Between summer activities and work, I haven’t had a lot of time to devote to business accoutrements, but after my last post I did buy a domain name, and design a preliminary business card. While perusing the internet I found some… unusual business cards. There were cards made of steel, chocolate, or leather. Cards that were die cuts, door hangers, and sculptures. Other cards had “colorful” profiles, bible verses, cartoons, or family photos printed on the backs. Some cards at had titles like: Director of Donut Freshness, Illustration Rock Star, Conversation Agent.

Some of the means and materials are borderline tacky, although I guess if you’re a leather worker, a card made out of leather might be considered clever. But the content? I don’t know if I’m just old and un-hip, or what, but those ideas make me cringe. I get that the aim is to be memorable, while living inside a wallet like George Constanza’s, but it’s gimmicky. I think my objection to that kind of content is that, to me, it seems presumptuous. It comes off as trying to be a little too chummy with the recipient of the card. (It’s the equivalent of wearing flip-flops in the office.) Do you agree, or has my “hipness date” expired?

Now, while I’m not putting “Graphic Ninja” on my title line, or a mojito recipe on the back, I also don’t want my business card to be the same as every other schmo. The design should be clean and eye catching. High contrast colors, a photo, or vertical layout can all make your card stand out, without shouting “used-car salesman” (the use of finger guns and winking while distributing your card is also discouraged).

I found some beautiful cards at Fave Up (it’s flash, so I couldn’t link directly– the business card tab is second from the left). There’s also this post on making your business card unforgettable (although the guy’s web page looks like crap, so naturally I take what he says with a grain of salt). Capture Card puts peel-off labels on the back of your card. Magnetic cards are on the line between useful and cheesy, but I have to admit my inner 8 year old likes them.

Maybe when I finish my business card I’ll upload a picture of it. At this point I’m not giving myself a title, but maybe when my business is well established, I’ll call myself Solver of Graphic Conundrums. Or not. If you were going to give yourself an original title, how would you describe what you do?

This morning I dropped a note in the mail, thanking a client for hiring me. Okay, I’m a little late, since I’m mid-way through the job, but better late than never. Even though email has all but replaced paper mail, a hand written thank-you card is an important business tool. Need more convincing? Here are 5 good reasons to send a thank-you note.

It’ll make everyone happy- Thankfulness is a transforming quality. It can morph my mindset from shriveled curmudgeon, to a lighthearted …er, um… thankful person, in no time flat. Take a look at that last sentence; I can think of 10 synonyms for someone who complains, but how many names do we have for someone who’s thankful? I can’t think of any off hand, except those that are usually used with a little sarcasm, like Pollyanna. Language tells you a lot about a people, what does that say about us? Sorry, I didn’t mean to go off on a tangent, but I think that’s interesting. In any case, a thank-you card can lift the mood of the receiver and the sender.

It might keep them coming back- Sometimes it’s the little things that will get you repeat work. Special attention to detail, going the extra mile, and the personal touch will go a long way toward winning clients. A thank-you note does all three.

It’s quick- It only takes a couple of minutes write a thank-you note. If a note card seems too intimidating, even a post card will suffice for the graphophobic. 3 or 4 sentences, and voila, it’s finished.

It’s cheaper than a two-martini lunch- Thank-you cards are a very economical way to connect with clients. Yes, you can go the expensive route. Elum, Jack and Lulu, and Egg Press all make unique thank-you cards, if you want to spend the money. Better yet, Vickery has a wide selection of reasonably priced cards that are made from recycled paper. Though not as earth-friendly, you can buy cute, inexpensive cards at Target. Michaels is another store that always has great cards for $1.00 (full disclosure: I work there). Please, whatever you do, don’t buy a mega-box of greeting cards at an office supply store. 1) They’re ugly. 2) They’re printed on low quality paper. Is that how you want your client to remember you?

It’s fun- Sometimes it’s difficult to find creative outlets in your job, unless you work in a creative field. Thank you notes are a great way to nurture your creative side. Take a walk through your local craft store and you’ll find oodles of stickers, papers, and stamps you can really have fun with. I think that as long as you send something that looks good, you can stretch the boundaries of what’s deemed “professional” in a thank-you card. Even if you’re not creative, you can still send a creative card. Sites like Etsy, and Moo will add a personal touch, without requiring any talent on your part.

Thank-you cards can be sent after an interview, after a job, as a “nice to meet you,” or for a job well done. They can be sent to co-workers, assistants, and bosses alike. Heck, why not leave one for the building-maintenance crew? (A good maintenance guy is worth his weight in gold.) Think of a time when you received an unexpected thank-you card, and what a good feeling it was. It’s cheaper than a latte, and the buzz will last longer.

