Creativity is best left to the experts?
Posted on 27. Jul, 2007 by Ken Davidson in Comment
According to an entry in today’s FreelanceUK, “…creativity is best left to the experts – namely self-employed designers”. Which is nice. Certainly made me feel warm.
However, the thrust of the piece is to explain how creative businesses could do better by being shrewder in business. It’s no surprise to see that what may be called ‘normal’ business practices, like accurate timely quoting and efficient workflows, are viewed as secondary (or worse) activities by these creative businesses. Well, these things don’t particularly go with the creative mindset do they?
Maybe not, but common sense should be a required trait for anyone leading a small business. I can’t fathom why basic businesses processes should be skimmed over, just because the operator is a ‘creative’. Shoddy business methods are obviously rife in all sectors, but why is that creatives should be excused doing better, complete with a pat on the head and knowing sigh?
On another tack, in referencing a DBA report, FreelanceUK cite free-pitching as an area for concern. Nothing new there, but for those of you who are largely ignorant of this practice, free-pitching is where a morally-negligent client asks for free conceptual work upfront, often asking several competing agencies to do this at the same time. If the client sees something they like, they opt for that company alone and pay nothing for the work. This is more often seen as acceptable by larger clients who can use the promise (threat?) of large ongoing projects as the Big Carrot.
We’ve all done it: rolled over and been drilled for the promise of work that never materialises. I have direct experience of a company who not only ask for free work from several competing agencies, but also do this on a project-by-project basis! And worse, they regularly feed free designs back to their favourite designer so they keep getting the work and fresh ideas! Sour grapes certainly, but no less indicative of this widespread malady.
The fact is that creative businesses keep letting this happen. It’s a burden that’s harder for one-person businesses to accommodate, clearly. Bigger teams can be lulled into thinking they can cope with the odd free-pitch, when in fact top-level people need to do free-pitches diverting them from the real work. Why free-pitch anything but your best?
I’ve always been an advocate of proposing compromise with the client who asks for free work…
- Explain to them tactfully that free-pitching is naughty naughty.
- Propose that trial work be charged for, but at a lower hourly rate.
- If the contract is won for more work, charge the outstanding rate balance at the end of the project. This promotes commitment from both parties, and encourages loyalty.
- If the contract isn’t won, the client still has a raft of ideas for a lower outlay.
Creativity is best left to the experts? But being an expert creative doesn’t mean you have to be inept at everything else!
Related posts:
