Being a Starving Graphic Artist Sucks

How to Save Face...and the Account When You've Screwed Up with a Client

It was a Monday morning if I remember right; I flipped on my workstation and found that someone had ordered the Being a Starving Artist Sucks and Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers combo eBooks. Now, usually I am pretty quick to respond to orders but I noticed this one had been placed a few hours ago and I hadn't responded to it yet - that's not good (bad customer service). Hey, I know that when you order something over the web you expect it to be delivered asap - at least I expect it to be.

Anyway, I sent Dallas (the guy who ordered the eBooks) an email immediately. In the email I apologized for the delay, attached a free audio file as well as 3 bonus documents from the Work Smarter NOT Harder Package, and I informed him that the eBooks will be delivered to him within 2-3 minutes. 

Dallas kindly replies back with, "Many thanks, I can't wait to read these." I sent him one last quick reply and told him that I appreciated him cutting me some slack on getting the books over to him late, I told him how he could pick up some free materials in the future and I confirmed that he should have received the links to the eBooks.

His last email read, "Geesh, that's awesome, thank you again for the swift replies..."

So what happened here? I kind of screwed up but I ended up turning a potentially bad situation into an extremely positive one (both for the customer/client and myself). How'd that happen?

• I didn't make excuses about why I was late. Clients/customers don't care so I didn't focus on it.
• I responded as quickly as I could
• I empathized (saw things from the other person's perspective) and sincerely apologized to the client/customer.
• I informed the client/customer that the products they ordered were on the way.
• I threw in some freebies to make up for the inconvenience I caused the client/customer.

Whether it's responding late, sending clients the wrong file or misinterpreting instructions, there may be a time that you screw up with a client as well...in fact, I am betting on it (none of us is perfect). It's often not a big deal if you follow the steps I've shown you above. Truth be told though, sometimes you can perform these steps and the client/customer is still mad, just keep in mind that sometimes you can't please everyone. In my case the client/customer was very cool about things, thanks Dallas!

PS - Thanks again to Ginny, Brittney and the students/alumni who attended my workshop last night at the Art Institute of Phoenix, it's always a pleasure to speak to you guys - happy to be involved with the school however I can!

PPS - Thanks also to Sneh from The Little Box of Ideas for checking out "Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers", very cool of you to comment, "Brilliant book! Kudos to you for writing Verbal Kung Fu For Freelancers. Ever since I came across the title I was eager to see what the book provided and reading it was as much fun and informative as I imagined it to be..."

Webdesigner Depot Turns One Today, Congrats!

Quick post here guys, just wanted to wish Walter over at WDD a warm congratulations for all of the hard work he's done in creating a world class online resource for creative professionals. He's hosting a contest where you can score some nice prizes, including free Being a Starving Artist Sucks and Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers books just for commenting - be sure to get your name in.

PS - If you scroll through the comment section at the bottom of this post you'll see I've added a comment with a special link to pick up some great resources at a nice discount. Hint - I am around comment #200 and my gravitar is red (see if you can find me...)

PPS - If you aren't visiting/following WDD, you should :)

More Graphic Design Advice They Don't Teach in School: Is This Really a "Friend in Need" or Someone Looking for a Handout?

I had a parent of a graduating design student email me a few days ago, she was actively looking to help him start his career off right (nice thing to do), and stumbled upon what I was doing. She felt her son had a lot of talent but didn't have the necessary business/marketing/sales background to help him become successful - very smart Mom. She really sent in a nice email talking about her son's talent and that she just wanted the best for him.

Whatever I'd said in a blog post, web page or audio clip, it resonated with her, and she wanted her son the opportunity to learn what I've already learned (nice compliment). She recognized that by learning from my past mistakes, her son would have a much better chance to live out his dream - that's a tall order.

She wrote, "I would love to have a copy of your book; its appearance is incredibly timely. I am the mother of an aspiring young designer. James is studying graphic design and does amazing work with digital photography. He has had extremely positive feedback on his work but he tends to float in a strange artsy place so practicalities elude him. He is wanting to start marketing and wants me to spearhead this. I am an accountant so can organize & help her manage the financial side given the proper knowledge of the industry yet I have absolutely no marketing experience or industry knowledge.

