Qualifying Clients — You MUST Filter Inquiries!
Vol. 021
Qualifying Your Leads — Why graphic designers MUST Filter Inquiries!
Produce better work, be less stressed, be happier with the process and get paid more by being more intentional with choosing who you work with.
A quick bite:
Don’t let yourself fall into the trap of taking everything that comes to you. Through being more intentional with the clients and projects you take on, you can better take control of where your creative career is going.
Continue reading below…
You don’t have to take on every inquiry project that comes through your inbox.
Getting better at picking and choosing your clients affords you the opportunity to take control of your creative career, charge more money, and produce the work that you love.
In the world of creative freelancing, we often feel that we need to take everything that comes to us. It's common to feel a scarcity mindset sneak in, and we feel like “if we don’t take this project, who knows when the next will come in. I should just make a quick buck and then move on.”
In reality, if a project doesn’t align with your values, isn’t moving you in the direction you care to be, can’t pay you what you deserve, or isn’t work you’re excited about, you shouldn’t do it!
A common phrase around this idea is: if it’s not a hell yes, it’s a hell no. If you’re not absolutely stoked on the opportunity, you should pass, and spend the time that you would have otherwise (reluctantly / unenthusiastically) invested in that project elsewhere.
Remember: not every prospect needs to become a customer. If someone asks you if you are able to do something, there is no obligation for you to make that happen.
You as the graphic designer (photographer, artist, creative, etc.) have the leverage, the authority, and the power in this situation — don’t let it spin the other way around. They reached out to you!
I can assure you from my own experience that qualifying a client is time well spent. In the past I have worked tirelessly on projects only to deliver them to a client whose timelines are unnecessarily short, they are underpaying me, and they don’t respect me or my work. Actually, I (very recently) allowed myself to be at the beckon call for a particular client...not only did they take advantage of me, but they currently have no cash flow and owe me over $10,000 :|
It’s not always sunshine and rainbows, folks. And, I could have avoided all of this had I better qualified my client. So, as a freelancer or self employed creative, what does qualifying a client actually look like?
There are countless questions that could be asked, but when taking on new work/projects/clients, I consider the following main factors:
Values & alignment
Does this project/client align with my own values?
Project excitement factor
Am I stoked bout it?
Budget
Is the money good?
Timeline
Is this a rush project that will stress me out, or is there reasonable timeline?
Perceived ease of working with them
Does the client seem like the trust me, or do they seem like they’ll be a micro manager?
Portfolio worthy
Will the work created help evolve my portfolio?
Client
Is it a client I’m interested in working with?
Why is qualifying beneficial?
Qualifying a client ultimately enables you to take on creative work that both excites you and resonates with you and your business, the work will pay you well and you’ll be working at a “reasonable” pace, and you’ll have something great for your portfolio!
Let’s be real, projects are a dime-a-dozen when they check all of the boxes above. I generally consider a project worthy of taking on if it checks 3+ of those boxes. But there again, it’s always case by case on how I’m feeling.
We recently had the opportunity to do a super fun project with my buds at Native Roots. It was a ~$10,000 project, and would have been super fun, easy, portfolio worthy, and I was excited about the project as it aligned with my own values. BUT, the timeline was just too tight for the scale of the project and what I already had on my plate. I had to pass on the opportunity, even though everything else about it was perfect.
When considering new clients, I do have a few additional questions that I ask them, as well as a questionnaire that I send to any client (two different ones for brand related work and mural related work.)
WHAT'S ON THE PLATE FOR NEXT WEEK:
The main questions I’m asking most of my clients before starting the creative work. These questions enable me to produce work that best solves their problems and thus produces the best results.
More insight on this next week.
