Resourceful Designer: Strategies for running a graphic design business

When a value is perceived, presentation trumps price. In February of 2019, I launched a new side business called Podcast Branding. I started this side business because I wanted to put into practice the advice I shared in episode 54and episode 93of the podcast, as well as my interview with Craig Burton in episode 174 on niching down your design services. Before starting Podcast Branding, I had been designing artwork and websites for podcasters for several years. Still, I was but one of the hundreds of general designers who dabbled in the podcast space. At the beginning of 2019, I decided to take that dabbling more seriously and focused my efforts on becoming known as a designer specializing in the podcast space. How did I do it? Did I take specialized courses to become a podcast design specialist? No. Did I undergo podcast design certification? No. Did I hire a podcast branding coach to show me the way? No. All I did was launch a new website and start telling people in the podcast space that I specialize in podcast branding. All of a sudden, people that knew me started passing my name around more and more often, and shortly after that, people who didn't know me but had heard of Podcast Branding started sharing it whenever someone asked about podcast artwork or websites. This proves how valuable niching can be. People are sharing my name not because I'm a designer who can help, but because I'm a designer who specializes in podcasting. Presentation Trumps Price In October of 2019, a very respectable podcast hosting company released a great blog article on how to design stunning podcast cover art. The author knew that not everyone would be comfortable creating their own cover art, so he listed five sources people can use to have podcast artwork designed. Podcast Branding was one of them. The other sources listed were Fiverr, 99designs and three "independent" designers, including Podcast Branding. Side note: This is another benefit of niching. The author included Podcast Branding in his article because I focus on the podcast space. If I had a generic graphic design website, it wouldn't have made the list. Since that article came out, I've seen a spike in cover art orders through my website. The order form on my site asks the question, "How did you hear about Podcast Branding?" and over a dozen people so far have told me it was through that blog article. When the author listed the five design sources, he included the price each source charges for podcast cover art, of which Podcast Branding is the most expensive. But if I'm the most expensive, why have I received over a dozen orders for podcast cover art in the past two months? I asked each new client that exact question. Of the five services listed in the article, why did you chose Podcast Branding? Do you know what they said? Of the five services, my website looked the most professional and gave them the most confidence. Over a dozen people were willing to place an order, knowing I was more expensive than the other four services, solely based on how my website looks. It's my presentation. It's the perceived value they get from ordering through me. The clients told me why. Here are some of the comments I received from these new clients. "I wanted to deal with a professional, and I got that from your website." "I wanted to work with someone who understands the podcast space, and your site clearly indicated that you do." "Your website looked more professional than the others." "I wanted to deal with a real designer, not someone on Fiverr or 99designs and your website impressed me more than the other two designers listed in the article." Even though I'm the most expensive service listed, the perceived value of what I offer was enough for over a dozen people to invest a bit more of their money with me to get their artwork designed right. I have no way of knowing how much new business the other four sources received from the article. Maybe they got more than me. But I don't care about them; I care about me and my business. And I've proven to myself that what I'm doing is working. The point I'm trying to get across here is that even if your prices are higher than others, people are willing to invest in you for the perceived value of what they will get in return. So how are you presenting yourself? Are you making sure you portray your professionalism? Do you instill confidence in your abilities? Take a bit of time and look over your website and marketing material and see if there's anything that can be improved. And while you're at it. Why not raise your design prices. If you present yourself as worth the value, people will be willing to pay your higher rates. Resource of the week Resourceful Designer Community January is the perfect time of year to take charge of your design business future, set goals for yourself, create a visual path to follow, acknowledge your career ambitions and figure out how to reach them. The start of a new year, heck, the beginning of a new decade is the perfect time to get that ball rolling. And the Resourceful Designer Community is the ideal group to help you achieve your dreams. The Resourceful Designer Community is a small, intimate group of designers dedicated to growing their respective design business AND helping fellow community members grow theirs. Not a day goes by that community members are not sharing ideas, asking for advice or offer help. And we love sharing in the achievements of others, whether it's the approval of a small design job by a difficult client or the success of a design presentation ending with a contract. We're there for each other. And we can be there for you as well. If 2020 is going to be your year of growth, then why join a community of people willing to help you grow. Visit, resourcefuldesigner.com/communityand become a member today.

