How to sell your work.

HOW TO SELL YOUR WORK
A CREATIVES GUIDE TO SELLING CREATIVE WORK TO UNCREATIVE PEOPLE.
I am a professional creative who spends quite a bit of time talking
about, and selling my creative work. This workshop summarises all of the little
tips and truths I’ve picked up from my talented colleagues over the years.
It was inspired by the fact there are so many courses about craft for designers,
writers and creatives of all disciplines, but very little in the way of practical tips
about expressing the value of your work.
This workshop is my attempt to correct this.
Ben Keenan
Melbourne based agency Creative Director, doer, maker, and teacher.
e: ben@thethoughtpolice.com.au
t: @warmcola
© 2015 thethoughtpolice.com.au

“SELLING”
Draw a picture of what this word means with your non-dominant hand.
© 2015 thethoughtpolice.com.au© 2015 thethoughtpolice.com.au

CREATIVES SEE THINGS
OTHERS DON’T

“The things have neither smell nor taste,
not even the dogs will eat them,
so what use are they to us?”

SOLVING NOT SELLING

WHAT?
SELL
And why that word makes creatives want to throw up in our mouths a little.
YOU
And how your over-thinking slightly scattered, good intentioned ways can un-do you.
THEM
Clients can be misunderstood creatures, how to get inside their heads.
WE
How we can build bridges to make this a collaboration and not a negotiation
WORK
The work you need to do to sell the work.
PRESENT
How to present and protect your work.

YOU

“WHY WON’T ANYONE
PAY ME TO BE A GENIUS?”

THERE ARE TWO
KINDS OF CREATIVITY
They can look the same but they are very very different.

PERSONAL PRACTICALCreativity is your voice. Creatvity is your craft
They look the same, but they are very, very different.

WE PERSUE PRACTICAL
CREATIVITY EXPECTING THE
REWARDS OF PERSONAL
And when we do, we always end up frustrated.

IDEAS ARE NEVER YOURS
TRUTH: You recognise ideas you don’t think of them.

CREATIVITY IS BEING OK WITH
NOT HAVING THE ANSWER FOR
AS LONG AS POSSIBLE
Or to put it another way, it’s work.

THEM
Tell us your worst client story...

Source: http://sharpsuits.net/Exhibition

WHAT CLIENTS FEAR TO LOSE
Time Money Face

YOU ARE SOLVING THEIR
BUSINESS PROBLEM
It pays to keep this in mind.

THEY AREN’T JUST BUYING
THE FINISHED PRODUCT
They are buying your thinking and your process.

US
How can we make this a collaboration and not a negotiation?

Problem
Solution
THIS IS WHAT
THEY ARE BUYING
You

A PROBLEM WELL STATED
IS A PROBLEM HALF SOLVED
Getting the question right is essential on any creative job.

PRYING THE REAL PROBLEM
FROM YOUR CLIENT
It pays to know what the real brief is.

HOW TO ASSESS IDEAS
WITHOUT HURTING FEELINGS
This could come in handy if your client wants to brainstorm.

Not feasible
LowImportanceHighimportance
Highly feasible

RESPECTING THE TASK
Write down everything they say.

WORK

THAT TIME WE HIRED A
REALLY TALENTED YOUNG
ANIMATOR OFF THE INTERNET
And we didn’t listen to the warnings.

GREAT EXPECTATIONS
Create a process that moves the job forward
and ensures the client is buying in on each phase.
• Kickoff to clarify the task.
• Finalise the brief and strategy.
• Initial creative directions presented, 3 versions.
• Refinement based on chosen direction, two interations of change.
• Final execution.
Changes of scope: $X per hour.
A change of scope is reversing a decision that moves the process backwards.

A BORING STRUCTURE
For your amazing creative work.
The brief/task/problem/opportunity: What are we trying to solve?
What does success look like/goals?: What is the measure of success. (This is what we’ve agreed success looks
like, although it’s good to keep in mind that this could not actually be what we are doing.)
What is the truth?: What is the human/consumer/cultural insight that birthed your approach, find some
points of reference to educate your client.
The single minded proposition: What is the outtake the audience will have when they experience it.
Inspiration: Show your process, what sparked the idea, show some visual reference, be clear why it’s relevant -
“Normalise” it.
Creative Rationale: Three simple paragraphs, The problem, the truth, how is this going to solve it.
The Work: Show them your work.
This is the right idea because: Hammer it home, summarise your insights, your inspiration and how this will
equate to success.

