Deflate the Tire Kickers

This article was originally published in HOW Magazine, June 2008.

Too many designers are tempted by the dangling carrot of a new project, investing valuable time in preliminary meetings, research and proposal-writing—only to receive from the prospect a brief “Thanks, but we’ll pass” (and sometimes not even that). Learning to vet these tire kickers in advance will save you time, money and lots of disappointment.

Tire kickers bleed your precious creative energy; they ask you to invest yourself in the discovery stage of their project, only to demand more of your attention. Worse than wasting time and energy, these accidental parasites waste your money—because the time you spend listening to their wants and writing proposals should be spent on revenue-generating projects.

There’s an alternative, however, and not only will it increase your odds of landing paying, profitable clients, chances are it will improve the quality of the projects you secure, too. With a little strategic planning and a few thoughtful questions, you can weed out those tire kickers before they take you for a ride...

Read the full article on HOWdesign.com.