The Key To Selling High Ticket Graphic Design

Summary

This video aims to help freelance graphic designers understand the difference between selling designs and design services, emphasizing the importance of offering value to clients. It explains why some designers can charge higher fees, suggesting a shift from a transactional to a high-value service mindset. The speaker outlines nine key points for becoming a high-value designer, including mastery of craft, client-focused approach, and continuous improvement, ultimately guiding designers to increase their income by building a brand of value.

Takeaways

• 📈 The video aims to help freelance graphic designers understand the concept of value and how it can increase their earnings.
• 🤔 It poses the question of whether designers are selling 'designs' or 'design services', emphasizing the importance of understanding the difference.
• 💰 The script suggests that offering more value is key to charging higher prices for design work.
• 🔨 Mastery of one's craft is a fundamental requirement for becoming a high-value designer.
• 🔍 High-value designers focus on client needs and offer a 'white glove' customer experience, going beyond just delivering a design.
• 📝 Asking the right questions before starting a project is essential for high-value designers to understand client needs and offer tailored solutions.
• 🚫 Being honest about limitations and setting correct expectations is crucial for building trust with clients.
• 🕊️ Under-promising and over-delivering can help designers stand out and offer more value to their clients.
• 🔄 Continuous improvement and having a learner's mindset are important for designers to stay relevant and improve their skills.
• 🛍️ Offering related high-value add-on services can increase the overall value provided to clients and boost earnings.
• 🌟 Building a brand of value around oneself and one's business is the ultimate goal for designers looking to charge premium prices for their work.

Q & A

What is the main goal of the video?

The main goal of the video is to explain the concept of value and how it can help freelance graphic designers make more money by selling higher ticket projects.

What is the difference between selling designs and selling design services according to the video?

Selling designs is often transactional and commoditized, where the designer simply delivers a specific design as requested by the client. Selling design services, on the other hand, involves providing a high-value service that includes additional related services and a more personalized customer experience.

Why is it important for a designer to understand the difference between selling designs and design services?

Understanding the difference is crucial for a freelancer to be able to sell higher value projects and distinguish themselves from competitors offering commoditized services.

What are some examples of transactional design services mentioned in the video?

Examples include minimalist logo design, T-shirt design, and business card design, which are often general services that can sometimes be generated using AI or design tools.

What is the alternative to selling transactional design services?

The alternative is to become a high-value designer who provides more than just the design, such as brand guidance, consulting, website design, and other related services that add value to the client.

What are some key points to becoming a high-value designer?

Key points include attaining mastery of the craft, focusing on client needs, asking questions, under-promising and over-delivering, suggesting related high-value services, being honest about limitations, delivering on time, following up after the project, and continuously improving skills and business acumen.

Why is it essential for a designer to master their craft before attempting to sell high-value services?

Mastering the craft is essential to build trust with clients and prove that the designer is capable of providing high-quality services that justify the higher price point.

How can a designer offer more value to their clients?

A designer can offer more value by providing a white-glove customer experience, understanding the client's needs, offering related services that complement the initial project, and going above and beyond to meet and exceed client expectations.

What is the significance of having a client-first mindset for a designer?

A client-first mindset helps a designer to focus on the client's needs and build trust, which can lead to higher-value projects and a more successful business.

What is the potential outcome for a designer who successfully transitions from selling designs to selling high-value design services?

The potential outcome includes the ability to charge higher prices, increased business growth, and becoming an invaluable extension of the client's team.

How does the video suggest a designer can start making the transition to selling high-value services?

The video suggests starting by adopting a client-first mindset, focusing on offering value, and continuously improving skills and services to differentiate from commoditized offerings.

Outlines

00:00

💰 Understanding the Value of Design Services

This paragraph introduces the concept of value in the context of graphic design services. It challenges designers to consider whether they are selling designs or design services, emphasizing the difference between a commoditized service and a high-value service. The speaker aims to explain why some designers can charge significantly more than others by focusing on the value they provide to clients. The key message is that understanding and offering value is crucial for freelance graphic designers to increase their earnings and move away from low-cost, transactional design work.

05:01

🚀 Becoming a High-Value Graphic Designer

The second paragraph outlines nine key points for graphic designers to become high-value service providers rather than just selling transactional design services. Mastery of one's craft, client-focused approach, thorough questioning before starting a project, under-promising and over-delivering, suggesting high-value add-on services, being upfront about limitations, timely delivery, post-project follow-up, and continuous learning are highlighted as essential steps. The speaker encourages designers to adopt a client-first mindset, build trust, provide advice and guidance, and become an invaluable part of the client's team. The goal is to move away from being a commoditized freelancer and to offer services that are compelling and of higher value, which can lead to increased business and higher earnings.

Keywords

💡Graphic Designer

A graphic designer is a professional who specializes in visual communication and problem-solving using typography, photography, and illustration. In the video, the term is used to refer to individuals who create designs for clients, and the focus is on how these designers can increase their income by understanding the value they provide beyond just the design itself.

💡Online Services

Online services in this context refer to the digital offerings that a graphic designer can provide to clients over the internet. The video discusses the importance of selling these services effectively to maximize income, emphasizing that the value of the service is a key factor in determining the price clients are willing to pay.

