I’m going to say it, so argue away: having more people “like” your Facebook business page is better.  This does not mean that you can just stop there.  You still need engaging content and someone consistently monitoring and responding so that it is a conversational platform.

When I first graduated from college and worked in sales and marketing for NVR, we were taught that a large part of sales is a numbers game.  If you don’t speak to anyone, and you don’t set any appointments, and then you don’t write any contracts, you’re not going to make any sales.  However, the (qualified) leads that you generated and the more appointments that you had meant that statistically you would be more likely to achieve your sales goals.

Don’t get me wrong- it did matter that these leads were qualified and that I was good at my job.  I wasn’t sitting down with 15 year olds who wanted to buy an $800,000 home.  However, these interactions were one-on-one.  It does not cost you any extra money on Facebook to reach 100 or 1,000 additional people via your page.

With Facebook, every time that you post, the number of people that post reaches is purely the number of people who “like” your page.  If that number is larger, you have a greater reach and reach is an important metric.  If your objective is brand awareness, having more people know about and like your brand is important.  If your objective is more sales, you are more likely to sell something with a greater audience.

I’ve been an interior designer for over 20 years, so I’ve had plenty of time to make these mistakes.  Here’s a startling statistic (and I’ll bet it is higher during this recession) – 62.8% of all new businesses fail within 6 years according to the U.S. Census Bureau, and 96% fail within 10 years.  That means you’re lucky to be one of 4 out of 100 to make it past 10 years…or is it luck?

What if you could avoid the mistakes that these business owners made?

I’d like to see you avoid them, and if you’ve already done a few of them, now you can learn what not to do so you don’t waste your valuable time and money:

1. Not having a written “ideal client” profile – If you don’t know who your ideal client is, how can you tell other people who they can refer to you?  If you’ve ever had the client from &%$&, (or more than once) the key is to know what you don’t want in a client as much as what you do want.
2. Not knowing the lifetime value of your client – If you’ve been in the business even a few years, you can add up your billings and divide by the number of clients to get your current lifetime value.  You should also look at how long they stay as a client.  These two metrics are critical in your business planning and if you have this data as part of your Business Dashboard, it will help you grow your business.
3. Spending your time and effort marketing to new prospects rather than your current clients or inactive clients – Here are the statistics: your chance of selling a fresh prospect is 1 in 10 or even as low as 1 in 13; you chance of selling an inactive client is 1 in 3; your chance of selling to an active client is 1 in 2. Do you want to work less?  Sell more to your current clients, and once you’ve maximized that, work on reactivating your old clients.  Getting new prospects is your most expensive and hardest job. (Harry Mills – The Rainmaker’s Toolkit).
4. Not staying in touch with your clients frequently – Some of you do a really good job of sending thank you notes or birthday cards, but what about offering a special service during a slow period?  There are hundreds of strategies for keeping in touch with your clients without being a pest.  Be sure and share some of your best ones and we’ll compile a list to share with you and our members.
5. Not offering additional services at the end of an engagement – You are more likely to sell additional services to your client if you are in front of them and during the time when they are most excited about what you’ve done for them.  What can you offer them?  Is there a room you can “re-style” for them?  Chances are you’ll end up with new accessory, rug or window treatment sales.  This is like an upsell at McDonald’s – “would you like fries with that?”  You already have your wallet open, and besides, those fries smell really good!  In fact, you can significantly increase your revenues by this one strategy alone, and it is easy.  Even Starbucks knows that most people come in once per day, but if you come back after 2 pm, you can have a frozen drink for $2.  Guess what, that increases their revenue by 66% in many cases, and it is business they would not have gotten otherwise!
6. Inconsistent marketing – I can guarantee that if you are only marketing when business is slow that you are experiencing repeating cycles of feast and famine.  Not having a plan and marketing each and every day guarantees cycles that will make your hair go gray!  If you have a system in place and you work the system (assuming it is the right one), you will weather any financial storm.
7. Paying hundreds or even thousands of dollars for costly magazine or newspaper advertising. Most businesses budget between 3 – 6% of their expenses for advertising, marketing and PR, but this is the worst possible place for you to be spending your money.
8. Not paying for professional photography – if you are serious about your design business, you need to pay someone to shoot your best projects.  Since my projects always took years to complete, I hired my photographer every two years and figured that a full day of photography cost around $1,500.  I used to shoot between 3 – 5 days in a row (which is exhausting).
9. Not having a strong web presence – 75% of designers do not have a website, and today, I don’t recommend spending money on a website.  A better option is a blog, social media and online directories.  Also, creating a digital portfolio and other new techniques of marketing are far more cost and time-effective than the traditional brochures and websites.  Please request a copy of our Internet Strategies for Architects and Interior Designers if you haven’t read it.  It will give you steps you can follow to join your competitors and be found by new prospects.
10. Not asking for testimonials and referrals from every client early and often – It is more effective to ask for both testimonials and referrals at the beginning of your engagement, and for sure, by the end of the project.  The easiest way to do this is have a pre-set list of questions for testimonials and interview your client while taking notes.  Ask them if you can write up the testimonial for them and then forward it to them with a date you want to receive it from them on their stationery.  Even better, get a video testimonial.  Be sure to get a testimonial release, too, so you can use it in your marketing materials.

