thing. You just found yourself a differentiation problem.

On the heels of industry associations sites, networking offers some good opportunities. The trick here is to attend networking events that your suspects and prospects are also likely to attend. If you’re a designer, going to a design-oriented event is nice to chum around with your peers, but you’re not as likely to meet potential clients. But, going to an American Marketing Association meeting might be the ticket. Let’s say you’re a photographer. An ASMP meeting is nice, but an Art Directors’ Club or an AIGA meeting would be a better choice for meeting image buyers.

When you go to an event or meeting, listen more than you talk. That’s important. Pose some open-ended questions, not the closed variety that can be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.” For more on how to fire up a conversation and avoid being a wallflower, check Marketing Mentor’s site and blog. Ilise and Peleg have some great advice.

Another inroad is conducting a survey. SurveyMonkey.com is a good one for this. You might also consider running a poll on your site or a fax-back snail mailed version. You can gather some good information from a well thought out survey. Plus, you can offer the results in the form of a white paper or report that can be downloaded from your site in return for the recipient’s email address.

You might consider offering a complimentary consultation for a well qualified prospect. This is a form of consultative selling and it’s a great sales method for service-oriented businesses. It doesn’t make sense to do this for every suspect that comes along because you’ll be investing some time.

Do some background research to scope out the problem. Get a good handle on the company and its marketing/business environment. Develop some workable solutions and make your presentation. If the problem-at-hand is one you’ve successfully solved before, you might be able to simply work it into a conversation or email. The trick is to not show your hand. Whet their appetite for your solution, but don’t give it all away. Perhaps demonstrate your expertise with a written or verbal case study highlighting how you solved a similar problem.

At the end of the day, people ... your prospects ... don’t want to be sold. They want answers. They want solutions. Finding those workable, suitable solutions to common target industry problems can help make you the hero or heroine who saves the day and is worth every penny of your fee.

Help Managing Money & Information

2009-02-05T13:00:00.002-05:00

This post has nothing to do with marketing or self promotion. Well ... perhaps it does. This contribution is about managing money and information. Without the ability to keep a handle on each of those, your marketing efforts can be ineffective.

Although I write mostly about low-cost and no-cost marketing tactics, in most cases, you’ll still need a few clams for business cards, stationery, hosting, office supplies and the occasional cup of java. Beyond this, if your finances are out of whack, you’ll quickly find yourself in Stress City. When that happens, it’s pretty tough to focus on marketing effectively.

When it comes to managing information, many of us have the no-system system. We collect a bunch of this and that. We put it here and there – under a stack of papers, in a draw or file cabinet or store it in some uncharted corner of our hard drive. When it comes time to find it again, we’re out of luck.

Enter Mint.com and ShoveBox.com. Both of these saving graces came into my inbox from Long Island-based designer, Amy Mantione, principal of Element Graphic Design.

Mint.com is a pretty complete solution to manage your finances, track expenses, budget your money, find ways to save money and get a snapshot of where you stand at a moment’s notice. How handy is that? You don’t need any bookkeeping skills, either.

From their site:

“Mint immediately pulls in your balances, purchases, stock trades, etc. to give you a complete picture of your finances. Mint connects securely with more than 7,000 US financial institutions, saving you hours of tedious data entry.

Mint updates all of your account information automatically. So you always have the most current information available. With Mint, you can focus on making smart decisions, not on managing and planning financial spreadsheets.”

ShoveBox (Mac OSX 10.4+) is about capturing the snippets of info you’re constantly gathering. It sits up in your menu bar for easy access. Drag and drop. Folders, labels and flags. Commenting. Easy searching. Whew! Organization. Plus, they offer a free trial.

A Time To Shine for Freelancers & Indy Pros

2009-01-27T11:15:00.003-05:00

There’s more than a load of doom and gloom in the news these days. Recession. Depression. Bailouts. Credit crunch. Foreclosures. Layoffs. The list of nasty statistics goes on and on. I’m sure you’ve heard it all.

But, if you’re a freelancer, or independent professional, this might just be the time for you to shine. The “layoffs” entry in the previous paragraph is key. Many companies are laying off staff or completely dissolving positions. And therein lies the opportunity. Just because the staff goes away, doesn’t mean the work goes with them. Somebody has to get it all done.

Layoffs often mean smaller staffs are having to do much more with much less. Tie that to the fact that smart businesses know it’s wise to step up marketing and promotion activities during slow times. Why? Because many of their competitors are cutting back. It’s a time when those who crank up the marketing machine can overtake market share and be in a sweet position when the turnaround comes (and it will).

