Drapery & Window Covering Blog

Communicating Successful Drapery Design Webinar

Does drapery design drive you nuts? Are you bombarded with questions because your drapery specifications are insufficient? Do your designs end up a disaster, costing you time and money? Well, if you answered yes to any of these questions, then this session is for you. This session will address design, documentation, and installation of drapery treatments. You will have a better grasp on how to communicate effectively what the client expects to what is fabricated and installed, and you will be able to identify the critical areas with careful planning in order to avoid negative surprises.

Twenty-five year drapery workroom veteran, Neil Gordon, will present this vital educational session to designers that will prove invaluable to their window covering designs and installations.

 
 
Title:  Communicating Successful Drapery Design
 

Date: Thursday, August 26, 2010
 
  
Time: 12:00 PM - 1:00 PM EST
11:00 AM - 12:00 PM CST
10:00 AM - 11:00 AM MDT
9:00 AM - 10:00 AM PST

To Register click here>

 

Why Tradeshows Still Matter

My current column for Window Fashion Vision Magazine.
http://www.wf-vision.com/viewarticle.aspx?cid=126822&pid=587

I remember being a very upset 5-year-old when my father was leaving on a four-day trip to the Chicago Houseware Show. I was crying because my dad was embarking to a faraway place without me. He explained that it was important for him to go to this mysterious destination because it was “good for the store.” The store was a retail business in the Bronx that he eventually sold, only to open a similar type store in the suburbs, a place where I would grow up along with my brother and sister. The concept of the trade show—which we just called The Show—became ingrained in me at an early age.

When I was a little older, my parents took me along with them to the shows. There were industry events, such as The Bath Show and The Gift Show, with aisles and aisles of booths with all sorts of merchandise that my mom and dad scoured while I tagged along. When I started my own business in the mid-1980s, I also went to The Show. They were and still are an indispensable part of running a business.

It was so exciting to go to our industry shows in the ‘80s and ‘90s. I left those shows awakened after seeing the booths from Hunter Douglas, Graber, Kirsch, Levolor and Ado. I felt part of something larger than I did with my own small business. I felt special when someone from Hunter Douglas would take me into a private room along with a few other fortunate dealers to get my opinion on a new product soon to be launched. I felt privileged to sell their products.

I am writing this article just after Vision10: IWCE (as the shown is now known) in Atlanta. Things have certainly changed. Gone are the majors. The reasoning, as I would imagine, is that it is not worth the expense and effort. Also missing were the huge crowds roaming the exhibition floor and seminar rooms, who were, I assume, absent for the same reasons as the suppliers. To me this is a huge mistake. Yes, the show is smaller than in years past, but it is still important to be here and it still makes a difference to the success of my business.

Vision10: IWCE matters because of two main benefits: education and networking. Let’s start with education. There are always many opportunities to learn something at the show, either at one of the booths where new products or ideas are presented or in one of the many seminars offered. This year I sat in a class taught by Deb Barrett called “Transform Custom to Couture: A Designer’s Guide to High Style Window Fashions.” What a great class! I have been in the drapery workroom business for 25 years and couldn’t imagine that I could learn anything new. I came away with a dozen new ideas that will impress my clients.

Knowledge is power, and how will we learn anything stuck at home? Sessions by industry leaders such as Debbie Green and Jackie Von Tobel are immeasurable in terms of what it means to one’s business. Then there are the networking opportunities that come in a variety of ways: mingling on the exhibition floor, socializing at the different parties, having breakfast with friends and suppliers, or meeting owners and upper management of firms that are attending or exhibiting. I particularly like what Jay Helser of Helser Brothers, a perennial exhibitor, said: “It’s about the intangibles. I always pick up something new from meeting customers and prospects at the show that turns into dollars. Maybe it’s reinforcing an existing relationship or making a new one, or getting a idea from a conversation.”

John Fitzgerald rattled off half a dozen immediate benefits that Comfortex would realize from the show all due to networking and exhibiting. Attendees such as Sarah Youngblood of Youngblood Interiors, Alpharetta, Ga., told me she always goes to the show because it gives her a chance to reconnect with business acquaintances and friends. Her clients love the idea that she is searching for new products and concepts.

Nearly every person I spoke to at the show had positive remarks about why it is worthwhile to invest in attending or exhibiting. I love what Margi Kyle, The Designing Doctor, based in Charlotte, N.C., said to me: “If you don’t appear, you disappear.” These are words of wisdom that we all need to listen to. My good friend Linda Bassert, owner of Masterworks Window Fashions and Design in Washington, D.C., says, “The importance of the IWCE to me is immeasurable. Each time I come here I meet other professionals who understand the challenges and rewards of our business. I find inspiration and fall in love all over again with window treatment design.”

We need to have a strong yearly event that we all participate in. John Fitzgerald of Comfortex told me of his days with the Direct Marketers Association. “Their yearly show was a must-go event. If you didn’t show up, it was considered a faux pas.” It is time for companies like Hunter Douglas, Springs, Ado, Rollease, Norman and others to come back to the show and be the examples for others to follow. Our industry needs you and I know you need us. You may believe that you can do without the show and reach out to your base on your own. But if you only preach to your followers, how will you ever have a chance to learn and grow?

Neil Gordon is owner of Decorating with Fabric, a drapery workroom serving architects and designers in the New York metropolitan area. He has written written a book called The Designer’s Coach and has presented nearly 100 webinars. One of his next is “The Green Window” on August 19 at 12:00 EST where he will cover many areas from energy conservation ideas to green and sustainable products and finally to ways of reducing your consumption footprint.

The Pinocchio Principle - Becoming a Storyteller

From the time we were young we have all been told stories. It is a universal human activity. The function of storytelling is much older, elemental, and superior than even Hollywood. Since stories are such an important part of our very being, applying this natural and powerful tool in business creates wonders.

