Transcript – Podcast 72

Kris: Hey, welcome to the Design and Prosper podcast. This is episode 72, and today we’re talking about how to position yourself as a design business expert. Let’s go.

Hey, welcome everybody.

Don: Hello. Hello.

Kris: So oftentimes we come across designers who are wanting to charge higher prices. They don’t know how to charge premium prices. They don’t know how to encourage clients to respect them and we always bring it back, back to, well, if you are positioned as an expert, then they will trust you. Then they will accept those higher prices.

Don: It commands respect. Yes, you will command respect with positioning yourself as a business expert. So yes, as a design business expert.

Kris: And so how do you position yourself as a design business expert?

Don: How do you do it? Well, we’ve got lots to share with you today, so we’ll get started.We’ll dive straight in.

Don: So the first one, first cab off the rank. Share and create content that positions you as the expert. It sounds like a bit of a no-brainer. Like, oh, really? But it’s one of those things that a lot of designers might not be doing, and we are seeing it. We’re seeing designers forget to just talk about the things that they potentially are passionate about.

Talk about the current trends that are happening in the industry. Talk about latest research, and there’s oodles of research out there that they can reference. So little things like that will position you within an instant as an authority.

Kris: Yeah. Just first start thinking about the stuff that you are really passionate about. So it might be typography, it might be color theory. Think about the things that your clients don’t really know about and are really relying on somebody else to be the guide for. So they might have not a clue about color theory for businesses. And it’s your job to come in and say, well, I am an absolute expert and I’m actually really obsessed with it as well. So win-win.

Don: I’ve got your back beautiful client. That’s right. And it could also be, history and design and, you know, the latest, the latest trends is a good one to, to showcase that but the history and design is one of those ones where you can take a really deep dive into your own personality as well, because you can really showcase things that are of deep interest to you. So it’s a little bit of know, love and trust as well as positioning yourself as that authority.

Kris: Well, history and design is a really interesting one to think about too, because not a lot of designers are referencing the past with their designs or getting inspiration from the past.

So if you think about fashion designers there always referencing the past. A whole new collection might be based on, you know, the 1950s or, or some specific designer in the 1950s and what was happening in history at that time.

And it’s so interesting because it gets reworked for now, and that’s what you can do as well. This conversation is going in a direction that I didn’t expect, but I’m just thinking right now, there’s a few, there’s a few accounts on Twitter that we follow that have really beautiful nods to history with design and it will be so inspirational Yeah.

For you if you go and have a look. So we’ll list those in the show notes. Yeah. Yeah. Go and have a look. Yeah. And start immersing yourself in design history.

Don: Oh, it’s, it’s one of our go-tos. I think Kris and I share this deep passion for divergent research. It’s an aspect that we teach in the academy as well. We teach how we do our divergent research and how deep we go and, and historical design is a key aspect.

It is one of those really important elements of our creative process and we love it. We love it when we see evidence of it out there as well. So yeah, that will show that you are an authority straight away. And I think these are the things that you’re wanting to implement now, so that you can position yourself as that beautiful design business expert.

Kris: Yeah. So the other things we wanted to point out with content creation is sharing case studies of clients you work with.

And if that feels intimidating to you and you’re not sure about how to do that, or you don’t have past work yet, or you’ve been working for somebody else and you can’t use the work, use other people’s research. So there’s a lot of research out there that speaks to, say, branding and the growth impact it has on business. Yes. So you could reference that and say, according to this 2022 study.

Don: Yes. Make sure it’s current.

Kris: Yeah. Make sure it’s current.

Don: However, if I can just say there, we have referenced some studies, some research that goes back maybe five years or six years that is still relevant and absolutely accurate for today.

So just make sure that the information really speaks to your process and speaks to what you agree with as well because that information’s not going to go away. There’ll be information that needs to be current and updated. Yes, for sure. But there are going to be theories that applied five years ago and still are applicable today. So don’t be too afraid of unearthing research that’s a little bit older than the most current research papers because that work is important work and it can really help to showcase you as the, as the expert because you, you are taking the time to find this information out.

