Need Clients in Your Graphic Design Business?

Does finding clients feel challenging or like the opportunities have dried up?

Or have clients you were working with cut back their budgets?

Maybe you feel weird asking for work when so many businesses are struggling.?

You are not alone!

I worked full-time in graphic design jobs for about six years before starting my biz in the early 2000s, before social media existed. I found my very first gig on?elance.com?(now known as Upwork). I also got work through former co-workers at my job. From there, referrals took over, and I didn’t have to try hard after that to find work.

Even though I would sometimes feel nervous about not having enough work, the work would always show up when I needed it, usually through referrals or just by sending out a few emails to past clients to see if they needed my help. I know it’s not always that easy for everyone, but it has been the honest case for me.

I’ve given some serious thought to why this has worked so well for me, and it comes down to this fact:

Besides creating great work, I focused-whole-heartedly on serving clients well rather than on where my next project was coming from.?

So if you’re not already, try focusing on the clients you DO have and serve the heck out of them. And I don’t mean to do extra work for free or overdeliver a ton. Here’s what I mean:

What we focus on grows.

Even though you want and probably need more work, try to shift your focus to what you do have and make those clients’ experiences the best they can be FIRST. You want them to LOVE working with you so that:

1. They will come back to you for more work.
2. They will refer you to others.

I think we all know this, but I can’t emphasize the importance of it enough.

Doing this well makes your clients see you as a gem, a unique professional, and a sought-after designer, helping you stand out from the thousands of others doing what you do. Your clients don’t want to consider alternatives because they want to keep working with you.

Unfortunately, many creatives out there DON’T serve their customers well. So this is good news for you: Be excellent at your craft and ALSO at your customer service. Remember, you’re working with humans, so relationships and trust are everything.

Here are some ways to ensure your clients love working with you:

• Make the process of working with you organized, pleasant, and as easy as possible for your client.?If it’s complicated, bumpy, or confusing, that won’t be a stellar experience for your client, and they will probably look elsewhere the next time they need a project done.
• Pre-communicate and over-communicate:?Be one or two steps ahead of your client's questions. Let them know ahead of time how the process of working with you will go, what the next steps will be, and demonstrate how you’re on top of any potential problems that might come up. Then, don’t expect your client to remember everything you’ve told them; tell them again when it makes sense during the project.
• Empathize.?Whenever any questions or issues arise during a project, immediately put yourself in your client’s shoes and understand how they might feel. Then, address problems empathetically but factually. You are serving your client and staying true to your boundaries so you don’t feel resentful or burnt out over time.
• Ask them.?Find out if they’re satisfied. Ask how you can do better. Ask if clients would leave you a review or write a testimonial. I know it can be scary to do this—it can feel a little weird to ask your client to do one more thing. However, keep in mind that getting this feedback improves your work and how you service clients, which will benefit your current and future clients. So, make this a part of your offboarding process! Set up an email template for the “ask,” and go for it! When I finally got up the nerve to do this, I received several 5-star Google ratings in ONE DAY because I asked for them. Don’t rely on clients to do this automatically. You’ve got to ask!

I hope this helps you think about how you can make sure your clients love working with you. I challenge you to put some ideas into practice THIS WEEK! Let me know how it goes, and, of course, ask me any questions!

Want to go deeper? Grab my free mini-course to help you attract high-quality clients into your business ??https://www.designingsuccess.co/quality