Your Competition Is NOT Who You Think It Is

By Jeanna Pool
Founder & President of the Freelance Design Marketing Association

As freelance graphic designers or web designers, competition seems to be all around us.

If others “do what we do” and “offer what we offer.” How do you compete? How do you get more clients? How do you leave your competition in the dust. Yes, competing with other designers in your industry can be a challenge at times.

But…

This is not the competition I am speaking of. In fact, your competition is NOT who you think it is. Your competition is NOT the thousands of others in your industry or the hundreds of others located in the same area of town in which you work. Nope.

Your competition is something you may not have even thought of. In fact, your competition may be eating your lunch and costing you thousands of dollars and you don’t even realize it!

Who is this competition you say…your competition is YOU.

Surprised?

There are way too many designers out there who would be so much more successful if they would just get out of their own way. They’re holding themselves back and they’re hindering their business from growing. They blame the economy, they blame clients, they blame competition, when really they should blamed themselves.

How about you? Are you your own worse competition?

Here are some things to think about…

Your competition is your head and how you think about your services. Do you really value what you do? Do you really believe you can change people’s lives with what you do? Do you really believe that you’re an expert in your field?

If so, do you charge what you’re worth? Or do you think, “I can’t charge as much, because I’m new…” or “Who am I to charge that for a logo?” or “There’s no way my clients could ever afford that amount…” or “Other designers charge this, so I have to as well.” And whatever other excuse you have in your head.

If you don’t value your services enough to charge what you’re worth, and if you don’t believe in yourself…then you’re struggling with “head trash” around the services you provide and how you think about what you do…that’s competition. And the competition is you.

Your competition is how you describe what you do. When someone asks you, “What do you do?” Do you answer in a way that gets that person interested and excited in your design services and want to know more?

Or do they look at you with a blank stare and move on to another subject? If you cannot describe what you do in such crystal clear, attractive way, that makes prospects beg you to tell them more…then you have competition. And the competition is you.

Your competition is your fear of getting out there and marketing yourself. Do you get out there on a regular basis and market yourself? By regular, I mean at least weekly (several days a week is better)…do you get the word out about your services or do you hide in your office and just hope and pray that clients come?

If you’re afraid to market yourself, don’t know how to market yourself and you don’t regularly get out there and spread the word about what you do…then you have competition. And the competition is you.

Your competition is your hesitation or unwillingness to invest in your business. The fact is, you must spend money to make money. You have to invest in your business. If you don’t it will not grow. I am not talking about investing in computer equipment, fonts and software (obviously as designers we must have these items), I am talking about investing in learning what really works for marketing your services successfully.

If you live by limiting money beliefs such as: “I have no money…” or “I have no budget…” or “I can’t afford to spend that…” then you have competition. And the competition is you.

Do any of these descriptions sound familiar?

If so, I hope you can see the big problem…YOU are more of your competition than the 1,000’s of other freelance designers are. YOU are more of your competition than the economy is. YOU are more of your competition than anything else in your freelance design business. You may be holding yourself back more than you realize.

The good news is, there is a solution…

The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem. So, Step 1 is to admit that YOU may be hindering your own success. YOU may be your biggest and worse competition. Step 2 is to get help. No one succeeds alone. You need to surround yourself with the resources that can fix problem.

A great place to start is with the Freelance Design Marketing Association…the FIRST and ONLY association of its kind, dedicated to teaching freelance graphic designers and web designers how to market their services successfully, attract clients consistently and build the income and business of their dreams.

When you become a member, we’ll ensure that you are no longer your competition and that you no longer hinder your own success. Because we take you by the hand and teach you exactly what-to-do and how-to-do-it for marketing your design business the right way and the way that gets results. Click here for more info.

If you realize YOU are your competition, the time to change things is now.