Art Handling Process for Brokers and Outside Sales?

[tse1990]

Hey all - not sure if this is the best place to start this thread?

We've been having problems with our outside sales person (recently turned broker) communicating their customer's needs effectively to our art department.

Lots of vague terminology and non specific instructions leading to multiple revisions on almost every job they give us. This wasn't a problem (for them) until we began enforcing our art service fees and their invoices started piling up.

We've already come up with a few solutions to improve the process but I wanted to see what other shops do and what works for them. Most of the jobs they send us require art services, no pre-made .eps logos from their customers.

Currently, the broker finds a customer, discusses the order, conveys that information to our account manager, then that information gets passed along to our art department. Then all the way back the other direction.

Thanks in advance!

[Frog]

A starting point may be to educate your sales person with some aids. Examples of jobs, listing the processes and services that you guys provided, and their cost.
This, of course, will only help him get close to "ballpark" pricing, but may reduce the sticker shock that could result from really bad initial estimates.

[Sbrem]

Simple, don't let the sales person estimate art costs if they aren't familiar with the process. I can estimate it, my partner and artist can, our production manager even has a good feel for it, but most sales people don't seem to get it. I have contract customers that have been told that jpegs are no good since jpegs were invented, and they still sends them asking if they are OK, as though something has changed...

Steve

[Homer]

Simple, don't let the sales person estimate art costs if they aren't familiar with the process. I can estimate it, my partner and artist can, our production manager even has a good feel for it, but most sales people don't seem to get it. I have contract customers that have been told that jpegs are no good since jpegs were invented, and they still sends them asking if they are OK, as though something has changed...

Steve

....or they take that jpg and paste it in illustrator, send it as an eps file.....LOOK! It's and EPS!..............just like you asked for, what art these art fees you speak of?

[im_mcguire]

Simple, don't let the sales person estimate art costs if they aren't familiar with the process. I can estimate it, my partner and artist can, our production manager even has a good feel for it, but most sales people don't seem to get it. I have contract customers that have been told that jpegs are no good since jpegs were invented, and they still sends them asking if they are OK, as though something has changed...

Steve

....or they take that jpg and paste it in illustrator, send it as an eps file.....LOOK! It's and EPS!..............just like you asked for, what art these art fees you speak of?

Wait... I though only my clients did that?
HAHA!!!

[Sbrem]

Simple, don't let the sales person estimate art costs if they aren't familiar with the process. I can estimate it, my partner and artist can, our production manager even has a good feel for it, but most sales people don't seem to get it. I have contract customers that have been told that jpegs are no good since jpegs were invented, and they still sends them asking if they are OK, as though something has changed...

Steve

....or they take that jpg and paste it in illustrator, send it as an eps file.....LOOK! It's and EPS!..............just like you asked for, what art these art fees you speak of?

Wait... I though only my clients did that?
HAHA!!!

I got 3 "illustrator" files just yesterday. I take close up screen captures and ask them if that's what they really want...

steve

[Maff]

Simple, don't let the sales person estimate art costs if they aren't familiar with the process. I can estimate it, my partner and artist can, our production manager even has a good feel for it, but most sales people don't seem to get it. I have contract customers that have been told that jpegs are no good since jpegs were invented, and they still sends them asking if they are OK, as though something has changed...

Steve

....or they take that jpg and paste it in illustrator, send it as an eps file.....LOOK! It's and EPS!..............just like you asked for, what art these art fees you speak of?

Wait... I though only my clients did that?
HAHA!!!

Oh yeah the sneaky jpeg inside illustrator... I've been getting a bunch of those lately. I'm starting to ask for straight up Vector or high res Raster and if they don't understand than at least I know what I'm dealing with ...

When customers come to us with vague ideas we try to send them back some quick questions to narrow it down or ask them to send us a few examples this way we don't spend too much time upfront going in the wrong direction with fresh art work. Sometimes it's unavoidable, they change their mind or see something different and want to change ideas, but we try to avoid it upfront if at all possible

[merchmonster]

Haha this is my favorite

Simple, don't let the sales person estimate art costs if they aren't familiar with the process. I can estimate it, my partner and artist can, our production manager even has a good feel for it, but most sales people don't seem to get it. I have contract customers that have been told that jpegs are no good since jpegs were invented, and they still sends them asking if they are OK, as though something has changed...

Steve

....or they take that jpg and paste it in illustrator, send it as an eps file.....LOOK! It's and EPS!..............just like you asked for, what art these art fees you speak of?

[Command-Z]

What I do as a freelance artist is provide the client with a rough sketch or comp of their art before committing to final art. Let them make revisions to the layout and type in the early stages of the design process. A simple greyscale comp, and if illustration is involved, a quick sketch to indicate what the final will look like. Allow one or two rounds of revision before fees are added and make sure the sales team understands and lets the client know the process.

This will give the client an opportunity to participate in the process and avoid costly changes after too much time has been spent in the art dept. You can even provide a few quick options showing different layouts and fonts. When a comp or sketch is approved, then start going into details with color ways, effects, and final illustrations. Don't commit to press-ready art until the client has signed off on it and understands the costs of revisions after a certain point.