by Aaron Mahnke

I had an opportunity to teach a class this week at a local college. They hold a regular course for local entrepreneurs the helps the acquire the skills necessary to successfully launch a new business. Each class covers an area of the business world, and when it came time to teach these adventurous people about how to brand and market themselves, the teacher needed to reach outside his expertise and bring in a professional. Me.

I was able to talk for over 2 hours about what I’m passionate about: branding, design and marketing your business properly. And the experience of preparing and presenting my material taught me something I wanted to pass on to any freelancer I know. You.

Know Your Business

Whether you’re a designer like me, or a developer or copywriter or any of the dozens and dozens of fields that freelancers flock to, you need to know about your field. You can’t be seen as an expert unless you are one. Study, learn, keep up with advances and improvements in your tools. Do everything you can to fill your heads with all aspects of your trade. And then talk about it.

If I asked you to talk about your wedding or favorite vacation, you would more than likely be able to do it without the aid of note cards or scripts. You can talk about it for hours because you are passionate about it and know it inside and out. Get to the point where your field of profession is the same - ingrained into your brain, ready to spill out if someone bumps into you. Because your passion can sometimes say more than the knowledge itself.

Explain the Details of Your Profession

Clients that work with me don’t need to know the difference between the Pantone color system and CMYK. They don’t need to know what a bleed is, or a vector file. But I teach them every chance I get. Why? Because when a client (current or potential) understands the complexity of design, and the skill that has to be present to create materials that truly represent their businesses in a beautiful way, they are more likely to hire a professional. If they believe a PowerPoint slide can be printed through an online printer and look great, they’ll try doing that. And fail. I teach my clients the the road to great products is not wide and comfortable and easily traveled. No, it’s narrow, and bumpy, and there are lots of turns and bends that only a trained guide can lead them through.

It’s not pride. It’s not about becoming more important than I am. It’s about protecting the results my clients get. I want their marketing materials to look amazing. And people don’t want complexity. They want someone to tackle that complexity for them, so they can focus on their passion - their new business. To me, it’s all about helping them understand my place in the equation. And any chance I see to teach people the importance of hiring a professional designer, I take it.

Be Accessible

I find that the more open I am - about my trade and my methods - the more people come to me with their questions. I like being a resource for them. And sometimes they’ll tackle projects without me. But I know that when they encounter a vision they can’t produce on their own, I’m the first person they call. And I’m genuinely interested in the success of my clients’ businesses. So I keep the lines of communication open, stay available, and offer all the advice I can. And I firmly believe that this attitude makes me more attractive as a service provider.

Share who you are. Share what you do. And share your passion. It will help you become a better partner to your clients. And it will help you be a better freelancer.

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About the Author

I’m a freelance graphic designer from the Boston area where I live with my wife and daughter. You can see my work here, and follow me on twitter here.