In the first article on talkfreelance, I am going to discuss ways in which you can improve your services and market towards higher paying customers.

“You get what you pay for”

When you sell a fully coded website for $30 you are immediately looked upon as cheap, people will assume your services are only worth the price you are selling them for and look elsewhere.

I’m sure you have seen it before, “im building a portfolio, will work for food!” new designers trying to get a foot in the door will literally sink to any levels to obtain a client. You should never compete on price alone.

Generally speaking the customers that focus on price end up being more demanding and less grateful, they try and squeeze as much as they can from you. It’s these types of customers who don’t understand the true value of design and these are the ones to avoid, at all costs.

It makes more sense to attract several higher paying customers than take on a multitude of $50 templates. It will save you hassle, time and you will end up with something decent for your portfolio.

“Just say no!”

One of the most important things is to be able to say “No”. It might sound strange turning down work, but believe me there are many reasons why you should at times.

If you are not 100% confident in the project specification then you should turn it down without a seconds notice. Projects that carry risk can turn into a very big headache for you and a lot of negative press from the unhappy client.

If you are negotiating with a client for a design and they are not willing to increase their budget then they do not understand the value of your service and are placing a greater importance on the cost and not the quality.

“Partnerships are the key”

Partnerships elevate your status as a well-respected freelancer. Instead of “one time” deals you should seek out long-term contracts and gain credible relationships with clients.

“More than just another design”

You cannot and will not win big clients by offering the same service as bottom feeders. A company paying $5,000 for a website expects a service worth $5,000.

The reason ceonex have $5,000+ clients is because of the service they provide. They go far beyond just “another” web design.

Consider offering a wider range of services to compliment your design process. Personal phone calls, daily updates, 30-day guarantee, free support etc.

“Thinking outside the bubble”

Designing a website is not solely about who can make it look pretty. It has to be functional and serve a purpose as well. You need to be able to convince the customer that the money they are investing is going to pay them off in the long term.

How much money will it save them? How will it increase their net profit? How fast will it load? How compatible is it going to be?

Consider thinking outside the design bubble, design is not just about design; it is about improving a companies image to make them more money.

“Provide Testimonials”

When I ran banners2go I asked every client for their feedback on our services, good or bad. It is also important to provide contact information for each testimonial so these leads can be followed up.

“Understand the scope of the project”

Anyone can design a great looking site, within reason. The hard part is meeting the specific requirements a client throws at you. Clients can often be vague and misleading with what they require.

It is this process from the idea to end product that will set you apart from the rest. Nearly every designer I have worked with produces a totally different design to the one originally specified.

Problems will occur if you take the lead and start designing with your own ideas in mind or worse yet if they give you the creative control. You should never settle for a brief description, you should always ask them a series of questions so you fully understand the scope of the project.

“Experience pays off”

Experience will always win. If you have been programming for 3 years then let your clients know this! Any qualifications relevant to the area are well worth including, degrees, companies you have worked with or qualifications you have gained.

Who would you rather hire, an experienced 25-year-old programmer who has worked with several notable companies or a 16-year-old kid doing his GCSE’s? Even if they can produce the same standard of work, on paper the former will always win.

“Leave the poor bugger alone!”

Being a pushy salesman never pays off, let the client decide if your services are suited to them. You only need to e-mail them once, be patient, it never hurt anyone.

Thanks for reading my article, i hope it has been of some interest. I would appreciate your thoughts