Handling the client approach
It’s important to have some kind of filter system in place for the stream of work enquiries I receive. Why? Because not every potential client is one I’m well suited to, and where that’s the case, both parties obviously want to minimise the time spent finding out.
Here are three web pages I use to streamline the client approach.
Frequently asked questions
My FAQ page is the first place I want potential clients to visit. They may or may not have an idea of how much they plan on spending, so I show a general price range for brand identity projects. The range is purposely broad, because every client has unique needs. I won’t rule-out different budgets, but I find it beneficial to give at least some indication of what other clients have spent, as it helps prevent those with budgets in the hundreds from wasting their time. Other answers on the page give a general overview of what people can expect when working with me.
—
Update: 13 December 2011
I’ve since removed the price range from my FAQ page, instead adding a minimum price to my questionnaire (below).
—
Questionnaire
If the company approaching me is happy with what’s on the FAQ, the next step is for them to answer the initial questions posed in my questionnaire. The details they provide help form the basis of a solid design brief, and also give a clearer picture about what’s actually needed in terms of deliverables. After receipt of a completed questionnaire I’ll ask more questions tailored specifically to the company making the approach. Then I’m ready to prepare a quote.
Terms and conditions
When a quote is sent, I’ll accompany it with a link to my terms and conditions. This page helps potential clients understand how the working relationship will pan-out, should they decide to hire me.
—
So that’s a brief look at how I handle the client approach. It’s not perfect, but hopefully it’ll be of some help, and if you have any questions or suggestions for improvement, please do leave a comment or send an email. Many of you know a lot more than I do.
Illustration courtesy of Thinkstock
Related posts worth a look
26 appreciated comments on “Handling the client approach”
Anything to add?
All comments are moderated so you may experience a short delay before yours appears. Comments should be respectful of other voices in the discussion, and I reserve the right to edit or delete comments at my discretion.
Please use your real name. Keywords will be removed.
This was extremely helpful, especially the links to your boilerplate language for terms and conditions. I’ve been fine tuning and updating mine, and this has helped me focus on the essentials. Big thanks, David. –JB
Hey David, it’s good to see that you give potential clients the opportunity to read what it’s like to work with you and the how you handle your projects with past clients.
Even though you have your FAQs section, do most of your new clients read that page before they send you an inquiry or do they still ask you questions in which you have to point them to the page?
Glad to help, JB. Jamie, sometimes it seems like the majority of potential clients skip my FAQs before getting in touch, so unless they confirm they’ve read it, I always ask.
A very good word indeed David. Preciate it big time!
David,
The questionnaire is an excellent idea, a “weed-out” tool so to speak. I do that for my client sites, but have never done it for our site.
Where we rely on conversations to determine fit, I use a client orientation brochure that I physically hand the client to read, and it serves as an FAQ… but also begins to communicate our culture.
Ideally, we all want to communicate with clarity: “What’s it like to do business with me?”
I do appreciate your T&C. Nice and concise, I get so discouraged with a long T&C, such as supplied by aiga.org — and I would like to have our T&C on my site. Mind if I adapt it?
Hi David,
.. I like your approach, especially the way you ‘filter’ potential clients on your FAQ-page! By showing a general price range for brand identity projects, the ‘too-little-bugdet’ clients won’t spend precious time (on both sides).
I have tried to accomplish the same ‘effect’ in my request-form, where I ask to fill in a budget. Showing my lowest price range scares most prospects away with a smaller budget (or none at all).
My Logo Questionnaire and Terms and Conditions can be found on my corporate site (in Dutch), a necessity when freelancing! Thanks for sharing, I found it an interesting Article! Cheers & Ciao ..
David, your terms state that “The client shall be entitled to full ownership of all artwork created during the project upon full payment of the agreed fee”
Does this mean that they also own any sketches or concepts that they didn’t like?
Feel free, Brian.
Jan, that’s a method I used a few years back (showing a drop-down list of price categories in the questionnaire). I’m sure it saved a lot of time.
Matt, I normally keep sketches to myself, particularly during the course of a project, but if after the work is complete a client wants to use them as a memento, that’s absolutely fine by me.
