Back from Chicago and Boy Are My Arms Tired

Whew! Getting back into the regular swing after even a short time away is challenging. I spent two days in Chicago at the Creative Freelancers Conference (check out the blog), and another day at the Chicago Art Institute's museum (to die for). It was definitely worth the time spent getting ready before and catching up after. Good thing this blog is billed as sporadic.

My experience this time was a bit different than last year’s. This time, as a second-year returnee, I had friends to greet and a familiarity with the tone and energy of the event. Both of those were great, as before. What was different this time was my greater awareness that there are really two audiences for CFC: people new to the business of being an independent creative, whether transitioning from a regular job or just out of school, and those of us who have been doing it for some time. This was addressed to a certain extent by the second day’s morning sessions having two tracks, but some of the material left me with a feeling of “been there, done that.”

Not that a refresher course isn’t a good thing from time to time. And certainly input from new presenters can offer new perspectives on standard principles.  I took exhaustive notes, and in transcribing them saw that I came away with more usable input than I had realized at the time.

I am sad to report that my roundtable about staying in the game as a veteran designer was roundly ignored by all but two people, one of whom was random because she came in late and just sat down at the first place she found. Of course it had a terrible title ("Too old to be a designer").  Who would want to sit at a table with a name like that? At any rate, it was a bust. Sigh. A designer in my age bracket said that she thought the median age at the conference was about 29, which probably isn't too far off the mark. I did notice some rather overt cruising, which had escaped my notice last year.

The rest of the day was one session after another, so I didn't have time to dwell on it. Until the last session, when they were doing a wrap-up and had prizes for certain categories. One of them was for who had been freelancing the longest. You won't have to guess who won. I was the sole survivor at 31 years, standing in a sea of 200 other sitting freelancers. It was a bit daunting. I did get a bunch of great swag, however, which didn't include a walker. So all’s well that ends well. I will review my notes and plan my next steps over the rest of the summer.

"Nevertirees"? Sign Me Up!

Sorry to have missed posting the last week and a half. My excuse for this lapse of discipline is an uncharacteristic cold. It may be steaming in other parts of the world, but not here in the NW. Between sneezes, I thought about the upcoming Creative Freelancers Conference in Chicago and my plans for facilitating a roundtable discussion about the challenges of continuing to get work as an older designer. (I posted about this on May 2.) This has been the subject of much angst and debate among the scores of respondents, with many identifying themselves as “seasoned” veterans who have no desire and/or no ability to retire.  Others had sad stories about how ageism was exacerbating the difficulty of getting hired in a bad economy. The thread has been picked up on various other sites, with more people chiming in. Turns out there are a LOT of people wondering how to write their next chapter.

So when I ran across an article, “Nevertirees” Change the Retirement Landscape,” on the Workplace Magazine site, I was interested (but not surprised) to find that this issue is not limited to the creative fields. Some excerpts:

“The world’s wealthy are attaching new meaning to the concept of retirement. According to a report in the Barclays Wealth Insights series, wealthy workers prefer to continue working for as long as they are able. In addition, they expect to start businesses and take on new projects in their later years.

“The report, The Age Illusion: How the Wealthy are Redefining Their Retirement, is based on a global survey of more than 2,000 high net worth individuals who were asked to share what retirement and later life means to them. Sixty percent of respondents indicated that they intend to continue working well into their senior years. Furthermore, the concept of nonretirement is expected to grow over the coming decades, with more than 70 percent of respondents under the age of 45 stating that they will always be involved in some way in the world of work . . . [my emphasis]

“Matt Brady, Head of Wealth Advisory, Americas at Barclays Wealth says, ‘. . . This report reflects a different attitude, with people wanting to continue to challenge themselves well beyond the traditional retirement age. Indeed, many “Nevertirees” prefer to be actively engaged and challenged and are not bound by their age with regards to continuing their working life.’”

The Barclay report attributes this sea change in cultural attitudes partly to the economy, especially in the past few years, but also to increased healthy life spans. “This poses many interesting questions, both for individuals and for businesses. How should people plan for and lead the later stages of their life in a way that fulfills both them and their families? How can businesses make the most of the corporate memory that older workers often retain?”

So is the “tradition” of retirement on its way out? For those of us in the creative professions, an added challenge is the pervasive youth bias in marketing and advertising. How do we stay in the game? I am hoping for a robust and insightful discussion next week at the conference, and I will report back to you on my return.

