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01 July 2010
Posted in
Selling and Marketing
We live in economically turbulent times and, for many graphic designers, this means they have recently become unemployed after many years of having that cushy corporate staff position or similar. The job market is brutal right now and so many of the designers we know are facing the challenge of establishing a new practice in the face of global competition, unreasonable skills requirements from employers and buyer reluctance from a weakening economy that is driving the price point on contracts down.
So, in building your business, how do you find work that is worth doing and that will support you? Do you go and post a profile on oDesk or eLance? Do you build a killer site and do pay-per-click advertising? Do you go nuts on twitter and facebook? Or, do go and pay 37 signals $100 per month to be thrown into the mess that is Sortfolio.Com?
While we here at The Dev Department feel that these are all good supplements to a sales and marketing plan, we feel strongly that there is no substitute for good old fashioned networking. In the article "Get Personal, Get a Job" from Portfolio.com (a publication of BizJournals), Derrik Jackson of Summit Solutions Group says,
“The best and most effective place to find a solid job lead is going to be your network...”
Further, of our top producing designers, all of them cited that their networking has been paramount to any other marketing efforts they have made.
Kriston Sellier, of Sellier Design in Marietta, GA says,
“Networking is the difference between the success and failure of a design business.”
In 2009, Sellier Design (even in a bad economy) was able to add 25 new clients to their roster based on an average 3 hours per week of networking effort.
So, what is this thing called “networking.” Obviously, it is about making contacts and connections, but how do we actually turn that into leads and sales? We have all been to those events where we feel like we are in a big room of other designers or developers who are either there for the free food, drink and marketing swag or we are all just incestuously trying to sell to each other. This is not networking. So, what is networking?
At The Dev Department, networking is about making friends and building relationships. We are in the friend business first and the web development business second. We have found that if someone likes you, they will do business with you. In “The Little Red Book of Sales,” Jeffrey Gitomer makes the point that you rarely hear of a successful salesman that is not liked by their client. No one ever says, “Boy, that Nick is a real bastard, but I trust him.” No, the opposite is true. People like you, then they trust you, then they buy from you. He goes on to say that
“Sales are for the moment. Friends are for life.”
This holds true in networking as well. Let's face it, in our business things do go wrong and we all get stressed-out. However, when we have a relationship with our client, we can push through the issues and continue bringing value because the reality is that the client is not going to stick with us because we are perfect, they stick with us because they know we will stick with them. That is, they trust us.
So, how do I network?
Let's back up and first talk about building the relationships that lead to clients. It all starts with VALUE.
Bring Value First!
Bringing value to the table is the key to making friends. When we network, when we attend a lunch or a sales pitch, we are always looking for the freebie. Unfortunately, though, if you are one of those “sales” types who jabbers a mile a minute and pokes people on the arm if they don't look directly at you, the freebie you have is of zero value to anyone.
Instead, be friendly. Establish empathy and make a connection. As soon as you meet someone, there should be two things going through your mind:
- What do I have in common with this person?
- What does this person need that I can give them...for free!
Do it in that order. Ask questions, but more importantly, LISTEN! Wait for it...wait for it....and then BOOM! As soon as you hear one of those two things, act on it. Always make a connection and always offer value.
After you bring value, you have made a connection and, if you are genuine in your desire to help, this is a connection that this person will not forget. So, you can call them whenever you want and they will remember you.
Ask and you shall receive!
So, what do you do now? This is the part that really freaks us all out: You have to ask them for something. You have to email them or call them and ask them to give you something. Most of the time, this will be an appointment or a phone call. Whatever it is, bring more value. If your first conversation was about how they are positioned with their brand, tell them you have reviewed their site and have some ideas about how you can help expand or clarify that.
Don't go rushing for the sale! (or as Monty Python would say...)
As you do this, notice that selling them is never part of this conversation. Why? Because relationships aren't based on when the sale will occur. There is so much more. In fact, this connection might not even be a client. So, rushing to the sale may very well create a scenario where you damage your credibility as a resource and position yourself as someone who only wants to sell to them. It is far better to cultivate a real relationship than it is to make a quick sale. Beside, rushing into a sale before you really know someone is dangerous. They could be a complete loony.
How can you promote them?
Another reason to avoid rushing to the sale is because this connection may very well not be a client, they might be a referral source. If you go rushing to the sale, they may only view you as singular in purpose. However, if you establish yourself as a resource, they may very well view you as a person who can help them promote their own cause and thereby bolster your cause and credibility. So, after you have established yourself as a resource and a friend, start talking to them about who they know and what they do and how you can help promote that effort. Eventually, work will come out of it.
Key Concepts
In summary, there are four key concepts I have described in making a connection:
- establishing value
- making a connection
- asking for a follow-up
- sharing and supporting each others opportunities
If you practice these steps, you will begin to make a friend and a valuable connection of everyone you meet.
