3.1 Banging the Drum for Self-employed.

Hey There.

Do you have a moment? I want to tell you something.

But before I start talking about myself – let’s talk about you first.

Marketing and communication. Idiom, Jargon, Slang – the Language of the incredibly limited world of fast advertising makers, hip designers and internet folks. They talk in their own codes. Usually intended for the boardroom of large and medium-sized companies. They speak the same NIMA, CIM, AMA-PCM and EMCQ-language.

As a self-employed person, you often have no clue about that. It’s a language that excludes you, and gives you the feeling you are an outsider.

So wrong. Because it can be different.

If you want to Bang The Drum for your company, you will need cooperation with one of those representatives from the creative class. To make this slow dance a success it’s necessary that you learn to understand each other well.

In the following chapters we will go deeper into that process:

– 3.2 A good start is the whole job.
– 3.3 Insert more of yourself in your marketing.
– 3.4 Communicating is inspiring your customer to make choices.
– 3.5 A means is not a goal.

This chapter, however, is intended as an introduction. So I am going to explain how I think about the process that must ensure that the resources you are going to use actually become a self-basting and well-lubricated sales machine.

Your personal Big Drum.

I have been working at Full-service advertising agencies, The very best Strategic Design Offices and E-commerce oriented Internet companies. When I started working as a self-employed person, I thought it was a smart idea to use their language to speak with my own clients. Not such a very good idea.

Meanwhile, I have become wiser. And I have learned to speak the language of my independent colleagues. Of course you will have heard of the word briefing. At all those expensive agencies, that first step in the proces starts with a questionnaire, sometimes including 20 pages. If I gave you that, you would run away quickly.

At best, you get a headache from such an approach. Even if you were good at doing your homework. But it all can be different. To quickly make clear what it is all about, we simply have a conversation. Instead of letting you write, I’ll let you talk. Most self-employed do not want anything else.

A good start is therefore the job that needs to be done. It starts with your personal story. Come, I’ll tell you a little secret that I once described in the form of a Mini-Saga. (Mini Saga’s are stories in exactly 50 words, not 49 or 51, but exactly 50. They provide insights for personal or business success).

The briefing is the most underestimated part of every design trajectory. A good briefing is not a wish list. It’s a source of inspiration for the professional who translates your wishes into means that achieve your goals. Through the briefing you inspire your customer. How low may the fence be?

Do you understand what I mean? You can safely replace the word ‘briefing’ with ‘getting to know each other’.

Let’s go through the main points from 3.2 to 3.5 in short.

You want more customers. And foremost ideal customers. Customers who value you and pay you on time. Customers who highly appreciate you because YOU solve their problems. If you tell your customer your story, as you would do to me, and the story fits both – then this customer says: YES, I WANT (TO DO BUSINESS WITH YOU).

The beauty of your own story is that you get shiny eyes of it yourself. Because you know what is your worth and what are your strengths. That enthusiasm draws people across the line. And customers ‘are’ people.

However, you can’t be everywhere at the same time, to tell that story. So if you are going to bang the drum, you will have to work with media. A medium as a substitute, which should independently realize your task of pulling over your customers. Because you are not available all the time to start a conversation.

The aforementioned creative people know how to do that. Making a drum that helps you to attract and retain ideal customers. The name of your company, the style of your business cards, a leaflet and the way you show yourself on your website. All Drums. So such a ‘translator of your story’ must understand you well.

Another Mini-Saga then:

Eventually you go with a ‘briefing’ for the trophy. Which exist beyond the briefing itself, beyond strategy, beyond concepts and resources. The real award is the goal that you have in mind. A briefing is not a goal. A briefing is a bundling of motives that lead to that goal.

Getting acquainted is sniffing together. If there is a click we break off the fence, and continue on to your goal. Creating resources for your Drum is an intensive process. So remind yourself why you are doing this. It is not about you, about me, or the means. It’s about your customer.

HUUB KOCH