👑 How to make your clients see the value of your work · The Bunker #37

Today I want to talk about a topic that is essential for any service provider: how to make your clients see the value of your work.

When I started as a designer, I had a problem. Surely, you can relate.

I considered myself a good designer. Yes, I was. I was a good designer.

But I had 0 clients 😢 . Does it sound familiar to you?

And I thought: But if I'm a good designer, why aren't clients hiring me? Why aren't they hiring me?

They're hiring designers who I personally don't think are as good, and they're getting more clients than me.

Does it sound familiar to you? You probably have certain skills, and you're likely good at what you do. But clients don't see the value of your designs.

That's all, they're not able to see the value that you can offer them.

In marketing, it's said that you can have the best product in the world, but if nobody sees it, if nobody knows it exists, nobody will buy it from you. Well, this works the same way.

What's the point of being a good designer if clients don't see the value you bring them?

While it’s easy for designers to see the value in their work, it’s not always as clear to clients who may not have the same level of design knowledge or expertise.

What can we do? A few things, let’s get started!

🥸 First of all (and I love this one): Hire a designer yourself. Go through the experience. Dress up like a client.

Do you need a logo to build your personal brand? Do you need to build your own website? Hire another person to do that for you, you’ll go through the process feeling as a client, trying to explain your idea to the designer as clear as possible so the designer can create the most accurate solution to your idea/problem.

If you play the role as a client, you’ll notice how easy is to feel scared of certain designers. Especially if that designer causes you a lot of uncertainty.

Thanks to this little game, as a designer you’ll instantly know how to provide more calm to the situation, you’ll know how to solve this uncertainty and provide certainty when your next client knocks out the door.

📜 Start with the problem

One of the most effective ways to demonstrate the value of your work is to begin by discussing the problem you’re trying to solve.

Clients may not fully understand the impact of design on their business, but they can certainly understand the importance of solving a problem.

You can help clients see how your design solutions will address their needs and improve their business outcomes.

📊 Use data to support your ideas

Another way to demonstrate the value of your work is to use data to back up your design ideas. This might include statistics on how design can impact customer engagement, conversion rates, or brand recognition.

You can ask older clients for their before and after Google Analytics metrics for example.

(Most of my clients said yes to that, don’t be afraid of asking).

🍃 Stay clear and concise when we interact with them.

Clients don't care about the technical details of what you do; they care about the results you can deliver.

That's why it's essential to communicate the benefits of your work in a way that's clear and easy to understand. This means focusing on the outcomes and results of your work, rather than the process.

As you work to help clients see the value of your work, it’s also important to remember to communicate clearly and transparently. This means being honest about what you can deliver, setting clear expectations, and providing regular updates throughout the design process.

For example, start by using simple language and examples:

When communicating the benefits of your work, use simple language and relatable examples that your client can easily understand. If you're a web designer, you could say something like:

• "I design websites that are easy to use and navigate, so your customers can find what they're looking for quickly and easily."
• "I'll create a website that's optimized for search engines, so you'll rank higher in search results and attract more traffic to your site."
• "My designs will help you stand out in a crowded marketplace, so you can attract more customers and increase your sales."

Example: If you're a freelance writer, you could tell a client how you'll help them by saying:

• "I'll create high-quality content that engages your audience and helps you establish your authority in your industry."
• "I'll optimize your content for search engines, so you'll rank higher in search results and attract more organic traffic to your site."
• "My writing will help you build a relationship with your readers, so they'll be more likely to become loyal customers."

⭐ Demonstrate the value of your work with case studies and testimonials

Social proof is powerful when it comes to demonstrating the value of your work.

When clients see how your work has helped others achieve their goals, they're more likely to trust that you can help them as well. That's why it's essential to gather testimonials from satisfied clients and create case studies that showcase the impact of your work.

However, if you haven’t got your first client yet, you can’t get gather those testimonials.

I get it. I’ve been there too. What should you do then?

Create fake projects, and develop fake case studies.

Think of a cool project you’d like to design.

Create it until the end.

Document all your decisions while you design it, and create a stunning presentation.

It’s way easier to get new clients when they see your design process, rather than when they only see your .png design in Dribbble.

Here’s an example. This was a fake project! And this literally brought me tens of clients last 2022, and still in 2023.

On the other hand, If you worked with a client already… At least 1 client… Then, ask for testimonials ⭐.