And if it was five years ago, that means that’s been on your radar for that long as well. So don’t be afraid of unearthing information as long as you can reference it and it’s credible. Yeah. You know, that’s, it’s great. Yeah.

Kris: And don’t be shut down if you do a little Google search, and then you don’t stumble across anything. Just be creative with your searching, and yeah, don’t give up on the first little word search. You do. Yeah. All right. The next one is blogging. So it’s kind of similar to the first point. It’s content creation, but we just want to just talk to the specifics about blogging and why it’s really good.

So, it shows that you have a voice, that you are an authority on the subject of design, and it’s also so helpful for creating more content. It’s like a catalyst for all these other bits and pieces of content.

Don: Yeah. It’s the absolute sauce and I always look at our blog as like this rich, beautiful nugget of gold that just shines out on every other platform because that’s where we extract it from.

It all comes from there and what we love about blogging is that you are not afraid of putting your name to what you want to say. So it’s one thing to have a voice. It’s another thing to have a platform and then it’s another thing to own that platform and we believe that blogging allows you to do that and do that with such authority and hopefully grace, and hopefully interest.

You’ll be interesting. So yeah, absolutely. If you are not blogging now, it is one of the biggest tools in your toolkit, if you can start to blog and start to have an opinion on things that matter for your industry, for your business, it’s a no-brainer.

Kris: Yeah. Blogging is not dead. People like you might be really entrenched in social media and social media platforms and you might be thinking, oh God, nobody blogs anymore. That was like 10 years ago. Nobody’s blogging. But the thing is with the blog, is that you can turn it into six pieces or more of shorter form content on Instagram, on TikTok. You turn it into a little video, like it’s like these little snippets, linkedIn, wherever you are focusing your efforts, repurpose, repurpose, repurpose

Don: 100%. And the big benefit of blogging is that it boosts your SEO. And if clients are searching for a designer and you come up, well, who’s going to look like the leading force in design? You are lovely designer because you are going to have all of this lovely content that people can go, oh wow, this beautiful designer has a voice and they’re not afraid to use it, and they’re wanting to showcase that they are an authority. So it’s a win-win. You’ll be giving information to that client and you’ll be showcasing yourself as the authority and they’ll be like, yep. Hello. I want to work with you. I want to work with someone who knows what they’re on about, because there’s nothing worse than working with somebody who’s only surface level. Yeah. And if you want to charge premium prices, you need to be that designer who’s going to dig deep. You’re going to have that beautiful, rich, divergent research.

You’re going to take a brief and you’re really going to really drill down into that brief and come up with something really spectacular. You’re going to look at information that you gather from your research and you’re going to share it. You’re going to share what matters to your community.

So you’re going to be putting your community first by sharing information that matters to them. So it’s, it’s so rich. It should be protected at all costs because it has the potential to reach all of the aspects of your business with gold, really, it has that potential.

So have a play. If you’re not blogging, don’t be afraid of it. Embrace it, and yeah, it will definitely position you as the expert.

Kris: Yeah. Okay. So next one is create a lead magnet. So this definitely shows expertise and authority and we even say, have one. Even if nobody’s downloading it.

Don: Just have it.

Kris: They will download it. But even just having it on your website just shows next level. Like, Ooh, they’ve got a thing I can sign up to and download. Like, it just elevates.

Don: Yeah, one hundred percent.

Kris: So keep it simple. Don’t worry about being really complicated. Don’t worry about what other people have created.

Don: That’s a big one. Yeah, we hear that all the time, but it’s been done. I was thinking about doing a guide on branding, but it’s been done. I’ve been thinking about doing this thing, but it’s been done. But what Kris and I love to say is, hasn’t been done by you. They haven’t heard you, your point of view on that subject. So yeah, don’t be afraid. Don’t get caught up in what other people have created.

Kris: So you’re going to have a chance to let your unique voice shine and we really want you to believe that people are out there who are just waiting for your voice. You are the only one they want to work with.