S does that mean the client owns rejected concepts, meaning that you couldn’t use them for another client in the future?
I wouldn’t want to use rejected ideas for another client. All options should be created solely for the design brief in hand.
Thanks David, that’s what I thought you’d say :)
Btw, your FAQ is very informative. A great starting point for any potential client.
Very helpful, thanks David. Just one question. You mention in your T&Cs about transferring ownership and reproduction rights to the client on full payment. Does this leave the client with full copyright ownership entitling them to alter or edit logo designs as they see fit also? Just wondering if you’ve ever had the situation whereby one of your designs is at a later date changed slightly (for the worse) which might reflect badly on yourself?
David, I do the questionnaire and T&C, but reading yours I found some really good points that I missed. Thanks for posting so everyone can see and so I can remember to make some changes of my own. And an FAQ is something I might want to consider in the future as well. Cheers
I’m a new branding and Identity designer based out of the midwest, and this helps to clear out some questions I had. I’ve thought about adding a FAQ page to my site, because it can cover a lot of the questions that I receive at the beginning of the process; saving time. I’ve been a fan of your blog, but this is my first post. Thanks alot David!
That’s a very concise and organized way of handling leads. By giving the client an idea of what they are in for, you give them the opportunity to “vote themselves off the island” if they aren’t for you.
Well done.
Thanks David,
Appreciate the clear and concise article. FAQ’s works well as a gatekeeper.
Daniel
Ross, if clients really want to change my designs, that’s up to them, but I don’t see why they’d want to spend money only to do it themselves. There have been times when a client ended-up driving the design process, but I quickly learned from experience.
Thanks for commenting (everyone else). Glad to be of some help.
Thank you once again David, this post is immensely helpful. It has answered a lot of queries that I had when it comes to setting up shop.
There is however one question that has been troubling me, that I hope you can shed some light on. When I’m up and running with a business plan & website etc., be it that I’m new to the graphic design freelance world, how much should I charge clients for brand identity? Or, putting it another way (because I know it’s not as simple as that). What do you think is the best way to gauge how much to charge clients?
I too found some helpful points in this post – thank you David!
Jamie, you might find this helpful
http://freelanceswitch.com/rates/
David,
This is a great reminder for anyone in the creative industry. It can be easy to jump on a project that seems like a great idea at first, but I have found that it is important to dig a little deeper to make sure that the client is a good fit and also that I can provide what they’re looking for.
Providing these guidelines also helps set the tone for the future relationship. I have found that the initial meeting really helps distinguish whether the client needs an expert or just more of a ‘waiter’ – someone who will just provide what the client wants, without putting a whole lot of thought into the process.
Great post – thank you!
Thank you for sharing this with us!
I bookmarked this blog post. This will really come in handy if I ever decide to work as a freelancer in the future.
Jamie, the design pricing formula (and the comments beneath it) will hopefully shed a little light on the subject. When I was starting out I found it helpful to set myself an hourly fee, then multiply each project hour by that fee to give a very rough figure. I was new to the business side of design, though, and the benefits of setting a flat rate per project are much greater. I talk about it in chapter six (pricing design) of my book.
Amy, with a bit of experience it can be quite easy to suss those potential clients who want a pixel pusher, and yep, that first meeting or chat goes a long way to helping.
Jessica, if you ever do become self-employed, and if you think I can answer any questions, feel free to give me a shout.
Thank you for responding David,
I feel almost embarrassed that I didn’t find at least one of your ‘pricing guide’ blogs on your site before asking the question. I did have a good look around but not hard enough and it appears that your website runs deeper then I previously thought ;)
It really is incredible what you have here David. Your site is just so resourceful and so personal… And to all the people that leave comments and willingly share their own knowledge and experience, I thank you all too. I hope to give something back when I’m up and running.
Thanks for the article David, the terms and condition is a great point that many people miss out on especially when starting off.
Thank you for the links, I find your blogs a great source of valuable information. I have been an avid reader right throughout my degree and even now as I work in the industry I am hooked!