biz

My First Rejection.

Well, no, not really. I’ve been rejected before. But this time, it was different. I liked it. This time, it was exactly what I needed to hear.

You see, as a business owner and a site designer, I had a problem. For the longest time I would always, always say “yes”. I was the “yes” girl.

When I launched my new business this past January, I vowed to make changes. I vowed to set up guidelines for working with me – and to stick with them.

Creating a website or graphic for someone else’s company takes work from both sides – I need your feedback and ideas before I can get you what you actually want. I have created worksheets and questionnaires for my clients to fill out so I can get all the answers I need. That was one of the problems I had in the past – clients saying “I don’t care, do what you think is best” which is not conducive to building YOUR brand. If I design everything based on my style and taste, ultimately you will end up not being satisfied with your product. (Not to be confused with me building on an idea – that’s different)

So when I was contacted by a prospective client this week, and the email was a huge red-flag for me. It simply read “Hello. Please send me your skill set. Thank You.”. Right off the bat, I knew they didn’t take even a second to visit my website, since listed right there in plain english are my “skill sets”.

My reply was cordial and friendly – explaining my procedure for phone consolations and requesting for more info on the project over email prior to the call. His response was a flat out “No” – he needed his stuff now and could not wait.

Now, I understand the need for getting something done ASAP. I am sympathetic to that and I will bend my rules in certain situations. But assuming I will stop work on all my clients projects and prioritize yours when we have no prior relationship and when you refuse to send details over email is just, well, insulting to me. The reality is, I run a business, I am busy, I have clients – and treating me as if my schedule is unimportant is just rude.

So I was happy with that rejection. I celebrated (with a cookie, actually). It reinforced the fact that I was making the right decision by establishing my boundaries and standing by them. My clients know that they are important to me and that they will be taken care of. And for those who are not my clients yet, I hope you understand that my rules and restrictions are in place for two reasons – 1) Because I respect myself and 2) Because I respect my clients.

Here’s the real truth — I am not an employee. I used to feel like getting a client project was actually them doing me a favor. Now I recognize that it’s the opposite. Web designers are a dime a dozen… and everyone treats their business differently. I’m not reinvently the wheel here, I know there are other people who can do what I do… but what you get when you work with me is… ta da! Me! And while before I just lumped myself in the category of “just another web designer”, I now know I am different b/c I am personally involved in my clients project. I want them to succeed more then I want them to pay me (the money is just a perk).

So from here on out, my prospects and I interview each other – we decide if we should work together. I do not give the time of day to those people who treat me as if I am their employee, as if they are doing me a favor. Trust me, I don’t need those kind of favors.

Stop Selling Yourself Short… and Start Simply Selling Yourself!

This is a guest post on The Wealth Spa Magazine (www.thewealthspa.com) by me!! (Yay!). Just thought I would share, since I am proud.

I launched my web design business 4 years ago when the list of people who needed my services grew to a point where I could not ignore the need anymore. So I spent just 3 days building my own site – taking design cues from my peers and creating a very “industry standard” website. It was a nice enough site; it brought in business and allowed me to quit my “real job” to invest all my time into design. I had a steady client base but no real niche. I was dealing with clients who did not really mesh well with me personally and I found myself more stressed then satisfied.

Since that time I have had 5 incarnations of my business site. When I got frustrated, to the end of my rope with stress, I would redesign my site hoping it would draw in a different clientele. Each time I took cues from other design sites or utilized the newest fad in design and each time I got a new batch of clients… but walked away with the same stress and dissatisfaction.

So what was I doing wrong?

In the summer of 2008, with my introduction (and slight addiction) to the social networking site Twitter, I figured it out. What was I missing in marketing my business? Me!!

The one thing all those design incarnations was missing was my personality. So once again I went and redesigned my site – and instead of designing something that “fit” with my peers, I created a style that screamed “Victoria!!”

In the weeks after I made the switch to marketing myself rather then my business, I witnessed a complete turnaround, and boom (Yay!), in my business. Instead of trying to figure out what my clients wanted me to be, I was simply myself. In my web presence, my social networking and my communications with clients and prospects I stayed true to my personality and the response was phenomenal! The best part about this newfound business identity: I’ve developed friendships with my clients and a true pride in the work that I provide for them.

This idea of marketing yourself is nothing new. Throughout the ages, women have utilized their appearance as a signature of their style – from clothing, hair, or accessories, woman have found a way to distinguish themselves by their look. When we get dressed in the morning or for a night out, we take care in choosing the right look so that we can show who we are to everyone, ultimately marketing ourselves socially.

As we venture into this new Web 2.0 world, our online style becomes a virtual “look” for our business, distinguishing what the business it all about. As important as first impressions are in the “real world”, the online world works the same. The look and feel of your blog, website or social networking profile will tell your visitors who you are and help them decide if you are the right person to do business with.

wardrobe

Think about the look that you personally display everyday – do your graphics, logo and style for your sites match that look? Do your clients know who they are doing business with?

In my design business, my sites act as my virtual wardrobe. I do not have one particular style all the time in the “real world” just like I do not have one particular style for my designs – but they all have parts that represent me. When I build my sites, I take the piece of my style that fits in with the theme of that site (i.e. my site catering to musicians has a different feel then my site catering to online marketers, but both have their own “Victoria” flair.)

