[00:00:10.120] - Gordon
Hello.
[00:00:10.470] - Taylor
Hello.
[00:00:10.960] - Gordon
My name is Gordon from Drayson Design.
[00:00:12.820] - Taylor
And I'm Taylor from The Creative Tinker.
[00:00:15.190] - Gordon
And welcome to "This Week with Taylor and Gordon", a weekly podcast and vidcast where we talk about things that have been affecting our business in the last seven days. Another seven days. Can you believe it?
[00:00:26.920] - Taylor
Goes by so quickly.
[00:00:28.090] - Gordon
It does. And we've both got afflictions at the minute, Taylor's quite tired cos he's been up all night working. And I've got hay fever, so I've got tissues at the ready, so apologies if I sneeze. Hopefully you are all well and you find us once again on Facebook and YouTube if you are following live. So tell us, what have you been doing in the last seven days?
[00:00:52.270] - Taylor
So this week I have been working on my side projects that I am setting up and things like that and collaborating with people. So kind of finding people that I can work with on my side projects and letting them do the parts that they're best at.
[00:01:13.900] - Gordon
So you're basically bringing in people who are really good at something and getting them to do that part of your new project.
[00:01:20.590] - Taylor
Yeah.
[00:01:20.590] - Gordon
Perfect.
[00:01:21.670] - Taylor
And also I have been talking to people. I have Cafecito, which is kind of a weekly kind of coffee date type thing where I get matched with someone during the week and I get to chat with them and I've been talking to them about these side projects and getting feedback and kind of ideas and suggestions on the best way forward, things like that, and marketing.
[00:01:48.010] - Gordon
Well, that that sounds great. Excellent. So tell us a little bit more about the collaborating. What are you... I don't know if you want to tell us what it is you're doing or if you just want to tell us a little bit about how they're collaborating with you.
[00:02:02.980] - Taylor
Yes. So I'll tell you a bit about how I'm collaborating. It's kind of bringing in people for different areas and kind of using their skills to build this product. And hopefully that it means that it takes a lot of the stuff that I need to do away. And so it can kind of run for itself and it doesn't always rely on me, but still bring in...
[00:02:27.220] - Gordon
And that way you can work on the things you're really good at.
[00:02:30.310] - Taylor
Yeah.
[00:02:30.640] - Gordon
And other people will be working on the things that they're really good at.
[00:02:33.640] - Taylor
Yeah, and it's a way to kind of, get not only just my view and my opinion on things, I get other people's views on it. So it works really well because I kind of sometimes miss things. If I you know, if I don't have someone else to look at it.
[00:02:48.820] - Gordon
So can I ask you, what do you think your your, not skills. What your, what are you really good at? That's not a very good way of doing it. What are your... It'll come to me in the middle of this.
[00:03:03.900] - Taylor
Qualities
[00:03:03.900] - Gordon
Yes, but no. Yeah, what what is it you feel you're really good at, and what is it you feel you're not so good at?
[00:03:13.290] - Taylor
So I'm, I think really good at logical thinking and finding the best solution for the situation. So clients come to me and they say, this is what I want to do, and then I kind of have to interpret that and go, okay, so what's the best solution based on everything that's out there? Because there are lots and lots of different things out there; products, plugins and lots of different routes you can take, and kind of find the best route within the client's budget. And if it's not in their budget, then looking at kind of what you should do. So, yeah, I'm showing them the value that they they will get from it. And why the solution I've decided to go with is the best option or trying to come up with a solution that kind of downscales a bit and meets the requirements.
[00:04:00.780] - Gordon
OK, and anything you feel that you're not so good at?
[00:04:04.680] - Taylor
I think I, I enjoy being creative and I enjoyed the design, designing and things like that. However, when you do a lot of designing, you kind of, you can hit a kind of roadblock, I guess, with all your designs becoming the same.
[00:04:20.860] - Gordon
OK.
[00:04:21.240] - Taylor
So I'm kind of, for some projects that either have a bit of a bigger budget or they, you know, they want something completely out there and different to my style, maybe bringing in someone that just gives me a bit of an idea and a start on...
[00:04:35.640] - Gordon
Has a different style to you, that suits the customer.
