Ever wondered how long it takes to land high-paying clients? You’ll be surprised, I promise. Welcome! In this episode, I walk you through every single step I had to take to land my $29,000 branding and web design clients. While this is just one example, the majority of my clients are in the five-figure range, and the steps I take remain consistent with each potential client. I also share where our clients typically find us, how they communicate with us, what we offer, what’s included, and all the important details.

 

Listen to the episode here:

Spotify  –  Apple Podcasts  –  Amazon Music

 

You will learn:

• How we acquire high-paying design clients
• The timeframe for landing a five-figure client
• The steps needed to secure a $29k client

 

Aventive Academy’s Resources:

Free Client Portal for Designers: https://aventiveacademy.com/client-portal/

$12k Client Attraction Masterclass: https://aventiveacademy.com/attract-clients-workshop/

The Wealthy Client Blueprint: ⁠https://aventiveacademy.com/wealthy-client/

12-Week Business Program for Designers: https://aventiveacademy.com/profit

The Creative CEO Accelerator: https://aventiveacademy.com/accelerator

 

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TRANSCRIPT:

0:00
I’m just wondering like how long it takes you or, you know, others like to land great design clients. I have no idea if it takes you, for example, 30 minutes or 4 hours. Maybe you have never even measured that.

0:16
And it’s so important because if you can figure out how to do it faster, you’ll get way more clients and you will have way more time to work on something else. I definitely had projects that took me days to sign, and I also had projects that it took me, I don’t know, like 15-20 minutes.

0:35
It depends where the client was coming from, if it’s a referral or a random cold lead that they found me on Google. But it also depends on how much money they have, what kind of client they are, and other things.

1:07
Welcome to the Profitable Graphic Designer podcast, brought to you by Aventive Academy. I’m your host, Kady Sandel. I’m a brand strategist, designer, creative director, and the CEO of a successful six-figure design agency based in Austin, TX serving clients worldwide.

1:25
After mastering the art of building a profitable and sustainable design business, I decided to help you achieve the same success. I teach brand, graphic, and web design business owners how to attract more clients, increase their pricing, and develop design businesses that provide the financial freedom and time flexibility you’ve always dreamt of.

1:45
We offer online programs, courses, and templates that you can use along with our Coaching Accelerator and Mastermind high touch experiences for creatives. You can learn more about starting and growing your design business at aventiveacademy.com, but for now, grab a cup of coffee and join me in today’s podcast episode.

2:08
How long does it take to land a $29,000 branding project? This is a topic that I already talked about on my Instagram @aventiveacademy. But here I want to give you all the details about this project, how exactly my clients found me, what we delivered, how the process went, scope of work, timeline, like absolutely everything and even more, which is how I even got to this point of booking these five-figure clients.

2:43
We are in the past. I used to charge $65 for a logo design. This episode is one of the few episodes that are not scripted like at all. I don’t have any notes in front of me. I will just go with the flow how people would say and I will give you everything I can when it comes to landing five-figure clients.

3:07
And I really want to help you get there as the brand, graphic, or web design business owner as well. So how long does it take to land a $29,000 branding project? It doesn’t take as long as you may think. A short answer is it takes the same amount of time as it would take you to land a logo design for, let’s say, $200 or $500 or $5000.

3:33
It really depends. It depends on the client. It depends on the way you communicate what you’re going to deliver. And I’m not talking here about like logo design, how many revisions, colors, fonts, things like that. But no, like, how are you really going to help that client with their end goal.

3:52
And their end goal is not your visual identity. It’s not website design. It’s not, you know, a flyer, a poster, packaging design. No, their end goal, and I always talk about this and I feel like you’re going to get tired of me saying this, but their end goal is to grow their business, to make more money, to sell more products, to get more people to the door, to, you know, have more clients, customers, things like that.

4:21
That is their end goal. And you as a designer will help them get there because you’re that piece of a puzzle that they’re missing. Of course, if you just provide a logo design, they will not all of a sudden be able to make more product sales or get more customers or get more clients.

4:41
But you are one piece they’re missing. You’re so needed and you have to value your services and that is why I charge so much compared to how much I used to charge. So let’s go back to how long it takes to land a big client to land these clients that I just got on Monday.

5:00
And I will not talk about what this client exactly is. I will just tell you that it is a service-based business with a potential to add products to their offerings. But this client found me through Google. I don’t know exactly what they put, but it’s something related to brand strategy because it seems they really were focused on that.

5:25
They already were, you know, kind of like trying to do it by themselves. They already were working on Mission Vision core values, working even on brand attributes. And I’m like why are you doing that? You know, they don’t know. So they probably, I’m assuming that they asked ChatGPT, what is that or one of the AI platforms like what is that that we need?

