How to explain the value of design
It's wrong to assume clients understand the value design delivers, it's the designer's role to explain the benefits clearly and confidently.
That's where we can help – we've developed tools and tactics to clearly identify the value design delivers.
We're written this shortcourse to give designers the clarity and confidence to explain design value to their clients.
“… this was solid gold. The focus moved away from a simple hourly charge to focusing on how you provide value to clients, how you talk to clients, and why you should educate clients to focus on outcomes and not cost…
…I came away wishing I’d included our entire Account Service Team and other senior managers in on the class. Highly recommend this masterclass to anyone who only charges for their design time and isn’t valuing their expertise enough.”
Matt Bald, Finance Manager Ivy Street.
If clients have every questioned your fee, this course is for you
Explaining design value
The ability to articulate how your design will add value for clients. And how it leads to higher fee-paying work.
There’s three clear steps to doing that:
- document your pillars of excellence. How and where your knowledge and design skill adds value.
- define and identify clients and client sectors to match your pillars.
- analyse how value can be created and captured in pillars.
It’s important to recognise not all clients want or need that relationship with their designer.
This three-session short course will help focus your new business activities to the right client and the right projects for your design agency.
Interested? Use the button to contact Greg to learn more about the course and book a place.
“…a turning point for our business. The immediate impact was clear when, just a day later, I integrated its principles into a project discussion, resulting in a threefold increase in the project budget. Now a fundamental aspect of our strategy, value-based pricing propels business growth and cements client relationships.”
…I highly recommend DBC’s value-based training to anyone looking for bite-sized learning that can be tailored to your own business needs, and can be quickly and easily implemented (in my case, the very next day).”
Sarah Gross, Creative Director, Partner Storyfolk
Not sure how to do industry research? We'll show you how.
Research is a designer’s superpower
Designers are not taught how to research, but it’s a valuable skill for all new business activities. Without research, marketing can be unfocussed and labour-intensive.
Every step of explaining design value uses research:
- analysing what you do differently to your peers – your pillars of expertise
- researching competitors, potential client sectors and industries where your knowledge and skills add value
- identifying the right clients empathetic to design value and how to reach out to them
- defining how value is created by design, and the value captured from design
- developing your design value proposition and how to use it with potential clients.
Does this short course sound right to you? Register here and we’ll be in contact to set up your first session.
Three sessions focussed on your studio and your clients.
It’s unique: Understanding and explaining design value is not easy, it takes practice. That’s why we’ve spread this short course over three face-to-face sessions, so we can work with you to implement the learnings. We can talk about what’s working and what’s not.
It’s practical: You learn at your own pace but you are not alone. We introduce tips, tools and tactics, with explanations of how they’ll work specifically in your business. We give you processes and procedures you can implement immediately. In between sessions we’re there to help if you get stuck.
It’s proven: Our knowledge is based on industry insights honed from a decade of workshops and mentoring Greg and Carol have done with Australian studios. We know the result will be a better performing, more profitable business.
Contact Greg to learn more.
“Yesterday’s session was again very informative, the analytical approach to pricing and other business practices helps evolve a more coherent picture of our holistic operation. I have always found discussions with you and Greg to be grounded in a simple, consistent logic that is easy for SMEs to adopt and adapt.
… Your genuine love for design and the industry as a whole is more than apparent, I look forward to continuing our relationship.”
Adam O’Neill, General Manager.
The real cost is your time investment
We’re confident you’ll recoop our cost
The mentoring component is delivered in three x one hour sessions online or face-to-face. We can meet every fortnight for six weeks or every month, you set the timeline. In between sessions you’ll be implementing the learnings in your estimates and submissions.
How you’ll learn to explain design value to your clients:
- We talk: to make sure this is the right program for your needs.
- Homework: you supply info so we hit the ground running
- Schedule: three x one hour sessions at a time to fit your schedule
- 1st session: it’s about your studio, your pillars of expertise and your target market
- 2nd session: how designers use research to market their agency efficiently and effectively
- 3rd session: we’ll brainstorm and write your design value proposition together, and talk about how to use it.
- Email: you’ve access to us between sessions to check in and keep you on track.
- Action plan: by the end of the program you’ll be able to explain design value to clients.
Core requisites: You must be a design business owner.
Cost: $2,000 plus GST payable fully in advance.
Contact Greg to start the discussion
