Did you know that the City of San Diego now has managed competition — allowing outside companies to compete with City departments such as the Data Processing Corporation for city technology projects? I produced proposals and presentations for a government construction contractor which so far in 2009 have won four contracts amounting to $3.75 billion in contract awards. That is a chunk of change. Perhaps if Data Processing Corporation needs to compete with private companies for parts of the City of San Diego’s technology services, they will have to prepare similar presentations and proposals which have not been required of them in the past. I would like an introduction to the director in a government office who might need my services in submitting well-designed proposals for government projects.

Word of the day: nota bene. You’re not likely to get anyone’s attention by spouting this line, unless you’re in Latin class. On the other hand, its abbreviation in writing, N.B., is pretty dependable as a way of directing readers’ attention. The original means “note well!” For the graphically inclined, ? also does the trick.

Word of the Day supplied by visualthesaurus.com.

Networking with potential clients or people who could potentially refer you to clients is an art. It is nuanced by various techniques which can work well or ruin your chances of ever getting work in this way.

One way to ruin your chances of getting a business referral is to approach a stranger, and hand him three or four of your business cards, and ask this person to give them to his best clients. This is the surest way  to strike out.

The reason is that you have to go through a three step process in building relationships. It is call the V-C-P process, where step one is becoming “visible,” or known. The second step is building “credibility” with other people by showing them over time that you do what you say you do. And the third step, “profitability,” will follow when the people who you have met and built credibility with feel good enough about you to refer you to their most valuable clients.

When an unknown person hands someone else his card, he hasn’t even gotten to “visibility” (V), yet. He isn’t even a known business person yet. After people have seen him around, seen his advertising, her people talk about him, then he becomes known. But he isn’t trusted yet. That comes with more time, and perhaps several transactions, before he builds “credibility” (C).

A better tact in a networking situation is to introduce yourself, tell people how you help your clients, and ask if there is anything you can do for them. This is a better step in the right direction in the V-C-P process.

Jim Hance Graphic Communications has launched a new Website at graphicdesignersandiego.com.

I will continue to maintain this site at wowpromotions.com, but decided to purchase other domain names which have the term “graphic design” in them for search engine purposes. “Wow Promotions” was not intended to be the name of my company, but rather a way of differentiating my services as being “promotional” and “exciting.”  I chose to ignore another association: cheap promotional items. In my own mind, and I suspect in other people’s minds, promotional items is what “wow promotions” more closely represents.

My new site is only four pages long at this time, but embraces the types of projects I am looking for: copywriting, print design, Web and email design, and presentations. The text is intended to be fun and whimsical, yet very much about my work and perspective as a graphic designer.

I hope you will give me a visit, and share your opinion.