💡Value

Value, in the context of this video, is the worth or usefulness that a client perceives in the services provided by a graphic designer. The script explains that understanding and enhancing the value of one's services is crucial for a designer to charge higher prices and attract more lucrative projects.

💡Freelance Graphic Designers

Freelance graphic designers are self-employed professionals who offer their design services on a project-by-project basis. The video aims to help these individuals understand how to increase their earnings by providing high-value services rather than just selling designs.

💡Commoditized Service

A commoditized service is one that has become a standard product with little to no differentiation from competitors. In the script, the speaker contrasts selling commoditized designs with selling high-value design services, highlighting the importance of offering unique and personalized services to stand out in the market.

💡Design Services

Design services encompass the range of activities a designer performs for clients, including creating designs, offering consultation, and providing additional related services. The video emphasizes that selling design services, rather than just designs, is key to increasing a designer's income.

💡Mastery of Craft

Mastery of craft refers to the high level of skill and expertise a designer has in their field. The script suggests that attaining mastery is essential for becoming a high-value designer who can command higher fees for their services.

💡Client-Focused

Being client-focused means prioritizing the needs and desires of the client in the service delivery process. The video script highlights the importance of this approach for freelance graphic designers who aim to offer high-value services and build long-term relationships with clients.

💡Transactional

Transactional describes a type of service where the interaction is limited to the completion of a specific task without additional engagement or relationship building. The script contrasts transactional design services with those that offer a more comprehensive and valuable experience to the client.

💡White Glove Customer Experience

A white glove customer experience is a term used to describe a high level of personalized and attentive service. In the context of the video, it refers to the type of service a high-value designer provides, which goes beyond just delivering a design and includes additional support and consultation.

💡High-Value Add-On Services

High-value add-on services are additional offerings that complement the primary service and provide extra value to the client. The script uses this term to illustrate how designers can increase their income by identifying and offering these related services to their clients.

💡Learner's Mindset

A learner's mindset is an attitude of being open to learning and improving one's skills continuously. The video emphasizes the importance of maintaining this mindset for designers who want to stay competitive and offer high-value services.

Highlights

The video aims to explain the concept of value in the context of freelance graphic design.

Designers should consider whether they sell designs or design services, as this impacts their ability to charge higher prices.

The difference between selling designs and selling design services is crucial for understanding value exchange.

Selling designs is often transactional and commoditized, whereas selling services is high value.

Low-cost transactional designs are often generic and may not require much creative input from the designer.

High-value designers focus on providing a white-glove customer experience and related services beyond just the design.

To become a high-value designer, one must attain mastery of their craft.

A high-value designer should be client-focused, understanding their needs and offering tailored solutions.

Asking the right questions before taking on a project is essential for high-value designers.

Under promising and over delivering is a key strategy for high-value service providers.

Suggesting related high-value add-on services can enhance the client's experience and perception of value.

Honesty about limitations and the ability to deliver on time are important for building trust with clients.

Following up after a project to ensure client satisfaction is a mark of a high-value designer.

Continuous improvement and having a learner's mindset are vital for a designer's growth.

The video provides a framework for designers to transition from selling commoditized services to high-value ones.

Building a brand of value around oneself and one's business is key to charging higher prices for design projects.

The video encourages designers to start adopting a client-first mindset and package their services to offer unique value.

Transcripts

okay if you're a graphic designer trying

to make money online put your hand up

okay next question if you're a graphic

designer trying to make a lot of money

selling your services online put your

hand up duh last question why do you

think this design might have cost a

hundred dollars to make and this very

similar design might have cost a

thousand dollars to make that question

why some designers are able to charge

more than others is what i'm going to

attempt to explain to you in this video

the ultimate goal of this video is to

explain a very simple concept of value

that i think will help a lot of

freelance graphic designers make a lot

more money in their freelancing

activities across the board so stick

with me throughout this video i'm going

to do my best to try to make this

concept as easy to understand as

possible because based on what i've

heard through conversations with

hundreds of graphic designers over the

years this might seem like an abstract

topic at first hopefully i'm going to be

able to rewire things for you and make

it a whole lot easier to understand so

the first thing i want to plant in your

head is this when you think of yourself

as a designer and you think of your

design business would you say that you

sell designs or you sell design services

and if you're looking at this and you're

thinking to yourself what's the

difference i don't see any difference i

sell both there's a big difference and

being able to understand that difference

is one of the first steps you need to

take as a freelancer to go down that

path of being able to sell much higher

ticket projects when we think of the

reasons why people pay money for things

it always falls back on some exchange of

value buyer pays some money and receives

something of value in return for that

money so when it comes to doing or

selling anything if you're trying to

figure out how to make more money you

should usually start that thought

process around things you can do to

offer more value in exchange for that

more money you want to make so to

illustrate this we'll use the example of

selling designs versus selling design

services they may seem similar but one

of the two is a very commoditized

service and the other is a very high

value service and if you're watching

this and don't know which one is which

that's a good thing it means that

watching this video is probably going to

be helpful for you

[Applause]

