Standing out from other freelancers the easy way

One of the first jobs I got as a freelance designer came about when, on a whim, I e-mailed someone whose website I stumbled across. He sold PDF informational products.

Since the only thing I knew how to do at that point was 3D book covers in Photoshop, I figured I had nothing to lose in introducing myself and explaining that I could handle his 3D book cover needs. (Those are the covers you see on websites that illustrate downloadable products.)

About a day later, I got a phone call from him. He liked the samples on my website, but here's why he decided to hire me instead of someone else: I had my phone number and my address on my website.

He said that it bothered him that some people he might use for design and copywriting didn't include that information. There was usually an e-mail link, or an e-mail form, but from his experience very few sites he visited listed a phone number or mailing address.

Sure, he might get that information after he e-mailed or hired the freelancer. But he felt that having the phone number and mailing address on the website said something about the freelancer. To him it said that you weren't afraid to be accessible if someone had an immediate question prior to hiring you.

Maybe he was old-school... not one who wanted to type out long e-mail messages and then wait around for answers or wonder if the e-mail got through a spam filter.

Of course, his feelings on the matter were just his opinion. Not having a phone number and address on your site doesn't mean you're an untrustworthy designer and it doesn't mean you'll never get jobs. It just meant that, in this particular case, I stood out simply because I had that information on my site.

If providing that information on your site could land you a few extra jobs here and there, would it be worth it to you?

And that's my point... sometimes we don't do the easy things that might sway a potential client in our favor. Was it hard to have my phone number and address on my website. Not at all! But we do have to take the time to thoroughly think through what potential clients are looking for when they visit our sites. It's not always just about displaying your design skills.

As I was writing this, I was contacted by a freelancer who was requesting some information. I went to his site and didn't see a phone number, address or even some indication of where he was located. That says nothing about his design skills, but there are people out there who want to see that information before they contact you. No, it doesn't completely make sense, but it's a reality for some clients and you'd be wise to take that into consideration.

Here's something I did a long time ago and I'd recommend you do the same. I looked at my website, my home page in particular, and asked, "What information is missing that a potential client may want to know?" And, "What information is currently there that really doesn't need to be there?"

In the end, I restructured my whole site to make it as lean as possible. My contact information, instead of being on a Contact page, is at the bottom of every page. I also knew that people thinking of hiring me would be in a hurry. So I made sure my home page had all the important information:

1. An overall view of what I do and my Unique Selling Proposition
2. A list of the types of projects I handle
3. A few samples of my work
4. My contact information

Now let me tell you a piece of information that I removed from my home page that I used to think had value: a list of some of the design tools I use. What I found was that, for the type of clients I target, there's already an assumption that I'm using professional-level tools and not doing something like magalog or book layouts in Word.

While the list of tools I use only took a sentence on my home page, it didn't meet the criteria of what I thought was the core information my target clients would want if they only had time to look at my home page.

These days, if they only look at the home page, they have a pretty good idea of what I'm all about, what my skills are, and how to reach me. If they need more information, a larger portfolio and testimonials are on sub-pages. Or, they can pick up the phone and call me.

Is your home page providing only the most useful information to your potential clients? Or are you spilling your guts and overloading people with more information than they initially need at first glance?

4 Ways To Increase Your Design Income

Sometimes we get too complicated when it come to building our graphic design business. (And just so you know, what I'm going to talk about today applies equally to copywriters.) Instead, let's try to strip things down to some foundational ideas to increase income.

Here's a common scenario...

You actually get your business off the ground, but so far you're only landing small jobs or you make the rookie mistake of setting your fees far too low. You soon realize that you're not making enough money.

Combining some ideas from both Jay Abraham and Jim Rohn, here are four basic ways to increase your income.

1. Increase your fees.

This sounds so easy, but I don't say it without realizing that it's more difficult to do than it sounds for a lot of people. It shouldn't be difficult, but sometimes we worry about upsetting current clients or worrying that we'll never be able to land new ones at a higher rate.

