Start & Run a Creative Services Business. Susan Kirkland

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СКАЧАТЬ last piece of advice: No matter how tempted you are to say something bad about a previous client or professional peer, don’t. It will reflect badly on you and your working relationships. Your client will be left with a bad feeling and will associate it with you, not with the subject of your ill will. Speaking negatively will also show your prospective client you don’t respect the boundaries of professional courtesy and he may find himself on the other side of a similar rift. When in doubt, bite your lip.

      How do you decide what to show in your portfolio? Here’s where a bit of advance research will pay off. Samples of your work communicate the marketable skills you’ve accumulated over the course of your career. They should show your versatility, but they should also be relevant to the client’s needs. Don’t show up for a portfolio presentation without knowing if your skill is being presented to a viable market. Said Barbara Bills, a longtime production manager at a big ad agency, “Kids show up in my office without a clue about how to market themselves, or if I’m even in the market for their skills.” Make sure there’s a need for what you’re selling where you’re selling it. Sometimes big agencies will ask you to drop off your book and leave it for a few days. This is common practice at the big-city agencies because, as you probably know, most work is on deadline and successful art directors are often pressed for time. Remember, though, sometimes your book never gets opened, and it might be a good idea to revisit agencies you never hear from. Don’t jump to the conclusion that they aren’t interested in your work or that they don’t need your skill set; it’s possible there just wasn’t an opportunity open long enough for them to see your work. Many freelance creatives don’t succeed simply because they give up as a result of assumptions that don’t apply.

      Be persistent, keep going back; show you have a solid interest in developing a working relationship and your efforts will usually be rewarded. It also pays to have a promotional mailer ready to send a few days after they’ve seen your book to remind them that you’re available for assignments. Some creatives call it a leave behind. Don’t leave it behind, but use it as a follow-up mailer within the week. Waiting a few days to remind the client of your visit will reinforce your name and increase the likelihood of getting a first assignment.

      For the perfect leave behind, try to create a soft-sell promotional piece that offers something to the recipient and quietly, secondarily, includes your contact information. That’s why calendars are popular at Christmastime. Most people keep them around for a year, giving the source free advertising in the process. Apply the same sensibility to your marketing piece and you, too, will create an enduring promotional piece. My promo pieces were always posters with full-size cartoons. They ended up on the wall, nicely framed, where everyone entering could see my name. You can’t beat that for continuous promotion around town, and the cartoons always lasted longer than the previous year’s calendar.

      5. Guidelines for Building a Strong Portfolio

      Build your portfolio so it sells your work even when you aren’t in the room to provide commentary. Here are some guidelines that will help you choose the right pieces and display them to your best advantage.

      5.1 Select ten pieces of your best work

      Portfolio showings should be short and sweet. Don’t overstay your welcome. For this reason, I suggest selecting no more than ten pieces of your best work for your portfolio. Don’t spend time convincing people that you’re right for the job. Let your work do the talking.

      5.2 Show pieces that promote specific skills

      If you are an excellent illustrator, show work that highlights your ability. Don’t expect a portfolio filled with strictly editorial design to bring in corporate publication work. If you’re particularly creative as a concept copywriter, select pieces that show that skill. Show pieces similar to the type of work you’re trying to attract.

      5.3 Mount pieces so viewers can see each page

      Professional portfolios are easy to create. You don’t need a fancy zipper case. Cut ten pieces of black mount board to a manageable size and spray-mount each print piece in the center. This allows “boards” to be exchanged without touching or holding the actual sample. Boards are easily refreshed with a plastic eraser.

      5.4 Substitute alternates for special presentations

      Customize your portfolio to each presentation by substituting applicable pieces you’ve done for other clients in the same industry. Prove that you have the skill to do your prospective client’s job. If you prepare your alternates ahead of time, customizing your portfolio will be as quick as substituting one board for another. It pays to have a few extra boards cut to size and ready for impromptu presentations. These will facilitate quick substitutions of industry-specific pieces or can serve as replacements when board corners become dog-eared and dented.

      The more service you offer, the more likely you will become the vendor of choice for creative services.

      5.5 Choose pieces that show off your creativity

      Use simple and direct commentary to describe how you participated in each job, and add any information about concept work. The more service you offer, the more likely you will become the vendor of choice for creative services.

      5.6 Start with an attention-getter

      If your first piece of work is sleepy and dull, you won’t hold your audience through the presentation. Use an eye-popping piece to start the show. A sure sign of disinterest is when the client assumes control and does a quick flip. You’ve lost your audience.

      5.7 End with your best piece

      Clients will remember you by the last piece they see in the interview, so make sure it’s dramatic and leaves a striking impression. Like a great piece of music, end with a crescendo.

      5.8 Include a few business cards

      Take a small envelope and cut the top off. Spray-mount it to the back of the last board in your portfolio. When the presentation is near an end, hand a business card to your prospect. If you have a brochure promoting your services, save that as a follow-up mailer. Keep your audience’s attention on the work in your portfolio, not the depth and scope of services in your brochure.

      Sometimes portfolio showings don’t go well. Potential clients who keep you waiting far beyond the appointed time or take calls during your presentation are tipping you off to their lack of professionalism. Take this as a warning of what’s to come if you keep pursuing their business. I guarantee you will receive the same treatment during the course of the relationship, right up to and including invoices past due. Sometimes this is also a sign of somebody who wants to be nice even though they have no intention of using your services. Spend your time with people who are interested in paying for your services, not those who want to entertain and be entertained.

      6. Cultivate a Sense of Humor

      If you find yourself in a bad situation, you can always rely on your sense of humor — as I had to do once when I came down hard (literally) during a presentation. After I designed a logo and ad campaign for a recent corporate acquisition, I presented it to my captive audience, who were forced to use my in-house talent because they had already spent $25,000 at a local advertising agency СКАЧАТЬ