If you’re running a freelance design company, we’re guessing we know your pains fairly well: You’re always in need of work, and when you do land a project, you’re constantly concerned about the longevity of that connection. In fact, we imagine you spend a lot more time pondering how you can keep a client coming back than you do creating the actual designs. If so, we understand your needs, and we want you to know that there are steps you can take to ensure your designs are of the evergreen variety. It’s not an easy process, but if you follow the ideas outlined below, you’ll quickly find your clients returning with wheelbarrows of projects for you to tackle.

  1. Be Professional: First and foremost, ensure that every step of your designing process has been safeguarded against looking like an amateur effort. Have you taken every possible precaution to present a professional. smooth, and business like appearance? Think about the style of your invoices, as well as the nature of your project outlines. Does everything about your outfit scream grace and money making potential? If not, this should be step one for your business. Rework things to be professional, and we guarantee you’ll see client’s respecting you more for it.
  2. Always Provide Information: If you give someone money to perform a service, there’s no worse thing they could do than not keep you informed about the process. With this in mind, be sure to understand the position your clients are in. They’re looking at a loss in dollars if they don’t know where the design is, or have questions that go unanswered. As such, be sure to always arrive with loads of data and mockups, preventing the client from feeling shirked or left out of the loop. This will prevent a lot of headaches further down the road.
  3. Have Some Generosity: If you’re a small graphic design outfit, being generous is one of the best things you could possibly do to earn repeat business. Offer a free service, or suggest that you could do a follow-up for free. Give the client something they weren’t expecting, and do it at no cost. This makes you seem personable, and lets the client know they’re getting a deal out of you.
  4. Be Thankful! Above all, just be sure to let the clients know you appreciate their business! Without them, you couldn’t eat, and if that’s not a reason to be gracious, we don’t know what is.