Success comes in many sizes and forms, sometimes when you least expect it; and those successes are particularly sweet.  Recently, I was explaining the benefits of project sourcing to a potential client, a very talented, well known and respected designer, how we could assist by pulling fabrics or supplying tear sheets within the parameters that she would specify for us, staying true to her design vision.  She didn’t feel she would ever use that service, as she wanted to make those design decisions, she loved that process, and didn’t want to let that go.

To my delighted surprise, I was given the opportunity to pull supporting fabrics for one of her projects!  She had a presentation in several days, and could not fit the 5 hour round trip to the design center into her schedule.  She supplied me with the vendor and pattern numbers for the driving fabrics, and a few details about durability needs and budget.  The design center is 15 minutes from my office, and within 90 minutes, I had pulled approximately 60 fabrics from numerous vendors and showrooms, stopped at the FedEx store, and sent them off to be delivered to her doorstep the next day.

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Contrary to popular belief, an interior designer’s job does not consist primarily of design time.  This is not the sexy vision that young men and women dream about when they enter design school but it’s the reality that any seasoned designer can confirm.  Project management and project administration are the largest part of being an interior designer; all the brilliant design in the world cannot make up for a poorly run project and an unhappy client.  Effective management and administration will continue to be of paramount importance when running a successful firm but can there be a better mousetrap?

The question that I encourage you to ask yourself and your staff is where that important project management and administration borders on inefficiency.  If you’re like most design firms that we work with, that greatest inefficiency is in the purchasing process.  You may have great technology (like Studio IT) and great systems in place to make this process a little less painful but the reality is that pricing, creating proposals, creating purchase orders, tracking and expediting takes time, often a lot of time.  In fact, I can imagine that much of your purchase order management time can be summed up with a few of these frustrating points:

• Calling multiple showrooms and vendors to get pricing…leaving messages…then calling them again because they didn’t get back to you.
• Calling multiple showrooms and vendors to get pricing…leaving messages…and then missing their next calls because you’re on the phone with another vendor.  Thus begins the illustrious PO management game of phone tag.
• Checking on orders weekly (if you know what’s good for you) because you’ve had too many times where a vendor has failed to notify you that the sofa, which was supposed to ship last week, will actually be another four weeks.  The vendor does not have to deal with your irate client who wanted the sofa before Thanksgiving.
• Creating client proposals that accurately describe the items but don’t give the client too much information so that they don’t “shop” you.
• Dealing with a delay in orders when you’re on vacation, in High Point, on another project install, or generally completely incapable of handling the crises as you’re nowhere near your computer and your office, and might not even have a pen in your purse/pocket that seems to work.

In our design firm, we utilize great technology and we institute effective systems.  Despite our finest efforts, this has not, however, eliminated the items above from rearing their ugly heads.  The reality is that on each project, a design firm may deal with 30+ vendors and showrooms which mean 30+ lines of communication.  When I look at our bottom line, I see this part of our business as the greatest drain, the greatest hindrance to our growth, and our greatest cost.

When we launched Gibson Design Management, we focused on purchase order management.  While we now have multiple services that we offer for the interior design industry, I still believe that our purchase order management service is the best way to make a design firm more profitable and healthy.

Instead of having those 30+ lines of communication open at all times and being the central hub with a plethora of spokes, our purchase order management services give you one “go to” person that handles every order that you place, every item that you want to price, and every piece that you need to track.  At the same time, your company can actually make more money with fewer paper-pushing efforts.

As I write this post I worry that this might be the first time in the history of this blog that I’ve written a sales-y post that is also an educational post.  I would not risk our readers with shameless self-promotion if I did not truly believe that this service can have the greatest impact on a single interior design firm.

We offer a lot of great services and our team is really, really good at what they do.  However, when we sit and talk about our different services, purchase order management is the one service that the team unanimously says “that’s a no-brainer; every design firm should use that.”  Once I explain and write down the numbers on the time and money lost on managing purchasing in-house and then I show that the design firm can actually make more money, it’s not surprising that they say that.

In 2010, if you are interested in growing your bottom line and getting back to the real reason you became a designer, please contact me and we can talk more.  Don’t continue to do things the old way as we all now see that the old way is slowly taking a choke hold on the livelihood of our industry.

I love showrooms! Everything about them appeals to me, from the beautifully lit and displayed product, to the wings of fabrics waiting to be discovered, it all presents infinite possibilities available to designers.

Holly Hunt - New York

The perfectly sharpened pencils nestled in bins with memo sample request pads handily located next to them, the colorful and imaginative shopping bags full of gorgeous fabrics and funky trims, yours for the taking.

