|
|
|
|
Testimonials
"I love the system. It has transformed my billing process from a hated, procrastinated task to something easy and efficient. Now I can actually collect all of that money I've been slaving to make!"
Leah McCloskey
LM Studio
|
|
|
|
"I wanted to take a moment to tell you how much I love TimeFox. The learning curve was next to zero, and I was able to start using TimeFox minutes after signing on. I transferred all jobs from our old software within the first week of use. Reporting is a breeze, and Time reports for payroll purposes takes a moment instead of a couple of hours; open job reports are done in an instant. Your company has truly developed a user-friendly product. I couldn't be happier with it. Thank you so much."
Toni
Machare & Associates, Inc.
|
|
|
|
"To say we are thrilled with the fox would be a great understatement. It has streamlined our production (especially our meetings) and we have gained great momentum since we started using it."
Dan Simrell
Dan Simrell Advertising
|
|
|
|
|
|
FunctionFox is committed to helping smaller creative companies improve their business. TimeFox, our web-based time and project-tracking software, helps smaller advertising, design, marketing and PR firms manage their business and do more with their valuable time.
Get Smart! This month, we've got all kinds of tips to help you work smarter. You'll learn how to:
- counter difficult client requests and maintain design integrity in our feature article;
- stop writing time-consuming proposals in a free 30-minute live Webinar with Blair Enns on July 24th, and;
- learn more about the newly released and highly popular TimeFox To-Do List.
|
|
|
|
|
Feature Article: How to Disarm 10 Difficult Client Observations/requests
FunctionFox Webinar Series: Proposals and Contracts: Getting to 'Yes'
TimeFox Tip: To-Do List
Advertising and Design News: Grow Your Design Career, June 19th Webinar
Creative Resources
Contact FunctionFox
|
|
|
|
|
How to Disarm 10 Difficult Client Observations/requests
by Eric Karjaluoto
Unveiling a solution is arguably the most harrowing aspect of the creative process. Here are some of the best responses we have to questions that can often derail an otherwise effective solution.
My neighbours don't like it.
I can appreciate you looking to friends for support on this project; however, it's often difficult for others to understand the needs of the project at this stage. If you really believe these parties' opinions to be valuable, we should involve them in the full process. Let's schedule a sit-down with any new stakeholders next week, so that we can review the brief, strategy and challenges with them, and see if they still hold the same perspectives.
We really liked your portfolio; can you make our project look more like what you did for Client X?
It's funny you ask that because we try to do the opposite. In our minds, we have to look at each client's needs individually, and deliver a solution that's uniquely theirs. It's funny that you mention Client X, as they were initially very unsure of the approach we took, and it has ultimately served them very well.
Let's not worry about what others are doing. I want the approach we deliver to be distinctly yours. Think of it as a new suit that you wouldn't have thought of trying on. We're pretty objective, and as such will help you find something that meets your needs. In time to come, you'll find that it fits you quite nicely.
Someone in accounting mocked-up a really neat idea for this.
We're happy to take a look at other ideas but sometimes doing so increases the overall time requirement, as we would need to answer more questions and increase the number of meetings. If you would like to do this, I can draft an addendum to the estimate to make a provision for this. Alternately, if budget is a key concern, I'd ask you to sit down with this individual and find out if there's a specific problem they are working to solve. This may save some billable time, and help crystallize the concerns in a fashion that will help us respond best.
It's a great start, but we need to add this, and this, and this...
I can understand your desire to not leave anything out, and it's a not an uncommon sentiment. At the beginning of the project, however, you noted that you really wanted to build something around your customers' needs. In my experience, the organizations that do this best focus on a few key items, and work to deliver them in the best way possible.
Adding more...
This article has been reprinted with permission from Eric Karjaluoto; It originally appeared on the blog:
www.ideasonideas.com.
Eric is a designer, business-person, and author of numerous articles on design. He is a founding partner at smashLAB, a strategic interactive agency located in Vancouver, Canada.
