How to sell design services
We all know design is important but if your a designer trying to grow your design business, or you're an entrepreneur trying to buy design services, you could be selling yourself short.
Well designed products and software can be sold for a premium and products that are designed to be easy to use have fewer customer support issues and higher satisfaction.
But if your a designer trying to sell the value of your designs you may often hear from clients that:
-Design is so expensive
-What if we cut the design phase down from six weeks to two
Do we really need a research phase
And of course the dreaded... I've sketched out what I want, just make it pretty. Uhgh. that's the worst.
Designers and entrepreneurs aren't always speaking the same language. While we know design is valuable, designers often have a hard time explaining or selling this value.
Three things to keep help you…
#1 - Don't sell design.
When I first started my business I would try to sell the value of design. The problem with this is that no one wants to buy design. They don't.
You don't want to buy the design for an iPhone, you want the iPhone.
Most people don't separate the value of design from the thing itself.
We were designing products, websites and mobile apps and similarly, the founder and entrepreneurs we worked with didn't want the design of an app or a website they wanted the outcome… the result.
Design is just one of the ingredients that go into building a product, but typically the person buying it is interested in the product, not the ingredients.
If you’re an entrepreneur, business or product owner , try to be specific about the results you're looking for. Results can be based on metrics such as conversion, retention, bounce rate...
Or it can be based on aesthetic qualities: professional, friendly, quirky, stark, colorful... Be specific about the wants and needs.
Do you want something easy to use?
Do you want it to look friendly or attractive?
Do you want thoughtful designs for the setup experience, the error experience or more.
Often times design isn't just what happens on the screen, it's often the decisions of the business itself that drives simplicity.
#2 - Don't sell the design as a phase.
It's common for designers to propose the incorporation of design as a discrete step in a larger project. Don't do this.
First off design work tends to happen through the entire continuum of a product life-cycle so if you propose a discrete phase you're doing a disservice to yourself and your customers. If design issues can be introduced late in a product life cycle they can also be corrected.
By treating design as a continuum you're less likely to be without a designer when you need one.
Secondly, phased design means your designers will have less or sometimes no overlap with your engineering team.
Great products are the combination of design and engineering and it's only through shared time that hard problems are solved. If you sell your design as a phase you're creating a scenario where it's easy to cut or trim the phase and end up with something functional but hard to use.
#3 - Great design is about solving business problems
If you’re a designer showing your work, it's about outcomes and benefits more than the pixels on the screen.
You're selling yourself and your team. You're building trust and at the end of the day you're selling your ability to deliver on specific business results.
Remember, people don’t want design, they want the outcome.
Your character, charisma and ultimately your ability to understand the problem is key to convincing someone they need you to help solve their problem.
And for entrepenours, a good designer can make your product or business look good. A great designer can make your business a success, so don’t get too caught up in the shade of icon or the font choice. Make sure you’re understanding the business reasons for design choices and what will help you grow your product or company.
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