Don: Yep. They’re out there. They’re waiting. So you might be thinking, well, what would I have in a lead magnet? And that’s, you know, the, the million dollar question, isn’t it? On every designer’s lips. So what Kris and I like to say is, okay, imagine yourself at a, at a barbecue or a dinner or a function somewhere, and someone asks you about a specific aspect of design of, or of your design studio.

So whatever it is, whatever they hone in on, what can you talk about until the cows come home?

What is that thing that you can go, oh, I love this thing. I love that thing. I love branding. I love all these aspects. I love color. I love this thing. I love getting all the files lined up at the end. I love that beautiful checklist of, you know, making sure everything is right and perfect.

What is the thing, what is that thing that you just love about your, your process or your business or the industry?

Kris: And they would say, oh, I didn’t know that. You know, because they’re not in your industry.

You know, so keep it simple and also be sure to check out an older podcast we did, this was way early on. It was, it’s episode 12.

Don: Baby epsisode 12.

Kris: Yes, it’s a baby podcast. Yes. Check out that one because it’s all about lead magnets. So it’s five easy lead magnets that you can use to reach design clients.

So beautiful. Go back and listen to episode 12.

Don: So having a lead magnet where you are gathering these beautiful emails. You know, people who are interested in you and who are wanting to know what you’ve got to say, they’re giving you their email address.

That’s the exchange, that’s the touchpoint. So, now you’ve got this gorgeous list of people who are actually interested in what you’ve got to say. So they’re like a beautiful, you know, targeted audience of almost like a captive audience and you are going to now be able to speak to them, directly to them about things that are really important to you so, email your community. Mm-hmm. That’s the next idea to position yourself as an expert. Consistently turning up in their inbox will show them that you are an authority. Now, you don’t have to do this weekly. You don’t have to send an email out each week or even each two weeks. You could do this monthly and it still will position you as an authority, your touching base. It’s that beautiful touchpoint, consistent touchpoint, showcasing that you, whatever information you are sharing, shows that you are an authority in your industry.

Kris: And we know that by building your email list and staying in touch with them, you’re essentially creating your very own community.

So you are the leader of the community. Yeah. You’ve got, you’ve got your community on your very own platform, which can’t be taken away from you, like other platforms can be. We want you to be the guide and you can also have fun with this as well, like we spoke before about those things that you’re really inspired by. It could be. You know, what colors are happening right now? What are your top favorite five fonts that you keep going to because they’re just interesting little things. You can even get personal like what I’m listening to right now. It could be, you know, you’re sharing a playlist on Spotify. Just keep it really true to you and your voice, and that will definitely help to position you as an expert in the design field.

Don: Yeah. Love it.

Kris: Okay. Next one is to be a keynote speaker.

Don: Have we lost everybody? Are you still there?

Kris: Don’t turn us off. Okay. Start small with this. It can sound really scary, but this is something that Donna and I both did in our respective businesses, in our local communities and it was powerful. Mm-hmm. And it was damn scary. Yes. I was shaking so badly.

I would need to go to the toilet to, to like almost throw up, you know, like just so, so traumatized but the thing is, every time I did it, I was less nervous and every time I did it, I got better at it, and then I had all these talks and things that I could use for other content as well.

I didn’t have the ability to repurpose it as much back then, but you can repurpose these interesting things or you could repurpose a blog post that you’ve already created for so think about a small community group, a small business group, start small. Is there a local business group? There might be something that’s your ideal target, your ideal audience. You could do a presentation on the importance of branding, for example. So it could be similar to a lead magnet.

Don: Yeah, absolutely and you don’t necessarily have to limit it to, if your ideal target a is there, even though that’s a big, big bonus, if you can actually have that intel. Sometimes we might not have that intel, so don’t get too hung up on that.

Rather expose yourself to a broader industry because the way that I tackled it when I was doing this in early stages in my business is I would say to myself, I’m off to meet our new clients. I’m off to meet our new clients. I’m going to meet some new members of our family now.

