Learn how to seal the deal.
Just like designers, small business owners are a unique breed of people with their own special quirks. Unfortunately for us as designers, some of those quirks includes being cheap and bull headed. The combination of these can making sealing the deal with a small business owner a frustrating experience.
So how do we deal with these eccentricities without going postal on the client or giving them more than they paid for?
Landing jobs with small business owners is a lot like hunting. The more you understand your prey and how they work, the better chance you have to be successful on the hunt. Below are three problems you’ll often run into when dealing with small business owners (SBOs) and how to deal with them.
1. SBO’s don’t like paying large, lump sums of money.
No big surprise there. Small business owners usually have a lot of expenses and a strict budget at the start of their operation. Unfortunately, many of them don’t know how to justify paying hundreds and thousands of dollars at a time for design or code work. The solution to this problem is simple, offer them options.
Small business owners like options, especially when it comes to billing. With so many online invoicing and payment tools it shouldn’t hard to find a way to keep track of payments and clients. Here are a few billing option you can offer:
- 25% deposit, 50% half way through or upon delivery of proofs, and the remaining 50% upon completion.
- A discount for paying 100% upfront.
- Monthly billing is always a huge favorite for small business owners.
2. SBO’s always know someone who will do it cheaper.
Everyone knows someone who is or claims to be a designer. Small business owners think that all designers are created equal and that if their brothers son can design a logo or website for $100, that they shouldn’t have to pay any more than that. Because small business owners are cheap and like to haggle, they will milk this for all its worth. Don’t fall victim to this and simply lower your prices. Instead, think of ways you can out perform “their guy.”
Rather than lower your rates, offer to add on some “free services.” These of course shouldn’t be things that will consume a lot of your time, but will seem beneficial to the owner. Some great examples of freebies include:
- $100 worth of SEO on the sites home page
- A free black and white friendly version of the logo design
- A free business card layout
3. SBO’s always want more revisions.
One thing you need to understand about small business owners is that they are always thinking. Because their mind is always running at 100%, they tend to change their mind and ideas quite regularly. What this translates into in the design world is unlimited revisions. Unlimited revisions can quickly turn into a nightmare and is something I never do for anyone.
The best solution here is to create a clear definition of how many initial concepts you will offer and the number of revisions that will be included. After that, create a price that seems fair to you to charge for additional revisions. This way, you won’t be stuck doing hundreds of revisions for free, but the owner will feel like they have the option for more.