[00:04:38.100] - Taylor
Yeah. That will be able to help me. I'm very good at taking a design or initial concept and kind of expanding on that. But it's the initial concept that I sometimes struggle with, especially if it's not my style, that is kind of needed. So I kind of I look to people that I have connections with and say, you know, can you give me some inspiration and kind of give me a starting, from which I can build upon. And I don't think there's anything wrong with that, because if you look at pretty much anyone's designs, whether that be their branding, their, their app or whatever, it's always going to be based on some sort of previous initial design from someone else. A lot of designs are taken from inspiration, from other things but have evolved and changed and things like that. And that's kind of how design works, really. You know, when you say to a client, "what do you want it to look like?" They normally give you examples of websites and you follow that type of style.
[00:05:39.450] - Gordon
Yeah.
[00:05:39.930] - Taylor
And that gives you an idea of how you go about the design, you don't kind of, kind of aimlessly draw on a canvas, I guess.
[00:05:47.100] - Gordon
Yep.
[00:05:47.790] - Taylor
So every kind of design is always a kind of another different version of an existing design.
[00:05:53.910] - Gordon
And do you find collaboration is a really important part of your business?
[00:05:57.630] - Taylor
It is. Especially if you want to grow your business, because with kind of being self employed and being the only person in my company, I find that sometimes I am limited by time and by bringing in someone else to help, that kind of gets you to a point where you can start expanding and you're not just relying on the hours that you have in the day because obviously you have more people working.
[00:06:24.270] - Gordon
So something you said there was really important, working for yourself and working alone does have the advantage that you can bring people into specific projects as and when you need them. So if you need someone to do SEO or copywriting or, you know, the initial design, you can do that on a, or a coder, you can do that on a per project basis, which is great because it means that you haven't got to have all these people on staff. And it also means that you can bring in the people you think will give the right design that you want, so it doesn't have to be the same person every time.
[00:06:59.880] - Gordon
Yeah, same with kind of copywriting, I guess, as well. You've got different types of copywriting that people do. You've got people that would do kind of magazine articles, but then that's completely different to someone that does website articles. And so bringing in the right person for the right job is always the best option rather than trying to have the same person do every single type of job.
[00:07:21.270] - Gordon
Yeah I agree, very good. So something I'd like to talk about is something that I've been doing over the last seven days, and that is, I have, now I've finished my Pip Kennedy website, I've been creating a booklet. This is a promotional booklet that I'm going to be giving out to my customers, to my customers' guests, using it as an up sell, giving it extra value. And it looks like this this, is my mock up. For those on the podcast, you might want to grab your computer or your phone and look up this episode so you can see what it looks like, but it's "amazing card tricks you can do." And this is a product that I actually purchased, so I purchased the design as it is, and I've changed it and edited it so that it's now personalised and customised to me. And it basically goes through and teaches four card tricks and how you do them; it's a little booklet, as you can see and the back has been quite heavily customised, and as well as getting the artwork and permission to reprint it and edit it, you also get some videos. So I've also created some videos on my website that you can go and watch, and that will teach you how to do the magic tricks through the visual medium if you're a visual person rather than a reader. And these have now been sent to the printer. I have other booklets that I give out at other places. So this will be the third one that I have now. And they are being printed and folded. Really important. The amount of time it takes to fold these up. I'm having a thousand done. So the amount of time it takes for me to fold a thousand is just not worth the extra money that it costs to get them pre-folded before they get sent to me. So they are going to be printed and folded onto glossy paper, 170 gram, so it's going to feel quite premium. And I will then have a thousand of those, which I can give out to my customers at events and to people who say to me, you know, can you show me how to do a trick? And I can say, "yes, of course," give it out as a publicity item. And it's really important, because it's got my details on the back, it's promoting my business and it's a way to bring in enquiries basically.
[00:09:54.340] - Taylor
So it's like a freebie, I guess, that you kind of give away, so what other types of freebie things could you give away in other industries could you think of then?
[00:10:01.870] - Gordon
So, really good idea.
[00:10:04.180] - Taylor
Other than kind of booklets?