A look back at 2019 and a look ahead to 2020. Thank you for your continued interest in Resourceful Designer. You have no idea how much I appreciate you. There are so many great resources available for learning and growing as a designer, and I'm humbled that you choose to spend a bit of your valuable time with me. Last week in the Resourceful Designer Community, we held a video chat where we shared our goals for next year. We also listed our goals in the Personal-Growth channel in our Slack group so we could refer back to them as the year progresses. Sharing my goals for 2020 reminded me that at the end of last year, I did a podcast episode titled A Look Back, A Look Ahead, where I talked about what I had accomplished in 2018 and my goals for 2019. I thought it would be fun to turn the idea behind that episode into an annual tradition. So, as my final instalment of 2019, I bring you A Look back, A Look Ahead 2019 Edition. A Look Back at my 2019 goals. At the end of 2018, I set these goals for myself. ACCOMPLISHED: Narrow down my niche: In February of 2019, I launched podcastbranding.co, a new endeavour where I focus on visual identities for podcasters. It's growing strong. FAILED: I wanted to talk at more conferences in 2019, but I ended up not having any speaking engagements at all. ACCOMPLISHED: Grow the Resourceful Designer audience. A change in the way podcast audience size is calculated makes this one hard to measure, but from what I can tell, I do have more podcast listeners now than I did at this time last year. ACCOMPLISHED: Create and grow the Resourceful Designer Community. The Community has quickly become a place where friendships form and help is freely given. It's even more wonderful than I anticipated. Some of my numbers from 2019 Resourceful Designer Released 50 podcast episodes Reached over 430k episode downloads in 2018 Resourceful Designer released on Pandora and Deezer My design business Switched to Plutio, a digital project management system. Worked on design projects for 29 different clients in 2019 Seven of those clients were first-time clients. I sent out 57 invoices resulting in income in the high five figures. Podcast Branding Launched a new website Worked with 18 different clients Mentioned in an article on how to create stunning podcast cover art. A Look Ahead at my 2020 goals. My 2019 goals carry forward. I want the listenership of Resourceful Designer to continue growing. I want to speak at conferences (I'm already booked to speak at one in March). I want to build the Resourceful Designer Community. It's such a fantastic place right now, but I know it can be even better. New Goal for 2020. Grow Podcast Branding to become THE place for podcast websites and branding. What about you? Did you accomplish your goals for 2019, and What are your goals for the new year? Are you a student getting ready to graduate? What are your goals once you're done school? Are you still relatively new to the design world? What are your goals to hone your skills? Are you a veteran designer like I am? What are your goals for continued growth? Are you a designer working for someone else? Maybe you enjoy your job; maybe you don't. Either way, what are your future goals? Or perhaps you're already a home-based designer, a freelancer if that's the term you use, what are your goals to grow your business? Wherever you are in the world, whatever your level of skill, whatever your situation is, I want you to take some time to look back at 2019 and think about your accomplishments AND your shortcomings. Did you stop after your accomplishments? Or did you plow right through them happy with yourself but reaching even further? What about your shortcomings? Did they discourage you, or did they create a sense of want even higher than before? Did you reach the goals you set out for yourself and your design business in 2019? If yes, were you happy with the outcome? If no, think about what prevented you from reaching those goals. So long 2019 As 2019 comes to an end. I encourage you to reflect on this past year. Think about everything you've accomplished and those things you fell short on. And come up with a plan to make 2020 your year of success. To help with your planning, perhaps you should listen to episode 55 of the podcast, Setting Goals For Your Design Business. I'll be back in 2020 with lots more advice for starting and growing your design business. I'm Mark Des Cotes wishing you a Merry Christmas and a wonderful holiday season. And of course, that no matter what goals you set for yourself in the new year, the one thing you have to remember is to Stay Creative. What are your goals for 2020? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

Speed up production with these design hacks. [sc name="pod_ad"]If you spend a long time in the design profession, you tend to pick up a few tricks here and there. Methods that help make your job easier. Design hacks to increase productivity. Here are some design hacks I've learnt over the years. Perhaps you can put some of them to use and become a more productive designer. Be sure to listen to the podcast episode where I share stories on how you can put these design hacks to use. Design Hack #1: Get the files you require. Clients are often confused as to what files you require in order to work on their projects. Stop wasting time explaining filetypes and resolutions to them. Instead, contact their head office and ask to speak to the marketing department. Chances are the people there will understand and be able to provide what you need. If your client doesn't have a head office, you can try acquiring the assets you need by extracting them from PDF files the client already has. This is an excellent design hack for finding good quality vector files for logos and graphics. Design Hack #2: Search websites for PDF files. The easiest way of finding PDF files (other than your client supplying them) is to find them on your client's website. To find PDF files (or any file for that matter), you can use this search query. In the Google search bar type: site:nameofsite.com filetype:pdf The search results will only display the PDF files found on the domain you entered. NOTE: You can search for other file types as well, such as jpg, png, doc, etc. Design Hack #3: Remove unwanted formatting from text. Copying text from word processing software such as Microsoft Word for use on websites can sometimes produce unwanted results. The reason being, the formatting the text received in the word processing software can often remain. There are many tools to eliminate unwanted text formatting, but a quick and easy method is to create a new blank email message and convert the message to "Plain Text." Now, all text pasted into that email message will be stripped of all formatting. You can then copy it back again for use on a website. Design Hack #4: Creating autoflow documents for print. Autoflow documents are an easy way to add sequential numbering to tickets or names to certificates. After setting up your master page, all you do is take your list of numbers or names and paste them into the first ticket or certificate. The software will automatically create additional pages until the list runs out. Here's an example of how to do this in InDesign. Design Hack #5: Use Find and Replace to remove poor formatting. If a client ever gives you poorly formatted text for a design job, you can use Find and Replace to remove the poor formatting. Easily remove cases of tab, tab, tab, tab, or worse space, space, space, space, space, by searching for the multiple infringements and replacing them with your desired results. For example: Find all cases of "tab, tab" and replace them with a single tab. Keep running the search until there are no more double tabs. Do the same for double spaces, excessive carriage returns or any other formatting you want to fix. Design Hack #6: Find inspirations from a colour palette. An easy way to find ideas and inspiration for a project is by uploading the project's colour palette to a Google Reverse Image Search. In the search results, click on the "Visually similar images" link and see hundreds of ideas that use the same colour palette you uploaded. Design Hack #7: Find the flaws in your designs. One of the easiest ways to find any flaws in your design is to look at them upsidedown. By changing the perspective, your eye stops focusing on familiar things such as photos and text copy and instead sees the overall design. This allows you to spot inconsistencies or areas of your project that need attention. Looking at large bodies of text upside down can help you spot typography faux-pas such as rivers in the text. What design hacks do you use? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Resource of the week Clockify Clockifyis a free tool for creating timesheets and tracking the time you spend on projects and tasks. Clockify allows you to create separate timers for every part of your work. Track your time with a handy timer, log your time in a timesheet, categorize your time by project and mark your time as billable or not. Clockify also allows you to create shareable reports breaking down your time. Clockify works across all devices, both desktop and mobile so you can track your time from anywhere, and it's all synced online. Did I mention that it's FREE? Visit clockify.me to learn more.