Savvy businesses know that freelancers can be their saving grace. They take some of the load off of in-house staff, companies don’t have to pay benefits, payroll taxes, buy new equipment and other employee related expenses. Plus, freelancers are usually easier to find and hire for a gig than a full-time employee. They’re in, do the job and out, until needed again.

In a nutshell, it simply makes sense during times like these. But, don’t take my word for it. Check out what CNN has to say. There’s also some good advice in the article about, as a freelancer or independent contractor, covering yourself when it comes to taxes and such.

Ireland-based designer, David Airey, also has some great insights on his blog, along with a few excellent resources.

Networking With Blue Skin

2009-01-23T10:20:00.002-05:00

Boy, time flies when you’re freezing in South Florida. This is supposed to be the subtropics. Something’s gone horribly wrong. It’s been cold. Like 40ºF cold. Yesterday, it topped out at around 60º. Yeah, it’s better than 2º, but it’s still dang cold. One tends to get used to 80º and sunny skies right quick. Okay, enough with the blue-skin ramblings.

I attended a local Chamber of Commerce meeting last week. It went better than expected and I had the opportunity to meet some great people. I also got the word out to some friends and family types [again] that I’m still alive and reasonably well (People tend to forget if you don't keep in touch). Both of those activities landed a couple of meetings and one probable gig. So, it’s time to roll up the ‘ole sleeves and start drafting a proposal.

I also broke out my copy of Marketing Mentors’ book, The Designers Guide to Marketing and Pricing. Ilise Benun and Peleg Top did a great job writing this excellent almanac of all things business for the creative entrepreneur. It covers all the nitty gritty from determining your market to how to find prospects and clients, what to charge and how to craft a winning proposal. Sure, I write about marketing and self promotion, but that certainly doesn’t mean I know it all or don’t forget things here and there. So, I keep a shelf of books, articles and white papers for reference.

Speaking of networking, one little ditty I came across is Networking for Professionals. I’m just starting to poke around to see what they’re all about. I found them via a link on the South Florida Business Journal site. NFP holds regular face time networking events and I’m planning to go. Individual memberships are $20 per month in NY, NJ and CT and $10 per month in GA, AZ and IL. If I’m understanding things correctly, memberships out of those areas are free. Free is good. They might be something for you to check into.

This Just In - Web Project Estimator

2009-01-13T12:49:00.004-05:00

Matt Everson, over at Astuteo LLC, sent me a link to his handy, dandy Web Project Estimator. Check it out.

From his estimator page:

"The Web Development Project Estimator is a simple tool that allows web designers and site developers to quickly and thoroughly estimate the time and materials required for a proposed web project."

You'll still need to pop in your estimated hours for each task. But, that's piece of cake, right? Just average out the info from your past project time sheets. You keep time sheets, right?

Matt has you covered with the math, so don't sweat it. You can even use the estimator to run various scenarios for a project.

Thanks, Matt!

Plugging Along With Intro Letters

2009-01-13T08:48:00.002-05:00

It’s Tuesday and I’m plugging along. Today’s all about writing intro letters to some prospects. I put together a nifty list with the help of Jigsaw. Other than that, it’s working on a couple of site redesigns and my presentation for the 2009 HOW Design Conference.

My intro letters are just that ... an introduction. I’m not trying to sell anything. I’m simply looking to establish some name recognition and a bit of background. Fortunately, I have an oddball surname and folks tend to remember it. They usually get it wrong, but at least they remember it’s “Tort ... something.” “Tortellini?” “Tortella?”

A few days after the letters go out, I’ll follow up with a phone call. Again, I’m not selling my services on this call. I’m simply selling an appointment. I’m trying to get some face time with the prospect. Now, doesn’t that take the pressure off?

A lot of people try to sell the whole ball of wax with one phone call. That’s a tough, if not impossible, task to pull off. Someone, I think it was the great philosopher, Anonymous, who once said, “I don’t know you. I don’t know your company. Now, what were you trying to sell me?”

Before you can sell, you need to establish trust and cultivate a relationship. That can take time. But, you’ve got to start somewhere. A phone call. A brief meeting. Sending off some useful information. It will take time, but persistence pays off.

I’d like to make a toast

2009-01-11T06:28:00.002-05:00

This past Friday, I attended my first Toastmasters meeting. The idea here being, to get out, meet some people and hone the ‘ole speaking skills. Getting involved with Toastmasters was one of those tasks that was always on the list, but I never seemed to be able to get it checked off.

