Influence Marketing for Designers
In this article, I would like to share five tips on how to influence your clients and improve your client relationship as a designer. Influence is not the same thing as persuasion. Influence does not require force or coercion. Influence is about getting people to do what they want without them even realizing it. Influence can be both positive and negative, but in this article, we will focus on the positive aspects of influencing your clients to be happy with the final product and willing to work with you again in future projects!
Tip #1
One of the first things you want to think about when speaking with a client is whether you’re pulling them in or pushing them away. Many people try to persuade their clients by selling services, but the best way to do this is to draw them towards your organization and not try to push anything on them. One of the most important things that I need to do is give my clients a level of value to solve their problems. And there are many ways I can prioritize how valuable that problem is for them. In general, when they want someone to come and address it, I am focusing on what matters to them–problem-solving. Relationships are everything. If a client has an issue, it’s your job to make sure they feel like you have their back. Whether there is potential for you to help them or not, your goals should remain the same: To do what’s best for the client.
Tip #2
To become a better salesperson, the second skill you need to hone is teaching versus telling. So my first point with all of my clients is that I don’t want them feeling as though they are simply waiting for me to make decisions for them. Quite the contrary; I want my clients to know exactly what’s going on.
Tip #3
Third, be of service and not try to sell them. Of course, you want to make a sale, but I’m saying approach it from the standpoint that you are there to serve. So they should have no problem. The bigger the problem that you solve for them, the more you should be paid for it.
Tip #4
Focus the initial conversation on what you’ll do to remove their current challenges. The more tangible the terms you speak in, the better your chance of winning them over. When talking about value- show how other businesses have failed without doing it correctly.
Tip #5
My final tip is learning to differentiate between wants versus needs, and this comes from a valuable lesson I learned from Dayton Bradford years ago: “I want your business, but I don’t need your business.” This has more to do with mindset than profit margins. By shifting to a “want” mindset, your tone, body language, and standards become less flexible, and you won’t seem willing to make a deal that doesn’t benefit you. Consider this tip and apply it to your business because information without application will not get you a transformation.
Final Thoughts
So thank you guys so much for watching. Make sure you follow the Instagraphics pro network and join our community. I look forward to seeing you guys on our next video. Thank you guys so much. I’m Adrian Boysel and as always, keep looking up.