Marketing and sales are the lifeblood of any business, and if you are consistent and observant about what works best, you’ll find that it gets easier and easier so you can focus on what you like to do best – interior design.

My latest company crush is on a Greenville, South Carolina identity and branding company called Brains on Fire.  I am obsessed with the culture that they’ve created and enamored with the fact that their website shows that culture and personality.  [I especially like their Tequila Shots book which explains the 12 company beliefs; imagine a mission statement minus the boring undertones].

I know that I have this business crush when I think

1.  I want our company to be like that, or

2.  If I wasn’t having so much fun working with my team, I would want to work for theirs, or

3.  I want to be their client because I want to hang out with them.  [Pay for friends?  Hmm, they must be that good].

In the Brains on Fire case, all 3 fit the bill.  Is this crush actually business love????!

Amanda Butterworth, our Director, Creative Services, was lucky enough to meet Spike Jones, one of BOF’s Firestarters, and she said that Spike epitomizes the brand.  It’s always good to know that your business crush is not just smoke and mirrors.

Now that I’ve aired my crush to the world…Who is your business crush?

Kelly Wearstler's Modern Glamour book cover

Whether you are a fan of Kelly Wearstler’s design or not, one cannot help but admit that her branding is top notch.  Kelly knows, as any good branding goddess should, that branding is not about your logo, your letterhead, or the colors that you use but is rather about the emotion that you invoke in every way that you “touch” your clients, your potential clients, and even your broader community.

In the interior design community, many of us are guilty of wanting our brand to be safe—to appeal to everyone.  That means that we hide our personalities, we do not let our company culture shine through, and, ultimately, we do not attract the best clients for us.

Wearstler evokes a life of glamour.

Her brand says: If I design your space, you too will live the fabulous lifestyle that I live.

You too will unload the dishwasher in a beautiful gown that coordinates with your kitchen.  (Oh, this old thing?!)

Designed by Kelly Wearstler, from O at Home magazine, via BlackWhiteBliss blog

From Kelly Wearstler's Domicilium Decoratus

We know who Kelly Wearstler is as a brand because she portrays an image of opulence and a life of Hollywood glam.  While this may not appeal to every client, by showing who Kelly really is, she attracts the right client for her business.

Wearstler seems like the type of woman who does not save the Louboutins in a box for a special occasion…unless that special occasion is a client meeting with you to discuss your new project and the fabulous life you will live once you work with her.

The next time you are photographed, you redesign your website, or you design an ad, think about what kind of emotion you want to evoke and what kind of life your potential clients should aspire to live when they look at your brand.