[00:10:05.740] - Gordon
So a lot of people use stationery, so things like pencils and pens with their details on the side. Other companies use sort of stress balls, that's one thing that a lot of people use. My thinking on this is always to give away something that is going to be of interest to the people who are looking for your services. So people who are interested in magic would be interested in this booklet and therefore interested in having magic at an event that they're going to run.
[00:10:39.040] - Taylor
OK.
[00:10:39.700] - Gordon
I always think that giving pens out, I did do pens at one point. I have some branded pens, but the people who wanted the branded pens are people who want stuff, free stuff. They're not necessarily the people who are going to want your services.
[00:10:58.450] - Taylor
So where would a pen be applicable then? When do you think they're good, maybe a stationery shop?
[00:11:05.350] - Gordon
Stationery shop.
[00:11:06.970] - Taylor
At a big event? So..
[00:11:09.010] - Gordon
Yeah, if you're a stationer then definitely pens, papers, rules,
[00:11:13.810] - Taylor
What other types of things?
[00:11:15.810] - Gordon
So, I always highly recommend giving out information. So having, it's a little bit like on a website, if you want to generate a lead, then give something of value to that customer. So if you're, for example, a plumber, give out some information on how to fix a leaky tap. OK? Now the chances are that even when people read how to do it, they're not necessarily going to want to do it themselves. But because that plumber has given away that information for free, they've become an expert. They've become somebody who is in the know, has the knowledge, and you are more likely to go to that person and say, "look, I got your giveaway, I've read how to do it. I can't do it myself. I now know I can't do it myself because I read your information. Could you come and fix my leaky tap for me?"
[00:12:09.700] - Taylor
They also understand the skills that are required as well, some people don't realise the amount of time that goes into someone's profession. And, you know, you get in lots of people in different industries that try and do it themselves and sometimes they don't realise how, you know, how much knowledge that someone actually brings to the table. You know, for example, graphic designer that does the logo. People think, 'oh, it only takes you an hour, so you should only charge me an hour.' But it's not about how long it takes you.
[00:12:37.630] - Gordon
Yes.
[00:12:38.890] - Taylor
It's about having the knowhow, being able to use the tools, being able to be creative, to come up with the ideas. And that is what you pay for, you know, same with kind of a mechanic or something. If he came and just twisted a bolt and he says, yep, that's you know...
[00:12:53.260] - Gordon
So that is a really famous story. The story is about a plumber, funnily enough. And this person rings him up and says, I've got a bit of a problem with my plumbing, it's making a horrible sound. Can you come and have a look at it? And he comes and has a look at it and he sort of hears the sound and he goes to the pipe work. He gets out his hammer, he gives a little tap, and all of a sudden the sound is gone. And he says the customer's over the moon. This is great news. And he says, yeah, that's fine. I'll let you have my invoice. And he gives him an invoice for £100. It's like £100? All you did was you tapped it with a hammer. He said, yeah, yeah, the tapping it with the hammer and the call-out was ten pounds, knowing where to tap it, 90 pounds. So having the knowledge and the the fact that he's gone to college and university and wherever it is he's been to learn everything that he needs to know about his profession, to allow him to come in, diagnose the problem, fix the problem really quickly is what he's charging for. And that's a really famous story.
[00:14:02.160] - Taylor
Yeah. And it kind of goes hand in hand with why people create blog posts because they want to be seen as the
[00:14:09.960] - Gordon
the expert in their field. Yeah, yeah.
[00:14:11.790] - Taylor
People love free stuff, as we know. And, you know, if you're giving away free information, then you obviously know what you're talking about.
[00:14:20.250] - Gordon
Yeah.
[00:14:20.760] - Taylor
And that's why people will trust you. So if you give away some sort of free information, then, you know, you're seen as the expert and you know what you're talking about.
[00:14:30.390] - Gordon
And I think going back to your original question, what should other people give away? I think it should be something along those lines. So, you know, it may be that if you have, if you, let's stick with the plumbing, if you are a plumber, then maybe you could have a spanner with your details on it. I mean, that would be quite cool.
[00:14:51.550] - Taylor
Or some sealant maybe, like little bottles of sealant like you get in a hotel, maybe that people sometimes.
