Once a company makes a decision to consult with hire an outside design firm in order to help with marketing functions, it is important to go into that process with serious and targeted questions. Similar to an individual employee hiring process, you will want to carefully screen and interview design firm candidates to ensure what they promise matches your unique expectations.
When going through this process, consider the questions listed below. Careful consideration beforehand can help you screen candidates and decide upon the best possible match.
- How does the design firm price its services? Is it a flat fee for each individual project or do you receive a certain amount of time spent on projects for a monthly fee? How do they bill for extra work that falls outside the original scope of the project discussed?
- What kind of clients do they typically do business with? What kind of tangible and quantifiable results have been achieved for those clients? Are they willing and open to provide a list of clients along with contact information for you to review?
- What kind of vibe do you get when talking to potential design firms? Do they seem adequately staffed? Do they come across as experienced, trustworthy and passionate about what they do? How many years have they been in business?
- Do you have a straight line of communication to the firm’s leaders, or must you work through intermediaries like account managers?
- How quickly do they respond to your needs and questions? Do they seem eager and willing to communicate with you?
These are just a few of the questions you should ponder when considering hiring an outside design firm. The unique needs and desires of every company will differ. However, the potential screening process for acquiring the services of a design firm are similar. Pondering these questions now could help you save time, money and headaches in the future.