Clients

Q:

I quoted a project, but didn’t get it after 1 round of quote revisions, with the explanation they are going with someone cheaper. I asked if this was based solely on cost or also on creative style, and whether they would share who they chose, but they didn’t say who they hired. I think I didn’t scope the job properly, misunderstanding the importance of their tight budget. How do we ask for feedback on a job we didn’t land? How do we get the answers we need to quote better next time?

A:

Ways I’ve gotten the most INFO back from clients after not getting the job: 

• Asking during a one-on-one in-person meeting or on the old-school telephone. 

• Putting forth a close-ended, fully loaded question, allowing them to answer “yes or no.” 

• Sharing new, inspired ideas, new thoughts for next time, to intrigue them to use you, like how you will do this with a lower budget. 

• Don’t ask right away; give them at least a week or two for it to become official. 

• Explain truthfully why you are asking and what you want to learn from it.

Bring the client’s BRANDING into your bidding approach as much as possible. Do your RESEARCH, ask the questions, as the ultimate purpose of receiving the job is to achieve your client’s branding goals. 

Q:

What does it mean when a client wants me to bid on a project, but they don’t want to have a creative call?

A:

If clients don’t want a creative call, that may be a sign for us to read into how they are not taking this as seriously as we’d like. It is time for the photographer to share their vision and approach, introducing the director with whom you will be on set. I read into them skipping this stage in a couple of ways: You may be the 3rd bidder and not be high on their list for this project, so you should kick butt on your treatment, as that can serve as your intro to the creatives and the client. Your estimate should be as ethically conservative as safely possible to entice the client to choose you, but remember, you could get locked into these prices in the future. This project may not be happening yet, and they need your numbers to provide the client with a preliminary budget range. 

Q:

 Hi Andrea, we’re starting to get requests for a rate card to keep “on file” for “internal guesstimating.” Do you share rate cards, and if yes, have they led to better or worse outcomes?

A:

I’ve heard of these “rate cards,” and to me, it’s a red flag. I see this as a client who thinks we work for a few hours a day instead of a “day rate.” I get worried they don’t understand usage terms and copyright standards. If the work would be fun for your portfolio and you can consider it a paid test, it might be worth it. I would also respond with a general range of your day-rate fees to see if they respond.

A general mass “cold call” of any type usually will lead to a hang-up. Think about this and apply this theory in your business conversations. Address clients by their name. Let’s get back to the basics in our electronic world – whenever possible, a firm handshake, eye contact, and recognizing the person’s name. Human”ify” is the way to make a cold call into a warm call. 

Q:

When you say bring the client’s branding into the treatment, do you mean their overall visual language/aesthetic or their actual branding, like their logo, etc.?

A:

Your treatment is all about having the client feel like you “get them.” You are what they’ve been looking for to bring their idea to life! Use every way you can to translate this; it is your opportunity to speak their language with their logo in the titles, and their colors styled aesthetically throughout.

Q:

 I know you have mentioned client contact list companies like Bikini and Agency Access, and I’m wondering if you still recommend these lists or any others? It seems our world is changing with AI and social media in ways that may render the info these lists provide obsolete. Do you still use them?

A:

This will be my first year trying not to use these companies, since AI seems to handle a lot of this info. Also, a lot of this info is changing faster than ever, which we can handle more quickly on our own. I’d say if you need large lists quickly, then these companies can still be helpful, but if we have time to sort through names/clients to specific places, we are doing that on our own right now. I’m curious about what others are doing these days, so please share your list-building process.

Doing the RESEARCH on potential clients is the difference between allowing your career to be guided by the calls you receive vs. shaping your future by going out there to get the clients you want. 

One of the biggest, most important things to do is research. It is difficult. It’s a way to educate ourselves on the clients we want to get to bring our careers to the next level. We must keep a good database and keep researching on LinkedIn. We have to know who to contact, who to engage with, and who to stay in front of. It’s really simple, but difficult. Research and contact people on LinkedIn. It can’t be like a mass email kind of feeling from you. You have to use their name and add a note. It takes time, but it’s probably the most important thing to do if you want to advance your career. 

Q:

What are the do’s and don’ts of cold emailing or DM’ing potential clients and reps?

A:

1. Contact the correct people who are looking for your type of work; don’t waste their time.

2. Use their name (and spell it correctly). 

3. Keep it short. 

4. If you are copying and pasting, make sure it doesn’t look reused or obviously generic. 

5. Sound human; imagine if you were receiving this email or dm. 

6. If you’re asking for something, limit it to one clear request. 

7. Ask a simple question that’s easy to respond to so we don’t have to overthink how to answer.

Q:

If you had to name one of the most thoughtless or foolish ways to offend a client, what would it be? 

A:

One of the surefire ways to turn off a client is to misspell their name or call them the wrong name. How many seconds would it take to check their name before clicking “send?”