There’s a better way to find and evaluate creative suppliers
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You’ve determined your company needs some extra creative help. Maybe you want a graphic designer to update your logo or you need someone to create posts for your blog. You’ve received recommendations from trusted colleagues, but how do you identify the right freelancer or other supplier?
Because most people lack experience in working with the creative community, they often base their decisions on factors that are inherently flawed or not well-thought-out.
For example, when someone begins the conversation by asking for my hourly rate, I know I’m not going to get their business. It isn’t that my fees are exorbitant. The problem is the prospect is shopping by price, and a veteran supplier with a healthy business is rarely going to win when hourly rates are the primary metric.
When you’re hiring any kind of professional — creative or otherwise — price should be secondary to expertise, knowledge, talent, and value. If you’re facing serious criminal charges, hiring the cheapest attorney isn’t likely to result in a happy outcome. If you’ve been diagnosed with some dread disease, you want the top specialist, not the most affordable. And when you need to look your best, you’ll walk right past that $5 barbershop. (If your argument is that writing is a commodity, I wouldn’t want your business.)
Low hourly rates also provide a form of false economy. Someone may charge half as much as I do, but if it takes them four times as long to handle the work, they’re actually twice as costly. Or they may lack the experience or talent to do justice to your objective, so the bill may be cheaper, but the quality and results will suffer.
I understand the importance of considering your budget, but your best bet is seeking the greatest value for your investment. Value can be difficult to quantify during the selection process, but paying attention to key factors will help you recognize it.
Determine dedication. How long has the supplier been in business? Has it been consistent, or does it appear that it’s only to cover gaps between full-time roles? Are they committed to staying in business? If you’re hoping to establish a long-term working relationship, you don’t want to be left high and dry in six months when they take a full-time job.
Business basics. They may not have an office in an expensive tower, but should still follow practices that demonstrate they take their business – and yours – very seriously. First impressions and the factors you consider when evaluating prospective employees (such as how they dress for an initial meeting, their eye contact, etc.) also count.
Others’ opinions. Ask for names and numbers of current and former clients, and invest a little time to request a review. Rather than inquire about vague topics like creativity, focus on those business practices. Does billing match estimates? Are deadlines taken seriously? How have problems been addressed? And most of all, how have you been treated?
Peruse portfolios. Study the supplier’s past work, but instead of getting wowed by cool designs and clever concepts, examine the thinking behind them. Ask why they chose that approach and what they hoped to accomplish. You want to see (and hear) evidence of strategic, innovative thinking built around the objectives.
Elicit experiences. Ask about challenges they’ve solved for other clients. Look for specifics, too. There’s a big difference between “I think it worked pretty well” and “this ad increased sales by 26 percent.” Have them tell you about the toughest problem they ever tackled for a client. Also ask about projects that didn’t work so well and what the supplier learned.
Listen for both candor and enthusiasm. The supplier should be proud of a job well done, and they should speak favorably and respectfully of the client. Instead of a lot of “I did this” and “I did that,” you should hear evidence of collaboration. And a supplier who bad-mouths clients or attacks their judgment will likely talk about you in the same way.
Readily returning? Perhaps the best measure of a supplier’s success at serving clients is repeat business. While there’s always some client turnover, look for client relationships that are measured in years, rather than months. If a client continues to work with the same supplier year after year, it’s a sign that the supplier is doing something right.
Your ultimate goal is to have the confidence that the supplier will be focused on helping you further your business goals, rather than simply padding their portfolio and checking account. Asking the right questions and reviewing the right kind of information will go a long way to doing that.
Scott Flood creates effective copy for companies and other organizations. His guide to evaluating freelance creative talent, The Smarter Strategy for Selecting Suppliers, can be downloaded at http://sfwriting.com.