Because I am Worth It

The other day I headed to Target to pick up a few things. I had my kids with me and my oldest  daughter decided she had to have this art set she saw. You know, the big Crayola set with all of the paints and crayons and paper…she had to have it (good little designer’s daughter).

I was focused on my list and only getting what was on it but the baby was getting cranky and my eldest caught me in a moment of weakness and I just didn’t fight it. I put the art set in my cart with all the other items I had and went to the check out.

But when I got there I told the cashier that I didn’t want to pay the $30 for the art set. I said I could get it on Amazon for less so I offered them $20 for it.

Have I caught your attention?

Of course I didn’t do that, but it makes a really good point, doesn’t it?

Target sets their prices based on their profit margins. There’s a formula, people. They tag their merchandise and the price stays the same until they advertise a sale or mark something down for clearance. Target is a business. They aren’t running a full time tag sale over there.

You can’t negotiate prices in a brick and mortar store and you shouldn’t try it with a designer or other “virtual” or online professional.

Haggling prices with a professional is not only insulting but it’s a complete waste of everyone’s time. Telling me that you can get a designer for $10 less than my rate is fruitless, annoying and it isn’t going to make me lower my rate. I did not pull my prices out of thin air. A lot of thought and strategy went into setting my rates and putting together my packages. The prices are set based on my skills, level of expertise, and past experience of performing these tasks day in and day out. And honestly my rates are much lower than other designers that produce the same quality of work. How many designers do you know who actually post their rates on their website for the world to see anyway? Not many. Mine are there in plain sight so you know what to expect or can fit within your budget.

You should actually be wary of any “professional” who is willing to dicker their rates because it’s really not something that people who are worth their rate do and frankly, I’m worth it. That is not me being vain, in fact I don’t even possess that gene. And anyone who knows me will tell you the same thing.

Does this mean I can’t work within a budget or alter my packages for you? No, of course not if that budget is within reason and you’re not asking for the moon in return. I also advertise discounted ratess through my Signature Specials newsletter each month…hint, hint.

If you like my work but you don’t like my prices or policies then sorry if it sounds harsh but I really don’t care. You get what you pay for and if you want garage sale prices expect some dents and scratches. Although I don’t recommend it in the branding and marketing of your business. Your business image is a direct reflection of you and how others perceive you do business.

There Can Be Only One

Remember that phrase from The Matrix? There can be only one.

umbrellaThere can be only one of you and your brand which is why you should always hire an actual graphic designer (ahem) when it comes to developing your brand.

You don’t have to look very far to see the work of a wannabe “designer.” Every time you see a piece of clipart in a website header or a brochure, that’s the work of someone who might aspire to be a designer one day, but has found a way to make a buck in the meantime by piecing together pretty fonts and clipart and calling it design.

That is not a true designer and you don’t want this person mucking around with your brand.

Someone like this might have fun playing with design elements and that’s fine if it’s kept as a personal hobby. I think it’s great. I encourage it. But, I don’t think it’s cool when someone like this decides to call him or herself a designer and starts offering to design logos and websites and taking money for it.

See, design is a lot more technical than most people think.

Besides the tremendous amount of forethought required, you need a firm grasp on color analogy and some sort of background that helps you understand why you’re incorporating certain elements into a design.

A real designer never uses clipart or a template. One problem with doing so is that these are free images that a million other people (with bad taste or a bad “designer”) could conceivably be using in their own “branding.” To brand yourself is to set your business apart from your competitors and the world by portraying an identifiable icon or design that directly identifies with you and your company. Clipart totally defeats the purpose.

A designer who specializes in branding knows how to use professional design software. They understand color and fonts and how to make different elements work together. They know what file formats you need for different applications.

When you trust your brand to a real graphic designer (ahem) – a professional artist rather than a wannabe – you will be blown away by your own corporate image because it will seem as though your designer has been inside your head.

That’s because they’re going to ask you questions and probe a lot about your business and your aspirations for the future. Branding is about the whole picture. The big picture. And it’s about making your image match your mission and your goals, all the while resonating with your target audience.

Don’t put your business into the hands of a serial clipart user. It’s not worth it.

