Email & Telephone Protocol

Does your firm have a standard protocol in place for answering the phones and/or sending email? If not you are probably losing business. Use these tips as a standards guide for answering the phone and responding to email in your business.

It is important in any sound business to have standards in place so your creative firm is acting out of a place of consistency and professionalism. Use the information below as a working model for your business or modify it to suit your particular needs. Most importantly, implement a version of it so your employee behavior and business goals are congruent.

Telephone protocol – Answering the telephone

We will:

• answer 90% of telephone calls within 15 seconds
• greet the caller in a polite and friendly manner giving the name of the council OR team OR facility AND our name
• if applicable, make notes of the call and address the caller by name if this is appropriate.
• if we transfer the call,  tell the caller which service or person or extension  they are being transferred to
• when transferring a call, pass on the caller’s name and details of their query; we will not just put the call through to a colleague without announcing it first
• when accepting a transferred call,  greet the caller by name and indicate that we know what their call is about
• not transfer a call a second time.   If we cannot deal with it ourselves we will arrange for someone to ring the caller back
• when the caller has contacted us in error, give them the correct number to call where possible
• when we leave our desk, divert our telephone to a colleague and ask them to answer our calls  or use an answer phone
• if we use an answer phone, we will respond to messages within two working days

Email protocol – Dealing with emails

We will:

• reply within one working day;  OR acknowledge emails within one working day and reply in full within ten working days;  or for Freedom of Information requests reply in full within  twenty working days
• use a friendly, courteous and professional tone
• use a professional layout (Upper and lower case letters used correctly, structured in paragraphs, with a proper salutation using the sender’s name and a proper ending.)
• use professional language (No abbreviations such as txtg, no serious grammatical or spelling errors, free of jargon, written in plain, accurate English)
• use standard email font settings and avoid any personalisation such as additional graphics or special effects
• ensure that our name, job title and telephone number are included automatically on every e-mail we send
• activate the out of office message as a matter of routine when we know that we will be absent for more than one day.  We will leave a courteous, professional message and give the contact details of a colleague who can be contacted in our absence

None of the above applies to spam messages which should simply be deleted.

Make More Design Sales By Helping Your Customers See The Future

Here’s a powerful persuasion technique that will guarantee your design business more sales once you start integrating it into your sales presentations and talk tracks.

This technique is, of course, nothing new and has been recently highlighted in Kevin Hogan’s fine book, The Science of Influence.

It involves your potential clients view of time. Simply said, By changing ones relationship to time you help them make different decisions.

As Hogan says, “Time plays a big role in people’s decision-making process. There are three fundamental ways people experience time: past, present and future.”

Now the trick is to get your clients viewpoint out of the past and present and into a rosy future.

Some examples:

Client #1: “The last time we worked with a design firm we were not happy at all with how the deliverable dates were communicated”

Design Firm: “I understand. If we can create communication plan with a simple and clear set of deliverable dates in the future would you be interested?”

Client #2: ” I’m not sure if we need a brand re-haul. We tried this 5 years ago and felt it did not make a measurable bottom-line difference”

Design Firm: “When you look out into the future 1 year from now do you see how your firm can be THE leader in the industry by distinguishing your firm with a smart, cohesive brand strategy as we have successfully accomplished for many of our clients?”

Give it a try. Use the law of time to your advantage.

“The big problem is most contemporary design practiced today is not really graphic design, but graphic decoration. – Art Chantry”

I got an interesting email over the weekend from a person visiting CreativePublic.com and they asked me what I thought about this quote, “The big problem is most contemporary design practiced today is not really graphic design, but graphic decoration. – Art Chantry”.

Well, I thought about this for a bit and I have to say I totally agree. Here was my reply back –

“My thoughts on this is that graphic design has become more of a cut and paste world using other peoples artwork and nothing these days seems original. From templates to cheep stock photography, just about anyone with a computer and Microsoft Word can slap images together. With that said, those that do that have no real talent in design, they just think they do. True design comes from inspiration and true design comes from talent. Just slapping images together is truly just decorating, similar to moving the furniture around in your home.”

Now I realize design consist of all types and art itself can come in many forms, but I have to agree with the quote and I really think design has become very cut and paste. I especially see this online with everyone using Web site and Word press templates and those cheap logo sites.

Now some folks probably disagree with me and some that do use these templates can make things look nice, but original artwork seems to becoming less and less visible, especially with all of these Web, logo and print template sites. Design seems to be targeting the cheap and easy with little thought on true design and what your client really needs to establish a good and unique brand.

I think the future for custom design in getting more rare. It would not surprise me if Walmart started selling print and Web site templates. Heck, they  will probably sell stock photos and logos too for 50 cents (lets hope not).

Templates — What Happened to Custom Design Work?

I am about to reach 40 and have been doing design work for just a little over 19 years now. It has been a long hard journey and continues to be that way with dealing with bad clients, tough economy and the idea that every idiot with a computer thinks they are a professional designer. Just irks me big time!

I find that on a daily basis, the industry in itself is just getting more template based, every site I seem to visit is a darn Wordpress modified theme, but still looks like a template. Really, does every site out there need to look like a blog? I think a lot of this comes from the amateur wanna-be-designers, but even some professionals are going this direction. Maybe because clients are getting cheaper and don’t want to pay for custom work.

