Managing Client Expectations

Recently, I attended a roundtable discussion presented by the AAF Greater Frederick on how to manage client expectations. Seriously, anyone who is in the service industry can definitely relate to this topic! While the end product of any project is, of course, important, oftentimes the process—you know, the back and forth between client, the relationship you build throughout the course of the project—is what can make or break the ultimate end result and client satisfaction.  So, what can you do to manage your clients, insuring that both you and your client's expectations are met? Glad you asked, read on, my friend…

Here are just a few things to remember when dealing with clients. Sure, they may seem pretty easy, and obvious, but it's always great to remind yourself of the following:

1. Plan the Project Well: know what you need to charge and how long the project will realistically take. Be sure to relay all the information to your client up front, so they are on the same page.

2. State What Is Included: Be as detailed as possible about what you will be delivering. Break the job into stages and outline how many ideas, meetings, rounds of edits, etc are included. Make sure your client knows all of this information up front so they can work with you to make sure the project is delivered with all expectations met—their's AND your's.

3. Who Are the Key Contacts: Make sure there is one point of contact (on both your end AND the client's end) that is consistent throughout the course of the project. A client needs to know who they should go to with questions or issues just as much as you need to know who to go to with your questions. Keep the point of contacts as consistent, with as few people as possible, throughout the course of the project.

4. Regular Client Meetings: At the beginning of the project set a schedule for the different stages of the project that you will meet with the client. This could be face-to-face meetings, conference calls, or other modes of communication.

5. Schedule Payments: Be sure your client is aware of your payment terms in advance. Set up a schedule that works for bot you and your client, so there are no misunderstandings.

6. Be Accountable: Fess Up! Don't be afraid to admit if you've gotten something wrong, or misunderstood feedback. You clients will appreciate you being up front, so the more honest and transparent you can be in all your communication, the better your client relationship will be in the long term—it's all about building trust.

7. Get It In Writing: Be sure to put all the project's estimated costs and scope in writing. Have you and your client sign this, and make sure you both have a copy. This will protect both you and your client.

8. Bite Your Lip: While we all hope and strive for perfect clients, the truth is that we'll all experience that "nightmare client" at least once in our career. When this happens, don't give your client a reason to complain about you. Simply bite your lip and get the job done to the best of your ability within the terms originally agreed upon. (see #7)

9. Under Promise, Over Deliver: It's always best to exceed your client's expectations. Be sure not to promise them the world if you can't deliver. Be practical, edge on the side of caution when it comes to a project's time line and/or estimate.  That way, if you're able to get things done faster, or within a smaller budget, your client will love you for it. And if it takes the amount of time estimated, you're still meeting your client's expectations.

Do you have any additional advice on how to manage client expectations? We'd love to hear them!

Holy Learning Batman!

Holy Learning Batman! So, last week I went on a learning binge—Wordpress Seminar on Wednesday, Time Management webinar and Creative Women roundtable on Thursday, and a Business Owner's Virtual Conference Friday through Sunday!

My brain is filled to the max! And you know what? It feels good!

As a business owner it's always a good idea to continue learning about your field (or related fields) as well as your business in general. It's how we grow and become better business owners—more crafty in our field as well as more savvy with our business. BUT—it's really hard to take the time out from all our daily duties and just focus on yourself (well, I mean focusing on yourself, which will in turn enrich your business).

I'll be honest (and to any of my clients reading this—I love you, I really do!), but it was so nice to take time out from answering emails, returning phone calls, putting out fires, etc. and just sit for an hour (or 2, or 6) to simply focus on learning more. Sure, I try to read up on daily industry news, but it's always something rushed, squeezed between this or that task. But, after taking actual time out to focus on something new, I feel more inspired and amped up than I have for several months! I like the feeling.

So, I am going to set a goal to do a minimum of one educational event per month, will you do the same? What are some of the most recent (and/or rewarding) business/educational events you've attended?

Creative Genius.....or Utter Madness?

A look into the creative mind of Kalico Design's junior designer, Jen Tyler...

When it comes to the creative process we all have our different ways of going about getting the solution. I’m always looking at different solutions for creative problem solving. This helps me to understand why sometimes it’s so easy to come up with profound and simple solutions to creative problems, and other times I might as well be banging my head against a wall. Do we all share some kind of common method? Are there key points to our madness?

