Are you receiving your copy of The Gibson on the first Wednesday of each month?  If you aren’t, you are missing out!  Day Five of of our 12 Day Countdown – Suggestions for things you can do this month to prepare for a fabulous 2009!  Sign up for our monthly eNewsletter, The Gibson. 

Each month The Gibson delivers:

• interesting articles about the business of design
• information about upcoming events in the interior design industry
• branding article of the month
• news about what’s happening at Gibson Design Management
• the martini of the month
• and more!!

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I’m seriously beginning to question my thinking about December Downtime – maybe I should have done a countdown to New Years rather than a “12 Days of Christmas” countdown?  I’m not complaining, I love what I do and am always happy to keep busy – but my dreams of having time to write our marketing plan for 2009 are just not happening.  Speaking of which, it’s time for Day Four of our 12 Day Countdown – Suggestions for things you can do this month to prepare for a fabulous 2009!  Try to block out an afternoon to spend some quality time with yourself and your brainstorming tool of choice (computer, legal pad, or maybe a giant easel pad) and decide on your goals for 2009.

In thinking about your goals for 2009, I would encourage you to focus on what your 1, 3 and 5 year vision are for your design business.  How will you get there?  Once you’ve identified your goals and objectives for 2009, and beyond, determine what steps you’ll need to take in order to accomplish these goals.

We all know that as December 31st approaches we’ll be hearing much about New Year’s Resolutions.  We also know that most of those resolutions won’t be kept past January 5th.  By not only identifying what your goals are, but also clearly outlining the steps you’ll take to achieve them, you will surely be singing a different tune as you pat yourself on the back next December for a job well done in 2009!

Day Three of our 12 Day Countdown – Suggestions for things you can do this month to prepare for a fabulous 2009!  Recently, I came across a great article at WomenEntrepreneur.com written by Lesley Spencer Pyle, founder and president of the HBWM.com Inc. Network.  “Ask Customers What Your Business Needs: Find out what’s holding your company back by conducting a customer survey.”  Why not take advantage of a little quiet time this month and conduct a survey with your clients. 

Lesley writes, “With the economy forcing many businesses and individuals to cut back, now is a great time to look for ways to improve. Every business has areas that need improvement, but what stops a good company from becoming a great company is that the latter identifies those areas and moves to improve them. This is essential for healthy growth.”

Read More…

Day Two of my “12 Days of Christmas” Countdown - suggestions for things you can do this month to prepare for a fabulous 2009!  Why not curl up by the fire with a nice warm drink and read a great book!  I just happen to have a few recommendations for some of my favorites; they might just change the way you think about your interior design business.

Marketing and Client Relations For Interior Designers by Mary V. Knackstedt

Word of Mouth Marketing by Andy Sernovitz and Guy Kawasaki

Now, Discover Your Strengths by by Marcus Buckingham and Donald O. Clifton

With the holidays fast approaching, I thought I’d get in the spirit with a “12 Days of Christmas” countdown!  For many designers, the month of December brings some downtime.  What a great opportunity this provides to spend time getting your business ready for a fabulous start to 2009.  There is no better place to start than with customer appreciation! 

Day One – Spread Some Holiday Cheer!

What do you do to share a little holiday cheer with your clients?  This is a perfect opportunity to let your clients know how much they mean to you and your business.  (In fact, it’s also a great time to make sure your employees, contractors, sales reps…everyone who contributes to the success of your business, know you appreciate them as well.)  This really doesn’t need to be an elaborate gesture; a hand-written note expressing warm wishes and appreciation goes a long way to letting your clients know they are important to you and that you value their business.  Of course, it never hurts to dazzle them with homemade goodies, if you’re so inclined!

Tomorrow I leave for Chicago to attend Gaspedal’s Word of Mouth Marketing Crash Course.  Gaspedal’s CEO, Andy Sernovitz, wrote one of my favorite business books called Word of Mouth Marketing.  See the book here at Amazon.  I recommend the book to everyone and anyone.

