The way our clients see us as professionals it is a point that we must not overlook. In addition to our jobs and projects, what will support us will be our way of treating and relating to our clients. The way we refer to our work says a lot about how we conceive it and especially how we conceive ourselves as graphic designers.
On the net there are numerous tips on how to face a job interview or even very interesting decalogues (like this) for graphic designers. Today I would like to share with you a selection of phrases or statements that will not benefit you much as a professional and that therefore you should avoid at all costs Have you ever said them?
- I can make it cheaper
This statement is synonymous with one thing: The product or work that you are going to perform does not have the stipulated or agreed value. By saying that you can do it cheaper you are saying that you can do the same job (with the same hours and operations) for a much lower value. You are underestimating your work yourself and of course this does not suit you at all.
- I'm not the best
This is another of the most used statements, especially by the most beginner designers. Remember that deep down you are developing a job of marketing, sales and persuasion. If you say that there are many better designers than you, you are giving your client reasons to disappear and look for another who knows how to develop their work more effectively. You are somehow sabotaging your training and you are reducing your clientele yourself. This does not mean that humility is too much, but it is one thing to be humble and quite another to discredit yourself.
- This is something complementary that I do in addition to my work
If I were talking to a doctor, a lawyer or an electrician and he told me that this is something he does in his spare time and as a complement to his real work, I can draw a conclusion in an easy and simple way: He does not dedicate himself with seriousness and entirely to medicine, law or electricity, so it is very likely that he will make a mistake or if he does not, that he will develop his work in a more superficial way than someone consecrated in his field would. If you dedicate yourself to several fields, do not comment on it because that can make the client distrust.
- I work in pajamas
Nowadays the number of freelancers (designers) is exaggeratedly high, that is nothing new. But who, if at all, would tell your client that he works in pajamas? On many occasions we have talked about the trust component between the designer and his client, but honestly, this is not having trust. This is pushing the boundaries to once again discredit yourself as a professional. Whether you are professional or not, your job (in theory, at least it should be like that) is exactly the same as what you would do in an office or in any job. Pajamas are not associated anywhere with the seriousness and precision of a qualified professional, so you know ... it is prohibited!
- I have no idea
Logically you are not a guru and there will be things that escape like any human being. But the way you deal with these issues with your client also says a lot about you. Try to deal with these questions or issues (if they arise) with grace, ease and ease. "I have no idea" is not a valid answer, pay attention to the way you communicate your potentials but also the way you comment on your limitations.
- My prices are flexible
No no no and no. Any customer who hears this phrase will be cutting their budget long before you even finish it. You are the first to value your work, there is no more mystery. Being flexible on these types of issues is synonymous with accepting haggling and lowering the price of what you do once again. Do not do it!
- I was at a party late last night
It is a totally expendable and unnecessary anecdote from your personal life that all it will do is alter your professional image. People trust committed, serious and responsible people, so it is important that you learn to establish two independent facets in your life: one professional and the other personal. When one interferes with the other, things can get quite complicated in an unnecessary way.
- That is very easy to do
So easy to do that the customer can do it himself? So what use were so many years of study or work for you? This type of comments encourages the promotion of that informal and lax and serious vision of graphic designers and those who are dedicated to the world of communication and image. It is prohibited!