Let’s talk about what happens when the work finally comes to you. 

Gonig from initial enquiries and turning them into successful projects. We'll cover comms automation, tips on productive first client meetings, and quoting with confidence. You'll learn to identify red flags to know when to pursue or walk away from opportunities. These insights will help you manage creative business more efficiently and profitably. ~

Welcome to five minute magic from Creativity For Sale Podcast. A quick fire episode, sharing tips and tricks from the pages of the book of the same title. 

Every week I'll be sharing one or two ideas that can give you. And actionable take away for your creative career, your business, or just the food for thought for the weekend ahead. These are taken from the audio book, and you can find the full version in the show notes . 

Daring Creativity. Podcast with Radim Malinic

daringcreativity.com |  desk@daringcreativity.com

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[00:00:00] 

Radim Malinic: Hello, and welcome to five minute magic from creativity for sale podcast. A quick fire episode, sharing tips and tricks from the pages of the book of the same title. [00:00:10] Yes. Creativity for sale. Every week I'll be sharing one or two ideas that can give you. And actually we'll take away for your creative career, your business, or just the food for [00:00:20] thought for the weekend ahead. These tapes are taken from the audio book, and you can find a link to the full version in the show notes.

Let's talk about what happens when the work [00:00:30] finally comes to you. So let's deal with inquiries. So going from initial inquiries to turning into successful projects will cover comms automation, tips on productive first [00:00:40] client meetings, and quoting with confidence. You'll learn how to identify red flags to know when to pursue or walk away from opportunities.

These insights should help [00:00:50] you manage creative business more efficiently and profitably. 

Turning an inquiry into an actual project can feel like a [00:01:00] project of its own, but it doesn't have to. Generally, it's inexperience that leads to wasted time here. And in the early days, I was caught [00:01:10] out by weeks of back and forth emails with potential clients that led nowhere and submitted numerous idea proposals for projects, where it turned out the [00:01:20] client didn't want to pay.

Downloadable templates for email scripts can be accessed via the bonus content. Avoiding a tennis [00:01:30] match. The first thing you have to understand is that inquiries are usually written, mostly through email or sometimes through DMs on social media. [00:01:40] A few people still use the telephone for enquiries, but it's a smaller percentage these days than back in the day.

These initial messages are often [00:01:50] very basic and incomplete, and the problem with this is that it becomes very easy to get lost in long exchanges. The more detail you can go into in your [00:02:00] emails, the more time you lose. You know your offer, you know your prices, and you want to know more about the project, so don't get pulled into an [00:02:10] email tennis match that might not produce a winner.

It's in our nature to want to make people happy and provide solutions, but even as [00:02:20] a small operation,

To solve this, set up an automated email template that shows your interest in [00:02:30] discussing the project further. Remember the five sentence rule. Ask the prospect to get on a phone or video call and to [00:02:40] share their project brief in the meantime if they haven't already. You can even set up a booking system such as Calendly, offering [00:02:50] 15 or 30 minute time slots to discuss their enquiry.

This will save you endless hours that could be used elsewhere to grow your business. Dealing with [00:03:00] holiday enquiries. Ask anyone in the creative industry about the number of dream projects that land in their inbox just as they're on their way to the airport for their [00:03:10] well earned holiday. It might be our version of the full moon, but it happens so often it must be more than just an industry myth.[00:03:20] 

To make it even more humorous, I've seen people tweeting about packing for holiday to tempt their destiny for the work to land in their inbox. It's a [00:03:30] silly joke, but it happens. The traditional way to deal with your enquiries in your absence is to set up an out of office message to [00:03:40] tell people you're sunning it up somewhere.

If your prospect is in a hurry to decide who to commission, this might kill off the line of enquiry right [00:03:50] away, even if the work won't be starting for a while after you're back. Some people like to be hasty, others don't have a choice. [00:04:00] Instead, you could set up an automated email system asking for more questions about the brief and proposing a call for when you're back.

That [00:04:10] way, you can enjoy a glass of champagne at the airport knowing you're not killing off a possible opportunity in your absence. If the prospect is serious, [00:04:20] they'll be booking a call while you're working out how much 100ml of combined liquids is to pass security. That fun pre holiday quiz we could all do without.[00:04:30] 

Meeting the prospective client. In my opinion, it's paramount to speak to a prospective client on the phone or video call [00:04:40] before committing, rather than just a chain of emails. This is because you can quickly and easily determine whether the project fits your criteria and meets [00:04:50] your values, and a lot more.

While the conversation should, For the most part, focus on the project itself, the client's ambition, strategy, [00:05:00] plan, if they have one, hopes and fears, you should also discuss the project's value. A call can confirm whether you like the [00:05:10] client and vice versa, and whether your communication and working styles are compatible.

You don't want to be stuck on a year long project with someone you [00:05:20] struggle to work with. As neither of you will get the best from one another. That way you can keep your operations running, keep your client happy and keep your [00:05:30] sanity intact. Things to check on the call with a client. What do they want?

Does it make sense? Is [00:05:40] this the type of work you normally do? Are they asking you to do what you don't do? Does the work align with your values? [00:05:50] How did they get here and why are they looking for someone new? What other creatives are being considered for this project, if they're [00:06:00] willing to tell you? Who is making the decision on how to proceed?

