Word On, “The Interior Design Street†Is... Awesome!
Once again I feel like I'm preaching about the exciting opportunities available for designers everywhere (yes even in this crummy economy).
I heard both sides of the debate while I was at the Las Vegas Design Center this last November. Some designers are thriving and making more money than ever, while others were despondent, depressed, and have clearly given up.
One woman stood out of the crowd and I hope she will inspire you as much as she has inspired me. This is a designer who was firmly on the wrong side of the success fence, but gleaming with hope and desire to climb up and over to the other side.
You see, Angela had come too far to turn back. Designing is a life-long dream that she is going after, at a time in her life when most people are looking to retire.
It wasn't her fault that she chose to make this courageous transformation right before our economy collapsed. She also had no way of knowing that she would be trying to start a business working with homeowners in a city with some of the highest foreclosure and unemployment rates in the country.
She didn't have time to waste and, €learn from her own mistakes€. She needed to make this work, NOW!
She listened to my market presentation on Selling Yourself, Your Services, and Your Designs, and met up with me after the event.
I listened to her story about how hard she had been struggling, and all of the avenues she had been down searching for a missing link. €I must be doing something wrong" she said more than once. So I asked her to tell me where she was getting stuck.
As it turns out, Angela was having the same 3 problems that most struggling designers have:
1. Believing in their talent and its' value, so they don't end up giving their services away for free.
2. Establishing a fee structure that works for their business, and then actually asking for a deposit at the initial house call before they start doing the work.
3. Choosing a specific niche based on their strengths, and then failing to go after their €ideal clients€.
Angela turned out to be a fast learner! With only a few simple tweaks of her house call routine, and a pep-talk to help build up her confidence, I hear that she has made it over the top of the fence and is on her way to having a successful design business!
The very next week; she went on a house call and put into action everything she had learned. She established a great rapport with the client. She didn't give any of her design ideas away for free and instead, listened and acknowledged the needs and wants of the customer. Afterward, she simply said, €I would love to start working together, and I'll need a deposit before I leave.€
Much to Angela's surprise the client was thrilled and more than happy to write her a check on the spot. Angela said the client was, €putty in her hands and couldn't wait to start working together on her home.€
I'm so honored to have helped such a deserving woman, and I can't wait to hear of a hundred more successful house calls just like this one.
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU...DROP ME A LINE.
Happy Designing!
I heard both sides of the debate while I was at the Las Vegas Design Center this last November. Some designers are thriving and making more money than ever, while others were despondent, depressed, and have clearly given up.
One woman stood out of the crowd and I hope she will inspire you as much as she has inspired me. This is a designer who was firmly on the wrong side of the success fence, but gleaming with hope and desire to climb up and over to the other side.
You see, Angela had come too far to turn back. Designing is a life-long dream that she is going after, at a time in her life when most people are looking to retire.
It wasn't her fault that she chose to make this courageous transformation right before our economy collapsed. She also had no way of knowing that she would be trying to start a business working with homeowners in a city with some of the highest foreclosure and unemployment rates in the country.
She didn't have time to waste and, €learn from her own mistakes€. She needed to make this work, NOW!
She listened to my market presentation on Selling Yourself, Your Services, and Your Designs, and met up with me after the event.
I listened to her story about how hard she had been struggling, and all of the avenues she had been down searching for a missing link. €I must be doing something wrong" she said more than once. So I asked her to tell me where she was getting stuck.
As it turns out, Angela was having the same 3 problems that most struggling designers have:
1. Believing in their talent and its' value, so they don't end up giving their services away for free.
2. Establishing a fee structure that works for their business, and then actually asking for a deposit at the initial house call before they start doing the work.
3. Choosing a specific niche based on their strengths, and then failing to go after their €ideal clients€.
Angela turned out to be a fast learner! With only a few simple tweaks of her house call routine, and a pep-talk to help build up her confidence, I hear that she has made it over the top of the fence and is on her way to having a successful design business!
The very next week; she went on a house call and put into action everything she had learned. She established a great rapport with the client. She didn't give any of her design ideas away for free and instead, listened and acknowledged the needs and wants of the customer. Afterward, she simply said, €I would love to start working together, and I'll need a deposit before I leave.€
Much to Angela's surprise the client was thrilled and more than happy to write her a check on the spot. Angela said the client was, €putty in her hands and couldn't wait to start working together on her home.€
I'm so honored to have helped such a deserving woman, and I can't wait to hear of a hundred more successful house calls just like this one.
IF YOU HAVE A QUESTION OR COMMENT, I WOULD LOVE TO HEAR FROM YOU...DROP ME A LINE.
Happy Designing!
