One of the reasons small business owners have so much hesitation with paying for branding and business development services, is they don’t know that the cost for these services should be part of their budget and other business expenses. They look at marketing as separate and not a priority to keeping customers, not just coming back, but coming to you first.

I learned that in order to make that sale and get them to add you to their budgets, they first have to feel as though they know you. And the way you handle that relationship from the start is very important. Are you addressing their needs or are you just selling them on ideas they don’t want or need right now? It’s taken me some time to understand the difference between the two.

I believed that I was not doing my job or adding value if I was not literally sitting behind my computer physically producing work. I did not understand how talking to clients about budgets and planning for their business was still work. And how jumping into business before you understand what your business will bring to the world, and how you will tell people the ways it will affect their lives, is more important than a dope logo. 

Shit, I think it’s more important than your logo. Knowing who you are and what your business is will be the lifeline of how you do biz. But like I said, I did not address these issues with my clients upfront. So I never thought to get paid for that part of my process. Always giving that part away, leading them to believe that I’m just the worker bee and did not need to be budgeted for because workers are a dime a dozen, and they will set money aside for the guy who they think is using his brain. Even though I was playing both roles and giving them my thoughts while doing the work. They only saw me as the guy they will pay something to get the work done. I’m more than that and that’s why they are going to pay for it.