We recently had a less than ideal experience with the length of time it took to ship 3 dressers from San Francisco for one of our design firms in Manhattan.  Sadly, our industry is full of these less than ideal experiences; nothing surprises me now.  I am often surprised when I receive normal customer service–I am exceedingly surprised when I receive something out of the ordinary.

Kudos to Jiun Ho for their proactivity in customer service.  I did not expect anything like this but was so pleasantly surprised that I felt compelled to blog.  Below is the letter that I received.  The letter was accompanied by a beautiful box of Mini Mosaics chocolates.

Needless to say, an “I’m Sorry” note and a box of chocolates go a long way with this girl.

Let Gibson Design Management Accounting Services help you keep your business healthy during these tough financial times. 

Included in the Financial Health Assessment:

• Analyze Client Deposits
• Review Accounts Receivable
• Review Accounts Payable  
• Assess Work In Progress
• Review current and historical Income Statements
• Compare billing rates with Industry Standards
• Provide you with a full-page analysis and recommendations

 Contact us today to get started!  Email Margie Strickland

It’s hard to believe the first quarter of 2009 is quickly coming to a close.  As many of you might remember, in December we offered a complimentary 30 minute “sounding board session” to our members with our CEO, Alexandra Gibson.  The calls were such a hit with our members that in January we decided to offer them quarterly.  This is the perfect opportunity to discuss goals and objectives, concerns, or new ideas and concepts for your design business.

This offer is available exclusively to GDM members.  Alexandra will ask you the questions that you need to be thinking about to make your firm successful.  If you would like to take advantage of this opportunity, please contact Alexandra to schedule your 30 minute session.  She will have time available from March 16^th through April 15^th and will be happy to find a mutually agreeable time.

Today I was out shopping and came across this old phone.  Seeing it caused me to think about how we sometimes get a little lazy about picking up the phone and giving our business contacts a call.  Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of email and social networking.  In fact, email might just be one of the best inventions since sliced bread.  But, recently I’ve been realizing how fortunate I am to have the opportunity to have great conversations with GDM members and designers around the country.  There really is nothing better than connecting with people, and a phone call is a great way to do that. 

Hopefully, the designer on the other end of the call learns some helpful information about how our services can help them run their design business more efficiently and profitably.  But I also love the fact that each time I talk to one of our members, or potential members, I come away with new insight and valuable information.  I absolutely love learning about what interior designers around the country are doing!  What projects are they working on, what challenges they are currently facing, how are they setting themselves apart from the competition.  Each time I have the pleasure of talking to an interior designer, I come away energized and excited about our industry and the exciting opportunities for Gibson Design Management to help interior designers grow their business!

So pick up that phone, hopefully you have a slightly newer model!                                                                                 

• Check in with clients you’ve worked with in the past and see how they are doing; how is their new kitchen working for them?  
• Check in with industry professionals to find out about new design trends or promotions.
• Call potential clients and tell them about something you know they’ll love (maybe those new renderings you can now provide, thanks to your GDM CAD Services team!)

The point is, take some time to connect with people.  It really doesn’t take much time, and you will learn so much.  You will come away from it remembering why you are an interior designer and why you love what you do!

Time to try this month’s martini from The Gibson, our monthly eNewsletter…click here to receive The Gibson.  We chose The Silver Pear Martini this month, something a little different than your average martini!  Let us know what you think about the The Silver Pear Martini – and make sure to sign up for our monthly eNewsletter so that you don’t miss out on all the great martini recipes to come.

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ oz Patron Silver
• 1 Lime wedges
• 2 oz pear nectar
• Ice

Preparation:

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

2. Combine Patron Silver, lime wedges, and pear nectar over ice in a cocktail shaker

3. Shake well and strain into cocktail glass

Enjoy!

1. Spend wisely. In our current economy we all need to be careful about where we spend our money. That is certainly not to say we should stop spending altogether, but it is important to give a little more thought to expenditures. As a business owner, it is important to ask yourself whether big purchases will generate future cash and pay for themselves in a reasonable amount of time. If the item will generate cash for your business, then it might be a very wise decision to make the investment. Perhaps the item in question doesn’t generate cash, but is a need; Again, it is probably wise to make the investment now in order to keep your business running smoothly. But if the item in question is a fabulous new filing cabinet to replace the perfectly good one you already have – it might not be the best time to make that purchase.
2. Make sure your Client Deposits are sufficient. In tough economic times it is more important than ever to get an appropriate deposit from your client. We feel that 75% is sufficient to cover the actual cost of any product ordered and keep your protected. Not only does this help you maintain a good cash flow, but should your client experience a change in their financial situation you are not left holding the bag (or the custom sofa that is on order.)
3. Handle financial concerns immediately. The best way to avoid financial problems is to keep yourself up to date on exactly where you stand. When a problem does arise, don’t bury your head in the sand, deal with it immediately. Not everyone has the discipline or accounting knowledge necessary to monitor their finances objectively on their own. If that is the case (and for most of us, it is) then you need someone managing your finances for you. Someone who will bring issues to your attention and make sound recommendations to solve problems and ensure that new ones don’t arise.
4. Don’t fear the “B” word – Budgets. I have come to realize that a budget is a great tool for keeping our finances on track. Our budget serves as a guide to assist us in making good decisions each month about our spending; enabling us to achieve our financial goals. A budget will help you maintain the direction of your business and remain in control. The important thing with a budget is to make sure you have a good system in place to track spending. If it takes too much time and effort, you are less likely to stick with it.
5. Don’t obsess over your finances. Whether you have someone managing your business finances or not, it is important that fretting over your financial situation doesn’t become a daily staple in your life. Focus your energy on the aspects of your business you enjoy and are good at. Focus on what you can control and impact. You can be smart about your spending, you can make wise investments, you can handle problems in a timely fashion. You can also choose to make sure that you have qualified people helping you manage your finances in an effective manner; allowing you time to network and forge new relationships with clients, time to create and manage stunning design projects, and time to provide excellent customer service to your clients.