You’re a freelance graphic designer making it happen in the real world. Either full-time or moonlighting, my hat’s off to you for kicking it solo. But we both know that independence can take awhile to establish, and it comes with a price. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

• You want consistent money coming in. Who doesn’t? 
• You’d like to get paid in full upfront. Sounds Great!
• You need to get paid for every hour you work. Amen to that.
• You want to turn single projects into an ongoing stream of work from each and every client. Hallelujah!
• You need to reduce your stress by managing those projects that seems to go on forever and ever. YES you can!

There’s a better way. Sell TimeBlocks.

Smart freelancers sell large blocks of time to their clients. You need to master the art of making the most of your client relationships, and selling TimeBlocks are one way to do it. This is why someone needed to write the designers ultimate guide to selling TimeBlocks. It’s time to wake up from the nightmare of committing too many hours to any given project. It time to reduce your stress, get more respect from your clients, and make more money from each client relationship doing what you love.

Just to be clear, my standard fixed fee agreements with my clients are based on no more than 3 rounds of client edits. But how hard is this to enforce? Think about it. Going back to the client in the middle of the job and asking for more money is NOT EASY. I would describe it as painful. I like to keep the peace, and be easy to work with. Selling blocks of time eliminates this potential pain and discomfort, for you and for your client.

1. LAND CLIENTS, NOT PROJECTS.

If you are living project to project, you are doing something wrong. TimeBlocks provide consistent revenue and inspire additional projects from existing clients – the holy grail of freelancing. The #1 goal for freelance designers is to convert projects into clients – #clientsnotprojects.

2. CLIENTS SEE THE VALUE OF YOUR TIME.

TimeBlocks inspire a client’s deeper understanding of your contribution. When your clients see the detail of your monthly reports they begin to better understand the time and commitment it takes to deliver high quality results.

3. ESTABLISH YOUR MINIMUM FEE.

You’ve spent years learning the Adobe Creative Suite. Something that takes you 15 minutes also includes the value of years learning how to execute that task efficiently, and so should be priced accordingly. We encapsulate all of the time we’ve invested into our craft with a minimum fee. My minimum fee for doing anything is 2x my standard hourly rate of $125. Your minimum will vary based on your own experience.  If the client has purchased discounted time blocks in advance they avoid the 2-hour minimum and actual work time is then tracked and recorded.

4. NEVER WORK FOR FREE.

Never again get stuck over-delivering for a client with an endless stream of client edits. No stressful phone call or meeting to request increasing the project’s budget. Tracking your time as you work ensures you’re never working for free, or diluting your hourly rate. It’s built in. Your ass is covered.

5. 100% PAYMENT IN ADVANCE.

You get paid 100% up front. The rate discount inherent in each block of time is substantial enough to compel clients to pay for the entire TimeBlock in advance. Clients love to receive discounts, this is an incentive to commit to a TimeBlock.

6. MINIMUM FEES SELL TIMEBLOCKS.

If an existing client comes to you for a few simple edits to their website or print project that would only take you 15 minutes to complete, by purchasing time blocks,  your client will avoid the 2 hour minimum fee as well as get priority placement in the work queue.

NOTE: When I am tracking time for a client that has already purchased a TimeBlock, I only record the actual time I invest in the work they are requesting, and the 2 hour minimum does not apply.

7. DISCOUNTS SELL TIMEBLOCKS.

Clients may select which block is best suited to their near term goals. With every hour tracked and logged, the more time a client invests, the greater the discount. I offer 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 40, and 50 hour blocks of time. On the larger blocks, clients can save almost 50% off my standard rates. When you factor in the projects that exceed 3 client revisions, you still make smarter money selling your time at a discount, because every hour is accounted for.

To see how I structure my own discounted fees purchase my Timeblock template files.

8. MONTHLY REPORTS SELL TIMEBLOCKS.

Accurately track your time and produce your monthly reports. Clients love to see how you spend your time as it validates their investment and delivers a sense of security. It also educates the client on the actual effort and time required by professional freelance designers.

