We are continuing our series on a topic that is especially important this year: 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 TWO: Service Superstar

If your clients don’t get their information in a timely manner or you treat them like anyone else, how will you #beirreplaceable to them? We all like to feel special and heard. So what are you doing to make sure you can respond in a seemingly unique and thorough way? There are many ways to up your service to clients, but we want to talk about one of the most important ways here: timely and special communication.

Let’s talk about making your clients feel special. Email communication is easy and fast, but does it make your clients feel like one of a kind? One of the great ways to stay on top of things like estimates, schedules, proposals, green reporting, user names and passwords, etc., is to make templates of these items that you can customize on the fly. We have about 30 different forms that we use to respond back to the client in a much more memorable way than just shooting them an email. Make PDFs with some of your branding, and areas for theirs that they can save, print out and generally feel good about. The great thing about these artifacts is after you create them, you have records of the information as well.

A another crucial piece to the service puzzle is making your communication with clients faster. Don’t make them wait a week for something that in their minds should only take a day or two. To do this, you need to figure out a system of tasks, schedules and job tracking that will help. Now there are a million options out there, but DS recommends the products from 37signals. They are not free, but they do have great functionality, some good pricing options, and continual upgrading. We have seen many large and small companies utilize Basecamp, a project management and collaboration tool, and Highrise, a great CRM. Both are great options. For more details on 37signals’ full suite of options, click here. (We will write soon as well about all the great options from Google, but that is a whole post in itself).

Whatever your method is of tracking and staying on top of work, our point is do it in a way that will help you save time, keep up to speed, and respond quickly to your clients. Don’t give anyone an edge on a relationship that you have worked hard at developing. We hear from people all the time about clients who accuse creatives of not being able to manage jobs efficiently. Don’t fit into that category, and take some time to tweak your service so you can be a superstar.

How are you irreplaceable with your service?

Your theme, especially this year, should be to make yourself irreplaceable. How are you going to do that?

The design and visual communication field boasts over 55,000 different companies in the U.S. When you add freelancers, crowd sourcing, and the person who still has CorelDRAW, the competition is steep, especially for clients that may have more pressure than ever to watch the bottom line. Of course, if we lose work to the guy with CorelDRAW, we probably didn’t want that client anyway, but I’m just saying there are a lot of us out there.

So how do you #beirreplaceable? We’ve got a list of several great reminders, and we will be covering one at a time for the next few weeks. Short and sweet, and something for you to think about. Some of the topics will be:

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

NUMBER ONE: Relationship King

If your clients don’t think they or their needs matter to you, how will you #beirreplaceable to them? Close your email and pick up the phone. Send a (real) card on their birthday. Remember their name and spell it right. Know what hobbies they have or how many kids they have. Pay for lunch. Send them interesting links about business related items, or shows, or things they are interested in. Connect them to other clients when there is a good business match. Send them a holiday gift – maybe for an unexpected holiday. But more than anything be genuine. The little things matter, and if you do not know yet, relationships are king.

What are you doing to stand out and #beirreplaceable? Any of these things? What do you do in client relationships that has been most successful?

#64 Think about ways you can connect your clients with each other. There are some great opportunities for you to create deeper relationships.

We all feel good when someone recommends us to a potential client (and even better when it happens to be an ideal client or a great connection). But have you ever stopped to think about yourself as the connector? Consider your vendors and clients. Do you have one that can help another out? Perhaps their products and services will be mutually beneficial, helping them become more efficient or successful. Maybe it won’t work, but it could be within your power to create a strong and lasting partnership.

Take some time and think about how utilizing your network can benefit your clients. Don’t expect anything in return, but more often than not the result is a stronger relationship that will reap much more than you can imagine in the end. Whether it’s through email, LinkedIn, coffee, hosting a lunch or other social avenue, there are many ways you can do connect your amigos for the greater good.

Do you do this already? Any great stories of success? Failures? Let us know.

A growing design firm goes through many transitional phases: from freelance to a second warm body in the office, and then on up to a team of designers. Soon you’re waking up to not just design anymore but to running a business. On that journey many will take on the somewhat daunting task of selling, pitching, and fighting for new work. Often times this is a tough transition as sales was not part of your training as a designer. One thing we have learned while going on sales calls is to make sure your vehicle is ready and equipped to hit the road. No more “Oh $h!t we forgot the projector” or having terrible coffee breath minutes before you meet with a potential new client. Below are 5 things we suggest for your sales emergency kit. Having these items as a backup will ensure you never bomb a new business adventure.

1 - Extra Business Cards, Brochures, Marketing Material

This seems like a no brainer… But believe it or not we all forget to snag our business card holder as we leave in a rush. And somehow your glove box stash happens to be missing that day too. We’ve been there…don’t let this happen again! Hide some cards in the trunk or seat pocket and try to forget about them.

2 - Computer Adapters

MINI DVI to DVI - DVI to VGA to who knows what! Be sure to have back ups and extras of each. It never fails that the most crucial piece is left on your desk back at the office. Be prepared and have a variety – because you never know whose computer or projector you will end up on.

3 - Printed Presentation

Just in case of a dead projector, or even a crashing computer, have a couple copies of your base presentation printed out. You can even go as far as having printed samples or even boards. This will be a life saver when your projector dies or you drop your laptop in the parking lot!

4 - Mints, gum or everyone’s favorite: Binaca

Let’s face it: designers live on coffee, Mountain Dew, and other highly caffeinated drinks (and beer). This, however, can create awful breath. We all know fresh breath sells great creative – so be sure to stock up on breath fresheners: lots of them!

5 - Tie

I know what you’re thinking, “No ties! We are creatives!” However, there is the occasional meeting with the conservative type who expects you to have on a tie. Toss a basic one into your emergency kit, and if you forget your tie that day just use that one! (Another good item to have is a neutral suit jacket or for the ladies, your basic black heel. You just never know when you’ll have to dress up that outfit!)

*Only use in case of emergency