How can I make my clients take me seriously?

"The industry I grew up in had a mantra - always overdeliver. This served a few purposes. Most importantly, to keep clients happy and coming back. Secondly, to widen the client's horizon to the possibilities in every brief. Expanding the deliverables without being asked often unlocks more work. Thirdly, to demonstrate your creativity. We saw every brief as an opportunity to turn it into something bigger. Something you'd want to share."

"This was a time when budgets were bigger, relationships lasted longer, so investing that extra time into pushing the boundaries of the project was worthwhile. However, in your instance, I think it could be a brilliant way to show clients you're ready for more. If a brief is focussed on creating a report, show them exciting print techniques to elevate it. Activation ideas to launch the report at an event. Giveaways or merch to launch it. Social posts pulling out key statistics or quotes to drive people to read it."

"This will take extra work on your part, but it will help change your capabilities in your clients' eyes. It's much easier to convince them of your skillset with real examples. Like the old adage, asking for forgiveness rather than permission. You don't need to wait for them to trust you with bigger projects. You just need to educate them on what you can offer."

Always overdeliver to keep clients happy and returning while widening their view of what is possible within each brief. Expanding deliverables without being asked can unlock additional work and demonstrates creativity by treating every brief as an opportunity to make something bigger and more shareable. When budgets and relationships are longer, investing extra time to push project boundaries is worthwhile. Overdelivering can also signal readiness for more by elevating deliverables with relevant techniques, activation ideas, launch materials, and social content that drives engagement. The approach requires extra effort but builds credibility through real examples, helping clients understand capabilities without waiting for permission.

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