Click here for the full Workplace Magazine story.

Click here to view or download Barclay’s The Age Illusion: How the Wealthy are Redefining Their Retirement.

Volunteering for Fun & Non-Profit Addendum

On May 16 I wrote a post about volunteering as a way to market your business. I received an query from a reader on another forum as to what to do when the non-profit client benefitting from your donation of services has endless changes and extra requests. Good question! This is a bit stickier than with a paying client, because you can't exactly add on an upcharge as you would if there was money involved. Here's how I responded:

When It Looks like the Karma is Going Sideways

Sometimes, in spite of all your explanations about the limitations of your donation as set forth in your proposal, you’ll be faced with the expectation that you will keep plugging away at the project until “everyone is happy with it.” When that occurs, you can do one of two things.

You can call a come-to-Jesus meeting and refer the client to your original agreement, reminding them that an offer of donated services is not the same thing as indentured slavery. Your proposal notwithstanding, because they are so devoted to their cause, they may have no idea that they are making unreasonable demands. This is another opportunity to demonstrate your professionalism and train your non-profit how to be a good client. Whether this is possible depends on the individual circumstances.  

The other alternative is to look at the repercussions of bailing vs. sucking it up and finishing the project. It could be that the PR fallout from not finishing might be worse than not having done the project at all. Either way, this situation requires a judgment call on your part. Since all situations are different, you will have to decide what it is worth to you, whether you draw a hard line or see it through to the end.

Recently I was faced with this situation, and decided to suck it up and finish. I was quite sure the intention was not to wring every possible drop of free work out of me. It was rather the result of inexperience on the part of the client and their trust in me to help them get what they needed. I also saw an excellent opportunity to have my halo polished publically by some very happy campers. I ended up spending twice as much effort on the project as I had intended, but the result turned out to be one of the best logos I have ever done. Needless to say, I have put it in all my online portfolios and in a design competitions. Hopefully the karma will include some professional recognition!

Inertia in the Marketplace

One of my favorite ways to describe what graphic design really is that it’s a form of pretty potent behavior modification (see my post of 2-7-11). Designers combine words and pictures to persuade and/or inspire the viewer to behave in ways that benefit the clients of the designers. That usually means “Buy my stuff.” Pretty straightforward in its intent, if not in its execution. We’re a pretty manipulative lot, at least when we’re effective. And in order to be effective, it is well to remember the two basic behaviors that marketing is always trying to modify.

When you want to persuade people to take action, you are asking them to do one of two things: 1) either start doing something they’ve never done before, or 2) stop doing something the way they’ve been doing it and begin doing it a different way. This distinction is crucial in crafting your approach. In both cases inertia has to be overcome.

In the first instance, getting people to start doing something that they’ve never done before requires a compelling case for the new thing. Up to now the need hasn’t been perceived because the object hasn’t existed. In this case inertia = no perceived need. How the iPod was initially marketed is a good example. Potential buyer inertia was overcome by positioning the product as surpassingly cool, partly by offering its market a way to enjoy music in unprecedented ways.

In the second case, to get past the inertia of sticking with the comfortable same-old, a strong case must be made for why switching to Product A will be better than continuing to use Product B. This can be based on cost, convenience, quality, efficiency, or any number of characteristics depending on the product’s market. Above all there must be a strong incentive for risking the discomfort of the unknown. Here, inertia = preference for the familiar. So the rivals to the iPod now have to explain why you should buy their product and not the iPod.

I am not sure which type of inertia is harder to overcome. But I am very sure that we need to be aware of which type we are addressing, and craft our approach accordingly. Otherwise our marketing will fall on deaf ears.

Volunteering for Fun & Non-Profit (and “Free” Marketing!)

As businesses, we are continually challenged to find and engage with our target markets. And as small enterprises, we have to do this as cost-effectively as possible, being without the big marketing budgets of corporations. A great way to do this is to volunteer.

I live in a small community where it is possible to connect in ways that may not be possible in larger areas. However, there are certain principles that can be applied at any scale, including online.

1. Choose strategically as well as ethically. There are two things to consider in choosing how to volunteer. One, of course, is to pick a cause that reflects your personal values. If you support organic farming, you could join the board of the local farmer’s market. If you support community outreach to at-risk populations, you might volunteer for the YMCA or United Way. Service clubs like Rotary are highly effective at doing good and have many business people as members.