5:49
And then that’s the answer that I got, which is amazing. AI is helping us. And this is not just, you know, I’m assuming this is what happened, the way this client communicates with me, which sounds a little bit robotic, sounds a little bit ChatGPT ish.

6:06
I would assume that that’s what he did. So this is how AI helped me at least. So you know, they found me through Google. Again, I don’t know exactly what they typed in, but I really think it’s something brand strategy related. As they reached out asking for brand strategy and the visuals, usually we get inquiries.

6:28
Hey, I’m looking for packaging design, I’m looking for a website design. I’m looking for brand identity or things like that. Like not many people would reach out to us asking for brand strategy first, or at least they wouldn’t know exactly what to expect.

6:47
So my branding agency worked on their brand strategy, visual identity, logo, fonts, colors, up to 15 social media templates like posts and a website. Since I have a team, it’s not like I had to do every single thing and I get to choose in my agency what is that I want to work on. For this particular client, this $29,000 client, I felt I would be the best from, you know, my whole team for the brand strategy part.

7:14
So I did that and then our brand designer was working on the visual identity, so like logo, icon, colors, fonts, things like that. And then I have a web designer for website design and a web developer for the development part of the website we are using.

Like I’m so confused if I should talk about this client in the past, future, or present because we’re still kind of working with them, we’re still in the process.

7:52
So whatever I say just now it’s the same client. But I wanted to say we are using WordPress as a chosen platform for this project. Sometimes we use Shopify, sometimes Showit, and most of the time we use WordPress.

8:10
Now the timeline for this project is 12 to 14 weeks. I believe that we can deliver this even quicker, but my team was simply busy and I am not into growing my design agency beyond six or maximum eight of us.

8:29
I don’t want to have a large design agency. I love having a small design agency, floating agency meaning that I can hire and outsource based on the needs. So like if I’m to get one more client, let’s say this week, I would not be able to give it to my team.

8:46
So either the client will have to wait for a couple of weeks, sometimes even months on us, or I would hire a white label designer. So that is someone like a freelancer who would come on like my extended team and work on the project with us.

9:04
Now when I say that the project or the timeline is 12 to 14 weeks, my team is not working on it full time. We have a few different projects going on at the same time. We could technically provide all this in like 2 weeks, but we have other clients and projects going on and we also like to work on something for a couple of days and then let it be, like leave it to the side and then come back to it with fresh ideas and fresh minds.

9:34
And, you know, just seeing it once again, like from the beginning so that we can spot any mistakes or incorporate new ideas and things like that. Like, you know, when you’re working on a logo design for hours and hours and hours and you’re just not getting there.

9:50
And then you step back for a day or two and come back and you just finish it. And that’s that’s what we like to do. So now that you know a little bit more about this project, let’s go back to how long it really took to land this client. As mentioned, they found us through Google.

10:08
So they first sent an e-mail and I responded with an e-mail template that we already have. So that’s 2 minutes. But let’s say that’s 5 minutes. After that, we scheduled a call. I love scheduling calls. I would never just provide all the information via e-mail.

10:26
I like to ask questions. I need to know more about the client in order to see if they’re the right fit for us. If not just if they’re the right fit for us, but if we’re the right fit for them as well. And to see who they are, the way they communicate, if we really want to work with them and if we can even, you know, really help them.

10:44
And so we scheduled that call and that call lasted up to 30 minutes. I learned or I figured out that they would be the right fit. In fact, they would be like perfect, perfect for my branding agency. And I am actually perfect for them because I know a lot about their industry and I know exactly what they need, not just from a branding perspective, but also from some other things like I knew who I need to connect them with in order to help them find, you know, a realtor or to do marketing and things like that.

11:17
So they it just felt like this is the perfect match. But so after I, you know, figured out, OK, yes, this is a project I and my team would like to work on. Then I worked on the proposal. It took me about 15 minutes as we have a proposal template that we use all the time. If you’re curious about that template, I’m going to put it in the show notes, but it’s on aventiveacademy.com/client-proposal.

12:05
Before we continue with this podcast episode, I just want to quickly remind you that if you’re a design business owner whose dream is to have a successful and profitable career so you can enjoy the freedom and flexibility that comes with it, then I have something for you.

The Profitable Designer Program is my signature 12-week system that will help you improve your business, sign amazing high-paying clients, and truly achieve your financial and lifestyle goals. Visit aventiveacademy.com/profit to check if you can join us now or if we are currently not accepting more designers into the program.