And that made me feel so at ease about it and so I’d have a conversation. Many times the, the lead didn’t come from that room of people, but it came from a connection from that room because you would have an opportunity to speak to what it is you are passionate about. So the people in the room, could say, okay, you’re going to be great at branding X, Y, Z, or you are going to be great at website design.

Whatever it is, I have someone who would be a fit for you because usually the room is filled with people who are in business. A lot of the time, they’re really switched on a lot of the time they’re well connected and we are actually throwing a hat in the ring and we are saying, Hey, I want to rub shoulders with people who are thinking at this level, at this top level thinking where CEOs reside, where people who are go-getters. They’re the type of people who are going to get up for that 6:00 AM breakfast conference. You know, they want to know, what can I learn? What can I do? What can I learn? And so if you just say to yourself, I’m, I’m heading out to meet some new clients, and now they may not be in the room. I can tell you, they, they might be a month down the track and they are related or they are a connection to somebody who was in that room. So get out there and do it. It it really is terrifying, like Kris said. It can be, and the first time you’ll do it, you’ll be shaking in your boots and the next time it’ll get better and easier and before you know it, you’ll be really seeking them out going, Ooh, where can I go?

What’s next? What can I do next?

Kris: Who can host me? And then you can really play up on that. Well, I’m a branding expert or I’m a packaging expert, or whatever you are. Depending on what stage you are at business, you don’t have to do this from the get-go but maybe you’re leaving something behind.

It could be as simple as like a little postcard, like a little goodie bag. You could level it up and just have something that they’re really going to remember you by. Yeah. So think about that as well. Could it be even be like some sort of little chocolate gift that you’ve wrapped up, you know, in, in your own packaging.

Just think about something they can take away and continue to think about you moving forward.

Don: Yeah. And, and just watch out for the conversations that happen after that where they will say, I know someone. Now, try and gather that information as well. Oh, who is that?

Can I get their number? Don’t leave empty handed from these things, I can tell you there are so many times where I was so filled with nerves and at the end of it I missed leads because I just wanted to run out the door.

I was like, okay, I’m done. Alright, I’m running. I’m going. But if you actually hang around and even if people are referring to other people, get their name, get their details, and start gathering that list of potential leads so that you’ve got something from this. So, yeah, it’s powerful. Yeah. Yeah. It’s fun.

Kris: And we did talks on things that were slightly left to feel, but kind of connected.

We did a talk to a young business group. on creativity, for example, but we could link it back to our business still. But it wasn’t specifically

Don: Overtly a sales pitch. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.

Kris: So just getting your name out there, we used to always take our little banner with us and you know, make people knew we were.

Don: This is us, here we are. Yeah. That’s really, that’s gold. I love the idea of leaving something behind and like Kris said, I think Kris and I similarly did this, didn’t necessarily do anything other than business cuts or maybe a business profile in the first instance. But as we went down and, and we started speaking at, at more and more events, you actually get a little bit more intel.

You get good at getting the intel. You really get good at working out who is going to be there and you can tailor a gift, like Kris was saying, the chocolate. I feel like this could be its own podcast, Kris. There are so many little things that you can do to make yourself feel comfortable, to get yourself confident.

There is content you can have on repeat for different audiences and just a little bit of tweaking. So it can be one of those really powerful tools in your toolkit that without a doubt, position you as the design business expert.

Kris: Yeah. So we’ve been involved in a few online business summits, which are really fun, and that’s a really great way to start too, because you don’t have the same level of nervousness when you are on Zoom presenting a slideshow. It’s just a, it’s a different kind of dynamic. It’s still scary.

But it might be a softer entry point for you, an easier, less scary entry point. So what we’d recommend there is. Do your research, find business summits that you think would be a good match and would have your audience, like, is there enough of your audience gathering there at this summit? Or an online business retreat or whatever it is and actually target the organizers and say, Hey, I would love to be a speaker at your next summit. And get out ahead of it because these things are usually planned like six months in advance.

