16 Questions That Will Give You An Edge

Before hiring a designer, or maybe even before setting your name on legal paperwork, make sure you have a solid idea of who you are, what you offer and how you wish to be seen out there in the cold, cruel world of business. I have been told by numerous clients and other professionals that this questionnaire is so simple -- only sixteen questions! -- yet powerful in really getting them to think about who they are and what they do (hence the title of the form). I have had a long time to really reduce all of the input I need from my clients into these sixteen questions and have had a great deal of success from using it. Some questions are reworded to get the maximum brain activity, focus, understanding and articulation possible. You will be amazed if you can answer the same way twice if you are really thinking about the questions. I am the kind of person that feels it is a shame not to share a great idea or a useful tool -- and I'm not even charging! If you are in a related field, feel free to modify this to your needs, if you feel it will work for you and your clients. If you aren't sure, test it out on clients you already have to see if their answers make sense for the projects you are working on with them. The last thing a client wants is more useless paperwork. The way this form works is you want to finish each thought. I recommend approaching these statements in two ways. When you first read the statement, your mind will have been creating an answer that you have pre-programmed yourself to say (elevator speech?); write that down! Then re-read the statement again and articulate your response, or even formulate a new one if what you wrote the first time made you cringe with it's overly vague nature -- that may be the same reactions your prospects have felt. Before I let you tackle those statements, I would like to request that if you do take the time to really assess yourself utilizing this form, please leave a comment with your experience either on this page or on my profile page. I love feedback and knowing I am actually contributing to our community. WHO YOU ARE AND WHAT YOU DO Please finish each of these statements. 1. When your clients meet with you, the first thing they notice about you is: 2. You associate yourself closely with the following adjectives: 3. The main product/service you are promoting is: 4. Additional products/services you would like to promote are: 5. When someone looks at any of your marketing materials (printed and web), you want them to think: 6. You take pride in your ability to: 7. The things that make your business & you unique from others in your industry are: 8. When you have time to reflect on your business, the first concerns and/or accomplishments that come to mind are: 9. The “perfect” image you would like to project to your potential market is one of: 10. Your target market is: 11. Colors you associate yourself with mostly and give you a sense of comfort and calm are: 12. Your office / work environment feels and looks like: 13. Your clients most want: 14. The goal of your new web presence is to: 15. Your official company name is: 16. Your official tag line or marketing slogan is: 2008-09-04T08:00:24Z

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16-questions-that-will-give-you-an-edge

2008-09-04T15:36:26Z

Before hiring a designer, or setting your name on legal paperwork, make sure you have a solid idea of who you are, what you offer and how you wish to be seen out there in the cold world of business.

16 Questions That Will Give You An Edge

2009-02-24T09:45:51Z