Death of the Generalist
Simply Put: The days of presenting your many do-all talents to qualified clients has passed. Where once your multi-facet talent presented greater opportunity, it has; unbeknown to you, undermined your bottom line. Your financial value.
Expanded On: “If you can do all that, it must be easy and therefore cheap, right?”
While no one prospective client has ever said that verbatim, when particulars of production and their costs come up for review, clients may over simplify the tasks that need to be done.
Red flag Key phrases that imbue the conversation are as noted. Easy for you, right? - should be no problem for you - pretty straight forward - computers can do anything these days. Years ago (try 1999) statements like that were actually complimentary. There was a genuine appreciation for someone who could maintain a number of technical skills and provide an expedient and respectful service.
You are your own Worst enemy
I admit I have done this. What have I done?
Instead of saying me, it’s WE. You represent or manage a group of technicians/designers/artists. Something about multiples of people working on a project raises a notable fiscal shot across the bow for some clients. You’ll know what you are dealing with if costs become a more up front discussion.
The counter statement is “This is not a one man show on the cheap, but a group of talents that adds up.”
Although it’s not good idea to sway a client away from your service, I can say without reservation it has most likely eliminated cheap and problematic clients in before too much time is invested from both sides.
This isn’t Kansas anymore
If you’ve been working freelance or as a service in any digital medium for any number of years, your personal valuation of skills and value over time, at times feels like like they are on shifty scales. Technology can be a wicked undermine as well as effective enabler. Knowing when to align oneself with other talents can make your future prospects that much better.