Don: They really are. Yeah. Yeah. And it might be something a year away, you know? So look at what is on the horizon and, and definitely have a play there. And often you can pre-record your presentation as well, which really eliminates all the nerves, because you can be as polished as you like. Just remember if you are pre-recording, try to be as natural as possible. Don’t get all stiff. And you know, too sort of formal about it, but yeah, remember who your audience is. Again, it, it’s all research. There’s a lot, like I said, I think this is a separate podcast because there’s so many nuances in the different platforms and the different stages of speaking you could position yourself differently every single time. So get out there, become a keynote speaker in whatever way, shape, or form, you can. Just try it on, you know, you never know. You might just fall in love with that. Yeah.

Kris: All right, so the next one is, join professional associations and bodies. We love these, especially graphic design focused ones or you know, it could be advertising or web developing or illustration or whatever it is, maybe packaging, you are most likely to find these kinds of associations in your country. So in Australia we’ve got AGDA, which is the Australian Graphic Design Association. In the UK there’s the British Design Council in the United States, there’s, AIGA, the American Institute for Graphic Arts. So when you join these, and it is a little investment, it’s not a huge investment, but it is an investment , you’ll get access to the latest studies and research and best practices and ethical practices, all those things which you can then share with your community, and then you can promote. I’m a member of and I follow their code of ethics and it elevates you, you could even put it on your website.

Don: Pop their, pop their logo on your website. You’ll be able to access that and that really shows that, okay, you’re a member of this association. That’s pretty big. You’re at the absolute fore of whatever’s happening in our industry at the moment.

So yeah, we love it. And there’s also in the Australian Graphic Design Association, there’s also things like contractual tips and help. There’s lots and lots of best practices information in there that helps you. There’s also opportunity for collaboration with designers. List of all the designers that are available who are wanting to collaborate with other people.

Lots and lots of information in there. So yeah we love it. Love it to bits to see that on designers’ websites that they’re a part of those associations

Kris: And they, they have their own events as well, which are really fun. Or if you are in like a larger city, they might have in-person like just a simple dinner, you know, just let’s all get together for dinner and you’re just hanging out with designers.

Don: Love that. Yeah, we we love that. So great.

Kris: That’s a little off topic with the elevation. But then whenever you’re around people and you’re learning new things and you’re, um, with the dinner party, I’m talking about in case it wasn’t clear. But you can still elevate your business by attending a, a dinner party with other designers.

Don: That’s right because you might have a niche that, that they don’t have or a skillset that they don’t have, and all of a sudden there’s a beautiful collaboration and, Kris talked about initially that, that could be a space where you speak as well. It’s not necessarily where your audience is going to be, but again, it will position you as an authority because you can actually reference that on your website that you are a speaker for the Australian Graphic Design Association or the British Design Council, or the American Institute of Graphic Arts, I was a speaker there speaking on the topic of graphic design, website design, brand design.

So that is incredibly elevating for you to have that back link to your website where you have been regarded with such elite regard that we want to know what your opinion is on design. So I mean, getting a speaking gig at, a professional association and bodies like that is like hugely elevating. So yeah, that’s one of those ones to maybe pop on your goals list for down the track.

Kris: So another one we wanted to talk about was communicating your elevated process. So are you really communicating it? Think about how you were doing this. Are the people who are thinking of working with you, who are stumbling across you, who you’ve targeted, how do they know your process?

How do they get an insight into it before they work with you? So some ideas around this for example, you could explain it on your website, customer journey, like have a, a little pathway that they’re going through. So this is going to happen, then this is going to happen. And, and just really make it very transparent and very clear how it’s all going to work.

Don: And the key word there is be really transparent. So this is not an area of your business where you need to hold your cards close to your chest. We don’t need to be secret squirrel about our processes. And we find a lot of times that designers think, oh no, I’m not going to share that.