For those of you not familiar, Toastmasters is an international organization that provides a supportive environment where one can develop their communication and leadership skills. That means they tend to not throw tomatoes. Yup, that’ll work. The dues are more than affordable and it sure beats shelling out a boat load of dough for the latest self-help CD set, seminar or training session (typically where you’re supposed to close your eyes, fall backward and hope the guy behind you likes you enough to catch you on the way down to the floor.)

For the record, public speaking ranks higher than death on the stressful things to do list. No kidding. But, even if you’re not planning to become a silver-tongued orator, this kind of training, feedback and experience will help you make better presentations and take a leadership role in projects and client management. Heck, it can even help you convince your significant other that going out for Italian is a better choice than Mexican. That sure can’t hurt.

The meeting was fairly small. The people were friendly and I was addressed as the “honored guest.” It was obvious that these folks don't know me yet. Give it a few weeks. I'm sure "honored" will digress to something along the lines of "hey you." Plus, the coffee was free. What more could you want? They’re a diverse group in terms of age, gender and occupation / vocation. The format was a bit more formal than I expected, but it was kind of refreshing and fun.

There were three speakers, each of whom spoke on their topic for roughly 6 minutes. Speeches are timed and the talks are critiqued by an “evaluator.” I thought the evaluations where honest, and helpful. There’s also a person to check your grammar and word usage and another who calls you on the carpet for using those little gems like, “Um,” “Er” “You know,” or, “Ahhh ...”

All in all, a good time was had. I met some delightful folks, including a guy who is the president of a $40 million company in one of my target markets. Yeah ... I think we’re going to get chummy with him. Plus, he seemed to be a really nice, down-to-earth guy.

If you haven’t done the Toastmasters thing yet, I highly recommend it. It’s an inexpensive way to sharpen your communication skills, meet some great people and get yourself loaded up on java for the day to come.

More on the South Florida Adventure

2009-01-07T10:59:00.002-05:00

Today, it’s heading out to our local Chamber of Commerce to pick up a new member packet. They have a couple of lead groups I’m going to attend. I’m usually not big on lead groups. They tend to be a business card orgy with folks trying to sell you this and that. But, I figure it’s a good place to start to get know some people in the area.

After that, it’s off to Jigsaw and Spoke to hunt down some prospects in the area. South Florida is ripe with service companies, several large ones are right in my backyard. With this lousy economy, many have laid off in-house designers and are outsourcing. Once I have some names and contact info, I’ll be drafting intro letters and making follow up phone calls.

As I mentioned in my previous post, I’ll be getting in touch with friends and family to see if they know of some folks who might need what I do. That will be an ongoing practice. Out of sight is usually out of mind.

I whipped up a couple of site layouts for my cousin and shot them off as pdfs last night. I’m waiting to hear back. You know how that goes.

Other than that, I’ll be updating my contact info on several business networking sites like LinkedIn. I also need to start a press release about some Tortorella Design stuff that’s been happening and begin to build my South Florida media list.

Are we having fun yet?

A New Year ... A New Adventure

2009-01-06T06:43:00.001-05:00

Well, it’s a new year and time for a change. I made the leap and moved back to South Florida. Land of sunshine, palm trees, unbelievable traffic, lizards and insects the size of your fist. Ah ... the good life.

I lived here long ago and now it’s time to reestablish myself here in the subtropics. Fortunately, I’ve always kept in touch with folks down here so, I have the remnants of a networks to build on.

I thought it might be fun to follow me through on putting my business together in a new place. The good, the bad and the ugly. Hopefully, not too much on the ugly side.

I came down for the holidays back in December and got together with the family I haven’t seen in years. That’s always interesting. I was talking with my cousin who owns a home remodeling business. One thing lead to another and we started talking about his business and his site. It needs help. Bingo! My first gig. Plus, he’s going to plug me into his network of friends and business associates.

First lesson: Ask and you shall receive. If you don’t ask, you usually don’t get. I simply asked him if he’d like for me to look over his site and make some suggestions. One thing lead to another in the conversation and he asked me to rewrite and redesign the site.

I also called my friend, former boss in another life and major mentor. Everytime this guy gets a new position, I get a new client. He’s a true gem and the arrangement works well for both of us. We’ll be getting together for lunch in a week or so. I also called a couple of old clients who live in the area. More lunches to rekindle some relationships.

Next up, Toastmasters, to hone my speaking skills and meet some folks. Also, calling pretty much everyone I’ve met in my entire life to let them know what’s up and that I’m ready to do the design thingy.

