During my 13 years as a graphic designer, I have served over 500 clients and won numerous design awards. However, I consistently find myself spending 70% of my time communicating with clients and only 30% actually designing.
My expertise lies in design, but when I started taking on projects, I realized that I needed to master all aspects of business, including sales skills. The most challenging phase is before potential clients make a deposit, during which I spend a lot of time in sales discussions, trying to guess their real issues, preferred design styles, expectations, and price points.
At one point, I hired a salesperson, but unfortunately, due to the inherent limitations of the business model in the design industry, it was difficult to train him. Even after successful training, the potential for revenue growth for a salesperson was limited, which led my trained salesperson, who understood design, to leave my company after a year to start their own, becoming my competitor.
Ultimately, I was forced to take on the sales role myself, gradually giving up the work I loved most—design and creativity. Becoming a salesperson was challenging, but I eventually carved out a niche for myself in the industry I was skilled. Proposals being accepted at the first presentation became more frequent.
Thanks to technological advancements, things have changed. dotbrand Design Sales Genie utilizes Large Language Model technology, fine-tuned with my domain know-how, to help design firms perform consultative sales. When potential clients visit your portfolios, they can instantly communicate with your AI Sales Design Genie. While you rest, we will help clarify the client's needs, persuade them, and define their desired design styles. Once the client's requirements are confirmed, dotbrand Design Sales Genie will submit a Design Specs Report to you and provide a design recommendation report, allowing you to immediately see the potential client's needs and the content needed for your first proposal presentation.
I hope that through technology, we designers can communicate more efficiently with clients, spend more time on design and creativity, and let us collectively let designers design and leave the rest to dotbrand.