Welcome to the final entry of a very important topic in our opinion: making yourself irreplaceable. With this year off to a similar if not more challenging start as last year, now is the time to focus on being different.

So we are wrapping up discussing four main topics:

1 Relationship King
2 Service Superstar
3 Industry Ally
4 Valuable Partner

NUMBER FOUR: Valuable Partner

Do you have clients who would say you are an integral part of their business? If not, what are you doing to get there? #beirreplaceable

Taking care of your current clients is just as important as getting new ones. We have covered ways to make yourself as irreplaceable as possible. All of the tips in the world still pale in comparison to just good old fashioned great work. If you are not producing great, strategic, well thought out creative, then all the tips in the world will not matter.

Avoid Status Quo: In this writer’s opinion that also means continually helping your clients progress. When you have a client for a long time, it’s easy to get into a lull of expected solutions. When you feel this is starting to happen, switch up the creatives working on it, or have critiques with design friends. Do whatever you can to keep some fresh perspective. You can also take a time out to have a retreat with your client once a year and take a look at their business together. Look at trends, competition and internal scenarios to make sure you are helping them stay fresh with a current perspective.

Set Boundaries: You are only as valuable as you are excited about working with certain clients, but every excitement has to have its limits. When you set boundaries for your personal well-being, your clients still need to feel you have their best interests in mind. So be clear about your work hours, your availability, your payment needs, project process, key contacts, etc. Conversely, take initiative to learn their expectations, too. This way both parties will know expectations, have less communication issues along the way, and you can focus on what is important - the work.

Stay Optimistic: EVERYONE has tough clients. No matter how big or famous. So remember that if you are in a challenging scenario, people have been in your situation before. Some have been fired by clients, have done 50 logo revisions, dealt with project creep, and have been beaten down by an experience. You have a choice: you could get upset about it, or you can be optimistic and figure out how to appropriately handle the scenario. Handling something difficult properly will reap you awards 100% of the time. And it allows you to keep an optimistic mojo to handle these types of scenarios better or to avoid them altogether.

Being a valuable partner is mixture of process, time, manners, vision, consistency and understanding that we are a service business. When we realize these truths of our industry and learn how to incorporate them into a work flow that helps create great work, we are on our way to being irreplaceable.

#74 Don’t dread the cold call; own it by being prepared, strategic and ready to promote yourself. It’s an opportunity. Get ready to nail it.

The next several tips will talk about those things we all hate to do or tend to avoid. The one we are focusing on today is the dreaded cold call. First things first: if you are just calling companies with no plan in mind, STOP. You are wasting time. Cold calls are your lowest percentage of new business, so you have to be prepared. Here are some simple tips:

1. Do your research - See if they are a client that you are interested in. Do they seem to appreciate creative, or do they need a lot of help? Either way, is there an area you can capitalize on and show your experience? Like their web, social media, or upcoming tradeshow?

2. Have reasonable expectations - You are not going to “close the sale” on the phone. What you want to do is get a chance for a meeting in person or some sort of follow up. Focus on getting a meeting. Statistically it takes the majority of us five or more points of contact to get a project (if there is one). Don’t get discouraged.

3. Be ready with your calendar - Be prepped with days and times you are available to meet, and always be ready to jump on an opportunity.

4. Gatekeepers are your amigos - Too often I hear of people trying to do battle with someone’s gatekeeper. Remember, though, they are called gatekeepers for a reason…have good manners and be honest with them. Being professional with a sprinkle of charm usually gets you some great feedback and the information needed to get to the next level.

5. The greeting of success - Have an opening statement ready. Practice it as many times as it takes for it to sound natural. Think about what they may be looking for and have information that reflects the research you have done. In your prep time, think about any questions or objections they may have, and be ready to answer.

These are just a few cold calling thoughts - what are some of your tips? Any horror stories or success stories you want to share?

Welcome to part three of a very important topic in our opinion: making yourself irreplaceable. How are you going to do that?

So we are discussing four main topics to think about:

1 Relationship King
2 Service Superstar
3 Industry Ally
4 Valuable Partner

NUMBER THREE: Industry Ally

How are you showing your clients that you understand their needs, their industry, their dreams? Understand their business and #beirreplaceable

In design school we studied things like theory, typography, history, production and if we were lucky, a little marketing. But most of us had very little business exposure, training, or understanding on how to relate our design education to the business world. More than ever we need to take time to understand our clients’ needs and points of pain. If you don’t specialize, which is a whole other subject to talk about, then you may have a lot of homework (depending on how many different industries your clients are in). Here are a few tips on how to learn about your clients’ world:

1) Listen for industry terms, trends, acronyms and competitive speak in meetings so you can google it later. If you have a great rapport ask for details in the meetings, or do both. This will also give you a chance to do more online research to help you understand your client’s world better.

2) Read your clients’ and/or their industries’ leading blogs via RSS or subscribe to thier industry publications. A peek now and then will help you stay up to speed and could give you ideas on ways to help them stand out. These will also help you with new regulations, trends, or major topics that will help you understand where they are coming from.

3) Try to understand your clients’ corporate culture. If for example they have an initiative to be more sustainable, you can recommend making an online report and/or using more FSC certified printers or paper. Or if they want to increase internal communications, you could help them set up an intranet or create internal environmental messaging, brainstorm team events, etc. Whatever the case, when you understand your client, the best chance for more business is with a client you already doing business for.

4) Going to trade shows can be an amazing way to create a deeper relationship with your client. Spending time with them in their world, walking the floor to talk about competition or where they want to go can be invaluable. Also, depending on the industry, there could be many new opportunities by working with suppliers, clients or even competition where acceptable. Having an understanding and track record in that industry helps you sell and makes you more of an expert.

5) Use your collective experiences from other industries too. Some project or program you did in one industry might be “cutting edge” or refreshing in another. Figure out ways to share that knowledge to make a case and show your clients how you can help them stand out in their market.

The best practice is and will always be to do your homework and have conversations with your clients. From there you create relationships that allow you to serve them better. And then they will value your services as irreplaceable to them.

What do you do to stay on top of your clients’ business?

#73 If you’re not sketching enough, start collecting images or ideas on your phone. Visual reminders are just as important.

I’ve sketched or doodled as long as I can remember. But, as the busyness of  life, work, etc. has built up, my sketching has decreased. I have always felt very strongly that nothing is better then pen to paper, and when I don’t have time to sketch, I get frustrated.

But then along came the iPhone. I never thought I would use a camera phone. It has decent resolution but is often blurry, lacking a flash for low-light scenes. However, as I started taking shots to remember well-designed stuff, funny scenes, and various people or places that inspired me, I found myself stockpiling mounds of inspiration. And then I realized that it wasn’t just a resource, but a visual sketching of sorts.

So, if you get bummed out that you don’t sketch more, buy some cool photo apps, shoot whatever you can, and have fun with them. It still doesn’t bring me the same feeling as when I can actually sketch, but it is equally as cool in a different way. Here are some apps we are currently digging:

ShakeIt Photo: shakeitphoto.com
CrossProcess: crossprocessapp.com

There are also some great sketching apps that you can get crazy with if you do have some time or don’t have paper nearby. Plus with the new iPad coming out, it makes apps like brushes even more exciting to try. Go to this site and see what can be done with brushes - pretty amazing.

Brushes: brushesapp.com

What are your favorite photo habits, apps, or other ways to capture inspiration?