Do you ever wish there were more hours in the day, like about 24?  If so, you’re not alone!  We can’t increase the actual number of hours in the day, as much as we’d like to, but we can help you spend your time as effectively as possible. 

-Yes, Gibson Design Management can help you with Purchase Order Management: pricing, proposals, ordering, tracking & arranging for shipping/receiving…

-Yes, our CAD Services team can draw the plans and create the renderings to help your clients visualize the end result of your stunning designs…

-Yes, with our Accounting Services, you have the benefit of a full-service accounting team to complete all financially related tasks within your design firm…

What about Project Sourcing?  Finding the right materials for your design projects take time; time you don’t always have.  So, we’re introducing a new service to our members, Project Sourcing!

With Project Sourcing, you’ll have someone available who can pull and price all products within your parameters to meet the needs of your design project:

• Fabric
• Wallcoverings
• Drapery Hardware
• Furnishings
• Artwork
• Accessories
• Tile
• Lighting
• Plumbing & Hardware
• And more…

We can source by color, price point, vendor, etc.  Members will submit a Project Sourcing Request Form and work with a trained sourcing professional to find what they need.  Our team is very familiar with their local Design Center and has developed strong relationships with the showroom management.

If you would like more information about Project Sourcing, please contact Kay Alessi, Director, Sales and Marketing.  We would love as much input from our members in shaping this service and welcome your questions about how Project Sourcing can assist you with your next design project.

I just returned from Designing Profits‘ winter conference for interior designers in Palm Springs.  As part of the faculty, we presented information for designers on outsourcing, on systems and efficiencies, on client surveys, and on direct response marketing.

There was a big void–a void that was very obvious when we had optional small group sessions and the social networking and social media group was OVERFLOWING.

I am bananas about this new way of marketing…yes, bananas.  I love the transparency of it; I love that it is fun and I love that it’s an inexpensive way to get the word out-much less than brochures and business cards and much more effective.  Our team utilizes it every day.  I also love that there are really no rights or wrongs but there is a way to use these tools to expand your business and to grow with the times (or in spite of them).

Today I spoke to John Jantsch on the phone for 30 minutes.  John is the founder of the extremely successful Duct Tape Marketing. He interviewed me for his new marketing book about referrals.  If it weren’t for Twitter, I would not have had this opportunity.  It is humbling and spectacular at the same time.

Two designers at the conference in Palm Springs–Mark Cutler and Tom Williams–both mentioned that their blogs have opened numerous doors for them, including two book deals and a blogging opportunity for Elle Décor.

Without further ado,

Introducing our new Social Media and Networking Starter Package!

Here’s what this social media package entails:

• Call to outline business and marketing goals with us
  • You have to know where you want to go before you start driving!
• From there, we’ll determine social media tools that will best help you achieve your goals.  They may include, but not be limited to:
  • Blogging
    • Set up blog using one of 100s free templates
    • Give list of 8 blog ideas to get you started
    • Give list of 10 blogs to follow to help get you in the groove and keep you inspired
  • Twitter
    • Set you up with a user name and password
    • “Follow” 50 people in the industry for you to get you started (don’t worry, we’ll explain what following is!)
    • Provide explanation and guide for use, including setting up your interface to efficiently and effectively organize your Twitter use
  • Facebook
    • Set up your profile and help edit information
    • Create group or business page for your firm
    • Provide explanation and guide for use
  • LinkedIn
    • Set up your profile and help edit information
    • Provide explanation and guide for use
  • Ava Living
    • Set up profile and help edit information
    • Includes uploading photographs from your projects to make sure that you have a complete profile
    • Provide explanation and guide for use
  • Vlogging (video blogging)
    • We’ll suggest the technology to utilize to start your own short video blogs
• We will HOLD YOUR HAND for the first month and ensure that you’re utilizing your new social media tools
• We’ll continue to follow up with you to see if you need anything
• After we get you all set up, you’re ready to go-to tweet, to post, to friend, to become a fan of, etc.  If you need us again or want help with anything else, we’re here for you.

The social media and networking starter package is $695.00.  In honor of the little Twitter bird, we’re offering an early bird special of $550.00 if you sign up before June 1st. If you sell one sofa, your mark-up should pay for this so no excuses.  Don’t be a dinosaur.  You can’t afford to not be educated about the new way of marketing.

Email address:

Email me at alexandra@gibsondesignmanagement.com if you have any questions.