Whether you are selling a product or a service, you are ultimately selling you. Is your website a virtual representation of you?

Capturing you… and your audience.

What does your website say about you? Take some time and review your own site, through the eyes of a prospect. Ignore for a moment the content (while content is the main ingredient of a website, it is the look and feel of a site that will keep your visitor engaged) and look at your color scheme, your fonts, your picture, the flow of the page. What does it tell someone who does not know who you are? If you were the prospect, would you be compelled to hand your money over to this person? Why?

Challenge: poll a group of people who do not know you on a personal level to look at your website and try to describe you.

Now check out your competition. Your competitor’s site can tell you a lot about what you should – and shouldn’t- be doing on yours. Analyze their site the same way – what does their design say about their personality? What would make your target market hire them before you?

Next, take a look at your current client list. Those clients that you love to work with, who give repeat business and referrals, what types of people are they? If you have found your niche already, great! If not, it’s time. One of the biggest teachings in marketing yourself as an entrepreneur is to find your target market. It’s a struggle at first to put limitations on who you market to for fear that you will then limit your income. On the contrary, most often you end up increasing your income… and your sanity. Look a little deeper into who hires you and you will probably find that the majority of those people who love to work with you and who you love to work with have personalities just like you.

What now?

So you reviewed your site… and something about it doesn’t scream ‘you!’ Where do you go from here?

Decide where it’s going wrong. Make a list for the designer of the good and bad of your site – from style all the way down to function.
Figure out the ‘you’ that you want to represent. Here’s a tip: Check out your testimonials! Most testimonials include something that points out a character trait that makes that client love you. Is there a common theme in your testimonials that can help you see why your current clients work with you? If most of your clients stress how “down to earth” you are, then there’s a pretty good chance that’s what sets you apart from your competitors!
Look for a designer that ‘fits’. Ask your clients, friends, family if they know designers – then surf their sites and find one that appeals to you emotionally. There’s a good chance that once you find a site you like, you will probably like working with that designer. Be wary of design firms that offer to customize a pre-built template – while it may be cheaper, tweaking a canned template does nothing for promoting your uniqueness.
Start small when designing a new brand – logos are the easiest to start with. Most designers will send you multiple examples to choose from. Before choosing, ask your peers their opinion on the designs. Sometimes others can see things that you cannot.
Build your entire online empire around the new vision of ‘you!’ Branding is everything to entrepreneurs – and when you overhaul your website, follow up by using that style in your eNewsletters, Blogs, Social Networking Sites, etc. Since the key to sales is trust – when you show your prospects that you remain consistent across the board, their trust in who you are grows. Keep in mind what makes you stand out from your competitors is the “you” factor. Whether selling a product or a service, you are ultimately selling you.

Your business identity should reflect your personality. When you look over your website, when you see your logo, when you review your eNewsletter, how does it make you feel? If it feels impersonal to you, chances are it won’t pull in your prospects either. Showing off how awesome you are in your brand will not only help you develop strong relationships with your clients and bring in the new business that you really want, but it gives you confidence and pride in your business and yourself.

About the Author

;Sign up for my FREE Special Report: Twenty Quick Things You Can Do to Boost Your Online Presence at http://www.lynnraedesigns.com or tweet with me at http://Twitter.com/victoriapk

Photo of me courtesy of Corey Woodruff.

Photo of “wardrobe remix” courtesy of Mai Le via Flickr.

Here’s me, jumping in…

So it’s been a few years now that I’ve been in the business of helping webpreneurs with their online businesses… and one of the most prominent business tools I’ve seen are these blog-thingys. So it’s 2009 now and since I entered this year with a jaded attitude (I lost my mojo late 2008 – but we’ll talk about that in a different blog post) I thought – “What can I do to 1) get my mojo back and 2) reposition myself in this industry” it came to me! Why not do for myself what I see my clients doing?!?! And now here I am with my newfangled blog – and I don’t know what in the heck I am doing here!

I can set it up. I can pretty-fi it. (Yes, pretty-fi. I make up words. It’s ok) I can promote it and SEO the heck out of it — but writing? Where do you begin????

So I investigated blogs. Which was cool, because I discovered that you can pretty much talk about anything you want and if someone wants to listen, they can… if they don’t, they don’t. It’s a nice change of pace for me, since I see the look on my husbands face when I talk sometimes. That look of “I soooo don’t care”. So now I have a new outlet and I’m guessing my marriage will benefit from this. But what I could not find in all those blogs was how to START. What do you say in your first, your second, even your fifth blog post? If I walked up to someone new on the street and just started rambling about graphic design they would probably think I was crazy and slowly back away, then take off running, right?

After agonizing for a few days over how to start, I decided to just make my first few posts just ramblings about my leap into the blog world. Albeit I may be running the risk of people slowly backing away from the computer, then taking off and running out of the room… but here in the blog world, I can’t see you running so it doesn’t make me feel so crazy.

So for those of you who didn’t slowly back away and then start running out of the room – Welcome! Welcome to me rambling about web design, graphic design, photography and a whole bunch of other stuff that makes me tick. I hope in the posts to come that I can provide you with stuff you need; tips, tricks, tools, etc.. I will make a point to include useful stuff amoung my crazy, sometimes snarky ramblings.

Until next time…