I'm a Brand Consultant.... just a fancy way of saying that I'm a brand designer (plus a little bit more). If you're a young designer (or even a seasoned one), getting selected to create the brand logo is just the tip of the spear when it comes to getting paid. Every designer sweats "how much should I charge?" STOP IT.... and do your homework. Understand this... if you can be the one to create "the logo", you ARE the obvious answer to create just about everything else that's needed. Your price just went up by 5X. DON'T JUST DESIGN A LOGO. Create a Brandbook — and give them the vision of HOW to craft all of the other things they will need — letterhead, signage, sales lit, a website, social media... the list goes on and on. If you change the brand mark, you effect EVERYTHING! Do not take this job lightly. Don't let them take it lightly, either. That means you can get paid for the logo AND all of the rest of it, if you have the skills to coordinate and control these other elements. Don't have those skills yet? While you're working on that, connect yourself with a display company, a printer or an agency to help you stay connected to all of the work. The more you can do, the more you'll get to do and the hard part is over. You're the one who figured out how to push your design across all of these other elements. You're exactly the person to see that it turns out properly. SO HOW MUCH? Do not sheepishly ask, "How about $200?"* Try to read the room.... Ask for what you think it's actually worth. KNOW WHAT? Whatever you say, THAT IS WHAT IT'S NOW WORTH. Don't want to play your hand first, then do this (I do)... "You asked me 'how much' and I have to tell you, 'it depends on how involved I become... for some, as little as ($X) and others, around ($10X). Did you have a budget in mind?" (fill in your own blank with what you're comfortable saying — I already gave you mine ABOVE). Here's a re-framing thought to help you out: most businesses rent their property or store, right? How big is their space (and times it by a dollar). A simple storefront might be 2,500 sq. feet. They're paying AT LEAST $2,500/mo. A manufacturer with 50,000 sq.feet — about $50K/mo. Starting to see what they can afford?

I've made more pitches than I can count. I have learned to enjoy these, not dread them. How? By doing the work. Studying the client. Writing the brief. Revising the brief. Putting on a new hat. Attacking the problem from all sides. By the time we're ready to pitch an idea (or a batch of them), I know that I'm on a good path — just maybe not the best path. And that's OK. The client needs to see that your thinking is sound. You could sell it... and execution-ally still flub things. Stop worrying about what you can't control. Trust your process (or make a better process) so that you have confidence going in... the kind that says, "I can't wait for you to hear what I have to say."

Stop whining that you don't have anything good to show in your portfolio. If you don't like what you have because the clients or counterparts that you've worked with have: • no budget • no sense of humor • no vision Then create your own, for literally anyone. (See the cluster of ads below - all spec - why should I care?) As a CD, it's nice to know that you've done outstanding work, for real clients with real budgets on the line.... but if you had 5 really good spec ads that shows me: • how you think • how creative your are • how quick a reaction you can cause Then most likely, you'll get the promotion, the job, the gig... or at the very least, my attention. I've been known to pass on a talent, only to refer that person to someone I know.

Stolen from Skool's own Alex Hormozi... People decide if they’re going to watch your ad in the first 3 seconds. If the hook sucks, nothing else matters. Here’s the kicker: A strong hook can 2-3x the number of people who keep watching. Meaning you can 2-3x sales by changing 3 seconds of your ad. Not bad. Here’s my Hook Checklist: First Time Through: - Look at top-performing ads or content of other people - Isolate the hooks - Write down your favorite 50 - Use all of them in ads and content Every Time After: - Look at top 10% performers (top 5) - Make 70% of your next batch of ads using those top 5 hooks - Make 20% doing permutations of those hooks (think both visuals and words) - Make 10% completely different hooks (model what you did in “FIRST TIME THROUGH”) Good Hooks Contain: - Some way to catch their attention (call out) - Some implication of value if they consume it Create More Variety Using: - To make this easier for you/your team, I put the same example in each format. - Conditions: If you’re a chiropractor, this video will get you more leads. - Labels: Chiropractors I have a gift for you. _ _ _ _ HAVE YOUR OWN EXAMPLE OF A GREAT HOOK? Post below.

We're starting to grow again, and that's gratifying — "but for godsake", get 5 LIKES (post, comment, share - it's easy) so that you can get into all of the Classroom (and especially the INTERVIEWS). You can be entertained and LEARN some ad SECRETS from some of the VERY BEST CREATIVES in the business! 😳 It's in there! WATCH the TONY THE TIGER Kid's Casino TV SPOT by Ad Hall of Famer, Dave Henneken >