I would love to be able to help guide him in a direction that is feasible as otherwise he is apt to float off to a hippy commune in search of the next beat generation. I would love to help him follow his dream & feel reasonably certain she can also afford a safe place to live & a bag of groceries now and then. Help a spirited, young, aspiring artist with some practical information? Pretty please?"

When you strip away all of the window dressing and humor, this woman is basically groveling for free stuff. I thought, "It's not like I've priced any of my resources where someone who was serious couldn't afford them. In fact, I don't have any one resource of $30."

This was a professional, articulate woman who had the funds to send her son to design school, AND was REALLY COMMITTED to his success and yet didn't have $29 to buy him a book that would make his dreams come true - what the heck?!?

If she gave up her coffee at Starbucks for 5 days she'd have more than enough to purchase the book, why ask for a free copy when she can clearly afford it? Greed and selfishness.

Yeah, I admit I am ranting a little here guys, I apologize for that. But there is an important lesson in here that you're going to have to deal with as a freelancer as well - you will run into people that will ask, beg and plead with you to give them free advice, attention or design.

It'll be up to you to decide whether or not you decide to help out. I have given away my time, resources and talent to folks in trouble, as well as non-profits and my local church, but I evaluate people's needs on an individual basis, and a white-collar, articulate Mother who could afford to send her son to design school doesn't need a handout - she's looking for a freebie.

Hey, I am all for giving back to people and I'd encourage you to share your gifts and talents with those people, churches and non-profit organizations that could use them for bettering your community, but just be discerning when random people come to you looking for what appears to be a handout (when they CAN afford you, they just don't want to) - you'll find you'll rarely ever get paid.

PS - As a nice gesture I did offer a few resources at more than 50% to the mother - she never responded...definitely looking for a freebie...jackass.

More Graphic Design Advice Not to Be Missed: What Happens to the Potential Clients that Decide Not to Hire You?

In going through old email conversations today I found a few potential clients (probably about 15) that decided not to hire me, in many cases I am not sure what happened to them (I would bet 85% of them didn't because of money), I just know they didn't pay me. Should either of us be surprised there were a good number of people that didn't hire me? Heck no! I know that not everyone I meet is going to hire me and the same will apply to you. The truth is, not everyone you meet will end up hiring you (even if you think they're a good fit).

What I did find surprising in these emails is that when I checked up with these folks to see what they ended up doing the answer was pretty much the same - they were doing and had done nothing.

Whether it was months or years that have passed since they decided not hire me they all had the same bad branding, same bad marketing and yes the same bad web site. Nothing changed at all.

It's sad really, I knew I could have helped these clients, but they found some reason not to move forward, and end up right back in the situation they were in before they contacted me. 

What I find is that people that decide to hold off (particularly because of money) are waiting until some magical event happens; they're waiting for a mystical sign or perhaps something better. Zilch.

Over time, something else comes up and they slowly forget about their success, they lose hope or just decide it's not worth it and try something easier.

Whether it's freelancers looking at the product section of my site and deciding to keep looking for free info, or clients thinking something better and cheaper will come along I guess I just feel badly for their businesses - most of them are doomed, they just don't know it yet. 

With all of that doom and gloom there's got to be some good news too - there is: it's never a bad idea to follow up with people (so save those old emails). If you have old contacts that didn't pan out, drop them a line and see if things have changed and that they may want to work with you now. Realistically, most will probably decline, but if sales are slow you may end up finding that a few do decide to hire you!

Most people are going to be too proud to call you back after saying they won't hire you - so follow up!!!

PS - thanks for the recent great comments about the Being a Starving Artist Sucks and Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers books.

PPS - My friend Bill was right, more often than not when a client says, "I can't afford you" they really mean, I don't believe the money I invest in you will be worth it. You'd be surprised how people can "find" money all of a sudden when they feel that investing in training, design, marketing, etc. will benefit them.

