Being a Starving Graphic Artist Sucks

Freelancing Advice You Won't Learn in Design School: Sorry Is Never Good Enough

Strong words aren’t they? This had to be especially unnerving if you believe that we are supposed to forgive and forget each other’s trespasses. I do believe that, but, (and it’s a BIG but), in trying to attract clients in as a freelancer, just saying, “sorry” can be disastrous. 

Take an example that my buddy in Ohio told me about recently: he was looking to hire a mortgage broker to help refinance his home. It turns out he met a broker through a friend at their church. The broker instructed him to fill out an online application, once it was completed, she would get back to him. My buddy mentioned that filled out the online application out on 3rd of the month; the broker didn’t get back to him until the 22nd. Really? It took the mortgage broker 19 days to get back to a referral from a friend.

This communication delay of course did not sit well with my friend. You might think that the broker being significantly late in responding what set my friend off; it wasn’t. What ticked him off was what the broker said in email back to him. Here’s what she wrote:

“Sorry it has taken so long to get back to you. Can you call me so I can help you? If you don't reach me, please just leave it on voicemail and I will return call.”

So, there’s the apology. And while it’s not an overly sincere one, we’re supposed to forgive and forget, right? My buddy never called her back. He told me, “That was fine that she apologized. The issue was that she was late; REALLY late, and didn’t offer any explanation or reason for it.” My buddy voiced that he was concerned (and I’d have to say legitimately) that if this broker could disappear for almost three weeks on someone who would be an ideal new client, how could he even trust that she would be there for him once he became a client. His rationale was that vendors (brokers or even freelancers) always try to do everything they can to get a new client. They put their best foot forward. However, once they get the client, their service often tends to wane.

“If she would’ve had a logical explanation for disappearing for three weeks, I could have at least considered working with her. She offered nothing but an apology, so I have no idea if this is standard behavior for her. How would I know if she does this type of stuff all of the time?” he finished.

He’s right. How would he know whether the broker felt that not responding for three weeks is acceptable behavior? Furthermore, is being “missing in action” something she often becomes? Would you have confidence working with this woman? I wouldn’t, apparently my buddy didn’t either.

Forgiveness is one thing, but forgiving and still agreeing to work with someone that doesn’t seem like they’re on top of their game is another matter. The same will hold true when it comes to you and your freelancing business. So to help you avoid the mistake this mortgage broker made, here are a few client service points to remember:

• Trust needs to be established when working with clients – especially new or potential clients. Do everything you can to show people that you are responsive, caring and client-focused (disappearing for three weeks would definitely be considered a “No, no”). You should do everything that you can to respond to clients within 24 business hours. Try to get back to a potential client (a lead) within one to three hours. 
• If you are not able to get back to a client in a reasonable period of time (which is becoming harder and harder to explain since we have mobile phones) make sure you offer an apology followed by a reasonable explanation as to why you couldn’t respond timely. This would preclude you from using outlandish excuses like, “My uncle just had his appendix taken out,” or “My bird just died,” unless they are true.
• Finally, follow your apology and explanation up with a sincere promise that the unresponsive and unavailable situation was extremely rare. Reassure the client/potential client that they should not expect it to occur again.

The market is tough out there, guys. Make sure you don’t let golden opportunities, like referrals from friends and family, slip through your fingers because you were lazy or you weren’t on your game. On the rare chance, if you were either of these things – remember that saying your sorry is a great start, but it’s not enough.

Graphic designers: You're not getting the job, you're getting the runaround

We've all heard it before, "Actions speak louder than words". And yes, I know it's a slightly tired cliché uttered way too many times when people can't come up with their own sentiments, but in the following little story it couldn't be truer.

A buddy of mine had a phone interview with a company almost two months ago; it went well enough that the company brought him in within a few days for a two hour face-to-face/technical interview. 

He calls me up and says, "Dude, I think it went really well. I felt I was a really good fit for what they're looking for, and the areas that I am not a perfect match I am sure I can pick up quickly."

"Good deal,” I responded, "So did they make you an offer yet?"

"No. They said they'll put some things together and get back to me. I think we both walked away feeling like I'd be a great fit considering my background and what I am looking to learn. I am sure I'll hear from them pretty soon."

Well, I should point out that "soon" for my buddy and the hiring personnel at this company were two very different measurements of time. He didn’t hear back from them for a while. Days turned into weeks and still my buddy didn't hear a peep out of these guys. Nevertheless, he remained optimistic that his background and passion would certainly get him a job. "I dunno dude, they told me that they were impressed with me during the interview (and I felt they were). Looking at the job requirements - I am a perfect fit," he thought.

After these few weeks passed, my buddy finally decided to call the company and check on the job status. At this point he felt the offer was coming, he just rationalized that they might have gotten busy or something else came up.* "Bureaucracies often move more slowly, so it's no big deal," he said.  Once he was finally able to connect with someone at the company (which took a while), he reported that they quickly but politely said they would get back to him in a couple of weeks.

A couple of weeks came...and went, and the phone never rang.

Sucks doesn't it? Being in limbo for so long, thinking and hoping that things will work out, only to find out that they won't. This type of thing has happened to me before, and I know it's happened (or it may happen) to just about every other freelancer out there - maybe it's happened to you. Don't beat yourself up about it and don't feel embarrassed, it's happened to us all.

So how do you keep yourself from a potential client/employer being playing you - especially if you felt you'd be a great fit, AND that they really liked you?

If we look at what the company DID rather than what they SAID or how my buddy FELT, the answer becomes a little clearer. If my buddy would have looked more at the actions (or lack of actions) the company took to hire him, rather than what was said or how he felt, he would have saved himself a lot of frustration and second-guessing.

Here are the action "warning signs" that might have given my buddy a clue that things weren't as promising as he thought:

• The company didn't immediately make a commitment or offer.
• The company didn't send a courtesy, "Thank you for meeting" follow up email, phone call or letter.
• The company didn't bother to follow up with him over the course of the next few days or weeks...even to tell him, "Hey, we're interested but we've had to deal with a few other things in the meantime." The company took NO initiative to contact him after the meeting.
• When my buddy finally did work up the courage to follow-up with the company they didn't apologize or even recognize that several weeks had passed. They didn't specifically  indicate they were still interested, and instead of getting back to him in a day or two the company said they'd get back to my buddy in, "a couple of weeks".

When you see a list all of these points laid out, it's not hard to come up with, "Duh, they're just not that in to you" is it?

To be fair, it's hard not to get caught up in what potential employers/clients may say to you (even though they may not mean it), and it's very possible that our perceptions/judgments can be way off course. 

I've found that if you're trying to get a grip on whether or not a potential client/employer is going to hire you, try to balance:

• What has been said
• How it has been said
• How you feel about the situation
• How you feel the potential client/employer feels about the situation
• What the potential client/employer has DONE or NOT DONE

Emphasis on the last bullet - it should carry the most weight when trying to figure out what the heck a potential client/employer is thinking. "Actions speak louder than words".

*Whether it’s a potential client, employer or even girlfriend, I’ve found that if they’re really interested, they will get back to you timely (unless they’re playing games, in which case, you don’t want to be associated with them anyway).

How logos affect American politics: http://www.cnn.com/2011/POLITICS/06/29/campaign.logos/index.html?iref=allsearch

Hysterical video of client weaseling. The language is a bit strong, but it's funny. Type "designer versus client" in youtube and you'll find a load of these. For those of you in the States - Happy (early) 4th.