I was recently told by a prospect that, "Hiring the rightdesigner was a lot like a looking for a marriage partner than just pickingsomeone out of a crowd at a baseball game.
" Okay marriage I thought was a bitmuch, but clients for the most part invest a fair amount of time picking outthe right designer.
Have you everwondered though, are designers doing the same thing in trying to pick out theright client? In this very same meeting mentioned above, one of theprospects asked, "In addition to us interviewing you, I'll bet you'reinterviewing us, aren't you?" A smile flashes across my face, and I nod.
Designersmight not tell you, but they are interviewing you as well, and hoping you'll bea good client to work with.
I've talked with designers in "closed door"meetings that clients are never told about, discussing what artists think makesfor a good client, here's what I came up with:

1. Respect for each other's time
2. Remember it's a relationship, and that each party needsto coordinate and cooperate
3. Respect for each other's talents
4. Focused, regular and responsive communication.
   Thiskeeps the project on task and moving forward.
   
5. You should expect your designer to bill you fairly andaccurately.
   She/he should provide you sufficient records of their time spent.
   In turn, clients should pay designers fairly for their time.
   Keep in mind thata designer's inventory is her/his time, by devoting time to your project; thedesigner isn't able to work on other projects.
   Getting paid for investing timein a project isn't a bonus for a designer, it's a necessity.
   
6. Paying bills on time.
   Remember that many younger, moreinexperienced artists live job to job.
   It can be devastating to hear that aclient is not able to pay on time for any reason.
   
7. Enthusiasm is always a bonus.
   Working with clients thatare pleasant and enthusiastic are gold mines.
   If you're easy and fun to workwith you might not be able to expect freebies and service WELL beyond whatyou've anticipated, but don't be surprised if you get it.
   

As a Business Owner, Why Should You Care What a Designer IsLooking for? I know what you're thinking, if I am the client/customer,why should I care about what the designer wants? Most designers won't tellyou, but the inside scoop is that designers have been known to give pricebreaks to ideal clients and easy to work with clients often get designers to gothat extra 2, 3 and 4 miles for them.
Better prices, faster service, andsometimes service freebies - I kid you not.
Ideal clients always seem to getmore value out of their investment.
Is there something more to this? Is itrandom chance or is there some underlying reason why some clients seem to getmore out of their designer? It's my theory that it's not chance.
Case Study: Victorious Creations Let me introduce you to Bryson and Victoria of VictoriousCreations, this couple wanted an exceptional web site for their unique andinspired business.
This husband and wife dynamic duo were extremely easy towork with, heck, they were down right fun and enjoyable to be around.
Initiallywe contracted for: 1 face-to-face meeting, 1 limited time and output photoshoot, limited web site multimedia, and marketing consultations, collateralmaterial as well as site promotion were outside the scope of the project.
Designing victoriouscreations.
com was a pleasure, and anydesigner would be happy to work with Bryson and Victoria.
They wereconsiderate, enthusiastic, and positive about the entire process.
What did thatget them? Compare this list of what the clients actually received with the listabove: 5 face-to-face meetings, 3 photo shoots totally over 4 hours, anextensive multimedia web site, several hours of marketing consultations andfree insight, free full color business cards printed and designed, and yes - awrite up in this article.
Does it pay to be an ideal client? VictoriousCreations would probably say, "Yes, it does!" Bottom Line for Sharp Business Owners: If you're an ideal client can you expect to receivethe same perks as the Victorious Creations case study? I don't know.
What Ican tell you is that from the designers I've known and talked to over theyears, there are clear benefits to being an enjoyable, ideal client.
Youmight not be able to expect extras and special perks if you're an ideal client,but don't be surprised when you receive them consistently.