I recently had a call from a company that was upset that their site design was the same layout as their competitor and he wanted to do a redesign of his site. Of course I quoted him $3,500 for a 10 page site with Flash animation and he emails me back saying he only had $500 budget. What kinda crap is that? It is responses like this that just tick me off about how things are changing in our industry and how people do not value custom work, but they want custom design for a template price. Really, what the heck was this dude thinking, that I would be willing to settle for $10 an hour? I am positive he charges way more than that for his time!

Overall, I don’t mind templates if the client has a small budget or does not care that their corporate identity looks exactly the same as the dude next door. However, to standout from  your competition and to get noticed for uniqueness, there is no substitute for custom design. I guess that is why so many small low budget business fail each year, they do not standout from their competition.

Well, that is my rant for the morning. Just so we are all clear, there is a place for templates, I use one for this blog, but it is a blog and not my entire site.

How to Properly Use an En and Em Dash

Using (and even accessing) an en and em dash in your typography can get tricky. Here’s how to properly use (and access) them.

As Bringhurst says in, The Elements of Typographic Style: “In typescript, a double hyphen (–) is often used for a long dash. Double hyphens in a typeset document are a sure sign that the type was set by a typist, not a typographer”

First, the en-dash* (-) is the shorter of the two (about the width of the character N) Access on the Mac is Option + -(minus) For the PC it is: hold Alt then type 0150

It is used to indicate a range of just about anything with numbers, including dates, times, numbers, game scores, and pages in any sort of document.

It is also used instead of the word “to” or a hyphen to indicate a connection between things, like:

• New York-Boston Amtrak
• pp. 13-26
• Nov. 27-Jan 13
• 4:30-5:00 PM
• 40-55 cm

There may (or may not) be space before and after an en dash depending on placement and context.

Second, the em dash, which is about the width of a capital “M” It is accessed on the Mac by hitting

Shift+Option+- (minus) On the PC: hold Alt then type 0151

It indicates a sudden break in thought—a parenthetical statement like this one—or an open range, Doug Farrick, 1987—? or or instead of a colon or semicolon to link clauses.

Typically there are NO spaces before or after an em dash.

Bringhurst also says: “The em dash is the 19th century standard, still prescribed in many editorial text books, but the em dash is too long for use with the best text faces. Like the oversized space between sentences, it belongs to the padded and corseted esthetic of Victorian typography.”

An easy way to remember these is to just think of n is before m in the alphabet, so it it is the earlier or the “shorter” of the two.

* the en-dash might not display properly depnding on what browser you are using. But outside the browser world it should be fine.

Logo Design Competition – Stay Far Away!!!!

Another company doing logos on the cheap ( http://logotournament.com/ ). I guess what really chaps my tail is that designers are dumb enough to sign up for this low pay junk or no pay at all competitions. Are they really that desperate to get money for their work that they will submit logo designs and hope to get selected so they can earn a measly $200 to $300? Now I am starting to think the designers are to blame and not these site creators, or maybe it is a little bit of both causing these troubled times in our industry.

My favorite comment on the home page of this site is “See your first company logos within hours, not weeks.” Well heck and shucky darn, what a bargain, I can get a logo in hours compared to a real designer who would actually put some freaking effort into the design, research and do true branding studies.

Okay, one more funny comment, “No Photoshop/PSD logo designers allowed. We are professional logo design community and strongly believe that a logo must come in a true vector format.” Well, if only having your logo in EPS format makes your logo a good logo, then I guess they are right. What the heck about research and development, what about time to understand your client and their business?

For the same effort you put into signing up for one of these competions, you could spend that same time getting quality higher paying clients in your own local community or surrounding towns. I just cannot see how this could be beneficial, it is just hoping again for Blue Sky to come raining down on you with cash from the heavens. Good luck with that, because even if you did get paid by this site and their client for your logo, you are coming out on the short end of the stick and worked your butt off for just a few bucks.

Overall, you would be better off submitting your designs to stock and template sites, you would get a better return on your time and could sell more than just one logo.

Work for Free With a Promise of Blue Sky!

Well, I just got off the phone with a total idiot. They wanted to create a networking site for realtors where an agent can signup and create a profile and have direct engagements with other agents through different email lists and groups. Basically a dumb down version of Facebook. I chatted with him a little and then came the words “donate my time”. Then the conversation went on where I would donate my time now and then once the site started to get traffic, then they would solicit home inspectors to buy ads and then I would get a cut of those ad sales.

Needless to say, I told him there was no way I could donate my time on such a massive project. I explained that he would be looking at $15,000 to $20,000 minimum for developing, designing and branding such a site. Which technically, that is on the cheap side of the fence too.

I then proceeded to tell him that I do not work on Blue Sky promises and that I could only do the work if they were willing to pay for it. Of course he said no (and he seemed to get mad a little), and then I told him that no designer in their right mind would do such a large amount of work for free in hopes to get future work and income based off of an idea that might or might not work. And, then I hung up on him!

