Contents Buil ding Your List of Leads Introduction Data Protection Getting Started on Your List Colour coding Who Goes In First? Get In Touch Who Do You Contact Next? Where To Look? What Should You Ask?
Buil ding Your List of Leads As stated at the beginning many creatives will get everything about their own business in order, but be totally confused as to where all their clients are. You have to per sonal l y invite cl ients to come to you. We already know the names of those great professionals in the industry that have such a good reputation they are invited to all the big shows. They no longer have to search for the work, but do not think that they have always had it this way. Unless one of the lucky few, born into celebrity, they have certainly had to put years of conscientious attention into getting their name out there, educating themselves about the industry and diligently climbing their way to the top. Believe me I have wished this wasn?t true and I?ve spent time waiting for clients to come, but let me assure you it just will not happen, certainly not in a way that will sustain your business. The next part is completely down to you, but don?t worry it is not as scary or complicated as you might first think. It all starts with building a list of potential clients and lead contacts that you hope will be offering you work, but before you pick up the phone we?re going to guide you through the steps to ensure you will have: - Increased confidence Plenty to talk about All the skills you need to build rapport and get that work Top Tip: Back your List of Leads up regularly and in more than one location; separate device, external hard drive, mem-stick or even email it to yourself. Get in the habit now, ideally every evening but at least once a week. Lose it and you?ll be starting from scratch! Before we really get started I want to mention Data Pr otection. As we're are now going to recommend you collect and keep a list of leads containing personal/business information, you should really make sure they're compliant with the Data Protection Act. Below is a self-assessment questionnaire that determines whether an individual/business needs to register, so please take a look now. Registration self-assessment Another really important thing to consider is the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) which will come into effect in the UK from 25 May 2018. Being a legal framework it is hugely complicated so not something that can be easily explained her. The Government states that it is committed to supporting companies and individuals through the transition. Please click here to find out more: General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR)
Getting Star ted on Your List First of all you?re going to build a list of leads that will grow quickly over time and turn?potential clients? into?actual clients?. The List of Leads is a keystone to your business success At this point all we have to do is create a simple spreadsheet to get your existing contacts in order; a spreadsheet is effective for up to around 50 contacts. Once your list grows beyond 40+ contacts I recommend you look into Customer Relationship Management (CRM) software for managing your contact list. Top Tip: Whichever CRM software you choose make sure it incorporates an autoresponder that sends automated emails. Otherwise keeping a record and sending out emails will become a nightmare that no one would be capable of handling. Don?t worry too much now though, I can also advise further when you need me to. To get started, Excel or Google Docs (I prefer Google Docs) are perfect for now. Set it up to make sure you keep all the relevant information you need. Once you move into your CRM you will also be able to simply upload it. Example of Contact Information in a List: Company URL Name Positione email Phone Industry Twitter Facebook Notes Action 1 When you start contacting people things can get very complicated very quickly and it becomes easy to miss things. A great thing to minimise this is creating a colour code for yourself. Example below. What you need to do? - Set up a simple spreadsheet with columns for information relevant to your business and the clients you want to record.
Who Goes In Fir st? One of the easiest ways to build your client list and knowledge-base is to use the immediate resources around you. Most of us have some level of experience in working on projects, whether through coursework, work experience or contracts already completed. You'd be surprised how often people are hired by associates they?ve worked with previously, even though they may have now moved on to different companies/ventures. As a graduate this is a great opportunity to contact classmates, find out what they?re up to and explore setting up a mutually beneficial network with people you?re already comfortable chatting with. What do you need to do? - Fill your spreadsheet with all the people you have already worked with: if you?re a graduate use your friends?and colleagues?contact list. Get In Touch Start by sending a short message to everyone on your list and briefly explain your current situation, introduce yourself and explain you are building your client base. Tell them you would like to know more about their experience working with you and ask if they would work with you again, and politely request whether they would recommend you to others. State that one of the reasons you?re getting in touch is to improve your service to clients, so honest feedback is really important to you. Focus on your goal, keep it in mind and you will be less sensitive to negative feedback. Absorb the information and act on it to improve and move on. Negative feedback is onl y a weakness identified; as soon as you addr ess it you can become str onger! Once you have some feedback you can start filling in your spreadsheet and contemplate your next moves. If people have been honest you should have some great new ideas which you can use to improve on weaknesses and also play to your strengths. You can now fill in the action box and colour coordinate if you wish; for example, points noted could be: - Feedback received Contact again in 6 months Don?t contact again