Here we go ...

The Importance of Follow Up

2008-11-12T08:56:00.000-05:00

Well, I’ve been a very bad boy and haven’t posted for a long time. Bad, Neil! Bad! You know ... busy at work, life, yada, yada, yada. Excuses, excuses.

Let’s see if I can change all that and pick up where I left off.

Today’s ditty is about following up when you don’t win the gig. It’s one of those things that a lot of folks forget to do, or simply don’t want to do. But, it’s important. When you don’t land the project, you need to know why so you can adjust things, as needed, for the next go around. Without that information, you run the risk of repeating the same mistake (if there was one) over and over. That’s generally bad.

Some prospects will let you know, others will blow you off, but at least give it your best shot.

Here are a couple of examples:

We had a prospect call a while back to invite us to pitch their account. They’re a heavy industrial manufacturer. It’s an industry where we’ve historically had a lot of experience. And, it would be a high six figure chunk of change if we landed it.

So, we rolled up our sleeves and started to do the background research, went to several meetings and drafted our proposal. We felt good about things. The proposal was solid. The chemistry seemed positive. We didn’t get it.

Why? It turns out, when I followed up, the president of the company felt our experience was too much on the consumer end of things. He felt that way because the work on our site showed a lot of pieces with that slant.

Lesson learned? NE Ohio is still an industrial area. Even though the economy here for heavy industry is pretty much tanked, there are still prospects out there who need what we do and have money to spend. Needless to say, I’m working on adding more industrial pieces to our site.

Here’s another one. We had a former client contact us about a site redesign. We had done a few projects for them in the past, so they knew us. It was one of those Friday calls where they needed an estimate for a Monday meeting. I scrambled to put together the estimate and we got it to them late Friday afternoon.

Tuesday we got an email. We didn’t get that one either. My cohort here at the office called to follow up. Silence. Nada. Zilch. So, we figured they went with some other shop and blew us off.

A few days later, said cohort received an email from his contact. As it turns out, our numbers were fine. Pretty much the same as one of the other shops. They also had the place that did their current site quote the gig. They were lower than us, but the client didn’t have confidence in them anymore. Another firm came in roughly three times higher than us. What gives?

What gave was politics. One of the client’s employees spouse’s recommended the company that did their site and that’s who ended up winning the work.

The moral of the story is that sometimes you win. Sometimes you lose. But, when you follow up and learn the reasons why you lose, you can position yourself in a better way down the road.

Here are some great tips from Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun

2008-06-09T12:16:00.004-04:00

Here are some great tips from Marketing Mentor, Ilise Benun. She and Peleg Top will be sharing more at the upcoming Creative Freelancer Conference in August. See my previous post for more info.

8 Tips for Creative Soloprenuers
Brought to you by Ilise Benun and the Creative Freelancer Conference
August 27-29, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago
www.CreativeFreelancerConference.com

Look Closely and You’ll Find Your Market
When building your market, don’t start from scratch if you can avoid it. The foundation of your business should be rooted strongly in something you know well and in which you already have some expertise. Even if you’re just starting out, you’ve got a history. Past employment experience, a recent pro bono or side project, or even a hobby can be used as a diving board.

If you’re making the transition from corporate work, it’s important to build on that investment, even if you are sick of the field you are coming from. It will be much easier to leverage the relationships and the knowledge you already have than trying to do everything at once. Starting a business and approaching a new market simultaneously is double the work. Once you have a business under way, then you can move toward new markets.

Cherry Picking The Best Prospects
One of the benefits of being a freelancer is that you don’t need hundreds of clients. You can afford to target your market very specifically. If your market is non-profit organizations, you don’t have to reach out to thousands of them. Instead, you can choose the ten or twenty-five or fifty you want to work with and pursue only them.

Always keep your eyes open for the choice prospects whose names you come across online and in magazine articles. Then, take a moment to write them a letter, send them an e-mail or just pick up the phone and call to introduce yourself. This is a cold call, yes, but what makes this kind of cold call instantly warm is your genuine interest in this company.

Plus, it’s very flattering to your prospect to hear that you are calling because you have chosen them based on what you’ve seen and what you have to offer. If there really is a fit that you can describe clearly, they just might agree to meet with you. And that may well develop into a lucrative and productive working relationship, either now or later.