I’m not going, that’s part of my process. I’m not going to share that bit. But this part of the process is the part of the process that clients need to feel comfortable with. And the more that you speak to it, the more familiar it will be to them and the more comfortable they’ll feel.

So it’s really, really important to, to make sure that they know what’s going to happen next. They know this going to happen and then this is going to happen. And it really is a key part of your exposure to your clients that will really be telling for them whether or not they can work with you. Yeah, it’s in an instant, at a glance.

They’ll feel comfort and they’ll go, oh, great. That happens and that happens. I can do that. I can be a part of that. I can make sure I meet those commitments. So yeah. Don’t be too secretive about this part of your process. Obviously there’s creative parts of your creative process that you’d like to hold your cards close to your chest, but not this element. This is important to be transparent.

Kris: The secret spices and herbs, the design studio recipe that nobody else is allowed to know about.

Don: Keep those ones. Yeah. those ones under lock and key. That’s fine.

Kris: So think about sharing your process even on socials, for example, you could have them as the pinned posts, you could have them as story highlights, that sort of thing.

But also, even as part of your initial touchpoint form, could, indicate your process. This is what’s going to happen next. I’ll get in touch with you and then this will happen in, so just make it like a beautiful story, like a beautiful journey that they’re going on. And we actually went into, Detail about the initial touchpoint form and the tech behind it in podcast number 70, we talk about the essential tech that you need in your design business. It’s part one of a two part series. So go check that out.

Don: Check it out. Now the next thing, the next idea that we want to share with you is on point messaging. So this might be a bit of a no-brainer as well. Everyone’s like, well, yeah, of course. It’s essential. It really is. So as a creative service provider, you are not a commodity. You’re not a product. You’re not the avocado on the shelf or the pair of shoes. You’re not just a product. Yes, you are so much more than that. Your work creates results. Bottom line, you transform businesses. You help your clients transform their business from point A to point B, whatever that is. That’s what you do. So your words need to reflect that value, the richness in what you offer. It’s not just to take a thing off a shelf and then I’m done. There’s so much more to you than that.

Kris: Yeah. And in podcast 69, we talked about aesthetics and designing purely based on aesthetics. And this is kind of similar, just promoting yourself on aesthetics, promoting yourself on portfolio only. Messaging is so critical. It’s so important, so that they understand what exactly they’re going to get. What is the transformation? What is the value that you’re actually going to provide beyond the aesthetics. So we’re essentially talking about branding here.

So if you think about branding, it’s essentially everything that touches the customer, right? Everything that touches the client in that journey. And so, we’re talking about your brand presence here, and people will buy in if the messaging is right.

Don: Yes. And if it’s consistent. Yeah. Like every touchpoint, like Kris said, every touchpoint, there’s so many and it needs to be consistent.

Kris: And because all facets of your business need to be telling that same story.

Don: Yes, that’s right.

Kris: And so people need to believe that what they’re going to receive is actually going to be a match to what promising. So it’s very, very important to get your messaging right. And if you’re generic with it, you are going to be perceived as generic.

Don: Pretty much. That’s it.

Kris: Not elevated. Not expert.

Don: So, you don’t want to be run of the mill?

Kris: No.

Don: You want to be elevated. You want to be a match for the transformation you are offering. That’s the key where I want to underline that. You want to be a match for the transformation you are offering, so make sure it’s consistent and make sure it’s across every touchpoint.

Kris: Yeah and that’s why we focus a lot on brand messaging in the academy, in, in lots of the modules because your business needs to have that. Absolutely locked in tight and it needs to be powerful.

Don: Absolutely. All right. Next idea that we want to share with you is to be helpful in public arenas. So the first one that comes to to mind is be really helpful in Facebook groups and maybe with LinkedIn and places like that. So you could be really controversial if you wanted to be, you could really sort of push some boundaries. If there’s been a post that you’ve seen maybe on Instagram or in Facebook or LinkedIn that you don’t really agree with, that’s okay. You can have a different perspective. You can have a different opinion, but. You, you don’t have to go and obliterate the first opinion.