Fadini Borghi Fabrics & Trimmings

Graciously offered space to spread out and work, with water, coffee and snacks readily available. A sales associate ready to offer assistance; pricing and tear sheets swiftly and efficiently proffered.

But showrooms are more than that, they are a designer’s life blood, and designers are theirs’.  A perfect example of a symbiotic relationship.  Showrooms and their well-trained staff should be considered allies, a first line of defense. They are problem solvers, who will go to bat for a customer to help in getting to the bottom of a freight issue, or working with a vendor to push a lead time, or getting a difficult question or problem resolved.

The showrooms I have been fortunate to work both for and with have been much more than the selling, they have been about the relationship and the connection.

Gibson Design Management recently launched a Review Center.  This is a place for the design industry to review showrooms on the customer service that it receives.  We hope for it to be a place for showrooms that are providing great service to be lauded, and for those who are not serving the industry well, to improve from.  The way for this review center to be successful is for you to be candid about your experiences and to share those experiences.  We would love to have you contribute to our review center, and spread the word to your industry partners.

Currently, you can review showrooms in the Denver Design District and the Washington DC Design Center.  Please add your stars and reviews.  Posts can be anonymous if you do not feel comfortable adding your name, and of course, your email address will be kept strictly confidential.

When is comes to purchase order management, one of the key components for success lies in the hands of the receiving warehouse.  If you are embarking on a new design project in an unfamiliar area here are some things to look for and consider when choosing a receiver.

1.)    What kind of inventory system do they utilize?  Does the warehouse have the technology to use photographs in their receiving reports?  Do they an accurate record of quantities of items from each vendor?

2.)    What are the hours of operation?   When you’re contacting the company do you speak with a live person or a switchboard?  Good communication with representatives within the warehouse is key.  Avoid warehouses with limited customer services hours.

3.)    Are they flexible and can they schedule last minute deliveries?  I recently encountered a situation where an office desk and credenza were delivered early to a hotel and needed immediate installation.  I was in a pinch, so I immediately called the warehouse we are using for the project to see if they could send an installer the next day.  Although it was last minute they were able to find someone that was available.  This was a win-win situation for both the client and for me.  Make certain you understand the warehouse’s delivery policy before you schedule an installation.

Talk to showrooms and designers in the area and feel out your options.  Build a personable relationship with your warehouse customer service team early on in the project.  They are there to help you run your project seamlessly.

Accounting Services is now offering more competitive pricing!  Our team will continue to provide the same high quality of service and expertise to our members, but at our new lower rate.

Our Accounting Services team would be happy to set up a complimentary call with you in order to discuss the scope of your typical accounting needs.  Let Gibson Design Management handle:

• Creating invoices for time and goods
• Disbursing checks to vendors
• Operating payroll
• Calculating and paying sales tax
• Running reports to show both the financial health of your business and where you need to improve
• And more…

If you would like more information about Accounting Services, please contact Margie Strickland, Associate Director, Accounting Services.

As an added incentive, Gibson Design Management would like to offer our members a 10% discount on all accounting services provided through July 31, 2009. 

Utilizing Gibson Design Management Project Sourcing services has many benefits for your design firm.  From more hours in the day to increased profits, you will see the advantages when you let your Project Sourcing team assist you in meeting the needs of your design projects.

Chances are good that you are not familiar with the term “teamsourcing.”  While outsourcing professional services is nothing new, we feel the word outsourcing doesn’t quite capture the innovative essence of what Gibson Design Management is all about.  Our goal is for our members to view us as a part of their team.  Traditionally, when most people think of outsourcing, there is a lack of personal connection.  Our team genuinely feels excited to help our designer members grow and prosper in their business; our members are not just another client that we process a job for. 

We’ve come up with our own official definition of our new word – Webster’s hasn’t quite caught on yet to our cutting edge way of thinking…so straight from the “Gibson” dictionary:

teamssourcsing (noun)  teamssourcsing [teem sawrssing] the innovative, strategic utilization of a fully staffed team of professionals to increase a design firms’ efficiency, profitability, expertise and versatility. 

Now that we all understand just what Teamsourcing is, let’s talk about some of the ways teamsourcing can help you run your interior design business.

Technology – Recently my daughters were moaning and groaning while using our family computer because it is “so ancient and slow!”  Since my husband and I both have our work laptops we don’t end up suffering the perils of this 3 year old computer very often; therefore, we haven’t felt the need to upgrade yet.  It seems like with anything in the technology realm you are constantly feeling out of date and under equipped.  With Teamsourcing, you have the benefit of an expert team who are continually learning the latest and greatest, while investing in the necessary equipment to deliver it.  You are able to offer your clients the most up to date technology without large expenditures on equipment and training.