How to Get Out of a Conversation
Some people have no trouble getting into conversations; it’s getting out of them that presents the problem. So if you don’t start conversations for fear of not being able to stop them, here are 3 strategies to experiment with:

Get a refill. If there’s food or drink involved in the event, you can always say, “I think I need a refill.” Or you can smile and say, “Excuse me. I need another one of those Swedish meatballs.”
Involve another person. Introduce another person into the conversation. Then say, “Excuse me while I let you two get to know each other.”

Stand up. Sometimes you don’t have to say anything. Just stand up! Your conversation partner is likely to take the nonverbal cue.

How to rate your prospects
Not all prospects are equal. Some are better than others. Some are worth more effort than others. But how to keep track of it all when the phone is ringing and the email is piling up?
The first thing to determine a rating for each prospect. For example:

“C” = prospects with a casual interest
“B” = prospects with a qualified need and a possible project
“A” = qualified prospects with an actual project
“A+” = prospects who have given you a verbal commitment but haven’t yet signed on

Once you know where all your prospects stand on this scale, you can then determine the best way to contact each (and the proper frequency for each prospect). A creative solopreneur typically pursues a “C” opportunity three or four times in the course of one month. A “B” lead is worth a few more tries (and for a bit longer). While an “A” opportunity deserves more persistence for a longer period of time.

Be sensitive to each situation, and temper your persistence with your gut feeling. If the prospect in question travels a lot, or is an extremely busy executive, it’s unlikely she will drop what she’s doing when you call, but she still may want you to stay in touch.

What is Your Money Mentality?
Are you one of those freelancers who is detail-oriented about words or images, but fuzzy when it comes to money?

Do you know how much income you need to generate in order to pay your bills every month, or do you just cross your fingers and hope enough money comes in?

For many creative types, dealing with money is an obstacle to doing business. “I’m bad with numbers,” is a common refrain and, frankly, a common excuse used to neglect essential business tasks like billing.

One fundamental aspect of the financial end of running a design business is the mental attitude you bring to the process. Which of these statements is most familiar to you:

“I can’t stand dealing with money.”
or
“This financial thing is a challenge, but I’m going to learn it and make it work for me.”

How about these:

“I can’t afford to spend money on marketing.”
Or
“What do I need to do in order to afford the marketing I know I need to grow my business?”

It’s up to you. You can choose between an open or closed mentality. Open is better and will facilitate the growth of your business. With this positive mental attitude as a foundation, you can begin planning a business that will support you, your goals, and your future.

Why You Must Not Reveal Your Hourly Rate
In order to run a healthy and profitable business, you must know how long it takes you to do various tasks and projects. In essence, you must know your expenses, and time is a major expense. (That’s why it’s essential to track your time.)

However, your hourly rate is not your price.

It’s one of the building blocks of your price, so you need to know what it is, but use it only for internal purposes. Use your hourly rate to determine what to charge for a project, but never reveal that hourly rate in a proposal or in conversations with your client. Not only is it none of their business, it also wouldn’t mean anything to them. An hourly rate is only relevant in relation to how long a project takes, and they have no idea how long your design process takes. By talking about your hourly rate, you open the door to their assumptions.

So when a client asks you how long a project will take, never say, “This will take X hours.” The only thing they need to know about time is when they can expect to receive the deliverable.

Instead, you say, “Let me check what we have on the schedule, and I’ll get back to you with a time frame. In the meantime, let me know your deadline and I will do my best to accommodate it.”

Use Your Web Site to Weed Out Tire-Kickers
As a freelancer, you don’t have a lot of time to spare. So you don’t want to waste your time with prospects who can’t afford you. But how do you know that before talking to them?

Your web site can serve as a filter.

Post a form on your web site that prospects fill out if they want an estimate or proposal. The serious prospects will take the time to fill out your form. Tire-kickers and those shopping for price will not.

The form, once filled out, also will give structure to the request, help to focus your potential client and put in one place all (or most) of the information you need to get started preparing a proposal.

Beyond that, this structure also gives your prospect a sense of how you work and some of the requirements of working with you. It’s part of your positioning as a professional.

Here are some of the questions you should include on your web site’s proposal request form:

How did you hear of us?
Briefly describe your company.
What is your immediate need?
Do you have a budget?
What is your deadline?
How and when is it best to contact you?

How to Deal With Scope Creep
Scope creep – when uncontrolled changes affect the scope of a project – can be the bane of a freelancer’s existence. If you don’t address it with a client, you easily could squander all your profit on a job.

Scope creep sets in when a project is not well-defined, well-planned or well-managed, or when there is a change in direction. If this happens early in a project, it may be a sign that you didn’t ask enough questions at the outset, or that you underestimated the project.

