Tracey Halvorsen is a blogger, painter, author, speaker and Principal and Creative Director at Fastspot, a Baltimore, Maryland-based interactive agency. I had chance to speak with her about many aspects of running a design business, from social networking to determining budgets to the importance of failure.
Question: There is so much to running a freelance design business aside from being a great designer. If you could pick a few things designers should improve on or learn about, that have nothing to do with the creative side of our work, what would they be?
It’s all about customer service!
Another thing is this: be a good writer. If your initial email or proposal has typos or refers to the client by the wrong name, you can kiss the opportunity goodbye. Also, be straightforward and direct. Remember your prospective clients are busy, so don’t waste their time, and don’t make them work hard to understand what you are selling or why they should hire you.
Reread everything, have a parent proof it, and get feedback. You would rather have your college roommate tell you your promotional email sucks before you send it out to hundreds or thousands of prospects.
Expect prospective clients to check you out. Make sure your LinkedIn profile is up to speed and get a few recommendations if you can. Clear out any inappropriate tweets from your Twitter timeline, and just check over everything in general. You don’t want a prospective client coming across some bit of information that turns them off to you before you’ve even made a first impression.