As designers we often have a hard time putting on our sales cap and going out to get new clients. The harsh reality is that if you are a freelancer or own your own studio then you need to make sales an important part of your daily activities. When trying to get a new client it isn’t just about getting a name and phone number, rather, the more important thing is that you truly understand what the client needs and how you can fulfill that need. Here are 10 things that I have found helpful to keep you focused and help you keep getting new clients and projects on a continuous basis.

Make a Wish List
You can’t really find the clients you want to work with until you know who they are. Make a wish list of the types of clients you want to work with and be as specific as possible, including things like the projects you would like from that client. Good examples include:

Family Run Catering Company looking for a new identity
Micro-website for HBO Espanol
Website and banner ads for Sean John clothing line

Feel free to update your wish list throughout the year. At the beginning of each month I refine the list and look at who I have gotten in the previous month and who I would like to add.

Research
The more you know about a client, the better you’ll understand what exactly they need and are looking for in a designer. Google is a great place to start, you’d amazed at the information you can find with a simple search. Research isn’t just online though: ask your friends what they know about the client, go to the library and search newspaper clippings, or even call the client and ask them to send you a press kit on their latest product or service (you could even go a step further and ask for the Marketing Manager’s contact info for a follow up).

Network
Make an effort to join your client’s associations and trade groups. Better yet, don’t just join, speak and give presentations at a few meetings where you know the client will be in attendance. Extra points for those of you that start your own association specifically for the industry you are interested in working with the most! There is no better way to ensure that you’ll win a client over than being an expert in their eyes.

Know Your Elevator Pitch
Without a doubt, first impressions count the most, over integrity and experience, when meeting a potential client for the first time. Often you only have less than 30 seconds to make a positive impression on that person and get them to understand what it is you do and how you can help them. Make your job much easier by creating a 15 - 30 second elevator pitch that covers who you are, what you do, who you do it for and how you do it. For example, my elevator pitch for my position at Cuban Council is: We were founded in 2002, out of a need to create unique interactive web experiences for clients that truly want their users to identify with them on an intimate level that is seldom seen in most traditional websites.

Make Contact
Call. Call. Call. I think you know what I am saying. We all get nervous the first few times we cold call a potential client but I promise you that as you do it more and more you will become a natural at it. I’ve found that some of the best ways to make a cold call work is to ask for the marketing or sales department. The people that work in these departments are often looking for designers to help them sell their product/service and will welcome the expertise that you can provide to them.

Come back tomorrow for Part Two

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 13th, 2007 at 5:03 pm and is filed under Design, Design Careers, Graphic Design. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.