I recently came across a book titled The Creative Process Illustrated: How Advertising's Big Ideas Are Born it includes the personal illustrations of design processes for many famous designers. In the beginning of the book the authors mention a man named Graham Wallas who proposed one of the first creative process models in 1926. It is as follows:

Stage 1. Preparation: The problem to be solved is carefully considered and resources are gathered in order to confront the task. The conscious mind is focused on the problem.
Stage 2. Incubation: Drawing upon these resources, consideration of the problem is internalized and becomes a largely subconscious activity. The mind makes connections more freely and abundantly.
Stage 3. Illumination: Possible solutions to the problem transition from subconscious to conscious thought. This is a moment of insight and optimism.
Stage 4. Verification: Solutions are tested and may be applied if shown to be viable.

My creative process model follows this with slight variations.

Stage 1. Preparation:

Read project brief. Immediately start brainstorming. Word association. How could letters merge and make shapes. Picture a rainbow. Stare into space. Freak out because I’m not in school anymore and don’t have two weeks to sketch one comp for a client!

Stage 2. Incubation:

Put the project out of my mind. (Or try to.) Go home. Watch TV. No, those commercials are not some kind of magical insight into this particular clients problem. No, not everything has a deeper meaning just because you want it to. Try to focus on the project before going to sleep. Maybe dream about the solution.

Stage 3. Illumination:
Wake up. Didn’t have an epiphanic dream? OK, now its crunch time. Back to step one. That sketch still looks the same as when I started – I can do better than that! More sketching. Lets clean it up with our mad computer skills. Apply color theory.
Stage 4. Verification: 

“Presto Chango!” Finally! Give self a hand. Beer anyone!

What is your creative process? We'd love to hear!

(Image courtesy of central)

Can I Get 25 Hours in a Day!?

Last week I attended a Women's Business Lunch through the Frederick County Chamber of Commerce. (and yes, if you've noticed from my last few posts—I've been getting around the town lately. I'm workin' it, baby! I'm enjoying meeting new people and businesses!) OK, so back to my story…

At the recent business lunch one key thing most of us wanted help with was better time management and increased productivity. Who doesn't want that, right?  I'm always searching for ways to better my time management skills—I hate that feeling of being so overwhelmed you don't even know where to start, it's the worst. SO, I was very interested to hear the advice of other successful businesswomen. Here's a few ideas I liked and will try to implement in my everyday tasks (business OR personal):

• For email productivity, one women suggests the "FAD" technique. A way to quickly sort through your email: F-file it, A-act on it, D-delete it. It seems simple enough, right?

• Create a work log to track all the large tasks you've completed. A few women did this and said that after reading through the tasks they actually had completed, they felt a great sense of accomplishment. It's a way to focus on the positive, celebrate the tasks you've completed instead of stressing about the ones you didn't.

• Throw in the towel! As women, we tend to want to do things on our own and have a hard time asking for help. One women's advice was to basically to get over ourselves and know when to ask for help. If someone in your business is better at a certain task than you are—ask them for help, so you can focus on the tasks that you are best at. It's more productive for everyone that way.

• Get the "ick" out of the way. Set an hour each day (preferably towards the beginning of the day) to take care of the tasks you don't want to do. You know, the ones you keep putting off but are still weighing on your mind because they need to get done. 

• Don't be so reactive. Work on distinguishing the things that need to be address immediately versus the ones that can wait. Don't immediate react to something, especially if you're already in the middle of another task.

• And last, but certainly not least: Learn to say "No". Along with most women, I constantly struggle with this one!

So, what do you do that helps you with your time management and/or productivity skills? Have you tried any of the suggestions above? How did they work for you?

Holy Hell, Where Did January Go!?

Seriously! How is January over already! Historically, January tends to be one of our slower months at Kalico, usually a nice and quiet month— a breath of fresh air after the craziness of December. But, not this year! This January we have been extremely busy with lots of fun projects such as magazines, logos, custom invitations, conference materials, etc. (see some examples above). Trust me, I'm definitely NOT complaining, I just don't know where it all came from!

As I've met with fellow designers and other creatives in my hometown, it seems to be the same across the board. Everyone is uncharacteristically busy for this time of year! What does it mean? Are companies getting smart and starting to put money back into their design, advertising and marketing budgets? Or is this just a surplus from last quarter (which, according to multiple economic reports was one of the fastest growing quarters in the past year...).

What do you think? Did it just happen to be a busy January, or is it a forecast for designers and related professionals in 2012?