Kris: No, we can do it with kindness and respect.

Don: Yeah, that’s right. We can gently go in and basically communicate your viewpoint with your perspective. Here’s my viewpoint, here’s my perspective. Have you considered, there could be another perspective. Have you considered this idea? I’ve been working on it with this angle. You know, you go in softly, softly, gently, gently, but with an opinion, with a viewpoint.

Kris: Yeah. For example, it might be in a business group and a person might post saying, oh, they’ve had trouble with the files that they got supplied. And they don’t know if this is right because there’s often questions like that is, is this to be expected? I paid this much and I got this. And you could say, well, best practice is this. You know, an elevated practice or whatever it is. You can start sort of, not contradicting, but offering a better solution. People are like, who is this helpful person?

Then they look at your profile and make sure your profile is optimized because then they can find, you, find your business and it’s, it’s really, we see a lot of people getting business in Facebook groups.

Don: So much.

Kris: We’re amazed because we are so ready to ditch Facebook once and for all, but having said that, we do have a new a new facebook group. We shouldn’t be speaking meanly about Facebook, but you know, it’s just that feeling of, like, we like the groups, we like the groups way more than the personal feed

Don: There’s so richness in the groups, isn’t there? There’s real like-mindedness that comes into a group.

Kris: And its specific.

Don: It’s specific. It’s, let’s talk about this thing and everybody’s on point and there might be controversial or differing opinions in there, but we’re all talking about the same sort of topic, I guess that’s why we like the groups. But yeah, we have a new group. We have a new Facebook group, so yeah, we should talk about that that a little bit.

Kris: Yeah. So just search for Design and Prosper podcast community and join us. We’d love you to join us. We’re really looking forward to encouraging some really hearty discussion in the group around the podcast, around the topics it’s a really good place to let us know what you want to hear more of, what topics you really would like us to cover on our future podcast as well.

Don: Yeah, that’s right. That’s right. And you might listen to a podcast and a question might come from that. Yeah. And you can pop that into the Facebook group, and then often we, I, I’m sure you hear Kris and I say this, you know, hundreds of times we’ve said it probably, that’s a whole other podcast in that question. Oh, that’s a whole podcast. So we are really open to talking about things that matter, talking about things that matter for you and that are relevant for you right now.

So don’t be afraid to pop it onto the Facebook group and then think, oh, I probably won’t hear about that for another 30 episodes. We are always addressing and shuffling our list. Mm-hmm. based on what we think is really needed in the, in the community at the time.

So please use your beautiful voices inside the Facebook group and let us know what is really important for you for right now, what you’d like to be talking about, because we really have got your back.

We will be speaking about what’s really relevant to our community. That’s what we want. That’s what Kris and I want. That’s why we started this podcast in the first place. So yeah, let us know. Jump in there and, and, and let us know.

Yeah. So our final point that we wanted to mention today is to be firm on your process. So don’t be swept up in how your client wants to run things in a project. If they’ve worked with somebody else and they say, oh, the other person used to do this, my other designer used to do this, just reiterate your process.

Kris: Don’t be swept up. So be firm with your process, because so many designers, they bend and they sway to client’s demands, thinking that they’re going to please them.

Don: Wanting to please them, wanting to keep the client happy, wanting to make sure the client client feels seen and heard. But what happens is the client is basically asserting their business model onto you as the designer trying to put their processes into your business model. So here it is again, your business your way. Make sure you honor that and, and just say, oh great. Thank you for that. This is how I work. This is my process. This is how I do it. You know, we had, we literally had. a one-on-one client reach out to us very recently and talk about that the client came to them wanting them to quote on a project and then was really assertive about how the last person worked with them, the last person’s rates, the last person, how the last person gave lots of free this and free that and blah, blah, blah.