Remember, you're a business and you need to operate like any successful business. To be successful, you need to set appropriate fees. We generally know when we're working for less than we should. And from my own conversations and personal experience lots of rookies under-charge. In fact, I'd be willing to bet that most beginning freelancers who under-charge could double their rates and still not be higher than other freelancers out there.

If you increase your fees with current clients, you do risk losing them, so it's not a step to be taken without a lot of thought. You could keep their rates the same and charge higher (and more appropriate fees) to new clients that hire you. But you don't want to get caught wasting a lot of your time working on low-fee projects when you have other people willing to pay you a higher fee.

At some point, you may have to fire your "low-fee" clients. (If you do decide to fire a client - a decision not to be made lightly - try to help them find someone to replace you so you're not leaving them in the lurch.)

The thing to always keep in mind is your financial goals and whether your clients and your fee structure are helping you to reach those goals. If not, you should probably consider making adjustments.

2. Increase the frequency that your clients need you.

This is the one thing that is the most out of your control. If you have a client who only needs a designer once a year for an annual report, you're not going to convince him to produce two annual reports just so you can make more money.

But with more projects from the same client who already knows and trusts you, the more money you make. And it's not costing you from a marketing perspective.

As it happens, many beginning designers leave money on the table, so-to-speak. I've written about this in the past about not being clear with your clients on all that you can do for them. Believe it or not, just because you did a brochure for a client doesn't mean they realize you could just as easily do a sales letter for them.

So while you have no control over the amount of projects clients have, you have total control over making your clients aware of all you can do for them.

3. Increase your client base.

Increasing the number of clients you work with on a regular basis not only increases your income, it helps protect you when other clients either have a long gap between projects or when they decide they no longer need your services.

Be careful... adding new clients at low fees leads to problems with you hitting your financial goals. The smart thing to do is add new clients at fees that are both fair to you and the client.

How do you increase your client base? First, you should be marketing to the types of clients that are compatible with your skills and your financial goals. Second, you should be seeking referrals from your current clients. A good word on your behalf by a trusted colleague is worth more to a potential client than your own unsolicited marketing efforts.

But until you're hitting your financial goals, you can't afford to leave any stone unturned. So continue to market on your own while seeking referrals from your current clients.

4. Increase your skills.

To put it simply, the more you know and can apply to a client's problems, the more money you can earn.

Let's say you love package design and have some clients in this design niche. Might you be able to earn extra fees by learning how to do product photography?

This is something I'm toying with since I do a number of projects that include a product photo. Unfortunately, in some cases, the product shots are taken in poor light or with some strange background, making it difficult to extract the product to place in my layout. I'm discovering that it would be much easier for me to take the photo myself just for my own sanity. But the added bonus is a higher fee for the photography.

Or maybe you're a print designer but thinking about adding web design skills to the mix. Wouldn't that open up new opportunities for you? Of course! Granted, adding a new skill takes time. But again, I'm going to recommend that you stay focused on your goals. Learning something new takes time and won't be a quick-fix.

Remember, this isn't a hobby... it's your career! If your current plan of attack isn't helping you hit your goals, you need a new plan. Use one or more of these four ideas to help lay a fresh foundation to reaching your goals.

And the book winner is...

...Michelle from eastern Washington.

Thanks to everyone who took the time to send in their name.

As you can, try to find time each day to learn something new about the design tools you use, whether it's in a book like the one I gave away, or through a podcast or newsletter.

This week I learned something new about InDesign that totally changed how I do certain projects. It wasn't any type of hidden feature or "trick", it was just something I wasn't aware was available to me.

The trouble with some of these programs is that there are just so many options, some are buried a bit out-of-sight or it's not clear exactly how you'd use a given feature.

But if you learn how to use them (or even that they're available), it can really save you time on projects.