Design, Clients and Garage Sales.

As we started the New Year, my husband and I found the need to de-clutter. We tend to do this after the holidays. When boxes are being repacked with decorations and the attic is clear, it's usually a good time to poke around and see whats been hiding up there all year.

This year, we found we had way too much to simply just put back for later. And most of it was still in really good condition. So it was decided; for a week we sifted through boxes in the attic and garage. It's amazing the things we found. It ranged from nostalgia to "I didn't know we still had this?". We created our pile, sorted and priced our stash. The day was set and we were ready.

Now, you should probably know, my mom is something of a garage sale expert. She's had one (or more) every year since I was a child. And as a kid, I remember Saturday mornings, driving around neighborhoods looking for every garage sale in town. So naturally I picked up a few things from her along the way. Important things like price higher than what you are willing to let an item go for. This was very important, because nobody, and I mean nobody, wants to pay asking price. Garage sales are all about negotiating. Finding the deal.

Don't worry, I'm getting to the design and client connection. Just bare with me... This was our first garage sale, ever. So I wasn't quit sure what to expect. By the second day I was pretty comfortable with the wheeling and dealing of it all. You know; "Will you take $3 for this toaster?" "I'll take $6, it's brand new, still in the box." (It was marked at $10) "how about $5?" "Sure, I'll take $5 for it". and so on and so on for the day.

Everything was going pretty smooth until this man strolled up. Very confident, walking around like he owned the place. Browsing. Picking things up and putting them back, knocking on a few pieces of wood furniture we had out, turning things over to inspect every square inch. Now, he wasn't the first to do this, he was just the first to do this with every single thing we had out. Finally, after several minutes of perusing, he picked up a watch. A perfectly good watch that just needed a battery, no scratches or scuffs. Nothing fancy, nothing expensive, just a decent everyday watch that wasn't doing more than collecting dust. He held it up and asked; "How much for this?" I replied "$4". "Four dollars?" he said. He looked at it again and said "will you take .50¢?" I actually laughed out loud and replied with just a simple; No.

He put it down, walked around a bit longer and landed on a 6'x10' area rug; we brought it over from our last home and didn't have a place for it here. It was a good size rug and still in great shape. "How much for this?" he asked again "The rug is $25." I said. He asked "$25?" with astonishment, "how much is a new one at the store, twenty-dollars!?" Again, I laughed out loud and just shook my head. I walked over to him this time and asked. "Have you ever bought a rug this size in a store?" He didn't say anything. I continued on with the price we actually paid for the rug, which was in the three figures! He still didn't say anything. He walked to the next few items and asked if I would take .50¢ for each of them. My response was the same. A simple No. He walked away and didn't buy anything. He was looking for a steal, not a bargain.

And here it is… When it comes to design, clients aren't that different! Let me rephrase that, "most" clients aren't that different. They want a deal, even a steal if they can get it. Most clients don't know anything about design. Nor do they care. They don't understand the process; the time it takes to create not only a good design, but a functional design as well. Be it print or web. I can't tell you how many clients I've dealt with that have the same mentality as that man at the garage sale. Asking me if I'll take "fifty cents" for a logo design instead of my asking price. You may have noticed I never tried negotiating with him. I simple said No. I knew he wasn't there looking for a bargain, he just simple wanted something for nothing.

We all want a bargain right. A good deal on the latest and greatest gadgets, accessories, apps or clothing. Of course we do; that's why we shop on eBay, Amazon, Zappos and the like; looking for a good deal on the items we want at the time. We even shop around for plumbers, contractors and mechanics.

But there is a difference when paying a lesser price for a used tangible item like a DVD, a book or a pair of boots. It has been previously used/owned and we are ok with that. It is not something that was created just for you. When paying for a service (or anything really) You get what you pay for. You pay half price for a book whose pages may be tattered and torn, but you can still read the book; enjoy it and learn something from it. The same cannot be said if you choose to hire the cheapest contractor you can find. You can bet that a few years down the road you'll be hiring another contractor to come in and fix the mess. You may even find that it will cost you more than you originally paid and caused more damage than it fixed.

Design is no different. Design is a service; and you, as a designer, provide that service. Don't let yourself be bullied by a client "shopping" around for a steal. Don't let them tell you what your service is worth.

Be firm on your price. Your worth is your worth and nobody knows what that is better than you. A potential client looking for a steal will have little or no respect for your time or your effort. They will not appreciate your hard work or your skill. And they care nothing about your worth, they are only looking for the cheapest solution to their needs. End of story. These clients are often much more trouble than they're worth and you will be left with regret that you took the job.

Know your worth, set your price and stick to it.