This post is a continuation of graphic design tip #68 in our article “101 Graphic Design Tips for Business Success.“

Graphic Designer + Salesman ?

No one told you when you started designing that you would have to be a salesman. Wouldn’t it have been nice if they had included sales and marketing 101 in the curriculum? Truth is you are a one-man band. You are the product and the sales team. You may not have inherited the skills to close the deal, but in order to survive you will have to learn how.

For starters, don’t be afraid to ask a potential client for their business. You might get the old, “We’ll be back in touch,” and never hear from them again. Clients sometimes say no to people they don’t have an established relationship with. Don’t take this as an insult but an invitation to earn their trust and becoming more familiar to them.

Go After Them

Make them aware that you want their business and are interested in future projects. Leave your potential client with a call-to-action. What would you like them to do after this initial contact? Offer them an incentive like a package deal or holiday special. An expiration date on these offers creates a sense of urgency for them to act and a discount will give them an incentive to test drive your design skills.

Follow up with your potential clients at intermittent periods. Tell them that you would love the opportunity to bid future projects and ask them if you could follow up in a week or so. You may get lucky and catch them at a time when they are looking for additional help or when their current designer is booked. Persistence and responsiveness is attractive if well timed (too much can be annoying).

Don’t be shy about going after what you want. If you don’t go after those jobs, someone else will. Stay on the radar and be persistent!