Stay tuned for some great information after I return from the Crash Course.  In the meantime, take a look at the outline of the course by clicking on the button below.  Gaspedal holds the Crash Course every month at the “Catalyst Ranch” in downtown Chicago.  I’m looking forward to it!

Great information from Gail Doby, Chief Vision Officer, Design Success University

Are Your Interior Design Clients Intimidated By You?

We are sharing a few tidbits from the Interior Design Summit every few weeks to keep you thinking about the content and how you can apply it to your business. 

This week’s topic is “Affluent Client Psychology – What You Need to Know” with Karen Fisher.  What I found intriguing, as did many of you, is that most clients are intimidated by designers.  They are worried that you will think they have no taste and that they are unworthy!  Wow!  Even after 21 years in the business, that surprised me. 

If you read the ASID survey of clients, 44% of them selected designers because of their personality and the fact that they felt comfortable with the designer.  What that means is that it is your job to make them feel at ease and let them know that you are their guide, or “design mother” as Karen mentioned.  No one wants to feel intimidated, and if they do, your project will not go smoothly.

Here are a few points that I thought were extremely good and because they were so subtle, it doesn’t hurt to repeat them:

We wish you the best as the year ends.  It has been an interesting one in so many ways, and we thank you for being a part of Design Success University. ShareThis

Last night I decided to test the “Martini of the Month” featured in our monthly newsletter, The Gibson.  It was a big hit with my “focus group.”  We chose to make it with cranberry juice and do a sugared rim.  I also found some great martini glasses that compliment the holiday theme making it all the more festive!

Mistletoe Martini

Ingredients:

• wedge of lime
• wedge of orange
• ice
• 2 oz. vanilla vodka
• 1 oz. POM or 2 oz. cranberry juice

Preparation

• Muddle lime and orange together
• Add ice
• Add vodka and juice
• Shake well and strain into a cocktail glass
• Garnish with either a sugared rim (using superfine sugar) or a mini candy cane.

Enjoy!

As 3D renderings are becoming more realistic, they are also becoming better tools to market your business to both current and potential clients. When considering whether or not to utilize renderings (and the answer should be yes!), consider the ways that utilization can improve your bottom line:

Rendering by Gibson Design Management; Design by Q Design, Denver, CO

1. Communication with your clients. Many clients have difficulty visualizing how a space will look. As a designer, you have that gift of visualization; however it is often difficult to communicate that picture to your client. Through renderings, you and your client can be on the same page—literally and figuratively.
2. “Upsell” opportunities. I started my career in a corporate training program for a national homebuilder. Soon I was charged with all of the sales and marketing efforts for my own developments and our office was located in one of our model homes. Good builders do a great job of showing all the bells, whistles, and extras in their models. Everyone wanted the model and they wanted it exactly as it was shown. It was not uncommon to add $150,000-$200,000 to the base price of the home because people had to have “the model”. We showed them the possibilities in the model; show your clients the possibilities in your renderings.
3. Set yourself apart from the competition. Very few design firms are utilizing 3D renderings for their typical clients. By highlighting this feature as a service you offer, your firm will easily be set apart from the other firms that your potential clients interview.
4. Word of mouth marketing. When you send your clients the rendering for the beautiful new room that you have designed for them, they will be in awe. This rendering will have your firm’s name and information on it. No doubt, your clients will forward this rendering on to family, friends, and coworkers to show them all how wonderful their new room will look. This will:
   1. show your clients’ friends how smart they are to have hired a great designer like you
   2. serve as some of the best word of mouth marketing that you can employ as your renderings are forwarded all around town (or across the country) and you receive an abundance of inquiries from people wanting to know how they can work with you and where they can send their checks

A typical rendering will cost between $800-$1100. When you consider the return on investment for the items listed above, can you afford not to integrate renderings into your repertoire?