Knowing how to correctly and efficiently pitch your design ideas to clients is an extremely important skill to have. In order to get work (Repeated work, at that), as a designer, you have to be able to get the client to see your vision as you see it and make them fall in love with it, as well. Minimally, it’s necessary to convince a client that your design fulfills their needs and serves their goal better than any other design could. In the interest of moving forward with a client, your pitch must stand out and be persuading. Doing such things as having a thoroughly structured and thought out presentation and extensively researching your client and their needs will get you ahead of the game.
- Have a strong presentation
When delivering a pitch, it is important to have some type of idea about how you will go about presenting it. HOW Design University instructor Douglass Davis has devised a seven-step plan to help with the delivery of the pitch to subtly sell it without it being obvious. Such steps included in Davis’ plan are insight (Share an observation), therefore (Explain your conclusion), concept (Present your idea), execution (Explain how your design will meet your client’s goals), benefit (Explain how your design benefits the client), message (Explain what the consumer gets out of it), and objective (Briefly come back to the client’s goal).
- Know the client
Being that your client is the one who makes the big decision on whether your design fits their goals or not, it is extremely vital to know as much about your client’s needs, wants, and interests as possible. Talk to them about their vision. Check out some of their past projects. Try to get a feel for what your client wants by looking at the project from their perspective. Getting to know more about your client will allow you to tailor your design and pitch to fit their goals accordingly.
- Do your research, extensively
When you present your design idea for the first time, your client will naturally have questions. Even so, it’s key to do your research so well that you answer all of their questions within your presentation or leave your client with a minimal amount of questions to ask. Be the answers man. Ask yourself all the questions your client would ask while researching so you’ll have a solution ready for them. This makes you look efficient and quickly calms any concerns your potential client could have. Not to mention, you’ll increase their confidence in your designs.