For more articles and resources, see
www.functionfox.com/resources.html.
|
|
|
|
|
Proposals and Contracts: Getting to 'Yes'
Presented By Blair Enns of Win Without Pitching
Thursday July 24th , 2008
4 PM Eastern | 1PM Pacific
Free 30 minute webinar with optional 15 minute Q+A following
This webinar discusses the final steps of the business development cycle and the tools employed to elicit the commitment that turns prospects into clients. We'll explore the common myths of getting to yes, and the endemic misuse of proposals, contracts and other poorly used tools that create barriers to buying. If you're tired of writing lengthy proposals that don't get acted on, or if you've ever had a new engagement die in the contract stage, then this webinar is for you.
July 2008
|
|
|
|
|
To-Do List
Part of
TimeFox Premier,
the To-Do list allows your team to see what actions have been specifically assigned to them.
You can see To-Do lists for All Clients, Projects, Tasks and Priorities in the shop, or use the filters to drill down to specific projects or clients.
Your team can track time directly from the To-Do List, using the handy timers.
The menu link will give you access to additional features such as the project blog and adding time directly to your timesheet.
Learn More
about how the TimeFox To-Do List can help you streamline your time and project management process.
|
|
|
|
|
Grow Your Design Career: June 19th Webinar
Planning Your Design Career
Thursday, June 19th 4pm EST/1pm PST (to match above calendar)
1 hour webinar
Presented by HOW and Jeni Herberger
You know you want to do great design work. But do you dream about owning your own firm someday? Do you want to learn more about business strategy? Are you interested in leading a team? Discover your career goals and learn how to chart the course of your dreams.
Back by popular demand, frequent HOW speaker Jeni Herberger is joining us to present a series of webinars this summer. If your design career could use a tune-up (especially if you're looking to make yourself indispensable in this uncertain economy),
sign up for HOW's Professional Growth Webinar Series.
Register now for the first session on Thursday, June 19th
Mind Your Own Business Conference
FunctionFox will be participating as a gold sponsor in this year's
Mind Your Own Business (MYOB) Conference.
This event will take place on September 25-28 at the Hyatt Regency Lost Pines Resort and Spa in Austin, Texas. Please watch for more details in next month's newsletter.
|
|
|
|
|
Bring Creativity to Your Workplace
Every month, for about the cost of a pizza and an hour of time, the Dallas-based integrated marketing communications firm MasonBaronet stages a Creative Jam for its staff. These outings give the MasonBaronet team a chance to stretch their conceptual skills. There are two key goals for these meetings: build staff unity and gain new perceptions from creative exploration.
Creative Jams offer an easy recipe for any creative team to follow: Choose a task or destination; establish a medium for participants to visualize or document their individual perceptions of the experience; then reunite all participants to share their perceptions with one another. "Usually, the Jams last 60 minutes including lunch," says Creative Director Paul Jerde, who plans each outing. Some of MasonBaronet's sessions require 40 minutes for travel and eating, leaving just 20 minutes for the creative exercise. Others take 10 minutes for lunch and allow 50 minutes for discovery.
Jerde says that he's constantly studying and reading about creative exercises and techniques. "Visual Literacy: A Conceptual Approach to Graphic Problem Solving", by Judith and Richard Wilde, has been a recent source of inspiration for Creative Jams, but Jerde finds new themes almost everywhere.
Read more about one of
MasonBaronet's favorite Creative Jams
and learn how you can try it at your workplace.
|
|
|
|
|
For a TimeFox Demo, go to:
www.functionfox.com/demo
To arrange a guided tour of TimeFox, please send your request to:
info@functionfox.com
To order a TimeFox subscription, go to:
www.functionfox.com/purchase
If you would like your company to be featured in a TimeFox
newsletter, on our website or in our promotional package,
please send your request to:
info@functionfox.com
You can opt out of the About Time Newsletter at:
www.functionfox.com/newsletter/no_thanks.asp
|
|
|
|
|