It can cost more up front to hire a professional designer to develop your brand, but it will work out to be more cost-effective in the long run because you won’t end up hiring someone to redo it when the day comes and you realize your image sucks or you don’t have one at all.

Remember, there is only one. One chance to get it right. One chance to stand out. One chance to make your impression. Do it right or don’t do it at all.

Answer the Question Please – A Lesson in Customer Service

Businesses that employ a receptionist, or any other position with similar responsibilities, where that person is the first to be connected with your customers or potential clients, I ask YOU this question: Do you train this person on phone etiquette or are you throwing caution to the wind?

questionOne of my BIGGEST pet peeves is to call a business, ask the person who answers the phone a question that results in their immediately transferring me rather than…answering the question. Let me give you an example that just happened to me, yet again for the millionth time:

Them: (answering the phone) “ABC Fictional Company, how can I help you?” [great start]

Me: “Hi! Can you tell me if Dan is in the office today?” [note, this is a question]

Them: [no response at all, I just simply get put on hold, transferred, who knows]

Next thing I know, I am now listening to Dan’s voice mail, which of course is what I wanted to avoid. You see I left a voice mail for Dan 2 days ago needing some very time sensitive information emailed to me to meet a deadline for a client. If I wanted his voice mail, I would have just asked to be transferred to Dan.

Me: [pressing "0" to get back to the operator]

Them: “Can I help you?”

Me: “Yes, I asked if Dan was in the office today and was transferred to his voice mail. Can you tell me if he is actually in the office today?”

Them: “I’m sorry, Dan is out of the office today. Would you like his voice mail?”

I’ll stop the conversation there because it didn’t get any better. The point is that I run into this ALL the time. I ask if someone is in or I’ll call to ask who I would talk to about putting my widgets ad in their publication (this is made up of course). But instead of answer the question and giving me the name and possibly direct number to the person who is responsible for widget ads, they just transfer you and you have no idea whether or not you were transferred to the correct person or not. Trust me, I’ve had people call me back and tell me they are the janitor and have nothing to do with the widget ads. [Ok, I might be exaggerating a bit as I've never had a janitor call me back]

So I ask you. Are you training and monitoring your receptionist/operator to make sure they are not irritating your clients…all the way to your competition? Believe it or not, many employers think a receptionist position is very entry level and does not require any skills other than a voice. This is the very first person anyone contacting your business connects with. And believe me first impressions are everything.

A New (Unofficial) Arrival, Broken Promises, and Getting the Help You Need

I would like to welcome our newest addition to the Signature Worx team. Mackenzie Calin McVicker, who is no longer “in the worx”, was born on Monday, March 30th at 3:20 pm weighing in at 7 lbs. 15 oz and measuring 20 1/2 inches long. She is doing fabulous…other than not letting her mommy get much sleep. Mackenzie enjoys instrumental lullabies and long strolls in the neighborhood.

img_2922Here’s a picture of her…isn’t she just the cutest thing? Of course I am a little partial, so just agree with this new again mommy please! I live on coffee these days. In fact there is very little food because I simply forget to eat! Of course I never forget to feed Mackenzie which explains the pudgy little cheeks!

I would have posted one of the professional photos that were taken of her at the hospital, but unfortunately I don’t have any. Yes, my baby is 7 weeks old today and I still don’t have her photos, nor do I have her birth announcements. I just don’t feel like it is official until a birth announcement has been sent you know?

So this is the story of the seemingly overworked, over exhausted and over extended photographer. After not receiving my proofs in the hospital the next day as promised, it took me two weeks to even get her on the phone after leaving multiple voicemails and emails. She was nice, apologetic, and even threw in a few extras to my order for my trouble. She also went beyond that and said she would rush my order and I would have it in about a week as opposed to her normal 4-6 week turnaround time.

Unfortunately it is 5 weeks later and I still have NO photos or birth announcements! I called and emailed her a week ago and finally got a response from her yesterday, via email, but have to say that I’m not totally satisfied with her explanation. I hate to think the worst of people, but in this case I believe I’ve been patient enough. She responded that ’someone’ mailed my photos to me, but that apparently I did not receive them. So she said she will reorder them and they will be back this week.