Looking Back, Thinking Forward…

Every year I try to write New Year's resolutions for my business, as well as reflect on my goals from the previous year. When I looked over last year's goals, I realized how much my business had changed throughout 2011, in ways that I honestly hadn't anticipated. Um…like, big changes. Changes like hiring my first full-time employee and moving out of my home office into a studio in downtown Frederick!  (More to come about this in the New Year!)

So, maybe I didn't reach all of my goals for 2011, but to be honest, I think I ended up accomplishing way more—and I'm totally happy with that! After all, your business goals and plans are just a guideline, something that needs to be tweaked and changed throughout the course of your business, right?

Some of the goals I did reach included:

1. Switching to a smart phone. (I seriously can't imagine living without my iphone now. Check out a previous post about this…)
2. Blogging weekly (ok, well, almost weekly!)
3. Increasing blog traffic, and integrating Kalico's facebook and twitter accounts better. (seriously, if you're reading this and haven't liked us yet on facebook or aren't following us on twitter...what the heck are you waiting for!?)
4. Adding 3-4 new clients in the health & wellness industry (not to mention a lot of other really great new clients ranging from magazines to small start-ups to national associations!)

All in all, 2011 was a year of big changes for Kalico. Stay tuned for a list of our resolutions for the New Year, and let us know what your big business goals are for the upcoming year! I look forward to what 2012 has to bring and I wish everyone a very Happy (and safe!) New Years!! See ya on the flip side!

Super, Simple 3-Step Marketing Plan

Yesterday during my weekly BNI networking meeting, my very wise friend and fellow chapter member, Whitney Hahn (certified guerilla marketing coach and co-owner of Digital Bard Video. Web. Marketing.) presented us with a super easy, 3-step procedure, to get started on our 2012 marketing plan. And… here is is:

Step 1: Write down the marketing actions you want to take. Keep it very simple, just action-based, such as "Write Blog Post" or "Advertise in Local Newspaper". Whitney suggests writing each action down on a small piece of paper, like a Post-It note.

Step 2: Divide a large sheet of paper (or white board) up into 5 sections: daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, yearly. Then, take the actions you created in step one, and assign them to one of these sections. For instance, for Kalico, I would take my "Write Blog Post" post-it, and stick it in the "weekly" section of my white board. Do this for all your actions (keep in mind, it should be easy to rearrange things as needed, we are working with post-it notes, here, people. they're sticky, that's what they do.)

Step 3: Once you're happy with your actions and timeline, be sure to add them to your regular appointment calendar, be it an online calendar, your blackberry, your planner, etc. Basically, wherever you keep track of your appointments, meetings, and events, you also need to include the actions indicated above. It's like you're making an appointment with yourself and your business, be sure you schedule the time here (I'll admit, this is where I fall short!).

And, there you have it. The start to a super, simple, low-tech, but ever-so-effective marketing plan. And remember, marketing plans may need to evolve and change over the course of time, and that's ok (in fact, it's typical!). But, at least you'll have a starting point to work from, with goals and a timeline you set yourself. I hope this helps! How do you come up with your marketing plan?

All You Need is Love

Last week I participated in International Freelancers Day, an online conference exclusively for solo professionals. It was great—lots of wonderful speakers, great topics, and best of all, it was FREE! Since I gained so much insight and information, I am going to dedicate the next few blog posts as recaps of some of my favorite sessions, I shall call it "All the Cool Stuff I Heard on Friday".

First up is a recap of Peleg Top's session entitled "All You Need Is Love—Growing Your Business From the Inside Out". Peleg focused how to run your business with love versus with fear; how to take your passion and build your business around it.

Fear = anxious, saying yes to things you shouldn't, always being in reactive mode, working with the fear of always wanting to please your client

Love = energetic, being in creation mode, creativity, working with the desire to serve your client

How does LOVE show in your marketing?
Well, Fear shows in marketing when you try doing the same thing everyone else does, and when you feel the need to always grab your client (or potential client's) attention. Don't get me wrong, getting a potential client's attention is not necessarily a bad thing! But, when you feel the need to constantly inundate them with ways to show how good you are, you may come off a little desperate, and the "fear" definitely begins to show. Conversely,  Love means connecting with your client, serving your client, creating a value to your client so they can see the passion behind your work. This makes your client want to work with you, and enjoy working with you!