These applications are One Trick Ponies. A One Trick Pony is a person or thing with only one unique feature, talent or area of expertise. In the scope of today's episode, a One Trick Pony is an application that only does one thing, but it does that one thing very well. Here are sone One Trick Ponies I regularly use that could help you with your design business. 1) 1Password (Mac + Windows) 1Password is an application for managing passwords on Mac, Windows, IOS and Android. 1Password allows you to store all your strong hard to remember passwords in a secure location. All you have to do is remember one single password and let this password manager do the rest. 2) Squoosh (Web-based) Squoosh.app is a useful website to optimize and shrink the file size of your images without compromising quality. Drag an image onto the browser window, adjust the settings if needed, and download the smaller image file for use. 3) BackBlaze (Mac + Windows) BackBlaze is a set-it-and-forget-it backup solution for your computer. Install it and let it do its job unhindered and rest assured that your computer is continuously backed up. Should you ever need to restore your computer, you can easily do so from the online backup, or order a physical hard drive containing all your data shipped to you. 4) Carbon Copy Cloner (Mac only) Carbon Copy Cloner creates bootable copies of any hard drive. Create manual backups or schedule automated backups of any drive. Smart Updates saves time by only backing up files that have been added or modified since your last backup. Windows users, here are some alternatives to Carbon Copy Cloner. 5) Disk Inventory X - (Mac) Disk Inventory X is a free disk usage utility for Mac. It shows the sizes of files and folders in a unique graphical way. Quickly determine what is using up the most space on your hard drive. Disk Inventory X is based on WinDirStat for Windows. 6) Font Doctor (Mac + Windows) Diagnose and fix common font problems automatically with FontDoctor, FontDoctor locates and eliminates hard-to-find font issues that can cause problems on your computer. 7) Grammarly (Mac + Windows) Compose clear, mistake-free writing that makes the right impression with Grammarly's writing assistant. Grammarly works in all your favourite web browsers and applications. 8) Little Snitch (Mac Only) Little Snitch makes invisible internet connections visible so that you remain in control of who your computer is talking to. Keep track of your computer's network activity and take charge of who it does or doesn't communicate with. Windows users, here are some alternatives to Little Snitch. 9) MAMP (Mac + Windows) MAMP creates a local server environment on your Mac or Windows computer allowing you to run WordPress locally. MAMP is available in a Free and Pro version to match your needs. 10) Paparazzi! (Mac) Paparazzi! is a small Mac utility for taking screenshots of entire webpages, even the portions not visible on the screen. Enter the URL and tell Paparazzi! what format you want your screenshot, PNG, JPG, TIFF or PDF. Google Chrome screenshot feature. On Mac 1.Opt + Command + I 2.Command + Shift + P On Windows/Linux/Chrome OS 1.Ctrl + Shift + I 2.Ctrl + Shift + P These keyboard shortcuts will open Chrome's developer menu. Then Type "screenshot," and you'll see options for capturing portions of or the full webpage. Chrome will automatically save the screenshot to your Downloads folder! 11) PDFKey Pro (Mac + Windows) PDFKey Pro lets you easily unlock password-protected PDF files allowing you to open, edit and print them. 12) TNEF's Enough (Mac) TNEF's Enough allows Mac Users to extract and read Microsoft TNEF stream files, often received as windmail.dat attachments. 13) VLC (Mac + Windows) VLS is a free cross-platform multimedia player that plays most multimedia files as well as DVDs, Audio Cds and VCDs. What One Trick Pony applications do you use? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Resource of the week 4-Week Marketing Boost The Four Week Marketing Boost! is a free guide I created that will help you strengthen your marketing position, boost your brand's awareness & social presence and ultimately ensure you are in tip-top shape to offer a best first impression to potential new clients. This guide is divided into 20 short actions that comfortably fit into your regular day and are designed to take as little time away from your client work as possible. Although you can complete these exercises quickly, it is recommended you tackle only one per day, spending no more than 30 minutes per task. After completing this four-week plan, you will be in a better position to present yourself to, and win over new clients. You can download the Four Week Marketing Boost for free by visiting marketingboost.net. Or, if you are in the U.S.A., you can text the word MARKETINGBOOST to 44222. Improve your business' image and create the best first impression possible to attract more clients.