[00:14:58.416] - Gordon
You get sealant in a little bottle in a hotel?
[00:14:58.920] - Taylor
No, no. But a type, a small like, a small little bottle that people can...
[00:15:02.760] - Gordon
Someone saving money on shampoo, they're putting sealant in instead. You end up with your fingers in your hair stuck there with silicon. I understand what you're saying. Yes. Little sample pots.
[00:15:14.010] - Taylor
Yeah.
[00:15:14.550] - Gordon
Yeah. Yeah, exactly. And then you are likely to be remembered by that person when they use that product.
[00:15:23.790] - Taylor
I know we've got a lot of products in our house that have been freebies that we use and then you end up using it and then go, oh, I need more of that.
[00:15:31.590] - Gordon
And where is the information that you need to get the expert in? On the product that you were just using to try and fix the problem that you realise now you can't, because you haven't got the knowledge.
[00:15:42.250] - Taylor
Yeah.
[00:15:42.840] - Gordon
Perfect, perfect way of doing it. But it's great for lead generation, as I mentioned earlier, for giving away like a PDF on your website in exchange for an email address, which is really good because you can then...
[00:15:54.990] - Taylor
They do that for ebooks, don't they?
[00:15:56.460] - Gordon
Yeah,
[00:15:57.000] - Taylor
They offer a free kind of lead generator, which they've written that they just share in the hopes that you'll read it and then end up hiring their services.
[00:16:05.220] - Gordon
And that's just it, it's a lead generation. So it may not come to anything, but the chances are that if people are really interested in what it is you do, they're going to be interested in your giveaway and they're going to come back to you and at some point in the future will purchase your services, your product, whatever it is you do. So, yeah, that's a really, really good way of doing it. But my advice from first hand experience is stay away from pens with your details on.
[00:16:35.540] - Taylor
It needs to be of value.
[00:16:36.300] - Gordon
Yeah. Give something away that's of value to them.
[00:16:39.600] - Taylor
And specific to you.
[00:16:41.400] - Gordon
Yeah. So in my case, I am giving away the secrets of four, you know, they're pretty simple card tricks. They're sort of card tricks that you would learn as a beginner. But that's the whole point. It's somebody who is interested in magic that doesn't have any knowledge on it yet. This is a perfect place to start out. And, you know, once they get bitten by the bug of learning how to do magic, they might want magic lessons, which I can do. They might want a workshop for, you know, a scouting group. They might want me to come to an event and do magic for them. It's all lead generation. And it costs me very little to do this. You know, in this case, I purchased it. I could have, if I'd wanted to, come up with it all myself, written it, got someone to draw the illustrations. Someone had already done that work for me. I didn't need to. It was cost effective for me to do that and then just personalise it. No one is going to be able to give this away. No other magician is going to be to give it away because it's got my details all over it, and it will be hopefully kept, put on the fridge maybe, put somewhere safe so that when they need my services, it's going to be easily available to hand.
[00:17:57.300] - Taylor
Very Good.
[00:17:57.300] - Gordon
Yeah. So I think that's everything from me.
[00:17:59.880] - Taylor
Yeah, same with me as well.
[00:18:01.310] - Gordon
So thank you for joining us. If you've joined us live, please leave comments below and we'd love to hear what you think about it. What business are you in? What do you think would be a good giveaway for your business? Leave a comment. Let us know. We'd love to hear about it. As always, we can be found on YouTube and on Facebook, please like, share, and subscribe.
[00:18:23.900] - Taylor
And you can also go to our website thisweekwith.co.uk, which has all of the past episodes on it. And you can filter and search by any of it. And if you are watching via podcast the audio, then you may want to have a quick look and skim through the video version just to see and have a look at the graphic that Gordon was showing.
[00:18:44.990] - Gordon
Yeah, because it's really quite good. So that is it, we'll see you next week at 1pm when we're going live, or catch up during the week. Until then, my name's Gordon from Drayson Design.
[00:18:57.050] - Gordon
And I'm Taylor from The Creative Tinker.
[00:18:59.840] - Gordon
Goodbye.
[00:19:00.880] - Taylor
Bye.