Is your firm up to date with the latest CAD drafting and rendering technology?  As with most things “Hi-Tech,” it can be exhausting and expensive to stay current with the latest software available, not to mention the skill and expertise necessary to utilize it.  Not only does our CAD Services team allow you to increase your efficiency and profitability, we also make it possible for you to offer your clients the most up-to-date, current technology available without having to invest in software upgrades, equipment, and continual training.  Utilizing GDM’s CAD Services allows your design firm to offer the very best to your clients, without the hassle and expense of keeping up-to-date with the latest in drafting and rendering software. 

For more information, please contact us at CADServices@gibsondesignmanagement.com

Time to try this month’s martini from The Gibson, our monthly eNewsletter…please email Kay Alessi to receive The Gibson.  In honor of Valentine’s Day, we chose the Very Pink Martini this month, and let me tell you it’s been a hit with everyone whose tried it so far!  Let us know what you think about the Very Pink Martini.

Ingredients:

• 2 oz. Stoli Razberi
• 4 lemon wedges
• 2 oz. cranberry juice
• Splash of sprite
• Pink decorating sugar
• Ice

Preparation:

1. Wet the rim of martini glasses with a lemon wedge and then dip in pink sugar, set aside.

2. Combine vodka, lemon wedges, cranberry juice and splash of sprite over ice in a cocktail shaker.

3. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass.

Enjoy!

We’re making it easier than ever for our members to utilize everything Gibson Design Management has to offer.  For just $47/month your design business has the opportunity anytime to outsource Accounting Services, CAD Services and Purchase Order Management.  Your membership gives you access to a professional team available to assist you in running your design business, without the fixed cost of keeping a full in-house staff.  

If you’re looking to grow your business, but are concerned about keeping a full team employed, “outsourcing to Gibson makes perfect sense because it gives you the ability to handle bigger projects with [our] help and expertise,” says member Laurel Quint, principal of Q Interiors in Denver, Colorado.  The time to get this system in place is now; you’ll be ready to take on new projects, not scrambling to find help in putting together your next presentation. 

In addition to having our team of trained professionals available, you will also find value in your Gibson Design Management membership every month whether you utilize our services or not.  GDM members enjoy the following benefits of membership:

• Monthly Members Only eNewsletter
• Sounding Board Calls
• Discounts with Affiliates
• Semi-Annual High Point Report
• Insider Track to Industry News and Reports
• Special Pricing opportunities with Vendors & Manufacturers
• Access to GDM’s Line List
• Direct pass-through of all pricing/terms on Purchase Orders managed
• Special Opportunities for members with industry partners and affiliates
• And more…

Our new pricing makes it possible for you to grow your design business without fixed costs; allowing you to focus on the areas of your business that you enjoy while allowing our team to handle the details you need assistance with.  You truly can’t beat having a trained, professional team at your disposal for only $47/month.  Contact Kay Alessi, Director, Sales and Marketing today for membership information.

I love this blog post by designer Faith Sheridan of Seattle, WA.  My favorite quote being Faith’s quoting Reed Kroloff of Cranbrook Academy, “designers are good at coming up with new ways of looking at complex problems”.  I love this as it relates to design, but also as it relates to the business of design.  Absolutely, this is a challenging time for many interior designers – but challenge forces us all to become more innovative and clever about how we run our business.  I encourage you to read the entire post on Faith’s blog.

Michael Cannell authored this provocative, well written post earlier this month. He chronicles the excess of the recent years with $10K sofas and $8K chairs which now sit in a lonely fashion in the empty, slick condos across the nation. http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/04/weekinreview/04cannell.html 

read Faith’s blog

We are so excited to present our first annual Student Designer Award! 

About the Contest

Student Benefits:

• Opportunity to showcase national award on resume
• Resume and portfolio visibility, including becoming more visible to potential employers and industry professionals
• Receipt of feedback to improve resume and portfolio presentation

Applicant Eligibility Requirements:

• The GDM Student Designer Award is open to full-time interior design students currently enrolled in college/university. Winter ’08 graduates may also apply.
• All applicants must have a Flickr.com account.

Judging:

Contestants will be judged on resume content and presentation as well as portfolio presentation. Resumes and portfolios will be placed online as they are received. Voting will be open to the public on January 28, 2009 and will end on March 1, 2009. Resumes and portfolios will be rated through a 5-star rating system (1=weak, 5=strong). Invite your friends and family to view and rate your work!

Once the public vote ends on March 1, 2009, the entries will be shown to a selected panel of five judges (Judges to be listed soon). The public vote will be averaged with the final vote of the panel (50/50).

On March 15, 2009, we will announce the very first winners of our first annual Student Designer Award!

For more information please visit http://www.gibsondesignmanagement.com/contest/