Market and sell designs or design services
Overview
This standard is about marketing and selling design work and design services and increasing the client base. This involves:
analysing market opportunities and making recommendations about how best to promote design services
preparing and presenting proposals and quotations and negotiating with clients or customers and closing sales
Clients may be individuals, organisations or departments either inside or outside the organisation for whom you are working.
Performance criteria
You must be able to:
*Make recommendations for marketing
*
- gather market information that is valid, reliable, current and relevant
- carry out an accurate analysis to highlight current and anticipated market trends and developments that may affect demand
- base your recommendations on an accurate evaluation of market conditions and the value and competitiveness of designs or design services
- provide feedback about recommended promotional methods to relevant people
**Prepare and present proposals and quotations
**
5. gather information about client's main requirements and priorities that is current and valid
6. include in proposals the conditions and constraints which are necessary to protect the interests of the design organisation
7. prepare proposals and quotations that are accurate, complete and meet client and organisational requirements
8. check that confidential information is protected in line with organisational procedures
9. prepare proposals and quotations which highlight the potential of designs or design services
10. present proposals and quotations in a way that can be understood and which promote good will
**Negotiate sales
**
11. confirm your understanding of client requirements is accurate
12. carry out an accurate comparison of the specific features of proposals against client requirements
13. check that clients fully understand your proposals
14. amend or offer new proposals within the limits of your own authority, when client requirements change
15. reach agreement on supply of designs or design services to the mutual satisfaction of both parties
16. prepare accurate records of agreements that conform to organisational, legal and regulatory requirements
17. communicate sales information to relevant people at appropriate stages in the negotiation
Knowledge and Understanding
You need to know and understand:
- the role of marketing in developing the client base for design services
- sources of valid and reliable information about the market for design services
- the benefits and disadvantages of public relations, advertising, direct marketing and personal selling
- the basis on which marketing and promotional decisions are made
- sources of information and advice about promotional methods and market research techniques
- the features and benefits of design services offered
- how to negotiate and communicate with clients in a manner that promotes goodwill and understanding
- ways to encourage clients to commit themselves to an agreement
- ways to communicate and record agreements
- the limits of own personal authority
- when it is appropriate to use proposals, quotations and estimates
- legal and regulatory requirements that affect proposals, quotations and estimates
- relevant organisational policies and procedures including pricing, terms of payment, deadlines, brief, design specification, proposals and house style
- ways to handle and store confidential information
- how to present proposals and quotations persuasively
- how time, financial, safety, quality, technical or legislative issues may affect proposals or quotations
- conditions or constraints which can be written into quotations and proposals
- the people who should be consulted in relation to proposals and quotations
- processes to follow to modify proposals