The other consideration is strategic. Most organizations have boards whose members are listed on their web sites. Look at the board lists of the causes you want to help, and look for people for whom you would like to work. Volunteering is a perfect way to showcase your worth while supporting a cause your prospect cares about. But your support has to be sincere – phonies and opportunists will eventually be outed, resulting in negative marketing. Sincere support is first, your marketing agenda is second.

2.  Volunteer for tasks that require your abilities. This is a golden opportunity to demonstrate your expertise, professionalism and integrity to potential clients. You will be judged the same as on a paid job, so treat it accordingly. Show up, do what you said you would do, and be accountable and available. Don’t assume that because you are working for free that the job is any less important to your reputation or matters less than your paid work.

3. Define the assignment the same as you would paid work. Set it up in front with a formal proposal that has a defined scope, timeline, etc., just as if you were being paid. This does two things: it sets limits as to what you will do pro bono, and it educates your fellow volunteers as to what such a job entails. It would be very bad if your philanthropy resulted in misperceptions about what it really takes to provide products and services. It’s up to you to prevent that by being clear about the assignment’s details and boundaries.

4. Execute as though the gods were watching your every move. This is your chance to show the pillars of your community not only how excellent your work is and how professional you are, but what a joy you are to work with. People tend to hire those they know and trust. This is how you show that you are that person. People also tend to hire those who they feel have similar values.

5. Do not neglect invoicing! It’s another opportunity to educate your future client, and also gives your group a valuable tool for fundraising. Non-profits are always chasing grants. Often grants require either a hard or soft match for the funds they hand out. A hard match means the group has to match the grant in dollars. A soft match means the group can provide a match of in-kind products or services. This has to be documented, however, and that’s where your invoice comes in. You submit an invoice as you usually do with its actual price, and then add a note that says “Discounted 100%” (or 50% if it’s a partial pro bono). This will not only allow the group to use your donation as a soft match, but it will also make them fully aware of the value of what you gave. This will ensure that when Mr. Fellow Board Member comes to you for his business that he doesn’t have any unfortunate assumptions of what it will cost. And it will also make you look like a hero for thinking of it. They will thank you.

When It Looks Like the Karma is Going South

Not all non-profits are ethically squeaky clean. Recognize when your benefactees may be sliding towards exploiting you. This can happen for a number of reasons: when a non-profit is starting up because someone is trying to create a job at no cost to himself; when the board has no respect for anyone’s time or abilities but their own; or the executive director, ditto. It’s up to you to see when this is happening and deal with it in a way that is not damaging to your business.  No cause is worth feeling used and resentful. But - even if the group you volunteered for turns out to be less than ideal, you did a good job, you made new connections, and now you can return refreshed to your regular clients.

Weasels Are the Exception, Not the Norm

The vast majority of people and groups are wonderful. Besides the chance to make meaningful and satisfying connections, volunteering offers opportunities to expand your knowledge and skills in ways that are not always available to a small business. In volunteering, the very least you will gain is getting to know some great people, and the knowledge that you have used your talents to make the world better.

I Was Completely Distracted by This

I had every intention of writing another post this week, filled with more trenchant observations (or at least some snarky comments) on the intersection of design and business, and then this came to me in a forward. Its sheer beauty and wit completely threw me off my rails. See for yourself: http://www.resourcesforlife.com/docs/item3384
The campaign's been out for a while, but I hadn't seen all the different versions pulled together in one place. It just blew my socks off - it will probably do the same for you. Enjoy!

My Excellent Guest Blogging Adventure

I often comment on posts on a favorite blog of mine called the Creative Freelancer Blog, a part of the Creative Freelancer Conference site. I attended the conference last year for the first time, got a ton of good information and really enjoyed the professional fellowship. Recently I posted a question that I'm sure has been on the minds of many professionals on the wrong side of 50: how do we stay in the game as we get older? In the case of graphic design, there seems to be a definite youth bias in hiring, whether it's for employees or for independent contractors.

Much to my surprise, the post got dozens of responses and more are still coming in. It's apparently a burning question for many, especially since the economy took a dive. The stories are fascinating and the ideas for coping are all over the place. Take a look and see for yourself: too-old-to-be-a-designer?

Hopefully you'll be inspired to add your own two cents, whether you're a designer or not. Actually, especially if you're not a designer - tell us what you think!