Graphic Designer Tip Everyone Should Know: What to Say When You're Accused of Doing/Not Doing Something You're Not Guilty of

I received this in my email box quite a while back:

"Hello Jeremy,
Did you send the new files for my project to Jack? At this time he has not received them.  I am wondering what has happened...Sincerely, Debbie"

Well just between us, I know that this guy, "Jack" received the files (I made sure he got them) and I was a little ticked off that I was potentially being blamed for something that wasn't my fault. Still, I've learned the hard way that it's never wise to jump on anyone until I knew all of the facts, and that getting nasty wouldn’t solve anything anyways. With that in mind, here's what I sent back:

"Hi Debbie!
On the 4th of this month I sent Jack a link to download the final file he could print.
He responded about 10 minutes after receiving my email and indicated he’d have his pre-press department look at the final file and let me know if he needed anything else.
I never heard from him so I assumed that he was fine. I sent you the native files but Jack really doesn’t need them, he just needs the final file I sent him.

"Here is Jack’s email to me:
I will have my prepress dept review the files. If there are any questions we will get back to you. IF not, we will make the proof and send to Naomi for approval. Thank you for your help.

"The file is still available for you and Jack to download, here is the link: http://www.somefilelink.com

"If Jack has any challenges have him call me, but he should have everything he needs to get this done. If he hasn’t sent you a proof yet, you might want to give him a ring.
Best wishes."

I know what I sent her isn't a great literary piece of work, but it did get the job done (it cleared my name quickly and without making things worse). The client actually found the printer was at fault but appreciated that I didn't get upset when it looked like I'd screwed up. The reason why this communication was effective in establishing that I wasn't to blame AND not making things worse was:

• I specifically noted what I sent and when I sent it
• I'd kept one of the printer's emails so I was able to reference it
• I provided an immediate solution - the file was still available
• I avoided blaming anyone or getting personal. I even offered to help the printer if he needed it 

The client ended up hiring me for a few more projects - that probably wouldn't have happened if I handled this differently.

Being able defend yourself, even open a can of whoop-ass on a client is a good skill to master, but being able to tactfully and respectfully defend yourself is a skill you'll treasure for the rest of your life.

PS - Hey just for you guys here in the Phoenix, AZ metro area, the Art Institute of Phoenix has asked me to speak on November 12th to students and alumni, please feel free to join me if you have that day open.

I'll be talking about why in the hell most freelancers can't find and keep clients. The school's purchased a number of copies of Being a Starving Artist Sucks and Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers and will be raffling them off the week before. Going to be a fun time, join us if you can!

What to Say When You Send in Your Client's Artwork to Advertising Publications or Printers

There really isn't any great secret to sending finished artwork to the publisher or printer, and it's not something you need to be scared of either. You just want to be polite and succinct, and offer the opportunity to contact you if they have questions or issues.

I've worked in a prepress environment before and found that the freelancers that assumed that their files were perfect (the ones with an attitude) were often the ones that very poor support and attention if there was actually something wrong with their file(s).

"Hi Jenny!
Here’s the ad I’ve been working with the folks over at BUSINESS NAME on their ¼ page ad for the NAME OF THE PUBLICATION. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me directly at PHONE NUMBER, I’d be happy to talk with you. Thank you in advance for your help!

When you have a moment would you drop me a return email or call me to let me know you received this communication? I want to make sure you received it and that your prepress department is okay with what I have submitted."

By the way, if you're not offering to send your finished advertisements or collateral materials to the publication/printers for your clients - you should be. Let your clients know that you want to handle this so it takes the work off of their plate.

PS - Thanks to Phil in ND for dropping me a line and letting me know about a web site called ShareRanks. Apparently the "Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers" book was listed 5th on the Top Books for Freelancers.

Thanks for the 411, Phil and good luck with your current sticky client situation...hit me up with an email if you need some additional advice on it.

These guys ranked Verbal Kung Fu as just 5th though...come on man :)

Freelance Graphic Designers - How Can Naming Your Files Affect Your Client's Thoughts and Behavior?

