Do You Have An Ongoing Trust?

In a contest, this isn’t possible; however, when working one on one with a client you should require a down payment, unless you already have an ongoing trust relationship. This keeps you, and the client, honest.

You are offering a service, so it’s important that you create value out of an intangible – your time. The client will not see you sweating away for six hours on their brochure. They will see a brochure, and if you are good, an effortlessly well-designed brochure. You may make your job look easy, but most often it’s not.

Many designers have a hard time asking for a down payment. They are afraid of chasing the client away. Realize that trust has to be created with both the client and the designer in order for a project to be really great. If the client is confident in your ability to provide them with what they need, a down payment shouldn’t be a problem.

The First Step To Clients’ Commitment

Requiring a down payment is the first step in getting a client to commit to you. Clients can be vague and flakey if there is no “real” investment in a project. This can really burn a designer. It can turn into a nightmare of wishy-washy information and delayed decisions, making it hard or impossible to collect from the client. If you see your client squirm at the mention of money up front, you can bet that there will be a delay in collection of services at the end.

Keep money exchanges as non-moral as possible. It’s not that you don’t trust your client, it is just business. If you want someone to respect you, you must act like a professional. Whether you offer your services for money or pro-bono, make sure that you and your client are in total agreement before you begin.

Track your time

One of the biggest challenges about graphic design is educating your client to the value of your work. Most of the time they will only see your finished project, not the time that you put into it. They won’t see that you sat for ten-hours in front of your MAC instead of going out with the family or working on something else. Tracking your time will take an intangible and will translate it into tangible specialized man-hours.

While most people will approach you to create material that they cannot produce, it’s hard for some to grasp the monetary value. Their nephew or wife can do that with their scrapbooking software right? It looks like fun, and even easy sometimes. The fact is that you are not just doodling; you have an important skill that can take an idea and translate it into a valuable marketing tool. This in the end will help your client earn money. You are important to their bottom-line.

Don’t worry about the money…

Sometimes it takes a relationship to establish with a customer before you can actually translate it to dollars. The relationship may even exist without it ever producing anything substantial. Always value a relationship over money; you never know what will happen in the future. Networking is always worth it and referrals are the best!

Be prepared to do a few pro-bono projects in your career (and for your portfolio). If a small start-up business approaches you, offer to provide them with some basics for trade or even future business. Once you have proven your worth, they will come back to you. At the same time, don’t be a sucker. If you feel you are being taken advantage of, bow out gracefully, your time is valuable and it is precious. If it is not a mutually beneficial relationship, cut it off.

Money is important, no doubt, but if you can focus on creativity and the needs of the client and prove to them your value as a designer, money will be no object if you’re charging what you’re worth and no less…