Your mobile phone is so much more. There are many uses for your mobile phone besides the obvious. Sure, you can text people, take photos and videos, peruse your social media accounts, watch YouTube, listen to music and podcasts, browse the web and even make phone calls. But there are so many other uses for your mobile phone that can help you with your design business. Here are 12 ways to use your phone to support your design business. 1) Two-factor authentication Two-Factor Authentication is an easy way to add extra security to a website. Apps such as Google Authenticatorturn your phone into a security key by generating a constantly changing number that is required to log into a website in addition to a user name and password. 2) What The Font App Quickly identify fonts while you are out and about your day with What The Font App. Launch the app on your mobile phone, point your camera at a line of type, and What The Font will show you the closest matches in its database. 3) Pantone Color Studio Pantone Colour Studio uses your mobile phone's camera to capture and identify colours. Discover the Pantone number for colours in everyday objects and share them with your Creative Cloud account. You can also use the app to generate colour pallets and test colours on 3D-rendered materials and designs. 4) Testing mobile versions of websites Another use for your phone is to check the mobile-friendliness of sites. Many web design platforms and page builders, such as Divi, let you simulate what a website will look like on a mobile device. But it's never the same as actually visiting the site on the phone. Use your phone to spot problems before releasing a website to your client. 5) Time Tracking/Mileage Tracking Stop guessing your time spent, or distance travelled. Your mobile phone is an excellent tool for keeping track of time and mileage associated with a design project. 6) Invoicing/bookkeeping/banking Your mobile phone makes it easy to manage all your finances while on the go. Send and check the status of invoices, verify your accounts and do your banking, all from your phone. 7) Passwords Use a password manager like 1Passwordor LastPass to access all your passwords in one convenient location securely. With the app on your phone, you never have to worry about not being able to access an online portal. 8) Project management/File Management With Project Management software, your mobile phone allows you to keep track of your design projects regardless of where you are. Software like Trello and Plutioare perfect tools to manage your projects. Your files can also be conveniently management through services such as Dropbox, Google Drive or OneDrive. 9) Make lists Use your mobile phone to create all sorts of lists for your business and everyday life. Apps such as AnyListand Todoistmake it easy to create lists for anything and everything. 10) Set alarms and reminders Never forget an appointment or meeting by setting alarms and reminders on your mobile phone. It takes just seconds with Siri or a similar mobile service. 11) Calendar Keep track of your schedule and appointments by accessing your calendar on your mobile phone. Create different calendars for your business and personal life and always know what you have coming up. 12) Take written or audio notes Jot down important details or record things you don't want to forget so that you can review them later. Use your mobile phone's voice recorder to record meetings to capture everything you discuss with your clients. What else do you do on your mobile phone? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Resource of the week Streamline icons Streamline Icons boast over 30,000 icons. That's Over 10,500 in three different weights. Fifty-three categories, 720 subcategories, and over 30,000 something in total. These icons are great for UI designers. They have different pricing categories depending on if you want all three weights or just one of them. They also offer 100 icons in all three weights for free.

Network without a face-to-face meeting. Networking is an essential element to grow your business. In part 1 of this two-part series, I shared advice for getting out and interacting with people face-to-face to promote your design business. But to many people, the thought of networking is intimidating. That's why I suggested you don't think of it as networking, but instead think of it as relationship building. When you adjust your mindset, it alleviates a lot of the burden that comes with trying to grow your business. However, meeting people face to face isn't the only way to network. There are other ways to build those relationships. Here are some less intimidating methods of reaching out to people. Network with Email You may not realize it, but every time you send out an email, you're building relationships. And since relationship building is a crucial element in your business's growth, you should consider upping your email game, especially when you're just starting. The best advice I can give you as a new design business owner is to email everyone you know. Not just family and friends. I'm talking Former co-workers Former bosses Other designers Printers Former classmates Your neighbours Email everyone in your contact list. Let them know you've started your own design business and explain how you're helping people solve their problems through your design services. Then ask if they know anyone who could benefit from working with you. That's a secret trick to networking. Don't ask if they need your services, ask if they know anyone else who does. This way, you're asking for their help, which goes much further towards relationship building than asking them if they need a designer. It's implied that if they need a designer, they can hire you. Email is also an excellent way to grow an established design business. It can never hurt to reach out to people. Just change your message from "I started a design business" to "I'm looking for new clients for my design business." Don't just ask them if they know anyone who could use your services, ask them for that person's contact information so you can reach out to them directly. Most people won't give you that information, but it shows them you're serious, which will make them less likely to delete your message and instead ponder your question and possibly forward it on to someone. Network with Social media Networking is all about building relationships, which is the driving force behind social media. The trick to networking on social media is to interact with people positively. Join groups and communities where the type of people you want to work with hang out and help them. If you work in a niche, then you're all set. Join niche related groups and start engaging. If you don't have a niche, try to figure out the type of client you want to work with and go to where they hang out online. Once you find a group, start interacting. Answer people's questions whenever you can. Leave comments on people's posts. Post useful information and tidbits that will benefit people. Let people know you're there. For example, as a designer working in the podcast niche, I'm part of several podcast-related communities. I scan those communities regularly for people asking questions about podcast artwork, or websites, and I try to answer them in the most helpful way I can. I don't offer my design services unless it's directly related to their question. Instead, I offer advice free of any sales pitch. I'm building relationships. On Instagram, I comment when people post their new podcast artwork. My comment usually goes something like this. "Hi, I just wanted to let you know how much I like your new artwork. I design podcast artwork and websites, but you obviously don't require my services. Good luck with