Некоторые выдержки:
> Getting clients is the most petrifying and scary thing I can think of in the world.
> Say you wake up tomorrow morning with a weird pain in your knee (probably from doing laps at 4 a.m.). You’ll make a mental run through your address book until you think of a friend who had knee problems last year. The next time you see her you’ll ask her about the doctor who treated her, and after confirming she’s not walking with a limp, you’ll get that doctor’s number. Now you not only have a doctor in mind, but you’ve gone from wondering if you can find a good doctor to hoping this particular doctor has an opening for you. All because of the wonderfully transitive properties of trust.
> Get to know the people on the client team and treat them well. Make them a valuable part of the project and make sure their voices get heard. People change jobs. If the current project goes well, the person who hired you will have her stock rise within the company, and the rest of the staff will eventually spread out far and wide to other companies who will need design services at some point. Your DNA travels with them. (Not literally. I’m hoping I don’t need to add a chapter explaining that.) When the call goes out to find a design partner, they’ll be throwing your name in the ring.
> Research is a fundamental part of design. Networking is just research plus manners. In all of human history from the time your choice of careers was either hunting or gathering, it has never been easier to figure out who is in a position to hire you, and then figure out who you know who knows that person.
> A very wise (and handsome) man once told me, «No one’s going to know what you think about unless you write and publish your opinions.” I was incredibly shy and insecure about my writing when he said that. (Here’s a secret: you don’t get over it. You push through it.) Yet I knew that for the sake of my business I had to take that advice to heart. And you should too. People need to know who you are so they can write you checks. Write! Design! Put yourself out there. Let history decide whether it’s crap or not. But unless you’re putting yourself where people can see you and making your opinions known, clients or potential employers won’t be able to find you.
> The end of a project is not the end of the client relationship. First, you have a responsibility to check in on the success of the work. Were the longer-term goals met? Did the metrics meet everyone’s expectations? Second, maintaining relationships is the single most important thing you can do to ensure good referrals. Not only did you nail the work, but you were pleasant while doing so and have remained pleasant afterward. You’re a good person to know!
Некоторые выдержки:
> Getting clients is the most petrifying and scary thing I can think of in the world.
> Say you wake up tomorrow morning with a weird pain in your knee (probably from doing laps at 4 a.m.). You’ll make a mental run through your address book until you think of a friend who had knee problems last year. The next time you see her you’ll ask her about the doctor who treated her, and after confirming she’s not walking with a limp, you’ll get that doctor’s number. Now you not only have a doctor in mind, but you’ve gone from wondering if you can find a good doctor to hoping this particular doctor has an opening for you. All because of the wonderfully transitive properties of trust.
> Get to know the people on the client team and treat them well. Make them a valuable part of the project and make sure their voices get heard. People change jobs. If the current project goes well, the person who hired you will have her stock rise within the company, and the rest of the staff will eventually spread out far and wide to other companies who will need design services at some point. Your DNA travels with them. (Not literally. I’m hoping I don’t need to add a chapter explaining that.) When the call goes out to find a design partner, they’ll be throwing your name in the ring.
> Research is a fundamental part of design. Networking is just research plus manners. In all of human history from the time your choice of careers was either hunting or gathering, it has never been easier to figure out who is in a position to hire you, and then figure out who you know who knows that person.
> A very wise (and handsome) man once told me, “No one’s going to know what you think about unless you write and publish your opinions.” I was incredibly shy and insecure about my writing when he said that. (Here’s a secret: you don’t get over it. You push through it.) Yet I knew that for the sake of my business I had to take that advice to heart. And you should too. People need to know who you are so they can write you checks. Write! Design! Put yourself out there. Let history decide whether it’s crap or not. But unless you’re putting yourself where people can see you and making your opinions known, clients or potential employers won’t be able to find you.
> The end of a project is not the end of the client relationship. First, you have a responsibility to check in on the success of the work. Were the longer-term goals met? Did the metrics meet everyone’s expectations? Second, maintaining relationships is the single most important thing you can do to ensure good referrals. Not only did you nail the work, but you were pleasant while doing so and have remained pleasant afterward. You’re a good person to know!