The brief: What are trying to solve.
Jo’s website and identity needed a revamp, it’s dated, her
clients are now creative entrepreneurs, and the word life
coach carries too many stigmas.

What does success look like?
A rebranding of Jo Anne Hook solutions, perhaps even a
product name that summarises the benefits of Jo’s broad
talents.

The truth: What is the human/consumer/cultural truth?
What Jo does is highly individualised, and is rarely a one
size fits all solution. Creative people approach their work
in terms of projects, can we use this?

Single minded proposition: What is the outtake someone will have when they see the work.
Jo Hook Solutions: It’s self improvement,
without having to call it that.

Inspiration: What sparked the idea? normalise it.
“It’s self improvement without having to call it that”.

Creative rationale: The problem, the truth, this is how we are going to solve it.
Jo Hook Solutions: You are currently branded as a
well-being offering, we need to make you a creative
innovation offering, a collaborator not a councillor.

The Work: Design by Maureen Eu.
We all have projects, from learning languages, an instrument,
to fixing up an old car, they are things we embrace to learn and to
collaborate.
The “You Project” is a collaboration between you and a me -
a series of rituals and conversations to better understand yourself
and heighten your intuition.
The result is an externalisation of where your values sit so they can
be held up as lens through which you can better see yourself in
terms of your relationships, your work, and your play.

This is right idea because: Hammer it home, be deeply rational.
Jo Hook Solutions: We are using the visual language of
innovation, and “NEW” self improvement.
The You Project, gives your services a narrative,
a collaboration with an outcome.
The You Project has a flexibility to change depending on
your clients needs.

The brief: What are we trying to solve?
Men of a certain age is a podcast featuring three creative
guys discussing work, family, relationships, they need
a logo for their site and identity that reflects the tone of
their show.

What does success look like?
A visual identity that M.O.A.C.A can use on their
collateral that works in spaces large and small.

The truth: What is the human/consumer/cultural truth.
This podcast is about life stages and modern masculinity.
The singer from the band Future of the left described mod-
ern masculinity as: “Nowadays you are expected to be able
to snap a pool queue in half and fight everyone in the room,
and still be able to cry at the end of Karate Kid 2”.

Single minded proposition: What is the outtake someone will have when they see the work?
MOACA: This is a listening and talking club for
feckless men entering a stage of responsibility.

Inspiration: What sparked the idea, normalise it.

Creative rationale: The problem, the truth, this is how we are going to solve it.
MOACA: Your podcast is the modern version of the old-
school barbershop hangout, the mens lodge, its visual ID
should reflect this.

The Work: Design by Adam Hengstberger.

AN AMAZING STRUCTURE
Make your own version of this structure....
The brief: What are we trying to solve?
What does success look like?: What is a measure of success. (This is what we’ve agreed success looks like,
although it’s good to keep in mind that this could not actually be what we are doing.)
What is the truth?: What is the human/consumer/cultural insight that birthed your approach, find some
points of reference to educate your client.
The single minded proposition: What is the outtake the final audience for the work will have when they
experience it.
Inspiration: Show your process, what sparked the idea, show some visual reference, be clear why it’s relevant -
“Normalise” it.
Creative Rationale: Three simple paragraphs, The problem, the truth, how is this going to solve it.
The Work: Show them your work.
This is the right idea because: Hammer it home, summarise your insights, your inspiration and how this will
equate to success.

MAKE IT YOURS
Are you growing something? sketching something? cooking something? a procedure? running a marathon?
Is it named after someone? A celebrity? An inventor? A fictional character?
Could you find words that make it an anagram?