So, first of all if I actually do receive my order this week, I’ll probably be a little shocked. Ecstatic, but nevertheless shocked. Why? Because it becomes difficult to believe someone when you are consistently promised something that never gets delivered. And when you were promised a rush before and not only didn’t receive it, but didn’t even receive a follow-up or anything, it just becomes even more difficult to trust them. Read more

Google Feeds Gone Wild, Part 2

First of all, I’m back! Did you miss me or didn’t you know I was gone? Either way, I’ve just returned from my short maternity leave after the birth of my second daughter. I’ll be sure to post a special announcement soon, but there is some business to discuss first.

If you subscribe to my blog feed, this may be the first update you have received in ages from In The Worx…that is of course if you solely rely on your RSS reader to keep up with your favorite blogs. Well if that is the case for you, let me apologize. Although I have been away for a few weeks taking care of my new baby, there has apparently been a problem with my feeds since JANUARY!

After having a major hiccup in early March when I was forced to move my FeedBurner feed to my Google account…you can read about that here…I thought this problem had been licked. Apparently not so much. It seems that there has been another issue with my feeds this entire time that I was unaware of until a few weeks ago. Anyone subscribed to my blog through their RSS reader hasn’t seen an update since January 25th. Well rest assured that I have in fact had many posts since then so please catch up as soon as you have a few minutes.

Of course I began researching the problem as soon as I found out.  I scoured the Internet for answers, searched through the FeedBurner knowledgebase and FAQs, and even posted my dilemma on the FeedBurner Google group hoping someone there would be able to help. Not only did I find that people were having similar problems, but they were also getting nowhere and couldn’t get any answers from Google. In fact I was unable to find any kind of support from Google directly.

Now, being the relentless researcher that I am when presented with a problem…seriously I will spend hours and hours if that is what it takes…alas, I finally figured it out! Honestly this was a total fluke that I even found it, but I am so glad that I did because I *pray* that it is the solution for someone else so they too can finally stop searching for answers. So here it is folks:

How To Fix Your FeedBurner Feeds After They Stopped Working

Just by accident, I came across this page on Creating your WordPress feed (self-hosted WordPress) in the FeedBurner Help knowledgebase. Seriously folks, technically this topic has nothing to do with my problem and I just happened upon it by accident. Nothing on this page would have been of value to me, but this one little side note happened to catch me eye. It reads:

Note: If you currently use the old, 2005-vintage version of the Ordered List FeedBurner plugin that generates a FeedBurner-specific URL (an example: www.yoursite.com/feedburner_838196/), that URL is no longer available or necessary. You will have to reset your FeedBurner feed’s Original Feed address to now use your standard blog feed address. Additionally, you should examine any .htaccess files that control access to your WordPress installation’s content and remove any existing references that forward or redirect your feeds, as these references will no longer be necessary.

Hmmm, interesting I thought. I figured what the heck and went to check my Original Feed in FeedBurner. This was such a long shot at best given the fact that I don’t even use the plugin that it is referring to. But guess what? My Original Feed address was exactly in that format. I wondered if changing this would further screw things up, but decided to give it a shot. In fact, at the top of your Feed Details, there is a warning message that reads:

“You should not change “Original Feed” unless you move your original feed to a new domain or a new location on your existing server…”

So first I copied the Original Feed address it was showing and pasted it in Notepad for safe keeping just in case. I retrieved my blog feed address, pasted it in the Original Feed field, and saved it. Then I used the Ping FeedBurner page to ping my site to make sure that it worked. The ping worked so that was a good sign so far.

feedburner-details

Now it was time for the ultimate test. I opened my blog in my browser, clicked on one of my RSS button links and voila! There they were…every post I’ve made since January 25th and prior to that date as well. It was a beautiful thing!

Now let the record show that I DID NOT change my Original Feed address at any time so it had to be changed by FeedBurner because I can’t think of any other explanation. So I’m not sure what Google did in January that would affect my Original Feed address, but I’m sure I wasn’t the only unsuspecting user. Maybe this was when they decided to change our Feed Address to include a ‘2′ (http://feeds2…), which caused millions of headaches, but nevertheless this whole conversion has been a debacle for me.

I hope this information helps solve someone else’s problem with their feeds. As for Google, I said it before…I’ve been a huge fan of many of their apps and offerings, but seriously, what the heck were y’all thinking? Or should I say NOT thinking?

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