12:28
In that case, you will be able to join the wait list and be the first to know when we open the doors again. Now we’ll go back to the episode in a second, but I just want to add that designers who completed the program were able to sign five-figure design clients, 10x their pricing, reach six figures and beyond, make $20,000 per month while working only a few hours a week and more. Here is what Julia said. It really has everything you could ever ask for to build a six-figure business that will allow you to have financial freedom. And that’s why I personally did it like I wanted that flexibility. So if you want to be my next success story and achieve results like these, visit aventiveacademy.com/profit.

13:15
Now let’s go back to the episode. Now this is an interesting part. Usually when I provide the proposal, clients would have zero to maximum, like one to two questions.

13:32
This client had a lot more questions, but let me just tell you that honestly, it wasn’t my fault. It was not my fault. I don’t know why I said that, but it was not my fault. They had additional questions via e-mail and this, you know, going back and forth via e-mail actually took some time, let’s say 2 hours. I actually did track that. So it was around 2 hours and honestly they asked me the same questions we already covered via our Zoom meeting and things they had in the proposal. So, you know, but however, maybe they just wanted to make sure they understand it well.

14:12
And to be honest, like to half of their questions, I literally responded like here’s my response. But you can see it in, you know, in the proposal, page number six or page number 19 or whatever it is. Like here is the response that you already have or I would say like as discussed via, you know, during the Zoom call.

14:34
So you know it, it was kind of confusing like why did they ask me these questions? But again, like maybe they just wanted to make sure I’m saying the same thing. And then we had another Zoom meeting that they asked for. Actually, they first asked me to meet them in person.

14:53
And I was like, Oh my God, like I never meet my clients in person. But like, OK, fine, like, I can do that. So we set up a meeting in person and an hour prior to our meeting they sent me an e-mail like, hey, we’re not actually available. Can we actually do Zoom instead of, like, meeting in person? And I’m like, yeah, that’s, you know, I mean, that’s what I always suggested, but whatever. And I understand why people want to meet me in person, especially someone who’s going to pay me like that much money, and they don’t know me. It’s not like they’re coming through a referral. They just found, you know, a random designer’s website on Google.

15:27
Are they going to immediately trust me? Yes. They see my portfolio, they see my previous work. They talk to me and my team and all of that. But I think that they just wanted this like one more thing so that they they know I exist, right? However, they changed that. They canceled the in-person meeting. They asked for a Zoom call. I sent them a Zoom link and that Zoom lasted 9 minutes, literally 9 minutes. They basically approved the project and I just said that my assistant will send all the contracts and invoice like that was it.

16:02
So to land a $29,000 project, it took me 2 hours and 59 minutes because that Zoom was 9 minutes, so let’s say 3 hours. Now I want you to ask yourself how long it takes you to land a client. It doesn’t matter how much money they’re going to pay you. Maybe you’re getting projects for $2000 or $5000, $10,000, $12,000, $15,000, whatever.

16:41
Does it take you around 3 hours? Is it the same? Is it less? Is it more? Think about that. The other thing I want to talk about in today’s podcast episode is that even though it took me 3 hours or 2 hours and 59 minutes to land this client, it actually took me years, years to get to this point.

17:03
For about a year and a half I was on Craigslist. It’s crazy to me to even think about that. I was on Craigslist constantly posting, but to be honest, like at that time, Instagram wasn’t really a thing.

17:21
It just kind of started and it was a photo sharing app between, you know, family and friends, and it wasn’t really for business and I didn’t know how to get clients. I had a shitty website, like a really bad website with a cat on it because I like cats even though my clients don’t care about cats.

17:39
It was almost like I built a website for me and not for my clients and my business. I didn’t know how much to charge. I didn’t know what to say. I didn’t know how to meet people. I didn’t know how to get clients. Like absolutely nothing. You know, I was just starting my business.

17:55
I was just starting, you know, to be a freelancer. And it took me too long to get off the Craigslist thing. But that’s because we didn’t have social media and now we have social media. I mean, LinkedIn was there, but again, not as popular as it is now.

18:13
So it was all in-person networking events and then Craigslist. Now, why I’m saying this, I’m saying all of this to tell you that now you have social media, you have your website, you have SEO, you have networking events.

18:30
And when I say social media, you have Instagram, you have threads, you have TikTok, you have Pinterest, you have YouTube. I know YouTube is not social media exactly, but you know what I mean? So you have a lot of options, a lot of ways to attract high paying clients and every single marketing strategy works.

18:53
You just have to figure out what’s going to work for you. And I know it’s easier said than done, but there are ways to figure that out and it all starts from you and you knowing who you want to work with. Is that someone who’s opening a yoga studio?

