the myth of online portfolios

How many design professionals, in a moment of weakness, give in to subscribing to an online portfolio web site?

I'll confess – I have myself, and the grand total of referrals and inquiry, let alone business developed from them, is... $0.

The sites (portfolios.com and DirectoryM) aren't necessarily the most appropriate for a design firm to advertise on. Then again, neither are the yellow pages.

If you're a generalist firm, then perhaps they are a good option for your firm ( and then again, maybe not). But if you consider how many new clients you develop as a result of your web site, versus the relationships you nurture, then the answer should be fairly obvious.

A firm that specializes won't need a listing like that in a directory. Clients will seek you out as your expertise and reputation grows.

So... resist the siren song, so you don't get lost in the crowd of a directory. Invite your potential clients to come to your web site on your terms, not somebody else's.

Duct Tape Marketing

Guy Kawasaki summarizes Duct Tape Marketing: The World's Most Practical Small Business Marketing Guide.

Think modular: "...effective small business marketing is a system—not an event—composed of simple, effective, and affordable techniques."

Read the top-ten list that the author distilled from the book. Then apply it to your design business, and recommend it to your clients!

New Year's Resolutions for designers

It's 6 days into the new year, and while I prefer long-term self-discipline to resolutions, two lists of resolutions caught my eye.

The first I call the Feel Good list. It's from The Art of Business: New Year's Resolutions for Creative Professionals. Eric Adams states

...And because we are creative artists, it's not always about the here and now. Here are 10 resolutions slightly beyond the norm. In the headlong rush that is our lives today, the start of another year is a better time than most to sit down and take stock. Here are ten uncommon resolutions you might try on for size.

This list of resolutions contains some thoughtful resolutions: Thank your clients, thank your co-workers, give away some creativity, enjoy your craft. The last two are to "Decide where you want to be professionally in one year," and "Create a roadmap to success." But how to do just that?

The second list is from The Win Without Pitching Newsletter. This 12-step list from creative consultant Blair Enns, are the resolutions that will change the way you think. In fact, they are mantras, not resolutions, to be chanted every morning before you fire up your email, before you make your coffee, memorized and followed without compromise.

Resolution number 12 states:

12. We will hold our heads high. We will see ourselves as professional practitioners who are hired to bring real solutions to our clients’ business problems. We will not grovel. We will not be coerced. We will understand that after all of the above anyone who insists that we devalue our product or compromise our values is not someone we would have as a client. We will seek respect above money, for only when we are respected as experts will we be paid the money we seek. This money will allow us to reinvest in ourselves, become even better at what we do and deliver to ourselves and our families the abundance we deserve.

You are a real professional. You do provide real solutions to your client's problems.

Don't forget who and what you are, and resolve to become it.