Know Your Price
Sandra Vanhooser - Wednesday, September 16, 2009
When going into the graphic design business for
yourself or trying to get a job at a firm, it is important you present yourself
in a proper manner, even from a financial standpoint. A common misconception is that cheap is better,
that if you are selling yourself for less than the competitor, you have the
greater value. This is not necessarily
true, and it also immediately distances you from the potential client or
employer. Graphic design companies, and
those companies looking for graphic design work, know a great deal about the
prices expected, they understand they will need to spend some money on
marketing. So if you show up with the
cheapest price, way below their budget, it is an immediate deterrent from the
quality you supposedly have.
Basically when it comes down to it, don’t sell yourself short. Know what you’re worth and sell yourself at that level. Back yourself with your portfolio, stand tall with your creative, and offer a reasonable price. If they suggest a lower one, take a look at the numbers with them, explain the value, the significance in the hours spent, and you’ll show the client you know what you’re doing, even from the numbers side.
Having said that, it is possible to exaggerate your worth, both in employment and clientele. The key word used before was reasonable, be reasonable, respectable, but also respectful. Your fresh out of college, a great portfolio, and you were offered a job at a big-time firm downtown. Instead of jumping at the opportunity, you lay back and ask for more of a starting salary. If they don’t walk away immediately, you must be a designing god! Asking for more salary at the beginning, even after being hired, is a sure-fire way to be fired. Accept what you are offered, and earn your keep. The perfect example is Michael Crabtree, by holding out because he thought he deserved more, earned him less, if not nothing at this point (NFL example, search Michael Crabtree and 49ers, it’s sure to come up).
Basically when it comes down to it, don’t sell yourself short. Know what you’re worth and sell yourself at that level. Back yourself with your portfolio, stand tall with your creative, and offer a reasonable price. If they suggest a lower one, take a look at the numbers with them, explain the value, the significance in the hours spent, and you’ll show the client you know what you’re doing, even from the numbers side.
Having said that, it is possible to exaggerate your worth, both in employment and clientele. The key word used before was reasonable, be reasonable, respectable, but also respectful. Your fresh out of college, a great portfolio, and you were offered a job at a big-time firm downtown. Instead of jumping at the opportunity, you lay back and ask for more of a starting salary. If they don’t walk away immediately, you must be a designing god! Asking for more salary at the beginning, even after being hired, is a sure-fire way to be fired. Accept what you are offered, and earn your keep. The perfect example is Michael Crabtree, by holding out because he thought he deserved more, earned him less, if not nothing at this point (NFL example, search Michael Crabtree and 49ers, it’s sure to come up).
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