Sometimes the right choices can be clouded by the illusion of saving money. When working on something as important as your brand, you should hire a professional that is the right fit rather than the least expensive. What is the difference?
A branding professional’s job is to communicate and translate YOUR company’s vision into a clear, consistent and effective brand. The savings is in getting the right look and feel the first time. With the right creative professional, you don’t waste time with unnecessary rounds of revisions.
Not all branders will be a good fit for you or your project. It is up to you, the owner, to interview each branding specialist. The initial meeting is the most important meeting (whether in person or over the phone) to convey your company’s needs. Without a meeting, you run the risk of the brander not seeing your businesses particular goals.
The three most important things to address during this initial meeting are:
- Does this professional understand you and your company?
- Do you feel they have the experience to effectively help you reach your goals?
- Do you feel comfortable working with the person?
Scenario: Recently, I had a prospective client ask me to work up a proposal for his company’s multi-page corporate manual. I told him that I would be happy to sit down with him and talk about his company, his company’s goals and the current project. He said sure, but when it came down to setting up a meeting, he just couldn’t make the time.
He insisted I give him a proposal and emailed me his rough text, a rough page layout and the budget. Although I felt uncomfortable, I figured that it was enough to write a “rough” proposal, until we could meet. But when it came down to meeting with him to review the proposal, yet again, he was unavailable and asked if I could just email the proposal. When he finally got back to me after reviewing my proposal, he indicated that I was not the right person for the job because I only included two revisions in my proposal. He would need a flat fee for an unknown amount of revisions.
Wrong Mindset: Unfortunately, from the start, this company has the wrong mindset on how to hire a branding professional. From their actions, I have to conclude they have in the past picked their branding specialist only by price and not by the right fit. They have been brainwashed into thinking several revisions are acceptable behavior as well as all branding professionals are created equal. It is just not so. Working with any professional is an investment. If you invest the time in the beginning, you won’t have to waste time rushing to get it right at deadline, saving more than just the bottom line.
Do you have an example of a wrong mindset?
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