Ask your satisfied clients for testimonials and permission to use them in your marketing materials.

For example. in Goin we’ve just finished the landing page project, but I wasn’t sure if I was allowed to use the designs for my portfolio.

What did I do? I simply asked my boss.

“Now that we’ve released the new Goin landing page, would you mind if I take the designs and add it to my portfolio?”

His answer: “Sure!”.

Oh, by the way, make sure to highlight the challenges you faced, the solutions you implemented, and the outcomes you achieved.

Example: If you're a social media manager, you could create a case study that shows how you helped a client increase their social media engagement.

You could highlight the specific strategies you used, such as creating engaging content, leveraging hashtags, and running targeted ads.

You could also showcase the results you achieved, such as a 50% increase in social media engagement, a 25% increase in followers, and a 10% increase in website traffic.

Demonstrate tangible results of your work, and you’ll help clients see the value of your services. 100% works.

Clients are afraid, they don’t want to lose their money. Nobody will buy in Amazon an iPhone 14 Pro if the provider who’s selling the product has 0 reviews. But you’ll do purchase it from a provider that has 87495 reviews, and 4.5 stars ratings.

It’s just called “proof”. Logical right?

If I want to take my advice, remember to focus on building strong relationships with your clients.

Developing a deep understanding of their business and working collaboratively to achieve their goals, you can establish trust and credibility that will lead to long-term success.

Keep these principles in mind as you navigate the world of client services, and you'll be well on your way to building a thriving and successful business.

🩺 Play like a doctor

To effectively deliver value to your clients, you need to first understand their needs and goals.

Comparing a designer to a doctor when working with clients can be a useful analogy to understand the importance of the designer's role in understanding the client's needs and providing appropriate solutions.

Just like a doctor listens carefully to a patient's symptoms and concerns before conducting a thorough examination, a designer needs to listen attentively to a client's needs and requirements before beginning the design process. This involves asking the right questions and gathering all relevant information about the project.

Comparing a designer to a doctor when working with clients can be a useful analogy to understand the importance of the designer's role in understanding the client's needs and providing appropriate solutions.

Just like a doctor listens carefully to a patient's symptoms and concerns before conducting a thorough examination, a designer needs to listen attentively to a client's needs and requirements before beginning the design process. This involves asking the right questions and gathering all relevant information about the project.

Once the designer has a clear understanding of the client's needs, they can begin to examine the problem and consider different design solutions. This may involve brainstorming ideas, conducting research, and analyzing the project requirements in detail.

Like a doctor who provides a diagnosis and treatment plan based on their examination, a designer provides a design solution that meets the client's needs and addresses the problem at hand. This solution may involve presenting different design options to the client and collaborating with them to refine the design until it meets their expectations.

In summary, just as a doctor listens, examines, and provides a diagnosis and treatment plan for their patients, a designer listens, examines, and provides design solutions that meet the client's needs and solve their design problems.

You can achieve this by conducting a thorough needs assessment, asking targeted questions and listening actively to their responses.

For example, you can use a needs assessment questionnaire. (We can dive deeper into this if you wish).

Create a questionnaire that helps you ask the right questions and capture essential information about your client's needs and goals. Ask questions like:

• What are your top business challenges or problems?
• What are your main goals for working with me?
• What do you hope to achieve by the end of our engagement?
• What specific outcomes do you want to see from my services?

Example: Let's say you're a marketing consultant and you're working with a client who wants to increase their website traffic. You could ask them questions like:

• What specific products or services are you looking to promote?
• Who is your target audience, and what are their demographics?
• What are your current website traffic levels, and what are your goals for increasing traffic?
• Have you tried any marketing strategies in the past that worked well or didn't work at all?

🪟 Be transparent, building long term relationships.

Clients may not fully understand the design process, so it’s important to show them how you arrive at your final designs. This might include sharing sketches, wireframes, or prototypes to help clients see how you arrived at your final solution.

When working with a client for the first time, consider sharing your creative process with the client until the end of the project.

You don't have to show everything, only what you want and feel comfortable with.

Why? In this way, if the client ends up satisfied with the project, good for you. But if they have also seen the path, the process, the evolution, your transparency with them... even better.

The next time the client needs something, I assure you they will be more likely to come to you. You will also be able to help clients understand the level of expertise and thought that goes into your work. (That’s what we want, show our expertise → show our value).

Until next time,

Cheers, Jordi Espinosa.