we'll start with selling designs because

i guess that about 99 of the designers

that i interact with through this

youtube channel and my discord server

fall into this category these are people

that offer a freelance service that is

ultra transactional

client wants a design done

client explains the design that they

want designer designs it

interaction over think of things like

logo design minimalist logo design

t-shirt design business card design

these are some of the high level

categories of design that i find most of

this type of transactional freelancer

falls into and they're the types of

services that a lot of these type of

transactional sellers often offer

selling very

general services very generic and in

some cases the designs aren't even

designed by the designer in these

categories a lot of people will use like

a generator or ai to design these

low-cost transactional designs you know

who you are this is what i consider

low value design you're pretty much just

selling the delivery of that specific

design after the client tells you

exactly what they want there's really no

thinking outside of the box here for the

designer you get an order you get a

description of what they want you

deliver it end of interaction

most new designers first starting out as

freelancers start in this category

low-cost transactional commoditized

design and if you do too

don't worry that's why we're here let's

keep going so what's the alternative

well

that's where being a designer focused on

selling design and design services comes

in this type of high value designer

would be focused on more than just

pumping out a quick logo design as

quickly as possible for their clients

this is the designer who provides a

white glove customer experience this is

the type of designer that along with

providing a design they might provide

related services that the client needing

the design is likely to also need things

like brand guidance consulting

advice website design

you know marketing material design or

add-on services that are likely related

to the initial project that the buyer

had reached out to them to place this

designer actively tries to not be

transactional this designer digs their

heels in tries to understand their

clients and tries to find opportunities

where they can help out with more stuff

for those clients so how do you become

this type of a designer well here's a

list of nine key points that i think at

the bare minimum are essential to go

down this path of becoming a high value

designer and not just someone who sells

transactional design services first

thing you need to do and this is an

absolute must is you need to attain

mastery of your craft you need to be the

best of the best or at the very least

really good at whatever it is you're

trying to sell you might need to pivot

your focus away from being you know

delivery focused you know get this done

as quickly as possible to being client

focused what do they want what's

important to them you also need to get

into the habit of asking a lot of

questions before you take on a project

why is the customer hiring you what do

they need what had brought on this

project did they acquire new business

are they expanding

what is bothering them why can't they do

it themselves what are the pains they're

looking to resolve with this design what

are the gains that the business is going

to see from hiring a designer like

yourself doing better discovery and

asking questions before you get an order

is essential to be a high value designer

you also need to look for every

opportunity you can to under promise and

over deliver never set the wrong

expectations you should be looking for

opportunities to suggest other related

high-value add-on services that are

actually going to be helpful to the

client and what they're after you should

also be ready for any situation where

you can't do something to be honest and

upfront about where your limitations are

you gotta make sure to deliver on time

you should follow up after the project

to see how things went and lastly this

really has nothing to do with your

interactions with your client but as a

designer and a business owner you should

always be looking for ways to improve to

up your skills to up your business

acumen you need to have a learner's

mindset now as i mentioned before these

are all just the tip of the iceberg

basically you need to start taking

actions and start adopting a client

first mindset a mindset that helps you

grow past the point of being someone

who's just selling designs really

quickly you want to grow to become

someone who actually builds trust with

your clients someone that's proven that

you clearly mastered your craft

someone who when the situation arises

can provide advice and guidance if they

know something that their clients don't

know someone who goes above and beyond

and ultimately someone who becomes an

invaluable extension of their clients

teams basically you want to become a

person that when someone hires you they

are wowed with the experience and

couldn't imagine doing that if they

didn't hire you in summary if you fall

into this bucket of selling designs and

you want to get to the point of being

able to sell higher ticket more complex

projects more expensive projects you

need to take actions and develop a

mindset to move away from becoming a

commoditized freelancer don't sell

services that are commoditized where

your value is indistinguishable from the

value your competitors are providing you

need to be focused on selling services

that makes it a no-brainer for your

client when they're comparing your

services to the services of the 99

other sellers who are selling pretty

much the exact same thing you need to

focus on ways that you can make your

offering more compelling higher value if

you can do that you will grow your

business as a graphic designer you will

increase the prices you can charge and

ultimately you will make more money is

this easy no it's going to take time

it's going to take attention it's going

to take practice is this video all you

need to worry about to go about doing

that no the intention of this video was

to give you the framework you need to

start putting yourself into to achieve

this level of success can you do it

absolutely start today start having a

client first mindset start thinking

about ways that you can package your

services and offer your services in a

way where it offers value and is not

just the same old same thing that

everyone else is selling this is hard to

do but this is the reason why there are

design firms who can charge fifteen

thousand dollars for a logo and

designers on fiverr who charge five

dollars for a logo you can get to that

point of charging the fifteen twenty

thousand dollars for a project but it

all rests on your ability to build a

brand of value around you and your

business so i really hope this video was

helpful

i know it might be a little hard to

follow for people who've never really

thought about the concept of offering

you know value versus just a

commoditized service but if you have any

questions leave them down below and i'll

do my best to answer them for you

anyways that's it for today thank you so

much for watching make sure to subscribe

and like the video and until next time

cheers