Learning to sell
Before you start your design business part 2
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This is part 2 of a multi-part post series about things you should know before starting your own design services business.
These are things that I would encourage any designer to have a strong foundation in before taking the plunge and starting out on their own, or be ready to learn them the hard way through trial and error.
If you missed part 1: learn your craft (as it applies to the real world), you can read it here.
Part 2: Learning to sell
If you are to survive as a design business, you have to learn to sell your work. Especially if you’re not already well known with a big network or some big brands on your resume already.
Selling is a skill in and of itself. And a lot of designers are bad at it.
Many of us (myself included, at one point) are under the impression that good design work sells itself. Unfortunately, good design work on its own generally only appeals to other designers.
You might ogle over those juicy renderings on Instagram, but it’s unlikely a CEO or VP will buy your design services based on nice renderings alone.
The beautiful design work is table stakes.
A common mistake that I’ve made (and seen others make) in selling design work is selling to prospective clients like they are designers, talking about beautiful surfaces, form gestures, and materials. Unless they are also a designer, you can expect the prospective client’s eyes to glaze over and for them to start peeking at their watch if you do that.
The work gets them in the door, but the selling actually happens through conversation.
Selling design (or anything, really) is about talking to your prospective client, asking questions, demonstrating how well you understand their problems and current state, articulating how you can get them to a desired future state, and then making a compelling offer.
I’m no brilliant salesman, but I’ve been able to sell five-to-six-figure design projects in my current and prior businesses. I was lucky enough to be put in a position as a partner in my last company where I could sell design work with the reputation of a firm behind me, and I learned the process of selling in a much easier environment than I’m in now as a solo operator.
You might not have that luxury, so I’m going share the biggest challenge that I had to overcome (and subsequently biggest breakthrough in my thinking) when selling design work so you can look out for it in your career and business journey.
If you are to convincingly sell something, the first step is believing you have something valuable to sell.
A lot of designers and other creative professionals have trouble with this.
Creative jobs tend to be underpaid and often take advantage of the passion that creatives have for the work. The outcomes are also usually less tangible and quantifiable, which makes it hard for non-creative people to understand the value of the work. As such, I think creative work is often under valued to start with.
When you are in charge of selling your own creative work, things get even tougher as imposter syndrome creeps in and you start to doubt whether you are worth it.
There is also a general societal narrative that selling is somehow dirty. Think of the stereotype of the sleazy used car salesman trying to sell you a piece of junk for more than its worth. Professionals usually don’t like to be seen as “pushy” or “salesy”.
Some time ago, I heard a brilliant reframe from a professional CPA and author called Ron Baker, who has written several books on pricing and selling business services. I can’t find the exact quote but I will paraphrase. Baker says that in a good transaction both the buyer and the seller walk away happy. This is why, for example, when you buy a coffee at Starbucks, both you and the cashier say, “Thank you”. Because you both got something of value.
When you think of selling as an act of mutual benefit, and if you are honest in your dealings and believe in the value of your work, it becomes something honorable, not dirty.
When you sell work to a client, you are not taking something from them.
If it’s a good fit and things go well, both of you are getting something of value through this exchange. They are getting great design work that will grow their business, and you are getting a chunk of cash in exchange to pay yourself and grow your business.
If you are a good designer and you believe in the value of your work, selling it becomes a lot easier. I think a lot of good designers have trouble with that second part, and it takes a lot of experience and inner work to get to the point where you believe you in fact, do have something of value to offer that others would be happily pay for.
This is something I’ve had to work through myself. Early in my selling experience, I would often underprice projects because I had trouble justifying asking for that much money. Luckily I had help and guardrails at my old company to prevent me from going too off track.
Over time, seeing the business outcomes that resulted from the design work I produced: selling lots of products, raising huge rounds of investment funding, or eventual IPOs, I began to connect the dots and feel a lot more viscerally that I did have something of real tangible value to offer.
Learning to sell is not about sleazy techniques and tactics to try and get something from your prospective clients.
It’s about recognizing the value of your own design work and offering it to clients as a mutually beneficial exchange.
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Munchkin, Inc. - Industrial Design Intern - Spring 2024
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After 10+ years as an independent design consultant, this 2nd part resonates with me, Anson.
It's very well written; hits the nail on the head!
Congrats on all of this, especially the openness on salaries & income etc- very brave.
Much respect.