1. DEEP DISCOUNTS

Clients receive the deepest rate discounts in exchange for their trust by purchasing a TimeBlock. For the largest blocks of time purchased, the savings approach 50% off standard rates. Savvy clients LOVE to save money.

2. PRIORITY SERVICE

Clients receive the very best service offered. Their emails and calls are placed on the top of your list. They need to know you drop what we’re doing and focus on their needs. Priority service is a great selling point.

3. FLEXIBILITY

TimeBlocks can be used for anything the clients need. Ok, not dog sitting or waxing their car, but you get the idea. Simple production work, design work and on up to high level Strategic advise, all one low cost rate.

4. LONG EXPIRATION DATE

The discounted pricing on consulting time lasts up to 12 months for clients to use anytime they want on anything they want. I have extended this to 18 months for some clients.

5. MONTHLY REPORTS

All TimeBlock hours are tracked, recorded, and reported each month. Clients see exactly how their investment is being utilized. This provides clients peace of mind to have this level of transparency.

The basic premise for offering TimeBlocks is that your clients need much more than that single project they initially hired you for. Below is the Process to selling blocks of consulting time to your clients.

1. THE FIRST MEETING – LISTENING.

During the first client meeting I spend much of the time listening, absorbing everything the client is saying. This is invaluable, as it brings you into their world and you can detect the real pain points they are experiencing.

Take notes on what the client is revealing about their situation. These pain points are what you use to later sell blocks of your time so you can be the solution to their pain.

2. THE FIRST PROJECT – ESTABLISH TRUST.

First things first. Focus in on what they initially want from you. Give them a standard fixed fee quote, write a proposal that protects your ass, get it signed, receive your deposit, then dive in deep to solve their problem.

The key here is to overwhelm the client with your creative prowess. Blow their minds with your visual solutions. Deliver ahead of deadline. They’ll be ripe for agreeing to a TimeBlock if you’ve served them well in this first engagement.

Establishing trust is clearly the first priority. Without trust you have no leverage to grow your client relationships. This is what the first project is for, an opportunity to establish your credibility and professionalism. Become as indispensable as possible by under-promising and over-delivering.

3. DEMEANOR: EXUDE CONFIDENCE.

As the initial project is wrapping up, this is the time to plant the seed of ongoing work in their heads. Reference how you look forward to a future ongoing relationship. This of course assumes they are a good fit for you, and  you’ve enjoyed your interactions with this client.

Remind them you have many other happy clients you’ve served. Mention how engaged you are in other client work, and how being busy is a ‘good problem to have’.

Clients know that if you’re busy, it’s for a reason. Additional trust is generated knowing you have other client commitments you’re maintaining.

You need to exude confidence. Move slowly and deliberately, give copious eye contact. Be subtle, but extremely comfortable and at ease. Make them believe you don’t need them, but you’re there for them if they wish to engage your consulting services and branding expertise in the future.

Like sharks detecting blood, clients can identify a small amount of desperation even from a great distance.

4. THE SECOND MEETING: VISUALIZING THE FUTURE.

Once your first project wraps successfully, call a meeting with your client, take them to a nice lunch. The first meeting was about listening to them. This meeting is about visualizing a larger future commitment.

Prior to this meeting brainstorm all of the things you can do to help your client achieve world domination. It’s up to you to communicate your full range of skills. Reiterate the pain points they have already identified so they know you understand their needs, and you’re here to help.

Explain to them you are there to continue elevating their brand presence. Name off a handful of projects you can do for them based on your initial meetings and interactions.

Communicate that your goal with clients is to establish long term relationships. This creates a familiarity with their business goals and translates into long term success for your clients.

5. THE TIMEBLOCK PITCH.

Explain briefly how TimeBlocks work, and communicate the top 5 client benefits listed above.