your new podcast." Why do I bother when they already have artwork? Because maybe that person has their cover art done, but they still need a website. Seeing my comment may make them check out my website and hire me. That's what happened with one of my clients. She saw a comment I left about her friend's new podcast artwork and reached out to me for help with the social media branding for her show. The other reason I do this is that from time to time, someone will ask a question on facebook or LinkedIn such as "does anyone know where I can get my podcast cover artwork designed?" Inevitably, someone usually ends up mentioning my name before I get a chance to reply. Why? Because they've gotten to know me through my interactions in the group. And when the person who asked the questions receives a dozen different designer names, I'm hoping they recognize my name from all the times I've helped other people in the group. I'm building relationships. And you can too, all it takes is a tiny bit of time and the willingness to help. Network with a Newsletter Another great way to build and strengthen relationships is with a newsletter. Andrew, a member of the Resourceful Designer Community,has a fabulous newsletter he shares with his clients. In every issue, he shares useful business advice that may or may not relate to his services. He also shares some personal information about what he's been up to lately and talks about a project or two that he's recently completed. He always finishes his newsletter with a question. This question allows him to engage with his clients should they answer it. A newsletter is a great way to keep in touch with current and past clients, which in turn will keep you front of mind should they hear of someone who is looking for a designer. Networking with printed material If you're running a design business, you should have a business card. I know, I know, we're living in a new world where you can tap a button on your phone and someone's contact information is instantly added to your contact list. Don't get me wrong. I love how easy to use our phones. When I was at WordCamp Ottawa, a presenter asked us to open LinkedIn, and with the press of a few buttons, I connected with over 40 WordPress enthusiasts in attendance. But still, there's nothing like having a conversation with someone and then handing them your business card. Or better yet, giving them several cards and asking them to share the extra with people who would benefit from working with you. Let them do the networking for you. Business cards are not the only way to network with printed materials. You could try postcards, door hangers, pens and such. Anything that can be picked up is a form of networking, relationship building. Get out there and build relationships. So there you have it, four ways to network without having to meet people face to face: email, social media, newsletters and printed materials. Get out there and spread the word. Build relationships and watch your design business grow. What's your experience with networking? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Resource of the week Font Macherator According to the FontSpring website, The Macherator is the most robust font detection tool available. It offers powerful technology and features under the hood and allows you to match OpenType features. Something WhatTheFont doesn't provide. I've been using WhatTheFont for years. I have the app on my phone and have used it several times while I'm out and about and spot an attractive font. However, WhatTheFont is not infallible. There are several times it couldn't identify a font for me. That's why it's nice to have Matcherator as a new player in the game for font identification. If you want to give it a whirl, visit https://www.fontspring.com/matcherator Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

How do you feel about design business networking? For some people, networking comes naturally. Put them in a crowd and watch them work their magic. But to other people, the thought of walking up to a stranger and starting a conversation fills them with dread. I know, I was that guy. Growing up, I was as introverted as they get. Unless I was with my small group of friends, I preferred to be by myself. I was quiet, shy, and tended to avoid eye contact whenever possible, especially with those of the opposite sex. I was not one of the popular kids at school. Then I got a job working at Sears and met my friend Mike. Mike and I worked together throughout high school and college. We didn't work the same departments, but since we were the same age and had the same breaks and lunchtime, we started hanging out. Mike was the complete opposite of what I was. I was quiet and kept to myself. Mike was loud and outgoing and treated everyone like they were great friends, even if they had just met. From the day we met, Mike set a goal to get me out of my shell. And he eventually did to an extent. I'm by no means a converted extrovert. I still prefer to be by myself than spend time in large crowds. A small dinner gathering with a few friends, I'm in. A large party or gathering with dozens of people, I may take a raincheck on that one. But I am much more outgoing than teenage me was. I have no problem striking up a conversation while in the checkout line at Walmart, or asking a perfect stranger for advice at a store. But stick me in a large gathering of people and tell me to go network, and I still feel that apprehension creep back. Therein lies the problem for many designers, the apprehension towards networking. However, to grow your design business, you need to get out there and talk about your design business. You can't just sit at your desk all day and hope the work comes to you. You can't keep your fingers crossed and hope that your SEO efforts pay off, and clients start arriving in droves. It doesn't work that way. Or at least for most designers, it doesn't. If you want your business to grow, you need to get out there, meet new people and talk about what you do. So how do I get over the apprehension towards networking? I stopped thinking of networking as "networking." Instead, I try to think of it as "relationship building." I don't attend gatherings with the intent of getting new clients or growing my business. Don't get me wrong. That is the desired outcome. Otherwise, why do it at all? But I don't set it as a goal. Instead, I set a goal of starting and building relationships with people. I'm not there to win them over or sell them. I'm there to get to know them. Removing the burden of being a salesperson makes it much easier for me to interact with perfect strangers. I present myself as an interested bystander as I get to know people. You see, Landing a new client is a byproduct of building relationships. Not the other way around. I've talked many times before on the Resourceful Designer podcast about the importance of building relationships with your clients. And yes, you should be trying to build a relationship with every client you have. But relationship building isn't exclusive to existing clients. Relationship building can be a strong precursor for someone to become a client eventually. I do work for a media agency. I got the gig because I had built a relationship with the owner of the agency. Because of that relationship, when it came time for him to find a designer, I was the first person that came to mind. But how does that help you at networking events? It doesn't, but it does show you the power of relationship building. So what if you're an introvert and the thought of networking or relationship building still terrifies you? Here are some tips to help you network. Start with people you know. It's a lot easier to have a conversation with someone when you're familiar