Yeah. And our first question was, so why is the client not working with that designer anymore? So, you know, sometimes the clients could be just trying it on, they could be coming from the perspective of using maybe an amateur designer, photographer, creative, and that’s what they are used to, and you are a professional charging premium prices with your own process and a very clear process, hopefully. Your business, your way. So make sure that just gently bring them back into the fold of, this is my process. This is how I’ll do that for you. Yeah. The way that I do it is this way, that happens, then that happens, and then that will happen. I quote this way, I provide this as a service. This will be the outcome.

So that they can’t compare you to the other designer because your process is so clear or they can’t imprint that designer’s process, I should say, on yours because your process is so clear. We hear this time and time and time again how clients come and try to create the process for our designers, they try to tell them how they want a project to work. It is one of the key, key things, and maybe one of the hardest things that you’ll have to do if you’re very new to business, to be really firm with your process and really articulate it in a way where it lands with authority with your client, and respectfully and kindly in all of those things that we absolutely believe in. It’s an important one.

Kris: Yeah. Just on that if you’re not sure, what is best practice? And oh gosh, should I be doing it that way? Am I wrong? That’s why you need a community. That’s why you the the academy because then you can find out what is best practice. Even if you’ve been in, you know, you’ve been solopreneuring for a few years now. Yeah. Or many, many years. A community like the Academy, which is a business school essentially. But you’ll, you’ll get all the systems and you’ll know exactly what a high end customer service entails. And also just on that point where if you are going to compromise your service, there’s, there’s a few things that can happen. You will feel more like an employee and they will see you as an employee and they will feel like they are an employer, and that you’ll have that really weird dynamic. And you’ll actually end up not giving them a great result because your process is compromised. So they’re going to be unhappy. Yeah. They’re going to be unhappy and you’ll be unhappy.

Don: Yeah, absolutely. That’s right and you’ll probably work harder because you are not working within your own process.

So when you are trying to bend and sway and fit into someone else’s idea of a creative process or a deliverables process, then you’re working at double speed because you’re trying to fit into a process you’ve probably never used before or done before. So, you’ll end up working harder. I feel like when that happens, you always end up earning less, it’s less profitable. All the things. There’s so many things that can happen when you compromise your own process.

Kris: Yeah and it doesn’t mean you have to not give excellent customer service. This does not mean bad customer service at all. You know, not giving people exactly what they want from the beginning because they just need to be educated what high end service and a high end process actually looks like. And if you think about other creative industries and if you come across somebody who’s very confident in their process, this is the way I do it. I don’t compromise. You know, like a fashion designer or whoever, photographer, they really stand by the way they do things. Yeah, they stand there. That’s right. They stand in it. They stand in their power And you do see them. The authority. It’s like, oh, they know what they’re doing.

Don: You trust them because they trust themselves. They trust their process, and we can’t stress enough. The minute you start bending and swaying it’s, it’s is seriously, we are both mothers, so we can speak from experience here. You give an inch, they’ll take a mile. Well, that’s what happens with kids, and that’s what well that’s what happened with my kids.

Um, and it’s the same with clients. You go, you bend a bit, a little bit, they go, Ooh, they bend a little bit. So it’s really, really important if you, having said that, if you are willing to bend a little bit because you hadn’t thought of that way of doing things, that’s okay, but actually state it.

I don’t normally do things like this. I’m willing to do that for you though. This is what’s going to happen, so I’m going to inject that into my process and this is where it will fit. Control the situation, really make sure that you are the one still articulating the way that the work will go.

So yeah, don’t be afraid to, you know, if you think, Ooh, well I hadn’t thought of it that way. You know that, that’s a good idea. Try it on. That’s okay. But articulate that it’s not your normal way of doing business, that you’re willing to try it on so that they don’t think that you’re just doing it for them.

Oh yeah. You just do anything for me. You’ll do whatever I ask you to do. You need to make sure that it’s within your processes. Yes. Yeah or adopt and implement is fine as long as you articulate that that’s what’s happening.

Kris: That’s right. All right. That brings us to the end of this podcast episode.

Thank you so much for listening right to the end. We love you very much and we’ll be back very soon.

Okay. Bye everyone.

Don: Bye!