Have a genuine self-sales chat (elevator pitch) ready for those awkward portfolio showing or Zoom meeting moments when you need it at the drop of a hat. Be prepared with a few quick stories that won’t sound like sales, but rather, you sharing a story of how you handled a production mishap or an experience that represents more about how you work.
Industry OUTREACH trends come and go, so when you see an opening to meet in person – TAKE IT!
You are in the business of keeping it fresh for your clients, so keep your own company fresh.
Be careful when it feels satisfying to share our negative opinion about others in our PROFESSIONAL world because those words live on forever, even if they never get back to the person in question.
As CEO of your company, face the fact that wasting precious time doing everything yourself is not worth the cost. Delegate; be smart and utilize your time to your advantage.
When a client asks for more, we must stop proceeding with any changes to discuss them before they happen! Engage clients in a 2-way, respectful, open exploration, knowing this is a full hierarchy engagement.
Public relations is the backbone of our marketing. Curating connections comes from listening, asking questions, and relating to those we want to remember us. Where are they from? Is there anything interesting on their LinkedIn or IG? Comment with interest as a part of your brand.
We can get “ghosted” after investing time in bidding for a job. What are some signs that we were never seriously up for this job?
Potential Bid GHOSTING Signs:
•Receive an email bid request with no phone or Zoom call
•No actual bid spec sheet with all the bidding/job details
•Casual instructions for us to “call for more info” as they are the ones who should know all the information
•A client who doesn’t look like they fit into our portfolio style
•The job title of the person contacting us does not sound like someone we normally deal with
On a creative call make sure to wait after you speak, hearing the creatives’ response.
The purpose is not only to get your questions answered or get your message across, but also to connect. It’s not a show, it’s a conversation.
You speak, and then they may have a response, so allow for that as the connection may be more important than what you are saying.
Portfolio perspective has to be our main #1 focus! How do we get our industries’ perspectives on our portfolio, as this is the core truth that will make or break our careers? Even if we are busy for the moment, this curious process of listening to those who hire us has to be a non-stop occurrence. It’s awkward, but continue asking the right people you can trust by CONFIDENTLY requesting their perspective.
