What’s the difference between you and a fiverr designer?

At the end of every episode of Hell’s Kitchen, the gentleman chef (as I like to call him) Gordon Ramsay asks the same question.

Why should you stay in Hell’s Kitchen?

The poor chefs, put on the spot after a busy dinner service in which they’ve probably been called a donkey, a muppet or had a smoked halibut squashed on their front have to pitch themselves to Gordon.

Invariably they all say the same thing.

I’m a team player chef.

I can overcome this chef!

I want this chef!

I’ll work harder than everyone else chef!.

At the end of the day Ramsay knows who’s staying and who is going already.

I see parallels when I think of how we describe ourselves as designers.

How we pitch ourselves.

I’ll get to know you as a client.

I’ll go the extra mile for you.

I’ll listen better.

I’ll create an amazing logo for you.

Trouble is, we are all saying the same things.

So how do we actually stand out when we’re pitching why to work with us over someone else?

We have to sell ourselves, be 100% you.

Show up, be yourself, make content to sell the client on your unique style, your unique delivery, your views, yours idealogy as a person and a designer.

That’s part of it I think.

We also have to sell them on our unique process.

Before we start the job.

Ask better business questions, shoot that video introduction, shoot that loom walkthrough, call them on the phone, present your proposal over zoom.

These all seem like extras and ‘nice to haves’ and some coaches would tell you ‘automate and scale from day one’.

But if we don’t get the basics right, we don’t get our foot in the door, and we just end up as an undercooked halibut sitting on the top of a dustbin at the end of a busy service.

PS if you are sick of being an undercooked halibut and want more clients, better clients, and more consistent $10,000 plus months in your design business, DM me - we have 2 spots left for this month’s intake of Super Successful!.