For most freelancers, naming proof files that are sent to the client for review is a pretty innocuous event - they call the file poster.jpg, logos.png or something along those lines. For most freelancers sending files to a client, there's really not a lot of thought that goes into it - just call the file whatever you want and email that sucker over to the client.

For me though, I've used this as an opportunity to keep myself organized as well as influence and even shape the behavior of the client...much like using the "Jedi Mind Trick" for all of you Star Wars freaks. Sound silly?

Let's look at a couple of my naming conventions compared to the two examples listed above - here's how I label files:

• JudyWalters_5x7FullColorAd_rd3.pdf
• APN_logos_finalProofbeforePrinting_rd9.jpg
• LinkAges_16x20Poster_finalCorrections_rd8.pdf
• JudyWalters_5x7_veryRoughDraft_FullColorAd_rd1.pdf

Nothing special on the surface, right?
No, there isn't, but there are some subtle but powerful hints going on just below the surface!

Notice that in each of my examples I indicate what revision round the client is in? There's of course a reason for this since clients tend to "forget" how many times they've asked their freelancer to make changes to the project. With this approach I let them know every single time. This allows me to bring the matter to the client's attention if she/he starts to abuse their privilege of making changes (it also helps keep track of my billing).

You'll also notice that I let the client know in some cases that make a point to tell the client what stage of the project we're in: in two examples I use the word "FINAL", which tactfully let's them know where I think the project is (like it's TIME to give the approval, dude).

I've also use the phrase, "Very Rough Draft" to subtly let the client know not to expect a masterpiece when they open the file. In either case, I am influencing...albeit very subtly, the attitude and expectations the client will have on my work. Try it...it works.

If you liked the idea please consider reposting, tweeting, digging the article so other freelancers can enjoy it as well. For you guys that do this on a regular basis, thank you!

PS - thanks to Inspiredology - Design inspiration lab, for adding me to his "Friday Fix" post today...scroll down a little and you'll find me.

Thanks for adding me to the mix Chad, glad you're enjoying the books! By the way, if you're not following this guy on Twitter or you're not getting a feed from Inspiredology, you should be - great resource.

Killer Graphic Design Advice - If You're the Expert, Why Does Your Client Order You Around?

In digging through my old email archives I found this one...

"Jeremy,
Sue does not like the scene in the window and on the computer being the same. She would like to see the exterior of the building on the computer screen. As for the fonts, the ones that you had in the last email are the ones she would like to see for comparison. She also thinks that it looks like the computer is floating in space, so she would like to see either a desk or the idea of a desk in the logo.If we can fix these items, we will be very close."

It's not unlike a lot of emails that I'd received in my earlier years of freelancing - when I didn't know how to manage clients, projects and revisions. From years of freelancing I've developed a process and an attitude that now prevents emails from this from popping into my inbox, and from me thinking, "Who the heck do these people think they are? It's like they're pretending to be designers when they aren't." If you're getting emails like this and feeling like your clients think THEY'RE the designer, you need step back and get a fresh perspective on who's the expert and who's the client.

If you're the design expert (and we both know that you are), why are they making all of the decisions? When you're out for dinner you don't go into the kitchen and tell the chef how to make shrimp scampi do you? (Please tell me you don't).

So why do clients feel that they should tell you what to do? Why do they somehow feel qualified to give you creative instruction when they don't know the difference between RGB, MTV, CYMK, LMAO or PMS? Something to think about, isn't it? I cover this in a lot more detail in my From Zero to Graphic Design Hero Audio Series, if you need some coaching in this area, check it out (I show you how to forcefully but politely do this).

If you feel clients order you around don't feel badly, I had clients do this to me for years before I figured out how to lead them through the process. Don't get me wrong, they still try but they don't get away with it now. 

PS - Quick but heartfelt thanks to Stephen who coincidentally did pick up the "FZTGDH" audio files a little while back - dude's made a remarkable turnaround as a freelancer and should be very proud of his new found success. Click here and scroll down to the comment section to read what he had to share.