19:08
Is that someone who’s starting a supplement company? Is that someone who has a construction company? Is that someone who is a realtor? Like you have to figure out who you want to work with? Build a whole business around that, build a whole portfolio and all your social media around that.

19:29
Or focus on a style if you want to be, you know, I’ve seen many designers which I personally don’t like. Maybe I shouldn’t say this, but when you go to someone’s Instagram profile and it’s all like pink, pink, pink, well, they’re going to attract people who want to have their brand pink, right?

19:50
And if that’s what you want to do, go for it. It’s going to work. It works for them. It’s going to work for you too. So it’s kind of specializing and just knowing your target audience. But yeah, you know, on the surface level, it seems like.

20:05
Yes, it took me 2 hours and 59 minutes to land a high paying client, but it took me years to build a website that is going to attract this kind of client. This isn’t like an overnight success. I started my business in 2015 and prior to that I was kind of freelancing kind of not.

20:27
But I can say that for the past at least five years now, I am getting a consistent stream of high paying clients. I am all into high paying clients. And the reason for that is, well, first of all we provide high quality service.

20:44
My team is amazing. We really provide something good and something that’s going to work for my clients and that’s why we have this many clients and that’s why people are coming back to us and all of that. But also, I’ve built this business to have the freedom and flexibility that I have right now.

21:02
So at the moment, I’m working about 15 hours a week. I have a baby and I prefer to spend time with her. And I also have a toddler. So I prefer to have a lot of family time and a lot of me time versus working nonstop, even though I love to work.

21:20
Like, don’t get me wrong, I love to work. I sometimes get up just thinking like, Oh my God, I can’t wait to work. Like, I love to work, but my version or my definition of work-life balance is when I can be two hours with a baby, work two hours, spend time by myself, go to the pool, see friends, and then maybe work for another 15 minutes and so on.

21:45
So it’s not like work 15 hours, work three days a week and then the rest do nothing. No, I like that mix. So I like to work a little bit, play a little bit. And when I say play, I don’t mean like going out to things like that, to like work, play, right.

22:01
But I’m talking about like playing with kids. I just love that flexibility and freedom that my business brings in. And that’s because I was so consistent in my marketing, so consistent in getting clients, attracting clients, constantly improving my portfolio, my website, my marketing strategies, my sales process, Oh my God, sales process, the way I sell something, the way I talk about my services and so on.

22:29
So again, even though it took 2 hours and 59 minutes, it really took years to get to this point. And one more tip before I end this recording, I want to say call and this recording is that when you don’t need clients, you will get the most clients.

22:51
What I mean by that is when I talk to these clients, we were always so busy, not like busy in a like unhealthy way. We were busy to feel comfortable. We were good. We were not looking for new clients. And then this client came in and when I have a call with them, I sounded so relaxed.

23:12
I didn’t push on anything. I just asked the right questions. I just asked a bunch of questions and my sales question like script is included in the Profitable Designer program and that is my signature 12-week online program. If you want to check it out, it’s on aventiveacademy.com/profit and it’s also in the show notes.

23:33
But basically I use this script for every single call and it works perfectly. So you know I just asked them the right questions. I didn’t care if they’re going to be my client or not. And they feel that. They feel that I don’t need them.

23:48
They feel the confidence, they feel that I can help them. But I’m not desperate for their business. I’m not desperate to provide this service to get their money or anything like that. I was just asking them questions like, hey, when is, you know, like what?

24:06
What’s your plan? When are you planning on launching this business? How many people do you have on your team? How often would you be able to communicate with me and other questions that asked? So yeah, I hope that this podcast episode was helpful. And if you have any questions, feel free to reach out to me on Instagram @aventiveacademy.

24:27
Thanks for tuning in to the Profitable Graphic Designer Podcast, but wait. Before you go, if you enjoyed this podcast episode and want a chance to access one of our online courses for free, simply leave us a review on Apple Podcasts. Each month, one lucky reviewer gets to pick a course as a token of our appreciation.

24:49
And here’s a reminder, we are here to help you build the design business of your dreams. Whether it’s creating compelling proposals, attracting $10k clients, pricing your design services, improving your portfolio, reaching six figures and beyond, or helping you stand out, we’ve got you covered.

25:08
I invite you to join over 1000 designers in my signature 12-week program, The Profitable Designer. Visit aventiveacademy.com/profit. And also don’t forget to hit that subscribe button. That way, you’ll be the first to know when each new episode drops so you never miss out on future content.

25:28
Until next time, be sure to connect with us on Instagram @aventiveacademy, where we share valuable business tips, stories, and resources for brand, graphic, and web design business owners. Bye for now, your host, Kady Sandel.