with them. Talk with your doctor and dentist, the mechanic who services your car, your landlord, parents of your children's friends. Old schoolmates. Anybody with whom you're already familiar. Have conversations with them and be sure to mention small tidbits about what you do. Find small gatherings. You don't need to attend large conferences to be successful. Start building relationships at a small gathering. If you have kids, try talking with other parents at their school events. Don't have kids? Look in your local area and attend events where you can meet people. Check Facebook for events happening near you, or try meetup.com. Check to see if there's a WordCamp near you. It's a great place to meet people, and you'll probably learn something while you're there. Listen and ask questions. The best part of building relationships as opposed to networking is instead of trying to sell yourself; you're trying to get to know people. Ask them questions about where they work and what they do. Then listen and follow up with more questions depending on how the conversation goes. Be sure to mention what you do, but don't' try to sell yourself. Set a "People quota." Before attending an event, set a goal for yourself to meet a certain number of people. Tell yourself I want to meet X new people today. And once you've accomplished that goal, permit yourself to leave if you feel inclined. Attending large conferences. Before attending a large conference, join in the community. If there's a Facebook group or such associated with the conference, become a part of it and get involved. Follow the conference hashtags on Twitter or Instagram. Use the hashtags yourself. Take note of other people who are also excited about the conference and ask them if they would like to meet up once there. It will give you a reason and a base to talk to people. The best thing about conferences is the people you meet. Given a choice, I will always skip a session or speaking panel to keep a great conversation going with someone I just met. Get out there and do some design business networking. So there you have it, tips to help you get over the fear of meeting new people and growing your design business. I know this can be difficult, especially if you're an introvert. But if you want to grow your design business, you need to get out there and talk about it. But like everything else in life, if you take it one step at a time, you'll manage. You may never become entirely comfortable having a conversation with a stranger. But hopefully, that feeling of apprehension will diminish, allowing you to give it your best effort. Have a look in your local area and choose an event to attend. There's no time like the present to get started. What's your experience with networking? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode.

No matter how nicely a client asks, don't cut prices. [sc name="pod_ad"]Does this sound familiar? You present a quote for a design project, and the client responds with, "Is there any way you can cut your price?" If you haven't heard that question before, or something similar, it's only a matter of time. It's almost a right of passage for home-based designers. Because you work for yourself, some people think they can haggle with you as if you were selling your services at a yard sale. So what do you do when someone asks you to lower your price? My advice is never lower your price. On Resourceful Designer 113, I talked about offering discounts. In that episode of the podcast, I shared six valid reasons for providing a discount, and three times you shouldn't offer one. Can you guess where "Because the client asked for a discount" falls? If you lower your price, you'll be setting future precedences. Once a client knows they can negotiate with you, they'll never take you, your services, or your prices seriously again. You'll become a discount designer. Even worse, the client may start spreading the word that your prices are negotiable, which is not the kind of reputation you want when trying to grow a business. Hopefully, you're in a good enough financial situation that you're ok with possibly losing clients if you don't cut prices. But what if your financial situation isn't stable? What if times are tough and bills are piling up? Or you just started your business and money hasn't started flowing in yet? Or for whatever reason, you cannot afford to turn down clients. What then? That's a conundrum. Lowering your prices may bring in a bit of money now, but it's bad for future business. Whereas not cutting your prices may drive away clients, which is bad for your present business. So what's the solution? Don't cut prices, lower your offering instead. What does this mean? It means you can appease your clients and meet their lower price expectations, but only if you equally lower the service you're offering. Look at it this way. Imagine a contractor gives you a quote of $9,000 to completely renovate your bathroom. You think that price is a bit high, so you ask if there's any way he can do it for less? The contractor replies he can do the job for $7,000, but only if you choose a laminate countertop instead of granite, and choose a ceramic tile for the flooring instead of marble. He lowered the price by reducing the offering. You can do the same with your design services. Don't cut prices. Instead, offer fewer services for a lower cost. For example, If a client thinks a web design project is too expensive, offer to lower the price in exchange for a three-page website instead of a six-page site. If a client thinks your logo price is too high, offer to lower it by providing only two initial concepts instead of three, and allow only a single round of revisions instead of two or three. Whatever the design project is, lower the price by offering fewer services or features. This way, the client gets a lower price, but you also reduce the amount of work required to complete the project. The client will appreciate you accommodating them, but they won't think they are getting a discount since they're still paying full price for the reduced services you are offering them. And you know what? When you lower your offerings to lower the price, many clients will decide to stick with your original higher price for the extra value. This is a similar concept to Three-Tier Pricing. Implementing a three-tiered pricing strategy is a great way to prevent people from asking you to lower your price because it's built right in. A three-tier pricing strategy works by offering a client three price options, the middle price being the one you hope they choose. The lower price option cuts back on the provided services, and the higher price option adds in extra perks and bonuses that may not be necessary. The reason a three-tier pricing system works so well is that the human brain is wired to compare things to the first item it sees. If you go into a store to buy a new shirt, and the first shirt you pick up has a price tag of $40, then subconsciously, you will compare every other shirt in the store to that first one. A $60 shirt will seem expensive by comparison, and a $30 shirt will look of lesser quality compared to the $40 shirt. This is why you see three-tiered pricing so often used for online purchases. In most cases, the middle price is labelled as "Best Value" or "Most Popular." It's a way to subconsciously embed that middle price as the focus element in the viewer's mind. When they see it, their brain automatically registers it as the base price. The higher price on the right may seem too expensive, and the lower price on the left won't feel like a good deal compared to the middle one. The other benefit of three-tiered pricing is that instead of the purchaser wondering what other options are available elsewhere, they often use the three prices in front of them to make their decision. But even if you don't use a three-tier pricing model, it's a good idea to use the lower-tiered strategy to lessen your services or options to reduce the cost should a client asks if you can do something for less. Hopefully, you won't be at this stage for too long, and your business will be successful enough for you not to have to cut prices. Instead, you can reply, "This is the price for what I'm offering." and leave it to the client whether they want to work with you or find another designer. If they decide to hire you great. If not, no worries, you have plenty of other clients vying for your services. Hopefully, you understand that lowering your price is never in your best interest. You have nothing to gain from doing so. You're now prepared not to offer a discount, but offer a lesser service that is more in line with what the client is willing to pay. Don't cut prices. Lower your offering instead. Do you use this strategy? