1. Doing Business as a Designer:
The Reality of Sales and Marketing
(Slide-u-mentary Version - made in google docs)
By Jae Xavier of KnowledgeCity.com
Blog: jaexavier.wordpress.com
Twitter: twitter.com/jaexavier

2. Introduction
If you started approaching your market by emailing, calling,
networking, passing out fliers and using any other form of
direct response efforts while conveying your competitive
advantage to your market, congratulations! You are now a
player in this game.
When you look behind you, there are hundreds of thousands of
designers who are still analyzing and planning. Most of them
will fail to start. I have no sympathy for them. You either get
started or get out.

3. Expectations
In this slide-u-mentary, I’m going to explain the reality of
sales and marketing for you designers. You'll know what to
expect so you don't quit.
You must have the thick skin of a hippo, the back of a horse,
and the hunger of a lion (that would make a funky looking
animal).

4. The Reality...
The Reality: More than 90% of your approaches to get
business will fail. You will be running into the following every
time:
No response from voicemails
No returned phone calls
Nobody viewing your website
Nobody sending you email
Oh, and remember Joe Schmoe from that networking
seminar? He hasn’t call back like he said he would.

5. The Reality...
This is perfectly normal and I’m sure you can relate:
Remember all those “slimy” sales people you turned down
Or all those advertisements you blocked on your web
browser
Or all those emails you marked as spam
Or those ignored phone calls from a strange phone number
Or those advertisements on T.V. that you skipped
Or the lies you had to give because you where just not
interested
This is the nature of sales and marketing. So what are you
supposed to do? Accept it. Don’t resist because there is no
point in doing so.

6. “What now?”
Test. Improve. Test. Improve. Test. Improve. Test. Success!
Keep testing and improving your message on every medium.
Once you start getting prospects calling you, you must ask
them “how did you hear about us?” This is where you will find
out what is working.

7. Interested Prospects
The moment you get a prospect that is interested, build
rapport and start identify their needs. Ask them lots of
questions. Offer them your solution and price ONLY after you
see eye-to-eye on their needs. Negotiate till you come to a
close but don’t compromise your sense of self worth.
Remember, you have a business to run, not a charity to
maintain.

8. In The Meanwhile...
In the mean while, keep approaching prospects, even if they
are the same ones you tried to contact two weeks ago. Don’t
depend on one prospect to bring in all the sales. There is a lot
more opportunity out there. By all means do what you can to
close the sale but don’t come off as desperate.

9. The Follow Up
Keep in mind, if you have hot leads, keep following up with
them. Here’s why:
They maybe busy and forget
Your email could have landed in their spam box
Their dog might have chewed up their cell phone
They’re traveling and cannot access their phone due to
state regulations
Etc. Etc. Etc.
Also by following up, you are also warding off your
competitors and keeping your company in your prospects mind
as the best possible designer.

10. In Summary
The sales process is one of the hardest to master depending
who you are. Over time you will be accustomed to “flaky”
prospects and your performance as a sales and marketing
person will improve.
This is your business and therefore you are the best sales and
marketing person by default.