Let your client know you’ll be sending a follow-up email with a list of suggested future work.

At the end of the second meeting, go and write your list to include with the follow-up email. Ask them to review the list, add, remove and prioritize the items in the list. Once this list of future projects list is complete and prioritized, send them a TimeBlock proposal for their review using the TimeBlock documents I am making available.

If you’ve made a good pitch and established trust, clients that want to continue your relationship will be happy to purchase a TimeBlock from you. Some clients are more decisive than others. If they decline, reach out to them every 3 months. Remind them you’re available when they’re ready to pull the trigger.

TIP: Don’t be too eager, remember you are cool and confident. They need you more than you need them.

Once you’ve landed your first TimeBlock, you’ll need to know how to make the most of these files.

RATE CALCULATIONS & DISCOUNT STRUCTURE.

The key here is to make sure you don’t discount your rates too much. My highest standard rate of $125/hr. is what I use to calculate my 2 hour minimum fee of $250, this is without a TimeBlock in place. You’ll see in the documents the discounted rates I use in my TimeBlocks never go above $85/hr, so the client always sees a substantial savings from my standard rate of $125/hr.

Your rate calculations will vary based on your experience and your past history with each client, of course. You’ll be able to edit files you receive from the TimeBlock template files accordingly.

Here are some articles to help you determine your rates:

• Nine Factors to Consider When Determining your Price
• How Much to Charge for Design Work
• AIGA Designer Salaries
• 12 Realities of Pricing Design Services

TIME TRACKING & MONTHLY REPORTS.

Consistently tracking your time is critical. How do lawyers do it? They track in 1/4 hour increments. When you track time, capture everything: all design work, all production work, all communication, phone calls and emails, everything gets documented.

A 10 minute phone call is rounded up to a 1/4 hour tracked and logged. And when you reach version 11 on the postcard you’re designing, you’re no longer stressed about the potential loss of revenue if you were on a fixed fee arrangement. Under TimeBlocks all of this time spent is tracked and paid for in advance.

See sample below of how I describe my time spent on a given project. I do it manually using digital sticky notes.

JULY Timetracking

6/26 – New LOGO Design Round 2:  2 hrs.
6/27 – New LOGO Design Round 2A & 2B:  2.5 hrs.
6/28 – New LOGO Design Round 3, v.2:  10:30 – 1:30, 3:45 – 5:45, (5 hrs)
6/29 – New LOGO Design Round 3, v.3: 1.75 hrs., 8:00 – 10:00, (3.75 hrs)
7/1 – New LOGO Design Round 4, v.4: 3 hrs.
7/2 – New LOGO – finalizing – .5 hrs
7/5 – PHASE I work – Stationery Design v.1 – 2 hrs.
7/6 – PHASE I work – Stationery Design v.2 – 1.25 hrs.
7/7 – PHASE I work – Stationery Design v.3 – 1.25 hrs.
7/11 – New Logo – B-card edits & Tagline exploration – .75 hr.
7/12 – New Logo – B-card edits (colors) – 9:00 – 11:30 (2.5 hrs)

Want a more automated way to track your time? You can download a myriad of free timetracking applications. Here’s a list of 7 apps, some free and some paid, and here’s a list of 10 more.

TimeBlocks make the most of your Client Relationships.

As mentioned above, it is very likely that your clients need more branding work than what they are in fact requesting from you currently. By being proactive and envisioning what other projects they may anticipate needing, you can increase your income by offering blocks of consulting time.

You extend the relationship and help your clients achieve world domination at the same time. Note: this of course assumes you have impressed them thus far. Otherwise the trust is not there, and you’re wasting your time attempting to sell blocks of time. Keeping it real.

Now get out there and make the most of every client relationship you have. You owe it to them, and you owe it to yourself as a rockstar creative freelancer to maximize every opportunity.

Share your experience with TimeBlocks

Once you start using the TimeBlock templates, please share you experiences so that others may be inspired to step it up and make smarter money.