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Resource of the week A good office chair You can get by as a home-based designer with old computer equipment and inexpensive software, just don't cheap out on your office chair. On average, a home-based designer spends between 8-10 hours a day sitting in front of their computer. If you're going to spend that much time sitting in front of your computer, you really should invest in a good quality, ergonomic chair. Something comfortable for long periods. Trust me on this one. Your health, especially your back, will thank you for it. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

These four questions will change your design business. [sc name="pod_ad"]Your job as a designer is to solve problems, not to create pretty designs. When you embrace the notion that your job is to provide a solution to whatever dilemma your client is facing, a few things will happen. You'll start to understand your client's needs better. Your clients will show more respect for what you do. You'll be able to charge more money for your services. After all, a solution to a problem is much more valuable than a pretty picture, no matter how well designed that picture is. Before you can find the perfect solution, you need to figure out precisely what the problem is your client is facing. The only way to do that is to ask questions, lots of questions. In episode 15 of the Resourceful Designer podcast, I shared 50 questions you can ask before every design project. Those questions cover a wide variety of topics, including: Questions about the company hiring you. Questions about their target market. Questions about their current brand. Questions about their design preferences. Questions about a project's scale, timeframe and budget. What I didn't get into on that episode are the four most valuable questions you can ask your design clients. Questions that will get to the root of the problem for which they need your services. Questions that can either change or narrow down the focus of a project. Questions that may allow you to charge higher rates because as I said earlier, solutions to problems are much more valuable than pretty designs. Here are the four most valuable questions you can ask your design clients. Question #1 - Why do you need this? The power in asking, "Why do you need this?" is that the question is unexpected. When was the last time you tried to buy something, and the salesperson asked you why you wanted to buy it? I can't remember either. That's why this question is so powerful. It gets the client thinking, and it gets them to open up. It doesn't matter if a client is coming to you for a logo, a website, a poster or a trade show display. And it doesn't matter if you think the reason is apparent, ask your client why they need this? And then listen carefully to what they say for some real gems. The deep insights that could completely change your way of thinking about the project or help you narrow down your focus to one small area. Question #2 - What results do you expect from this project? The results a client is expecting can often change the direction of a project. As a designer, you may see better options to reach those results than what the client is expecting. For example, your client may be asking you to design a poster for an upcoming event. However, you can explain to them, based on their expectations, that a postcard may produce better results. Listen to the podcast episode to hear my story of how this question helped me deliver a better solution for one of my clients. Question #3 - How will you judge the success of this project? This is another great question that can change the direction of a project. If you're building a website for a client, you may make different design choices depending on how a client will judge the site successful. If the client is looking for increased website traffic, you may design it one way. If sales measure success, then you may create it differently. And if it's to elevate their brand image, then you may design it a third way. How a client judges a design project successful can have a significant influence on how you tackle the project. For example, You're hired to produce a poster for a local school's drama club. Will success be measured by ticket sales, or by the awareness the production brings to the school's drama program? In one case, you will design a poster with emphasis on how and where to purchase tickets, with only a little focus on the school itself. In the other case, you will design a poster with more emphasis on the school and keep only a small portion of the poster for ticket information. That's why asking, "How will you judge the success of this project?" is so important. The most important question of all. Question #4 - And What else? "And what else?" The power of this simple question is endless. Why do you need this? Ok, great, ok... And what else? What results do you expect from this? Mmm, mmhmm. And what else? How will you judge the success of this project? Perfect, that's great, I understand. And what else? Use this short and yet amazing question during any conversation you have with your client. Tell me about your target market. And what else? What marketing approach have you tried in the past? And what else? Do you see the power of this question? By asking "and what else?" you are; Showing your interest to your client, which helps build your relationship. Getting them to open up to you, making them feel more comfortable talking to you. Getting additional information your client wouldn't have offered freely. Asking, "And what else?" will give you valuable information you can use to shape the perfect solution to your client's problem. After all, don't you wish you had more information before tackling any problem? Four questions. When you put these four questions to use, you'll find not only will your clients appreciate you more. But you'll be able to create much better designs for them because of the information you've gathered from asking them. Do you use these four questions? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Questions of the Week Submit your question to be featured in a future episode of the podcast by visiting the feedback page. This week's question comes from Jade I have a huge predicament! Im in the midst of drafting a rebrand. Im doing drafts for 2 different reps (2 different contracts repping the same company) that know each other has contracted me for their design ideas. Both paying out of their own pockets. Essentially they will be presenting these designs to a board to make a decision. Now the board themselves have been involved with one of the reps, contacting me directly to further refine ideas. My questions is.... should I just can both original contracts and redo one with the company itself, that way everyones ideas go through the same avenue? Or continue the way it is and feel like s**t cause Im charging everyone for the same rebrand? To find out what I told Jade, you'll have to listen to the podcast. Resource of the week Dual Sim Phones If you are looking for a way to manage both home or mobile phone number along with a business phone number, you may want to think about getting a dual sim phone. A dual sim phone allows you to receive text messages and phone calls from two different phone numbers on a single mobile phone. Here are some popular dual sim phones iPhone XS, XR and 11 Huawei P30 Pro OnePlus 7 Pro Samsung Galaxy Note 10 or S10 series. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebookand Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com