Ready. Aim. Fire.
So, how can you get your passion to show more in your work? Peleg suggests the "Ready. Aim. Fire." method:

Ready: Take an audit of your current business. How much passion is in your current work? Are you proud of it? Do you want to share it with other? Did you enjoy working on it? Is there something specific you'd rather be doing with your work? Where is your passion, if it's not in your current work?

Aim: Create a positioning around your passion. Focus on a specific kind of client you want to work with or a specific kind of work you want to do. Declare this first to yourself (this may actually be the hardest step), and then to the world. Be specific about who you are as a business, what you do exactly, and why.

Fire. Now that you know where you business passion lies, start marketing to those who share you passion. Research who they are, where they can be found, etc. Chances are, if you both enjoy the same passion, you may already know who your next potential client should (and could) be.

"Passion is the Fuel for Creativity" Is there passion in your work?

Thanks again to Peleg Top for his wonderful webinar. We'll be continuing our recap of International Freelancers Day in blog posts to follow, with topics ranging from Effective Self Promotions, Hiring Your First Employee and Smart Risk Taking.

Meet the Kalico Team

So, you probably already know me (either in person or via the interwebs). I'm Kim, you know, the owner of Kalico Design and writer for this blog. If you want some more info on me, check out my "official" bio on the website.

But, you probably don't know the entire Kalico team quite yet…

Get to Know Jennifer Tyler…graphic designer, paper collector, cat owner extraordinaire! Jen is Kalico Design's very first full-time employee! We are truly excited to have her join the team.
You may remember Jen from last summer when she helped out here as my first intern. Here's a little more info about her:

Jennifer Tyler is  a graduate from Shepherd University in Shepherdstown WV, with a BFA concentrating in graphic design. Upon graduating she moved back to her native state of Oklahoma to be nearer to her family. However, Jen soon realized that Oklahoma no longer offered what it once did and begged her old boss Kim to offer a job. She quickly returned to West Virgina and is now happily working at Kalico as a full time designer. Jennifer is an active member of the design community and is excited about becoming involved in the local AAF, and AIGA chapter events. She enjoys long rides on the river with picnics free of mosquitoes, as well as baking, illustration and paper collecting (we're designers, we like paper).

Before moving to West Virginia, Jennifer was utilizing a culinary arts degree working as a full time baker in her Native state, Oklahoma. She loves being active in the design community, and served as the president of Shepherd University's student chapter of AIGA. Last year Jen helped to organize the first annual AIGA student exhibition displaying a variety of student design work, including her own work which was rewarded with a viewers choice award! Check out some of Jennifer's student work at her website, jentylerdesign.com.

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I bet you didn't know that there are two additional members of the Kalico team, each playing an important role in the day-to-day activities. Meet our part-timers:

Kai, the Dog: Bill-Collector, Sleeper, Greeter, Foot Warmer.
Kai is a blue-brindle pit bull who graces the floors of the Kalico office. In his free time (aka, when not sleeping during work hours), Kai enjoys long walks in the park, chasing rabbit friends and deer buddies, and singing (howling) along to various tunes. He loves greeting clients with a friendly smile and an occasional lick.

The Cat: Receptionist, Window Watcher, Paper Sorter.
The Cat (C for short) checks in at the Kalico office multiple times throughout the day. Her official role is to answer phones (Kalico Design, Meow can I help you?), but she is often a tad lazy and would rather leave the menial chores to the Humans. In her extensive spare time, she enjoys chatting at birds, chasing strings or paper balls, and exploring boxes. The Cat also "helps" out around the office with her uncanny ability to sit on (um, find) any paperwork you happen to be looking for.

Jen (and "the animals") will be helping me out and I can't be happier (or more relieved!). I've definitely been keeping busy these past few weeks, as is evident in my lack of blogging (sorry!). But, stay tuned for updates on some of our most recent work to come soon!

911…Emergency Business Plan

So, last week I was hit with a very scary family disaster. Jimmy, my husband and avid motocross* rider, was in an accident at the track. He ended up getting rushed to shock trauma (in Baltimore, MD, almost an hour away) with a partial collapsed lung, lacerated liver and internal bleeding. Needless to say, as a wife, I was terrified out of my mind. And, after the first 24 hours of shock, various ER treatments (including a chest tube...um, yea), and with reassurance from both doctors and Jimmy, my mind turned to my business. As a microbusiness owner, I went into "Business Disaster" panic mode.