At first make sure you note all of the valuable information you receive from your initial communication with contacts on your spreadsheet, later you will have a better understanding of what?important? means to you and your business and managing the spreadsheet will become more streamlined. Top Tip: Create a selection of folders in your email server and be sure to save/archive every email sent/received; it will make referring to earlier exchanges so much easier should you need to. Once you?ve made your initial introduction this will help build your confidence about contacting them again and should give good insight into the types of questions that people could be asking you in future." What do you need to do? - Send an introductory email to everyone you have in your list of leads so far and update your spreadsheet accordingly. Who Do You Contact Next? The next obvious step is to reach out to other professionals within your industry. These people aren't your competition, they're your community and many will be in much the same position as you. So introduce yourself and you might be surprised how receptive they are. At this point you?re still not outwardly asking for work. Your job is to: Look for professionals that inspire you and who are already doing work that you?d like to be party to. There?s always a lot to learn from the projects going on in our industry, and of course it goes beyond just being aware of the latest trends. Understanding the nature of who is doing what and with who offers knowledge about newly formed working relationships between brands, professionals and their working arrangements. It is from all this you can learn why that particular professional was chosen for the job. This is all useful insight to add to your working practice. If the person you are contacting has celebrity status it?s typically less likely they?ll respond, but don?t let that put you off. People love talking about what they do and you may be surprised by the response you get. There will always be some people you are unable to contact, but just move on. There is never a lack of creative, passionate people, all trying to be seen and heard.
Wher e To Look? It is so easy to find people thanks to the internet and social media. The industry convention is that all the professionals involved in a project will be credited. Therefore you just need to find the professionals you love. Finding the lead to one professional that you admire will instantly get you four or five other leads by association. Once you?ve contacted one person you can hook the next person by saying you?ve been in touch with someone they have worked with and so on. Keep it r el evant however - sel ect those who you think wil l be of use to your business. Some good places to look for fashion-related projects are: These are but a few obvious examples. Any list is virtually endless and the internet is bursting, full of active professionals and social influencers who, like you, are all eager to build their own network. If you want to find more contact information hit the search engines and look up names; anyone worth speaking to will have at least one social media account through which you can easily contact them. Upwork is also a great place to find freelance photographers, fashion designers and other professionals.it is particularly good as it shows you how much a professional has earned, gives client feedback and has links to portfolios and their sites. All this is great industry insight and you?ll be increasing your knowledge and confidence all the time. Here at Fashion Rider we have a user friendly search facility which will allow you to navigate through hundreds of industry recognised Make-Up Artists, Photographers, Fashion Designers and Stylists from experienced industry professionals through to new graduate Wher e to l ook: - Fashion Rider Magazines Professionals?websites Social media Blogs Networks Forums Upwork What do you need to do? - Find and research 5 projects you find inspiring, follow the leads and update your spreadsheet.
What Shoul d You Ask? Don?t be shy to start a conversation or share in other people's work. People love free publicity, which, after all, is why they have posted their work online. If you think about it you are doing them as much of a favour as they are you. Often this can open the door to a conversation about who is offering work and put you in their mind for future projects. The first thing you say should be complimentary and ideally, personal to the recipient. State what it is that you like about a certain project of theirs. Paying a compliment based on your observation of their work demonstrates a genuine interest rather than flattery. Show you are not just sending out a generic message and have a sincere desire to learn more about their work. This can greatly increase your chance of getting a response. Ask for advice that can help you build your client base and gain insight. The goal here is to find out about them. Expressing your appreciation for their work by asking open, interesting questions ivites them to reply. Tell them you would love to know more about the project and what it took to put it together so you can improve your own work. Don?t go overboard, no one likes a suck up and it comes across as fake. Use professional, polite language but make it all about the contact: this isn?t the time to tal k about how gr eat you ar e - they haven?t asked yet. The main objective is to introduce yourself and get their contact details with any additional information and professional insight a bonus. However, also remember, you contacted them because you actually do like the work they are doing, so take the time to understand their answers to your questions. A job at this point is a bonus, but it coul d happen. What you are doing is increasing the possibility of speaking to someone who is looking, or maybe knows someone who is looking, for a professional with your skills. Don?t let it be your focus, but be prepared for it. You could drop in a link to your portfolio if they respond- it?s entirely possible they may love your work which could lead to many more opportunities. Exampl e questions you may ask: - How they find the industry now? How they got their last job? How did they achieve something? How they ended up working with someone? What is their favourite technique? What was their best moment? Who they wish to work with? What do you need to do? - Start contacting people on your list through social media. Ask polite questions speifically about their work.