130: How you Sell your Creative Services with Blair Enns

The Creative Hustler Podcast

What’s Up, Creative Hustlers! Steven & Melissa here. Today, we’re talking with Blair Enns who is on a mission to change the way creative services are bought and sold the world over. He offers sales training and coaching for creative professionals and shares this wisdom in his two books the Win Without Pitching Manifesto and his most recent work, Pricing Creativity.

[00:00] This episode is brought to you by Latin & Code, your interim CMOs.

[00:43] This interview is sponsored by The Agency Guy. If you’re not sure what to do with your marketing budget, you need this support.

[01:35] Why Blair is a Creative Hustler in 60 seconds or less.

[03:13] Blair’s wakeup call to change his mindset on pitches.

[04:10] There’s a gulf between how Creatives sell, and how everyone else does.

[04:41] Why designers and creatives are illogical.

[05:30] Creative people take it personally, and they don’t build niche businesses.

[06:10] A creative person’s need for variety is at odds with their businesses need for stability.

[07:35] You focus so you can build deep expertise.

[08:11] If you have the expertise, you have power in buy/sell interaction.

[08:26] Gain power then leverage power.

[09:16] Challenge the client's assumptions, and get them to hire a firm like yours.

[09:34] What about the one-person shops who feel like they have to say YES?

[10:08] There are two levels of success: Level one is Validation and level two is Freedom.

[11:09] Saying no to almost everything.

[13:15] What is Pricing Creativity all about?

[14:54] What happened in the gap between books?

[17:00] Pricing is not just math. It’s deep and broad.

[17:30] Blair’s book is aimed at those who won’t read the boring pricing books.

[19:35] What people are buying and why.

[20:14] What Blair is looking forward to in 2019.

[21:30] Leading by example in the Ad Agency space.

[22:36] Ad Agency will say anything to get in the room and win the business.

[23:46] Be kind but ruthlessly honest.

[25:39] If you’re going to say no, explain the reason why.

[26:24] You can fake some things early on in your business until you have it.

[28:20] If you don’t set expectations, you get taken advantage of.

[29:28] There are only two positions with the client, you can be a vendor or expert practitioner.

[30:22] Vendors follow the client’s lead, but experts ask “what do we do next?”

[30:51] The sale is the sample, you take the lead and ask the client to follow.

[31:30] It’s better to not win the business as a vendor.

[32:26] Blair would have any coffee with Elon Musk because no one is more of a hustler.

[34:04] That’s a wrap, Creative Hustlers.

[34:15] Where Blair lives on the internet.

[34:46] Don’t forget to follow us on TheCreativeHustler.com and LatinAndCode.com, and please leave a review on iTunes and Sticher.

[34:57] Peace Out!

[35:03] Melissa’s Moment of Hustle

Contact with Blair Enns:

https://twitter.com/blairenns

https://www.winwithoutpitching.com/

https://www.linkedin.com/in/blairenns/

Win Without Pitching Manifesto

Pricing Creativity