What was their reason to get in touch with you [00:06:10] specifically? Warning signs to look out for with prospective clients. Trying hard to haggle a discount. In a [00:06:20] hurry and not listening to realistic timelines. Client values don't align with yours. Speaks about their ego instead of the [00:06:30] work. Not paying attention to the process breakdown.

Keeps talking about the price. Fishing for a [00:06:40] cost without commitment. Promising a lot of future work but wants to start with a bargain. And a few tips that may or may not seem [00:06:50] obvious. Never ask a prospect what they think the solution is to their problem. Always make them talk about the problem first and any [00:07:00] implications of it not being solved.

Make the client feel listened to by letting them speak and repeating key points back to them. [00:07:10] Take your time to really, really listen and find clues to identify the issues. Don't expect to solve the whole problem in [00:07:20] one call or meeting. Never commit to timelines during the meeting. Take time to plan and respond at a more appropriate time.[00:07:30] 

It can be easy to point out what we think the problem is before we've heard about and understood the situation in its entirety. And it's not uncommon for a [00:07:40] logo designer to confidently shoot down an existing identity with the confidence of a penalty taker, only for them to find out that they're aiming at their own goal.[00:07:50] 

Don't be so hasty. If you jump straight in pointing out bad logos, dicey office design, flimsy copy, or bad UX, [00:08:00] you might be right. But you've not yet had time to prove yourself, or even listen to a client's concerns. So hold back. [00:08:10] Deciding whether to submit a proposal. As we talked about in the last chapter, it's all too easy to be seduced into taking on a project with a [00:08:20] scope that's bigger than you can handle and biting off more than you can chew.

By all means, if you see an opportunity to turn a small project into [00:08:30] a bigger chunk of work, then go for it. A creative challenge like this is often the perfect setup to learn and grow your skill stack. [00:08:40] Stepping out of your lane can sometimes be a route worth making. It might keep things moving and take you in unprecedented directions that can yield new [00:08:50] opportunities.

But, from my personal experience, it can also be a risky bet. While you might feel an initial elation [00:09:00] when you land a bigger job, you'll likely be feeling the opposite if you struggle to land a tricky and nuanced brief that seems straightforward in your head. [00:09:10] Often, our creative minds can lead us to believe we're an invincible problem solver, only to look foolish when the results are not quite as we [00:09:20] promised.

The trick is to take on reasonable sized challenges, ones that push you somewhat out of your comfort zone, but not the [00:09:30] whole way out. Contrary to what some people say, the magic doesn't happen when you're entirely out of the comfort zone, but when you have one shoe [00:09:40] in and one shoe out. And you should always have a plan to get yourself out if you fall down a hole.

If you get an enquiry that's outside your normal [00:09:50] scope, bear this balancing act in mind. Sometimes sticking to your niche can pay dividends. Other times, what [00:10:00] you offer isn't in demand and you might need to re evaluate what you offer. Especially if your incoming enquiries are for something you don't offer but [00:10:10] potentially could be.

Let's say you want to make film posters, but keep getting inquiries to design websites in the film industry. Could you [00:10:20] expand your offering? While I'm not saying overhaul everything you've built, I am saying that it often pays to be flexible and follow the flow [00:10:30] of the work, growing both your bank balance and your skill stack.

Quoting confidently. If you decide to submit a [00:10:40] proposal, then you need to learn the art of quoting confidently. I learned this lesson, once again, from a builder. Back in the day, I needed [00:10:50] someone to fix a few things in my house. Handyman companies are not exactly known for their brilliant branding. After all, they're in the business of [00:11:00] fixing domestic infrastructure problems, not their kerning skills, and this business was no different.

So, after the work was done, I was [00:11:10] chatting to the business owner and told him what I do for a living and how I could improve their branding and identity to make their company look more trustworthy and [00:11:20] established. The business owner was genuinely interested and we discussed the deliverables. Then he asked me for a quote.

But [00:11:30] despite the chat, I didn't end up submitting a quote as I assumed I was wasting my time and that the company couldn't afford my services. Months [00:11:40] later, I needed some work done so I called the same company. The bill for the work ended up being the exact same price I was going to quote them for my work.[00:11:50] 

I immediately felt foolish for not sending them a quote. The company, as it turned out, had more than enough cash to afford the work. [00:12:00] Ever since then, I've made sure I don't hesitate. If the moment is right, I explain what I do and what it costs, and let them make the decision for [00:12:10] themselves. Taking Rejection It's human nature to feel annoyed and deflated if an inquiry promises the earth, but never becomes a [00:12:20] reality.

But you should never get too excited about the prospect of what might be until all is said and done, and the invoice is paid too. [00:12:30] Until then, it's speculative and uncertain. And just like everything in life, not everything will work out and some things are not meant to be. [00:12:40] Again, you need to separate your emotions from the business.

Accepting that your creative offer isn't for everyone and you are not the right person for everyone. [00:12:50] Cutting the cord. Likewise, sometimes you need to be the one who pulls the cord. You can't force [00:13:00] chemistry, and some people are just not meant to work together. It might seem crazy to kill off a project that could have been very lucrative, but [00:13:10] ultimately, it's not worth it in some cases.

Trust your gut rather than going into something that feels wrong just for the money. This way, [00:13:20] you will end up with the right commissions and projects to suit what you do.