What clients expect from graphic designers
Thursday’s Management Tip for Graphic Designers
It’s so tempting to believe that clients will hire you solely based on your qualifications.
There are so many graphic designers out there that while your portfolio, software knowledge, and education are important factors in your prospect’s decision, it’s not the only things they look for.
How do you get ahead of the pack and stand out?
It’s not just about what you know… Talent is not enough.
So many designers focus on their portfolio and websites. They figure that they should be hired based on their work. Or, more naively, they think they “can prove themselves” if given the chance. NOT TRUE.
A major part in whether a client hires you (or not) is personality and first impressions.
Just as people within seconds know if they will buy a product (or not), the same can be said with clients. They know when they visit your site within a few minutes whether or not they will hire you.
If they feel your talent will mesh with their company, chances are you will be hired. It’s all subjective.
What clients are looking for when they are deciding whether or not to hire you:
- Personality: Are you easy and fun to work with?
- Compatibility: Do you fit in with their company goals?
- Time saver: Finds ways of saving the client time and makes the entire design process effortless.
- Brands the company: Doesn’t re-invent the wheel. Tries to tie in their design with existing work.
- Helps them stand out: Creates work that is uniquely them — and not generic designs.
- Problem solver: Identifies what is needed for a project and does it.
- Versatile: Can design in various formats and styles.
- Objectivity: Shows respect for the client’s opinion and goals. Doesn’t impose their own. Always designs something that is appropriate for the company and its image — even if it’s not their cup of tea.
- Good listener: Listens to what the client says and then suggests what needs to be done.
- Good communicator: Writes well and clearly, letting a bit of personality shine through. Both verbal and written.
C O N C L U S I O N :
When they have decided to hire you, the way to keep a client is to always honor deadlines you have set and they expect to get a response from you fairly quickly if they have contacted you. The other important thing to do is to keep them in the loop!
TIP: Set up guidelines and times during the day to respond to client emails and requests. Create separate email accounts for client requests, new clients contacting you, and so forth.
I’m currently in the process of setting up different email accounts so that I can handle the volume of email coming in. The worst thing is having “lost” or emails that are mixed in with SPAM or emails that get sent to your junk mail folder!
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