“Thanks so much for your team’s work on our project. The kitchen designs were immaculate,3D work was stunning and the client is now very happy.” -David Bassett-Parkins, CEO, Ava Living

Time – The commodity most of us are probably most lacking in today’s world is time.  Try as we might, we haven’t figured out how to invent a 30 hour day.  However, by teamsourcing some of your responsibilities and tasks you are able accomplish much more with the 24 hours that are in a day.  Delegating tasks to a team that can handle them quickly and proficiently allows you the time necessary to focus on the aspects of your business that you enjoy.  We can’t create more hours in the day, but we can certainly maximize each hour we do have.

“I was at a conference all day on Friday. When I returned from the conference I had all of my proposals ready and waiting for my next client meeting thanks to Gibson Design Management. If I wasn’t a GDM member, I either would not have been prepared for my client meeting or I would have had to miss my conference to prepare.” - S. Lee Wright, Allied ASID, Holistic Designer New York, NY

Expertise –Let’s face it, we can’t all be experts at everything.  To be honest, I wouldn’t even want to be an expert at everything because quite frankly there are jobs out there I would not enjoy.  A major benefit to teamsourcing is the ability to call on your specialized teams that have the expertise (and passion) for what they are doing.  In our own homes most of us don’t try to take care of everything.  We have trained professionals we call on for assistance with at least some of those tasks (plumber, electrician, handyman, landscaper, housecleaning, etc.)  My landscaper and his crew take really good care of my yard!  Yes, I am capable of doing it myself, sort of, but it sure doesn’t look nearly as good and takes me at least twice as long.  Teamsourcing affords your design firm the advantage of expert teams available to take care of those areas of your business where you lack the proficiency and enthusiasm.

“There is no task too large or too small that the friendly Gibson Design Management staff cannot assist with. The team at Gibson Design Management has made the entire project as effortless & seamless as possible.           -Matthew B. Quinn, Air Sea Packing Group Inc., Long Island City NY 11101

Profitability – One of the most significant benefits to teamsourcing is increased profits.  With most of our services our members can easily mark up our service fees and pass it directly onto their clients, making a nice profit.  Additionally, you also have those hours available to generate revenue yourself, at your hourly rate.  And if you decide you want to celebrate your new profits by taking a trip to the Bahamas, you won’t need to worry about keeping an assistant busy.  Our team is there when you need us; not a financial drain when you don’t.

“Gibson Design Management has taken a burden off my shoulders in a way that allows me to service customers in a timely manner and still profit…THANK YOU, THANK YOU. I look forward to doing more and more with you.” -Valerie Steil, A.S.I.D., Marc T. Nielsen Interiors, Valparaiso, IN

Flexibility – the ability to be nimble, to expand and contract as your projects require is a huge benefit to teamsourcing.   The amount and complexity of projects you are working on is bound to fluctuate; it’s never any fun to have to turn down a project because you lack the team to handle it or to lay off employees because you lack the work to support them.  Teamsourcing gives you the flexibility to handle bigger projects, take a month off in the summer to play with the kids or redefine yourself as a designer.

“Outsourcing to Gibson makes perfect sense because it gives you the ability to handle bigger projects with their help and expertise” -Laurel Quint, Q Interiors in Denver, CO.

Professional Networking – In any business, networking has always been of vital importance.  In today’s culture it’s not only possible, but critical to network with industry contacts around the nation (and beyond.)  When you teamsource to GDM, you have the ability to let our social butterflies handle some of the networking for you.  We are always connecting with industry affiliates to form and strengthen relationships, keep up on all the latest trends and news, and stay informed about information our members need to know.  Our team loves to connect our members with industry affiliates and contacts, open doors, and help our members get and stay connected to the interior design industry. 

“I still can’t believe I have accomplished my social networking goals in just a matter of days. I would still be an “unknown” in the social networking world if I did not sign up” -Linnore Gonzales, Decor and You, Denver, CO.

Beginning April 14, 2009, Gibson Design Management is pleased to offer a bi-weekly webinar that interior designers can attend to learn about everything GDM has to offer.  During our 30 minutes together we’ll discuss:

• Basic outsourcing advantages
• Advantages of each particular service
• Easy step-by-step of how it works
• Time for Q&A

This webinar will be available weekly on Tuesdays at 4pm EST and we encourage you to attend to learn about what our membership is all about.

Click here to sign up for the complimentary webinar.  For more information, please contact Kay Alessi, Director, Sales and Marketing.

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.

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.