Administration
This is often the part of business artists like least but we’ve all got to do it. When a potential client contacts you, how long does it take you to reply?
If someone contacts you on the phone, do you keep a record of the conversation? Are your invoices printed or just a scribble on a scrap of paper when you’re asked for an invoice?
Does your stationery include your company logo? What about your insurance, do you let your clients know what your insurance covers? Do you even have insurance?
Invest in your business if you want to gain more clients. Stationery can be professionally printed or it’s easy to use one of the free online tools to produce letterheads and invoices. Business cards can be created online and printed for just a few bucks. This will make you look like a professional business, not some dude working out of his mom’s garage, even if that is how you’re starting out.
Preparation
When you attend an event, are you bringing clean equipment? Do you have the right equipment for that particular event? How are you planning to transport your equipment? Have you confirmed all the details with the client as the date of the event nears?
Of course, it looks more professional if you arrive at an event with gleaming chrome airbrushes and clean equipment. It tells the client you look after your equipment and take your business seriously.
Read my post How to build business brand awareness with promotional gifts to find out why using paint pens, rather than airbrushes, was the solution to a problem for a company event.
Appearance
Whether it’s a company event, birthday or bar mitzvah, no client wants someone who looks like they slept in their clothes or needs a shower, turning up to their event.
We need to look clean and professional while still being comfortably dressed. Shirts with your logo and company name provides you with free publicity and makes your artists look like a team. If you can’t afford shirts with printed or embroidered logos just buy some conference name tags, print names and airbrush your logo.