Less about you and more about your clients. Graphic and web designers tend to have visually striking websites. However, where they excel in visuals and usability, they often lack in their marketing message. A lot of designers don't know how to market themselves properly. Have you ever heard the statement, "The best marketing in the world can't help a bad product?" The same is true of the opposite. Bad marketing can harm a great product or service. That's what many designers are doing to themselves — bad marketing. Flip your marketing message. Want to know a secret? Clients don't care about you; they don't care where you got your education; they don't care what awards you've won; they don't care what big-name clients you've worked with before; they don't care about your processes and procedures. What the client cares about is whether or not you can help them with their problem. As a designer, you're a problem solver, and that's all the client cares about, whether or not you can come up with a solution to whatever problem they are currently facing. No business person wakes up in the morning, thinking, "I want to hire a designer today." What they actually think is, "I need a logo, or website, or marketing material, etc. for my new business, and to get that, I'll have to hire a designer today." It's the end product that will help their business that's important to them, not the designer. They don't care about you. They care about whether or not you can provide what they need. When it comes to their marketing message, a lot of designers are not putting the client's needs first and foremost in their marketing. So what's the trick? Stop talking about yourself and start talking about the client when promoting your services. Put your clients' needs first. It all comes down to your wording. Let me give you two hypothetical examples. Designer #1has this statement on their home page. "Need a designer? I'm an award-winning designer with over 15 years experience and I would love to work with you. If you would like to diacuss your project, please schedule a time via my contact form." Designer #1's statement is all about themself. There's no incentive for the client to hire them. The client may be impressed by the credentials. But there's nothing in the statement telling the client what's in it for them. Designer #1 delivered a very brief resume for the client to contemplate. Almost as if they were applying for a job position instead of being a professional business for hire. But if we reworded the same message? Designer #2 "Do you have an idea that requires a designer? You've come to the right place. For over 15 years I've been helping people just like you with their creative needs. I look forward to working with you on your design project. Please let me know the best time for us to discuss your project via my contact form." Do you see the difference? Let's dissect both statements from a client's point of view. Opening statement: Designer #1"Need a designer?" Designer #2"Do you have an idea that requires a designer?" Remember, a client never needs a designer, what they need is something designed, and someone to do it for them. The design itself is more important to the client than the designer. So Designer #2 wins the opening statement because they appeal to the actual needs of the client. They talk about the problem. The body: Designer #1"I'm an award-winning designer with over 15 years experience, and I would love to work with you." Designer #2"You've come to the right place. For over 15 years, I've been helping people just like you with their creative needs. And I look forward to working with you on your design project." Once again, Designer #1 is talking about themself, whereas Designer #2 is saying the same thing but from the point of view that takes the client's needs into account. Closing statement: Designer #1"If you would like to discuss your project, please schedule a time via my contact form." Designer #2"Please let me know the best time for us to discuss your project via my contact form." These two statements are almost identical, yet Designer #1 still manages to make it about them by telling the client, "here's when I'm available, pick a time." Designer #2, on the other hand, is asking the client to pick a time that is most convenient for them, making the client feel in charge. Both designers may have the same time slots available on their calendars. But the difference in wording changes the emphasis from the designer to the client, creating a subtle difference that could persuade a client to choose Designer #2 over Designer #1. The power of putting your client first. These examples use one small paragraph. Imagine if you used this same marketing message strategy across an entire website. A client visiting a site with a marketing message talking about them and their problems would quickly start to feel like the designer behind that site gets them, understands their challenges and their needs. When that happens, the client will start thinking, "I need to work with this designer." Isn't that the goal of your website? To entice clients to want to work with you? So stop explaining your skills and your accomplishments, and start weaving those same facts into your narrative as you tell clients how their problems will be solved by working with you. In the end, that's all that matters to the client. P.S. Once you learn how to create a marketing message that focuses on the client. You'll be able to incorporate this same process into websites you build for those clients, creating high converting sites they will love. Does your marketing message talk more about you or your client? Let me know by leaving a comment for this episode. Resource of the week Divi 4.0 The Divi Theme Builder is a fully-featured website templating system that allows you to use the Divi Builder to structure your site and edit any part of the Divi Theme including headers, footers, post templates, category templates and more. Each Theme Builder template consists of a custom Header, Footer and Body layout. These three areas can be built and customized using the Divi Builder and its full set of modules along with Dynamic Content. Click here to learn more about Divi 4.0 and to purchase your copy. Listen to the podcast on the go. Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify Listen on Android Listen on Stitcher Listen on iHeartRadio Contact me I would love to hear from you. You can send me questions and feedback using my feedback form. Follow me on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram I want to help you. Running a graphic design or web design business all by yourself isn't easy. If there are any struggles you face running your design business, please reach out to me. I'll do my best to help you by addressing your issues in a future blog post or podcast episode here at Resourceful Designer. You can reach me at feedback@resourcefuldesigner.com