Clients: You can't act like you want all their money (even if you do).

Just to be clear:  I do not have my own business, clients, or huge knowledge base about either of the two. That was not a disclaimer, but I do pride myself in looking at things logically but with an understanding of human nature.  I like to think after four years, as many of my fellow Advertising and Communication majors, that I have the ability to connect with people through many mediums of communication, and convince them that they need whatever I am selling.

As the end of college career nears, I have given thought to the eventual factor that working with clients may be in the near future.  Using the concept of web advertising or design as a basis, I researched and found an article about attracting, keeping, and the overall etiquette of working with a client when it comes to working on the web.

According to an article written by Lior Levin, a business entrepreneur, there are 3 ways to attract not just clients, but higher quality clients, the ones that will benefit you the most.  Levin acknowledges that in any business, especially in the creative web design field, there are many times a client is not willing to pay enough or does not appreciate the quality of work that has been provided.  Far too often these type of "low quality" clients can cause a creative to end up in an undesirable position, leaving both the client and the designer dissatisfied, and can ruin a reputation very easily.

Even for someone who has had zero experience working with clients of their own (such as myself), realizing that these "low quality" types of clients will always be around is just as important as knowing that there are ways to attract "high quality" clients.  Your name might not be well known, your reputation might not have even gotten off the ground, but just the attitude (without being pompous) that even you deserve a quality client may set off your career in the right way.  Granted that you are capable of delivering a high quality website or advertisement yourself, you can project your self-confidence towards a satisfying career, according to the article.

Levin's 3 tips to orient yourself towards high quality clients:

1.  "Know your worth":  "High quality clients want high quality designers," know that you can deliver if you insist on a price you think your work is worth.
2.  "Be flexible but not bendable":  Some clients will let you use your creative abilities and let you go on a project, while others will attempt to micromanage.  Either way, it is important to keep the client within your own boundaries and make sure they understand your own creative process.
3.  "Offer services clients really want":  Take the time to get a feel for the market through research.  See what clients are looking for, and make yourself an expert at it.  The more you can offer your client, the more high quality you will appear.

It may seem a bit premature to be thinking about clients, yet its never too early to imagine yourself in the position of exactly where you want to be.  If you see yourself as a top designer, you have to start by building your client base.  Besides making the initial contact or connection, researching and knowing just how clients tick when you want to produce your best work for them is never too far off in the future.