I know hanging up on someone is rude, but I have to say this, I am dang tired of dealing with these types of idiots and have no patience for them. I am not burning any bridges since there were no bridges to burn. Besides, who needs referrals from clients like this? Not me! I can just see it now, everyone they refer to me for a Web site design project will want free design work and if the site does well, they will pay me then. What a freaking joke!!!!!

It is time to stand your ground as a designer and blow these people off and laugh in their face. These people are not just ignorant, but they are flat out scammers looking for a free ride! They pray on desperate designers looking to build their portfolios with the promise of blue sky when in reality, the sky is black and dark with doom and financial ruin.

Stay far away from these “evil doers”. Use that time to get real clients that are willing to pay you real money for your hard work.

The Top 7 Myths of Creative Firm Profitability

1. Thinking that just being a “great designer” alone is going to make your design business successful

The biggest misconception is that being a “great designer” is enough. What is critically more important is marketing and your relationships to those you market to. You could have a bunch of dead-beat clients who are “one and done” who do nothing but penny-pinch and are never seen or heard from again (unless it’s the next “emergency”).

These are the clients you do NOT want. What you do want are the steady, high-value, repeat clients who are willing (and pre-disposed) to referring others to you and who know the value of design and are WILLING to pay for it.

To accomplish this you need to have a “system” in place to attract new clients and a system to continue an ongoing relationship with them (via a newsletter, fax updates, tele-seminars, etc) The good news is once you HAVE a PROVEN system in place you can get be free to create “great design”

2. Believing all you need to do is “get your name out there”

What does that mean exactly, “Get your name out there?” Well, I know it means paying a lot of dough to have “brand advertising” or “brand awareness” Of course when you are in the design business that is all you see – it is everywhere. But it rarely works for the freelancer and small design studio owner. It just sits there likely a moldy blanket gathering dust and moth balls.

So allow me to suggest direct marketing. I know this is “taboo” in the design world but I KNOW it works. With DM you receive instant feedback on your campaign as to whether your marketing is working or not because it DIRECTLY asks for the user to take action through creative offers, guarantees, attention-getting headlines, emotional copy, multiple bonuses and more. With DM you ONLY pay for direct RESULTS.

Bottom line is we want our hard-earned marketing dollars to be efficient and effective.
Read the rest of this entry »

Good Blog Articles on Stupid Clients! Also a Good Web Design Checklist too.

I have to say I found these three articles to be to the point. They show what is involved in design and client changes and seeing things laid out like this might be a good idea to slap your bad client around with a printed copy of these just to teach them a freaking lesson.

13 Reasons Being A Web Designer Sucks

A Website Design & Development Project Checklist

10 Reasons Your New Website Won’t Launch Today

Cheap Design Companies Suck!

Cheap logo companies devalue professional graphic design services. They offer logos as low as $100 with unlimited revisions. That comes out to about $5 per hour that you would make on a logo if you spent 20 hours on the project for a small local business. I can tell you the last time I made $5 an hour was back in 1990. Here are some links on this subject:

Why logo design does not cost $5.00

Why Logos Should Cost More Than $300

Logoworks.com Rip-Offs

Your logo makes me barf

Any design project takes time. There are several steps to take when creating a logo or a Web site.

These same companies that offer cheap logos also offer cheap Web site design services. The same problems noted above on the links I have provided are the same for Web design. Many of the designs are templates, nothing really custom and probably stolen from ligament designers or businesses. How else could logoworks.com or other cheap logo sites offer design services for so freaking cheap?

Read more on the CreativePublic Business Q&A section — Question #2
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This is a fun site – Web pages that suck!

With that said, I have a client who recently came to my business asking me to estimate on a shopping cart site. She was having a terrible time trying to figure out these Web site design tools that Godaddy.com sold her and told her how easy it was to design her own shopping cart site for cheap. Well, first off, that is just bad business selling a customer who knows nothing about ecommerce and telling them how easy it is to setup their own shopping cart!

She gave up on Godaddy and came by my office. I gave her an estimate of $7,000 which she was quite surprised how expensive it was. I explained that there is lots and lots of time involved, which included: meetings, the design process, training to use the shopping cart, training on how to update site content, helping setup inventory and inventory tracking, plugging the shopping cart into Quickbooks accounting program, help with getting a merchant account, secure certificate setup, hosting setup, image cropping and color correction, and so much more. Godaddy.com or any cheap Web site design company will not help you with this and if they do, there will be costs involved and not on the cheap. 

You see, these cheap companies draw in the client who does not know better and has not done their research. These cheap companies target these folks saying they will make their life better, “just buy from us and we will get you a great logo and Web site for cheap”. Then, you know what happens? The client realizes how screwed they got and did not get what they thought they were paying for. If they would have gone to a professional designer in the first place, this would not have happened.

Keep in mind, it is all about educating your customers. Tell your customers about logoworks and how they conduct business, tell your clients it is not as easy as Godaddy.com makes it sound to setup a shopping cart site. If they decide not to do business with you, then it is their loss. More than likely, if they did not do business with you and preferred to go to logoworks for their project, you are better off not having that person as a customer. The cheap customer is always the most trouble for a business!