every project is uniquely different from the other. that’s why through the years i’ve managed to figure out the formula that works best for efficiency and productivity.
for the last few years i never had a solid process. it changed from client to client and it grew into confusion within my business over the years. this caused me to change my direction on things mid way through a project or right after promising something else. the clients would also gain confusion of what was real and what was added information. obviously, i’ve grown and my clients have grown with me. it’s all learning from either your mistakes or things you wanted to do better at. for my process, sometimes you like certain objectives and toss the other ideas to make room for something more impressive or more effective. it’s called a learning curve. eventually i had found my groove but i had to go through a few hoops to make my process work for not only me but my clients.
now, camp ape has put together from start to finish a process that makes sense. it’s a step by step progression over a month to several months depending on the project a client ends up going with.
THE PRICING GUIDE
typically a client requests for a quote on a certain item they want to see to have done. with the pricing guide i can easily hand this out and it’s simple with a breakdown of the prices and scope of work with tiered packages. this process allows less of a wing- it motif when it comes to a potential client’s request.
WHAT CAMP APE OFFERS
camp ape is a creative design studio that offers service in branding, graphic design, motion graphic, website builds, video production, and photography.
WHATS THE PROCESS?
before executing on a project, it is important to put a guide in place for the client and the creative to best understand for communication and productivity purposes. in years past, when i first started camp ape my method was unsecured. i would typically get off a phone call with a potential client, move the project along, and confuse the client and myself in the process. it got messy because i would end up causing confusion and lose either profit in the process or lose part of the project and cause myself stress. it was not efficient or productive in any way. nowadays, camp ape has a process where the potential client knows the plan, the steps we take, and the expectations from working with camp ape.
we go from an initial meeting to figure out if the relationship between the client and camp ape is the right fit and if it our personalities are a good fit for each other or not. if the fit is good, i typically send a process breakdown of the plan, the steps, and expectations right out the window. if everything makes sense for the potential client, i will send a contract agreement and that’s typically where we get things started from there.
THE NITTY GRITTY
i like to be upfront about what to expect. most of my process is going to be broken down in a pdf format, the other is my contract. my contract is written up of deliverables, terminations in case things get a little wacky, actions after deliverables, etc. it’s not a complicated contract but you may not know how many times i’ve had many people overlook a creative contract and just sign the dotted line. if that’s you…stop it. always…always look over a contract no matter who is behind it.
SECRETS OUT
so why am I telling you my secret formula? because it's not very secret. every business has a strategy behind their process. if a business doesn’t have a process in place then do they really know what they are doing? for me, in the past few years before i had a process i did not do a very good job of this. if a mcdonalds has burgers but they don’t know how to form a burger or the steps to make that burger with the bun, tomatoes, cheese, etc. then how does mcdonald’s process work? how can you guarantee items or know what you are doing if you don’t have a process in place? once assimilations are in place, i believe you know what you are doing and how to effectively communicate what your deliverables are and how to effectively execute on items without any trouble. when they know, you know.
Comments