PPS - Check out Inspiredology - Design inspiration lab this Friday under their "Friday Fix" post and you'll find me :) Thanks for adding me in Chad, enjoy the books!

It's Not Just Spec Work That's Taking Business from Freelancers

While spec work and spec work/contest sites like 99designs and crowdspring receive most of the ire from the graphic design community (by the way, whether they deserve it or not is beyond the scope of this post...check out some of my older posts for my take on them), I wanted to quickly share an email that I received yesterday, see below.

NEWSFLASH: Spec work web sites aren't the only ones that are taking a portion of the freelancing work out there, check out this tactic:

I would like to redevelop your website. I will create a concept that is not template based and that fits your firm perfectly. There is no charge for this. This will prove we can build a site that fits your needs without obligating you.

If you would like to view your site on some of our other designs, please use this link: http://www.only-website-design.com/concepts/. You will simply be asked for the name of your firm for confirmation.
Sincerely,
Mallory Vesilo
Only Websites, Sales Manager
1432 E 840 N, Orem, UT 84097
(800) 932-6030

If you are concerned about the growing amount of design competition out there, this is probably disconcerting but it does't have to be.

Whether it's spec work sites, people offering free stuff like in the email above or the kid down the block that will do a web site for a ball of lint and a bus pass - you can compete with all of them as a freelancer without cutting your costs to nothing.

If the goal of your design is to just look good or in above email, "it will fit your firm perfectly" but it doesn't help the client accomplish their goals, and you're going to have to resort to things like giving away freebies or charging close to nothing. I cover this at length in the Being a Starving Artist Sucks book, for now focus on this one truth that will always be true in freelancing - "If you can help your clients bring in more money and customers, you'll be able to find work and you won't have to give everything away to get it."

This type of stuff's always going to exist guys, no matter how mad you get or how many people in the industry you rally - you can't stop people from doing this unless it becomes illegal (and it never will). But that's okay, you don't have to fight, you just need to learn to compete.

PS - If you haven't checked out what freelancers are saying about BASAS and VKFU, click here...there are some big names and nice endorsements in there.

Have an iPhone? Score Some Great Graphic Design Resources - for Free

Hey guys,
If you've already picked up and enjoyed the "Being a Starving Artist Sucks" or "Verbal Kung Fu for Freelancers" on your iPhone, or you're thinking about it now, I've got an easy way you can score some free resources.

If you really did enjoy the book(s), and you're willing to share your feedback with other freelancers by writing a review on iTunes, I’ll set you up with the Work Smarter NOT Harder Package, or the From Zero to Graphic Design Hero MP3s for free – you’re choice. This is just my way of thanking you for taking time out of your day to help me out...I know writing reviews can be kind of tedious.

This offer's good for reviews posted today through the end of October, so if you liked either book - login to iTunes and start typing.

How to Get the Hook Up:

1. Email me at itunes@beingastarvingartistsucks.com, Subject: iPhone Review Offer
2. Let me know which review you posted.
3. Indicate what country you're in (so I know where in iTunes to see your review).
4. As proof that you do have the books, tell me what is the first name of the person credited with getting the book on to the iPhone. Hint: you'll find this in the "Acknowledgements" chapter at the end - the name is the same for both books.
5. Finally, tell me which freebie you want me to set you up with :)

Make sure you follow all 5 steps. ONLY entries that follow all 5 of these steps will get the hook up.  

Fine Print Rubbish:

• 1 freebie per freelancer.
• Please write a review with some detail and substance, "This book kicks arse" or, "This book was good" aren't the type of reviews I'm looking for. No need to write a book, a few sentences about why you enjoyed the book and what it's done for you is just fine.
• Be honest and fair. It's true I am not hooking freelancers up for writing a negative review, but I do want people to be honest.

PS - Congrats to Jaz for winning the "Grand Prize Pack" off of Jacob Cass' Blog, "Just Creative Design" - enjoy the goodies Jaz, look forward to hearing how you enjoyed the books, audio files and contract package!