…of your sales cycle, that is.

One thing I’ve learned over the years of doing design is the every client has a different sales cycle, and it’s always longer than you wish it was.

Almost all potential clients will respond to a proposal with a thanks, followed by some variation on, “I just need some time to think this over.” (Okay, maybe I just don’t have the sales method down yet, or my proposals are boring, or something, but let’s just pretend I know what I’m talking about here — in my experience, small business owners don’t decide on the spot to spend hundreds of dollars very often.)

What’s interesting to me is that you never really know how much time “some time” will be. I’ve had clients come back after only a few days and accept — or, sometimes, decline — a proposal. I’ve also had people that “thought” for a few weeks, asking for more info and gathering the materials that they need to make an informed decision (and get the project started) before accepting. I’ve even had people who took months to come to a decision, and I have one potential client who’s been considering his website options for over a year now.

The only true rule of thumb I’ve found is that however long you hope a client will take to decide, based on their stated schedule and urgency and what you know of their personality, it’ll always be at least twice that long, and often much longer.

Buying design is more akin to getting a new car than buying a new TV. Despite being priced more in the latter range, it’s non-returnable, and the client is going to have to live with the results. On top of that, it’s got to function for a client who doesn’t always see how good design gives them a return on their investment, and it’s not always easy for the designer to overcome those mental objections. A new car has to get you from point A to point B, but it also has a whole lot of other expectations — both functional and emotional — that it’s expected to fulfill. A client worries that they’re going to spend $500 — or $5000 — on a design only to end up with a lemon, and there’s both emotional and monetary investment there.

After all, a good design (especially if you’re doing brand identity along with it) is supposed to represent them as a business, the same way a lot of people feel like their cars represent them. If they’re expecting a Mini and get a Yugo, they’re going to be disappointed, and the fear of that disparity is going to be one of the unspoken objections that slows down the sales cycle.

So, what’s the solution?

Well, first off a designer needs to put out enough proposals that some people’s sales cycles will complete while the rest are still working their way through. It’s a lot of work, but having a good marketing system in place is essential for every business, of any kind.

Secondly, a designer can figure out these secret objections and counter them, either in their sales copy, or their subsequent conversations with the client. Figure out what the benefits really are, not just the features, and highlight them. Assure the client that you’ll make sure their Mini has racing stripes and isn’t just a glorified go-kart. Don’t give away the farm for free, but front-load your presentation with enough specifics that the client really feels like you get them.

Of course, to do that, you have to have enough conversations with the client that you really do get them, but that’s a subject for a different post.