I have a root canal scheduled for next week, and I’m trying to decide which I dread more: having a masked woman drill, scrape, and poke at my gaping maw, or making my daily cold calls.

It’s a simple equation: I’m just starting to freelance; I want clients, ergo cold calling must be done. I’m sort of a hermit. In fact, I sort of make Ted Kaczynski look like a social butterfly. But even if I had countless dozens of people in my social network, I would still have to make cold calls.

Yep. Just as soon as I do the dishes, vacuum, and play one more game of Big Trouble with my kids. Then I’m on it. Yessiree-bob. Wow, I never noticed how disheveled my spice rack is, better put them in alphabetical order. 3 jars of Thyme, tsk, tsk, gotta condense those. Alrighty, noooow I’m ready.

Right now it’s summer, I’ve got three kids in the house, so I simply can’t spend as much time prospecting as I will when school starts (darn!). Nevertheless, here’s how I make the cold calling I am doing as painless as possible.

• Have a script. It’s the spoonful of sugar that helps the medicine of cold calling go down. I don’t have to think about what I’m going to say, and it helps keep me focused. Strange to say it, but when I hold that 3×5 card in my hand, it bolsters my courage. It also helps me not to pepper my speech with “you knows,” and “ums,” which I fall into when I’m nervous. A script also helps me get back in the game after a break, or after I’ve been rejected for the 40th time, which brings me to my next bullet point.
• Don’t take it personally. The vast majority of businesses I canvas aren’t going to be interested in my services, so I adopt the Field of Dreams approach: If I call them, they will hire. Eventually someone I contact is going to need a graphic designer. The more calls I make, the better my odds are.
• Wear bunny ears. Entertaining, bribing, and/or threatening my children with bodily harm so that I can make cold calls is an obstacle that’s unique to summer. (Shut up, I can dream can’t I?) I have a headband with bunny ears, left over from Easter. When I don the bunny ears my children know to 1) be quiet, 2) leave me alone, 3) be quiet and leave me alone. It’s the fun way to say, “do not incur my wrath.”
• Time it right. I don’t canvas on Mondays, Fridays, or in the afternoon. If I’m doing something I hate, I sure don’t want to work twice as hard to get results.
• Offer incentives. Me, not the client. For every X number of calls I make I get a diet coke, or a few minutes to surf the web. Who doesn’t love a gold star?

I hate marketing myself. HATE. I think that if your good at what you do, other people will promote you. The cream rises to the top, and all that. Yes, I also believe the moon is made of green cheese. Sigh. When I’m well established, hopefully my business will also grow by word of mouth, and I won’t have to do as much cold calling. Until then, my fingers will have to do the walking.

If you’re a freelancer, maybe you’re familiar with this scenario. A client hires you to do a job. You design (or write, or photograph, or code, or whatever it is you do) a masterpiece. It’s the Mona Lisa of freelance work. DaVinci and Michelangelo would’ve embraced each other, and thrown a party if they could have seen it.

Okay, maybe not. Still, I thought it was pretty good.

I send it whirling through cyberspace, and wait for the client to throw virtual roses at my feet. They email me back.

“I like it. It’s nice, and I know I said I wanted ABC, but now I think I’d like something completely different. Can you give me Tartan plaid background with purple dancing bunnies, instead. I’m not sure how to change the rest, but can you just, you know, spruce it up? I trust your sensibilities.”*

So what’s the best way to deal with this kind of challenge? Well, since I’m new at all this, I can’t say that I know the best way, but here’s how I handle it.

1. Listen during the planning stages. When I’m consulting with a client, I try to figure out exactly what they want. I ask a lot of questions, and I listen to the answers. I know it sounds simple, but I figure the more detailed information I get up front, the more headaches I’ll save myself later.
2. Set boundaries. In this case, I gave the client what they wanted, but that’s not what they wanted. That’s okay, but I let my clients know up front how much revising is included in my fee. Sometimes the line between revising, and doing something completely different is fuzzy, but if I feel I’m crossing that line, I let the client know that additional hours will be billed.
3. Give my opinion. Part of my service to clients is telling them what I think. If a client wants purple dancing bunnies on a plaid background, I’m going to urge them to reconsider, and enumerate why I think it’s not a good choice (bunnies are sooo last year).
4. Don’t get too attached. Once I’ve given my opinion, it’s time to keep my mouth shut. My client has the last word; I work for them. They’ve hired me to put together something that they like, that serves their needs. If that happens to be purple dancing bunnies, so be it. I can have a good cry after I deposit my paycheck.

So that’s my philosophy, so far, and it seems to work pretty well. Do you have a successful method of working with clients? Do tell.

*Absolutely fictitious example. I don’t blog about work, duh!