When this happens, above all, don’t procrastinate. The most important aspect of managing scope creep is communication. As soon as you see that a project is veering off course and that you will be spending more time or more money, you must advise your client immediately and decide together how to handle it.

If, for example, in a status meeting or phone call, it becomes obvious that what you are being asked to do is outside the scope of the project, say so right away: “That is outside the scope of the project as we outlined it in the proposal, so we’ll need to review that and possibly revise the pricing. Are you aware of that?” Then, initiate a “change order” to document the changes.

It’s also a good idea to include a reference to scope creep in your contract so there are no surprises. A simple paragraph that outlines the process if scope creep starts to happen will plant the necessary seed so that you can bring it up much more easily later.

HOW magazine announces launch of Creative Freelancer Conference in Chicago

2008-06-06T13:11:00.002-04:00

HOW magazine is teaming with creative-industry consulting firm Marketing Mentor to present the first and only business conference for self-employed creative professionals, the Creative Freelancer Conference, August 27-29, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency Chicago.

The event is expected to draw several hundred solopreneurs from a variety of creative disciplines—graphic designers, copywriters, illustrators and photographers, as well as solo practitioners of interactive, interior and industrial design.

“Anyone who makes a living selling creative services on a freelance basis (or would like to) will benefit,” said HOW editor Bryn Mooth. “The business challenges we’ll address are not unique to designers, but they are unique to creatives who are flying solo.”

Those challenges will be addressed by a panel of creative-business experts, including Marketing Mentor co-founders Ilise Benun and Peleg Top. They’ll share best practices for marketing and positioning, talking to clients about money, building client loyalty, crafting proposals and contracts, maintaining a work/life balance and other skills critical to freelance success.

The conference program also includes breakfast roundtables by topic, networking events and optional, one-on-one business reviews of attendee portfolios, proposals and marketing materials.

Online registration is now available at CreativeFreelancerConference.com. Attendees who register by July 15 will save $60 off the $495 registration fee. Groups of three or more will also receive the discounted rate.

Published since 1985, HOW is the creativity, business and technology magazine for graphic designers. It’s also the force behind the HOW Design Conference, the Mind Your Own Business Conference and the In-HOWse Designer Conference.

Marketing Mentor is a mentoring and consulting firm specializing in the creative industry. Founded by Ilise Benun and Peleg Top, their expertise lies in marketing and business development. Their mission is to help creative firms market their services, get their ideal clients and create the work/life balance they want.

Book Review: Decoding Design by Maggie Macnab

2008-03-06T14:14:00.000-05:00

Mathematics, physics, philosophy and psychology. Ah yes, the tools of the visual communication designer. No, you say? Perhaps you thought the tools are Photoshop, Illustrator and the likes. Think again. Sure, software has been a huge help. But, it’s a help in expressing our ideas, not generating them. At least it should be.

In her new book, Decoding Design: Understanding and using symbols in visual communication, author and designer, Maggie Macnab takes you on a journey of symbolism. She pulls back the veil over several logos and other designs to reveal the hidden meaning just below the surface. Meaning that may not be obvious at first, yet is often archetypical and resonates deep within our being.

When I first heard of the book, I figured it would be yet another, “Parade of logos,” promoting their superstar designers. On the up side, great for inspiration. On the downside, vehicles for yet more copycat designs. Not so. This is the stuff that should be the cornerstone for every design curriculum. For veterans, it reminds of why we may have chosen communication design as a profession and the power to have to influence our audiences on behalf of our clients.

Decoding Design isn’t just a lot of heady theory. There’s a lot of meat, but it’s not dried out. The chapters progress, one through ten, where Maggie explains the meaning and symbolism behind each number. She goes on to describe the forms and shapes the reflect its meaning and how it has been incorporated into various designs. I particularly enjoyed how she deconstructed several marks and pointed out how the underlying symbols are used. Macnab also shares her own and other designers thoughts and process about the logos and other designs within the pages.

Back in the day, designers enjoyed a seat in the Board Room. But, over the years, our profession’s standing has eroded. We often find ourselves competing with a client’s neighbor’s cousin’s kid with a copy of Creative Suite. Or it might be the Administrative Assistant with Microsoft Publisher. We’ve all been there. Decoding Design, and the concepts Maggie teaches, will greatly help you to explain and, when needed, defend your work. Plus, it will provide a roadmap for creating better design that is more than simple decoration. It’s ammunition for the thinking designer.