How was I going to get work completed (mind you, the week was jammed packed with multiple LARGE deadlines)? How was I going to communicate with clients? How would I mentor my brand-spankin new employee (who was originally scheduled to start working the Monday of our ER visit)? How could I balance being with my husband during recovery while still maintaining some sort of business presence? How was I going to "kill" my husband (after he recovered, of course) for crashing his stupid dirtbike…again. But, I digress.

Luckily, Jimmy recovered much faster than the doctors originally anticipated and his shock trauma stay only lasted about 3 days. And luckily I have some wonderful clients who were more than understanding. Plus, I had a few other things that helped out during this crisis:

The Kalico Makeshift Disaster Plan
1. iphone. Ironically, we had only gotten our iphones a week prior to "the incident". I definitely learned how to use that sucker quickly. I was able to group text jimmy's status updates to family and friends while emailing and responding to clients. Not to mention, the one and only night I didn't stay at the hospital, I was reassured with a few face chats with Jim as well.

2. G-RAID mini. Again, I had only just set up my new G-RAID portable mini backup drive a week or two prior. Boy, was I glad I had taken the recommendation from another designer/programmer friend! Just a simple unhook of a firewire cable and I had all my work with me. I was able to set-up a small makeshift office for two days: laptop, G-RAID and me!

3. Responsible Employee. Yet again, the timing seemed uncanny. As I mentioned, my new (and very first) employee started the week we were at the hospital. I was fortunate that my new hire, who had interned with me the previous summer, was already familiar with some of Kalico's clients. She was (and still is) also responsible, trustworthy, and someone I could rely on to work from home for a few hours per day until things got back to a normal schedule. How's that for a job crash course!

4. Support System. While I knew Jimmy and I had a wonderful personal support system (both coming from close families and a tight network of friends), I was also reminded of what an amazing business support system and network I have as well. Clients were understanding of late deadlines, and actually asking how they could help me! Colleagues from one of my organizations took care of my responsibilities, cards came from business contacts, and I even had another design firm offer to help with a job or two if needed! It was humbling and reassuring to know so many people were in my corner! I am one damn lucky business owner!

So, to conclude:
1. I'm am SO glad this incident is over and my husband is on the mend for a quick recovery.
2. As a graphic design business owner, invest in an iphone (or comparable smart phone) as well as a good, portable backup drive.
3. Work hard to surround yourself with other talented, supportive and caring business contacts—be it employees or fellow entreprenuers.
4. Don't let your husbands ride dirtbikes (I'm kidding...or am I?)

**To learn more about motocross, check out this article featuring my husband in the Spring Issue of Find It Frederick magazine!

Multitasking, Schmultitasking: Improving Your Productivity

I recently sat in on a teleforum by Design Coach On Call discussing how creative professionals can improve their productivity. Holla! As a micro-business owner who balances just about every part of running her business, I can say first hand that it can be overwhelming at times! I'm constantly looking for better ways to discipline myself to be more productive. Pam Bryan, the forum facilitator, had some great tips and advice. Here are my favorites, all of which I hope to start implementing within the next few weeks (seriously, can someone hold me to this?)

1. Multitasking is Worse Than a Lie: To sum it up, multitasking, or more appropriately called "switch-tasking" just isn't productive. Switching from one task to the next, back and forth, and so on can cause you to loose up to 28% of your time. So, try to discipline yourself to make changes in your work day that will deter you from switch-tasking as much as possible.

2. Gather Your Gathering Places: A "Gathering Place" is any place where unprocessed work items go. This can include your desk, your briefcase, your office, even your car…any and every place where you might do work. The key is to consolidate all gathering places so that you only have one physical "inbox". Then, set a time each week or day to sort through this inbox, usually 30-60 minutes. Obviously, sort through the more pressing items first…this way you won't be stressing about them throughout the day, so you're able to focus on other tasks throughout the day.

3. Conquer Your Digital Space: These days, your digital space can be a real time sucker throughout the day! Digital Space includes your email, social media accounts, voicemails, etc. Similar to your "Gathering Places", try to consolidate your digital space as well. For instance, direct all your emails (personal and business) to one account. You'll still have the separate accounts, but you'll only have to check one master email account, thus saving you time logging on and sorting through various accounts. In addition, Pam recommends turning off your email alarms and setting yourself a schedule. Check your email 2-3 days per day, answering all inquiries during your set timeframe. Use this time to check your social media accounts like facebook and twitter as well.

OK, so these are a few of the changes I'll be making here at Kalico World Headquarters in order to increase my productivity throughout the day. I'll keep you posted on how it goes. What changes would you like to make? Let me know!