“It’s not what you know, it’s WHO you know…” A lot of times, clients would come in not through the usual way like phones calls or emails but through referrals, and this is specially true to startups who most probably get clients from relatives, friends, and immediate family members. And what does this tell us? It means that your circle is very small or your company name is not that well-known in your field to actually get a completely unrelated client (meaning not connected to you in anyway). The solution is NETWORKING. There are certain tools that are out there in order to maximize your potential in getting clients:

Business Cards

This one is very important and you have to be very careful about what you put here because a lot of what you are could actually be revealed here (which is the concern of your graphic designer).My Business Card

Make it clear
One of the very first projects I got through my business card is an AVP (audio visual presentation) for a religious group which was having an annual celebration. I got a text message saying: “I saw your card which says ‘motion grahics’, do you do film, AVP or presentations?” and I answered: “Yes, I do all of those, anything on screen and moving…”, and she replied back: “So, do you do AVP’s?”… and this went on and on and I finally gave here a call and asked about what I can do for her and it ended up and an AVP project. After this incident, I thought of how many more of those who got my card had the same question “what do you do?” How many of them hesitated to call because it was unclear what my business is? How many clients have I missed because of this mistake? The answer I wouldn’t really know but the thing is, THE BUSINESS CARD IS NOT EFFECTIVE! Business cards are suppose to communicate who you are and what you do not just a card to make you look professional to your friends. Rather than placing vague, fancy terms try more familiar terms, so instead of placing ‘motion graphics’ try ‘AVP, corporate video presentations, etc.’ this increases the chances of them calling you.

Make it big
Acquaintance No.1: “Where have you printed this? I looks really nice! And the texture is very unique…”
Acquaintance No.2: “Can you write your email address at the back? Your font is so small…”
OK, OK, I get it… Designing your card well is a good point especially when you are in the art field but having the information in it readable is one of the things you must consider first. Remember that the information it contains is the message you want to get across first, the design second.

Make it speakKuya Chito's Card
It’s ok to make it look normal like the rest, but the chance of getting noticed or be recalled, especially when your card is in a mountain of contacts, is very very slim. You might get better chances in the cellphone phonebook! To be noticed it has to be unique and it has to tell something about what you do. I’m very proud of how my card was designed but this card is far better than mine combined with all the other aspects I’m talking about.

Meeting People
It doesn’t matter what occassion it is but you must meet people at a regular basis. Considering that you would most likely get referrals rather than phonecalls, it is very important to invest time and money being acquainted with potential clients. If you are not a very social person (like I am, I hate politics and small talk) you might consider befriending one or two who has big networks in different circles (HINT: these people love small talks and politics). Through this, you’ll get better chances of getting projects, in fact, 90% of what I do at the moment came to me through people I know with one degree of referral at most, meaning my clients are the ones I know directly (DIRECT) AND/OR recommendations by those I know directly (INDIRECT). Either way, you must ensure quality work to get return clients which are very important in establishing your name in your field.

Marketing Yourself
Websites, Brochures, Bazaars, Tradeshows, etc. are all vehicles for marketing your business. Consider having each to let your clients know that you exists and show some of the things you offer. A registered business name would be very helpful at this point since most of your communications/transactions would go through it.

What you do and who you market it to spells the future of your business. Force yourself to increase your circle in order to reach more clients and watch how your company will grow.

Things to do:
1. Be sure to have a business card that works, if you don’t have it yet, you are wasting precious connections
2. Arrange to meet different groups of people at least twice a month, especially those who might need your services
3. Have an introduction of what you do ready anytime, be bold about your statements, remember nobody likes the timid
4. Be ready at all times, you might bump into a big shot someday and you’ll be thanking the gods for having a business card and an introduction ready under your sleeves

Sorry it took awhile to make another post… many projects are coming up since I started to change perspectives and I hope you will also in the near future…

ONWARDS!