Putting Experience To Work

Well, on some things I am very quick on the uptake, on others; like changing the way I do business, it takes me a bit longer to make a move.

As I work with clients, over time we get to know each other and start to see where we can help one another in more areas than talent or freelance help. We talk, we shmooze, and soon find out that they have a need that I can help fill and/or I know someone who can help them out. With my client Anne Marie Concepcion, www.senecadesign.com, it has become a natural way for us to do business. We get together, talk about the daily grind and things come up where we can help each other. Anne Marie has been a great source for clients for my business, people naturally come to her for help because of her training and fantastic newsletter (designgeek - you may want to sign up for this, it’s great!), and when she can’t do the project, she suggests the client contact me.

Conversely, when I have ideas for Anne Marie on how I can help her grow her business, we talk about planning and new markets. I have turned some potential clients onto her and her training, as well as supplied some trainers for her courses.

Since this has been working well for us for a few years, I decided in the spring of 2007 to start talking to my other clients about a similar type of partnership. Every one of them has asked me to come by their office to discuss this option. In the meeting, I ask a bunch of questions and sometimes I give answers. The upshot is that I know a lot more about them and their focus than I did before. Not only can this potentially bring them new clients, but as they grow, they will need the type of talent I provide. A good match, I think.

I know, I know, everyone else is already doing this. I guess that now it is my turn. I’ll let you know how it goes.

This month has been quite busy so far. What with a new start-up, new partners in the new start-up(more later) and working with a new client; Burgopak USA, LLC.

Over a month ago, this very nice man, Jeremy Billy contacted me from my posting on The Creative Hotlist. Jeremy is the President of Burgopak USA, a company that is based in England. They have the coolest packaging concept derived from kids pop-up books. I received a sample of their packaging yesterday and it is truly quality workmanship and a novel concept.

I digress… Jeremy called me because they have expanded their company from the East Coast to the Northern Suburbs of Illinois. Jeremy engaged my services to help him find a Senior Packaging Engineer for their new office. While this is outside of my usual realm of placement, after speaking with Jeremy for a while, I decided to take on the challenge. I really enjoy working with nice people who like to partner in working relationships (I know I have said this before). Jeremy was very clear that he has long term working relationships with his vendors and after I received his credit references, I found that it was true.

As luck would have it, I was able to procure a candidate with the type of background they are looking for. I never knew that these packaging engineering folks were A: so hard to find and B: so specialized.

Contract negotiations have ensued and I look forward to a long a fruitful relationship with Burgopak.

The Past
In 1999 after doing the “build a business” thing for 15 years with my former company - Freelance Hotline in Chicago, I left the corporate structure norm behind. Because of my natural tendencies toward care taking, and the fact I did not have children, my business became family and the workers, my “familial” responsibility. I am not saying that this was a necessarily healthy way to grow a business, but heck, I didn’t know any better and when I started the company at 24 years of age, I knew nothing of what it would become.

In 1999, middle age was upon me, and I knew I had to break the mold of caretaking, because, well, it was breaking me. I sold the company to one of my employees. (I also sold my car, my house, and moved. I know what mid life crisis is… a new start to the second half of life).

Fast forward to 2005.

I decided to get back into the game doing small business consulting; it was great but not enough of a money maker, so I took on creative placement and project management too. The difference? I work from home, all of my people work virtually from their offices or home. And thanks to Basecamp, all projects are worked on virtually.

Seasoned Professionals
Because I am working with seasoned pros that I have known for years, or I know through someone I have known for years, working virtually is mostly a breeze. Once the team members get used to the online software, everything pretty much flows. The clients love it too, they can see each stage of the project and where everyone fits and responsibility is not in question. Love it, love it, love it!!! No employee hassles, only the fruits of our combined labor.

What Do Clients Get?
Control over their project(s), lower project rates, and a team that shows up in person for presentations as necessary. Happy clients, happy team, happy me.

More On Virtual Teaming:
Making Work-at-Home Work for Everyone, on Harvard Business School Working Knowledge 
Team Building for Virtual Workplace, by Mike Dempster, in Business Edge

Story: This morning I went to get coffee at the local Starbuck’s and the guy in line in front of me had a familiar face. After getting my traditional latte, I walked up to him and said “you work at the restaurant down the street don’t you?” A nice conversation ensued, and it turns out that he will be leaving his job managing that restaurant this spring to open his own restaurant in Evanston.

So, I took the opportunity to let him know that my company does graphic design and websites, and we could help him not only design his menus, but help with his website. I also mentioned that I do small business consulting, and would you believe that he needs a business plan for his investors. He and I were both happy that we “bumped” into each other. I have a meeting set up with him to go over particulars next week. Selling IS having fun! All I did was say hello to him, with no ulterior motive and something nice came about.

Over the past few years while consulting for various small businesses and when talking with freelancers, the abhorence of the “7 letter word” - SELLING has come up time and again.

What Selling is NOT
When most people talk to me about selling their product or service, what they always describe are salespeople who are “pushing” things on them. Kind of like SPAM which shows up in your email uninvited, or that person calling you from a call center offering you something you neither want nor need. This is a classic old fashioned form of selling - but in today’s market, I am not certain that it is a truly successful option for individuals with a focused market for their product or service. I don’t consider the above to be “selling” I consider it “pushing”.

What Selling IS
The type of selling that I have found to be most effective for my creative and consulting services is: relationship based interaction. When you tell someone about what you do, and then you ask them what they do, then talk a little, you find out very quickly if there is a common ground and perhaps one of you needs the service or product the other provides. This is FUN! You get to talk to someone new, find out something you may not have known before and open the door to a new relationship - hopefully gainfully for you both. Then you need to Close the sale. More about that soon.