S M E L L
S O U N D T A S T E
S I G H T
C O L D
C L E A N
D I R T Y
D A R K
B R I G H T
D E E P
F R E S H
S H A L L O W
O L D
S O U R
S A L T Y
S A V O R Y
B I T T E R
S W E E T
L O O S E
C L E A R
M U R K Y
F U Z Z Y
A L I V E
L O U D
Q U I E T
D E A D
R A W
S T A T I C
M O V I N G
S T R O N G
W E A K
S O F T
T O U C H
W A R M
H E A V Y
L I G H T
T I G H T
F O R W A R D
B A C K W A R D
S H A R P
S M O O T H H A R D
dynamic
agressive
sassy
silly
energetic
considered
limited
tricky
selfish
historical
stodgy
contemplative
protective
futuristic
visionary
propelling
progressive
attentive
anchored
peaceful
developing
casual
open
feminine
eroded
organic
comforting
direct
new
clever
offputting
arbitrary
confused
clinical
lonely
inviting
comforting
natural
familiar
inclusive
important
valuable
serious
casual
fun
hi-tech
cheap
delicate
industrial
positive
resolute
masculine
iconic
thoughtful
rich
enlightening
vastfun
bandwagnesque
pedestrian
vulgar
weathered
new
healthy
current
young
honest
exposed
informative
R O U G H
rustic
unfinished
vulgar
cheerful
positive
juvenile
overdone
understated
lost
simple
boastful
noticable
grungy
sexy
noisy
retro
worn
historic
meaningful
irrelevant
enjoyable
kind
offputting
satisfying
sophisticated
muted
melancholy
overwhelming
cheap
faint
v 0.1send comments to Michael Hendrix at mhendrix@ideo.com
M E T A P H O R
concept
S E N S E

NEXT WEEK
Come in with your idea presented in your own original structure.

PRESENTING
And protecting your work.

TIP ONE
Don’t face your client, sit next to them if you can.

TIP TWO
Don’t go in cold.

Source: Body Language by Adam Pease.

TIP THREE
Find your own presenting style.

Bumbling enthusiasm™

TIP FIVE
Shoot down some explored directions.

TIP SIX
Write down feedback, it shows you are listening.

TIP SEVEN
Never solve anything on the spot.

TIP EIGHT
If you have something off brief, show them what they asked for,
then show them what you think would solve the problem.

TIP EIGHT
Never use words like cutting edge, or left of center, sell this solution like an accountant.
Normalise new concepts.

MONEY + WINNING
Sell your work like an accountant Make your idea their idea.

PROTECTING
How to defend things.

CAN YOU MAKE IT THIS FONT,
THIS COLOUR...?
This is where your inspiration can come in useful.
Show that design is a visual language with rules and hireachy.
Certain products categories have a language to them,
which is why we have chosen this option.

CAN YOU MAKE
THE LOGO BIGGER?
The logo isn’t the message, it’s crediting the author, like a signature.
The human eye scans top left to bottom right when looking at any communication,
it will always land on the logo at the bottom.

CAN YOU ADD MORE IN?
Whitespace is an essential element in making brands appear confident and premium.
Clutter is the language of supermarket catalogues and screams cheap.
Adding more than one message in a communication is like throwing two balls at someone,
if you are lucky they’ll catch one, but more than likely they’ll miss them all.

HOW TO SAY NO
Often clients are asking for more than you initially agreed to.

HOW TO SAY NO
Ask, is this an add in, or is this a new project?
Establish what their perception of the size of the request is?

HOW TO SAY NO
Refer back to your initial expectations, and quote them an “out of scope” charge.

IF YOU SAY NO WHAT ARE
YOU SAVING YES TO?
They might go with someone else?

IF YOU SAY YES WHAT
ARE YOU SAYING NO TO?
I may lose some time and money.
I like this client or job and I want to do more of this.

OWN YOUR PRESENTING STYLE.
Weakness
Bumbling
Reserved
Rigid
Nervous
Scattered
Tangential
Fragile
Blunt
Anxious
Quirky
Serious
??????
Strength
Enthusiasm
Drollness
Wit
Earnestness
Authority
Empathy
Coolness
????????

WHAT?
SELL
And why that word makes creatives want to throw up in our mouths a little.
YOU
And how your over-thinking slightly scattered, good intentioned ways can un-do you.
THEM
Clients can misunderstood creatures, how to get inside their heads.
WE
How we can build bridges to make this a collaboration and not an negotiation
WORK
PRESENT
How to present and protect your work.

How to sell your work.

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