The mediator or gate keeper, also known as the middle-man, is one of the most frustrating hurdles that any graphic designer can face. dAttitude brought up some concerns in response to our post, “101 Graphic Design Tips for Business Success”, that we’d like to address. We’d like to ask that, since there are endless ways to address this issue, everyone share your tips on the subject as well.

The concern is that, “The above tips are great when you are talking to a client who is organized/clear about his ideas or who is a direct client, but if you are talking to a mediator (as many of the small guys would generally start up with) it will be a hell of a task to understand what the client needs and you end up working for that client ONLY. This happens because you are small and people don’t appreciate you asking so many questions, you don’t have a credibility and you don’t look so promising (or let’s say they don’t consider you so) to the middleman and you are just a guy who would do everything that they ask you to.”

There are a few things that readily come to mind that are already in the list of 101, but we know that the list of 101 tips is not an exhaustive list. There are millions of tips that can be shared, so we may share a couple more here:

Skip the mediator

We didn’t address this “by name” in our post, but we did give give some solid tips that can help you skip the middle-man.

Tip #’s 20, 26, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 54, 76, and 96, used in conjunction, can be amazing ways for you to skip the middle man. Starting a blog (#20) can be a great way to share your knowledge (#30) and set yourself up as an expert. If you can become an expert (#31), in a subject that will be extremely valuable to business owners within your chosen niche (#33), customers will start to seek you, rather than the other way around. Not only will people seek you, but they will also refer their friends to you (don’t forget to ask, #16).

On a global level, as well as local, blogging and joining a business network (#54) are very important to creating yourself a sustained influx of business. When blogging, make sure you don’t just focus on design by itself. A lot of designers are doing this… Instead, focus on the business aspects of design. In other words, don’t just create a design website; create a design buyer’s website. If you’re like a lot of creatives, you just want to be creative with design… If you are this way, then get an account with a design community as well, but don’t let this distract you from your business blog.

When you join the business network (#54), provide comments (#96) that are valuable to the discussion or article. Over time, you will become familiar with people and make friends. Make sure you don’t advertise…we will go into this later. Join Twitter and start tweeting your blog posts, as well as valuable 160 letter comments and tips. This can help spark some interest in your direction. Make sure to follow some of the top business people, so you can get into the “network.” If you can be valuable, people will follow and jobs will follow as well. You can also search for graphic design terms in Twitter and see the people who are tweeting that they need some work done. Then you can @ message them to let them know you can help. Don’t underestimate the power of a blog.

On a local level, you can attend or host networking events (#29), and more importantly you can use your expert knowledge and speak (#32) at these events. Same goes for tradeshows and seminars (#34). Find out who will be attending these events and target “specific” potential customers (#26). These days you can learn a lot about a particular business online. If you find out as much as you can about a business, find any areas where they may need some help, and then start up conversations, or speak on these topics and educate them about the need (some may not know or think there’s a place for improvement), and the value ($$) it will bring to their company, they will listen. These events can draw the owner/decision makers, the mediators, or both together. Be creative and come up with a plan on how to deal with each situation (#4).

Consider the Mediator as an Ally

The mediator is your ally. Never look at this gate keeper as anything else, or your attitude of the situation can be the “deal breaker.” The mediator can be one of three things:

The decision maker – Believe it or not, the mediator can be the decision maker. Most of the time it has to do with marketing jobs, where the brand and identity has already been established. You might sometimes hear the mediator say that they will need to discuss things with someone else because they aren’t in the mood to be “sold,” when really they will be making the decision.

Truly, “The Middle Man” – When the middle man is just the middle man, or woman that’s when you may have a challenge, but it’s only a challenge and nothing else. Challenges can be fun! There are two types of this kind of mediator, but they’re mediators just the same: An information gatherer, and a gate keeper. The information gatherer will gather all information, even if you obviously aren’t cut out for the job, and give it all to the boss. The gate keeper will gather the information and then “weed out” the ones they feel aren’t what they’re looking for.

A partner in the decision – The mediator, can also be a partner in the decision. This partnership is mostly, or can be, lopsided, but the decision maker’s decision in this scenario will be weighed heavily by the mediator’s opinion.

Though the mediator can sometimes seem like a stumbling block, and occasionally they can be, don’t let that deter you (#2) from your goal of getting the job. Build rapport with the mediator. Treat them like they have some clout, like they are important (they’re certainly more important to their boss at this point). Help them feel good about “you,” then, they will feel more at ease and listen to what you have to say. Find out which of the three types they are and proceed accordingly (be prepared (#4) with the proper communication for each situation):

If they are the decision maker, then you have nothing to worry about. If they feel comfortable with you, they will tell you that they are making the decision this time and you can relax and work with them.

If they are the “true” mediator; once you’ve built the rapport with them, or befriended them, you can then explain to them why it’s ultimately important to talk to the decision maker. If you can educate them on the importance of working with the decision maker, give them compelling evidence, then they will pass that along. Sometimes, the decision maker will be hard headed and resist. But, if you’ve done a good enough job at educating the mediator and making them feel good, you have a good chance of talking to the one in charge.

If they are a partner in the decision, then it will be equally important to have them both there. Get them both in the same room. It’s never a bad thing to have the mediator there, unless the owner decides to hold back information because he doesn’t want the mediator to know. But, again, if you show them just how savvy you are, they will pull you aside and feel compelled to tell you the information because they know you can help them.

Again, there are many more ways to deal with the mediator. Please share your ideas and experiences on this. This is information that can transform your graphic design business. By the way, be sure to subscribe to our feed by clicking HERE to receive regular updates. We will be posting more valuable information like this very soon.

All the best,

ThePerfectDesign.com Team