What makes the great speakers shine from the rest? It's the power of the stories they tell, it is as simple as that. Stories are how people tell each other who they are; where they are from; how unique they are and what they believe. Stories capture people's memories of their past and their expectations for the future. Good stories can motivate, influence, entertain, educate, and convince. Many professionals are discovering the importance and influence of stories for marketing their businesses.

Be it large or small corporations, storytelling is a staple for a company to create its' brand. Storytelling has become a part of bread and butter of the business world.

Storytelling

• A Key Strategy to Sales Success
• Connects Us
• Builds a Bond and Trust

A Key Strategy to Sales Success

Great businesses tell great stories. Whether you're aware of it or not, your business is already telling a story. Storytelling has an extensive variety of business applications; sadly a majority goes unnoticed or ignored. In a commercial world where clients are showered by a massive amount of often conflicting stories, and where they are no longer contented with being members of a passive audience, it is more significant than ever that formal storytelling be taken on as a business tool. An efficient strategy to sales success is storytelling because it is:

• Practical
• Memorable
• Impressive
• Tangible
• Conversational

Becoming an efficient storyteller has long been a ‘make a distinction' factor for victorious sales, and people simply take pleasure in being around someone who can spin a great yarn. Bringing that skill into practice sets you apart from the competition.

Storytelling connects us

Storytelling connects your business to your prospects and clients. When you give and deliver your best, you will not be able to stop them from talking about their "lucky find," or sending their friends to you. You can also find them coming back again and again. Do understand that a good story can change the way people think and a grand story can change the way people behave. When you tell your story and divulge your business personality, you become impressive, enviable and desirable, thus connecting your target market with you.

"The essence of selling is to understand your customer's needs and convincing him that you're the best one to meet them."
- Fred Blalek, co-founder, National Semiconductor Corp

Story Telling builds Bond and Trust

Individuals do business with the ones they like and trust.  Business storytelling is one of the effective methods to build that trust and bond. Consumers prefer to buy what they want from someone who understands what they actually need. Telling your own personal and business stories make them feel like they know you. You connect their emotions thus building ‘Emotional Magnetism'.

There are FIVE methods to show how effective story telling can be in building the trust and eventually the bond.

 

1. Stories help the consumer to know upfront that you understand what she wants and this will pave the way for the rest of the sales process.
2. Stories can be perceived as offering a perfect match between your company and the consumer.
3. Stories can provide the benefits that the consumer is looking for.
4. Stories can make the consumer understands what your company stands for such as its culture, priorities and values.
5. Stories can make build the bridge of trust.

Your story will help consumers trust you right from the beginning, their minds are open. Thus to start from the emotional level, story telling is an effective tool.

Why do we crave stories?

Right from childhood days we first began to learn through our parents' and grandparents' tales, or perhaps reading comics or stories narrated to us in schools or even tall tales by friends. Honestly, don't we remember them better than the hundreds of lectures we had attended?  From the time people learned to communicate, "Tell me a story" has always been an appeal of both children and the adults. Stories such as myths, epics, fairy tales, legends, and fables have been a part of human kind for eon and continue to be favorites. They can actually make a mark on the emotional level and it has always been craved for! In simpler terms, the craving for stories is an element of what it means to be human.

Telling your story

The Product is Secondary

The product always comes secondary. What comes first is to get the attention of our target market. Creating a story of interest will establish a rapport with the prospect and this must be of the utmost importance because nothing can be more vital than developing a relationship for a business to flourish. After all, a good and effective customer attraction is the lifeblood of any business, big or small. It's a successful way in which a business can distinguish itself from the competition. In other words product comes secondary, the main intention of which is to epitomize whatever story is being sold.

Our main purpose in Sales is to ‘Tell your Story.'

Telling stories are much more convincing and better-remembered than simply information.

Apple's CEO and master storyteller Steve Jobs, introduced the revolutionary  ‘iPhone.' The Times said: "Apple's new iPhone could do to the cell phone market what the iPod did to the portable music player market: crush it pitilessly beneath the weight of its own superiority. This is unfortunate for anybody else who makes cell phones, but its good news for those of us who use them."

On the day of announcement the share price increased more than 8%. Even before the actual shipping of the product, the response was excellent.

The reason --- Apple had a very impressive and terrific story.

Feelings

The Market for Feelings, for Emotions is larger then the Market for Products.

Stories touch the emotions that convince, influence and persuade! They touch the emotions that make people buy!

By gratifying the consumer's wants first, you make it almost impossible for them to resist your solution to their needs - when people make your story as their story; you have tapped into the influential force of faith.

Convey emotion into your own presentation -Let your story be described with all emotion and excitement.

Why do they buy?

Do they buy a valance with panels and sheers or their Dream Bedroom?

People prefer to chase what they dream. Having this particular aspect in mind the prospects are on the lookout to make their dream a reality. Convincing the prospects at that emotional level is the challenge. Rather than advertising the panels and shades, understand the prospects and give them what they need. It's not a Herculean task. Even doing small things can make for a great story and have customers sing your praises and refer business to you. Let the consumer know that you recognize what they want and that your service/product is the best fit to satisfy their needs.

As the saying goes, " A man travels the world in search of what he needs and returns home to find it," - so why can't your story be their home?

You must become a Storyteller

A key strategy to sales success is story telling rather than offering empty statistics and boring facts which hardly make an impression on anyone. You will find that effective story telling easily differentiates you from your competitors thus being a key strategy to sales success. Hence learn to become a story teller- more important learn to become an effective story teller- it would take you a long way!

Definition of a Story

Stories are defined as Value Statements

Ursula Le Guin states, "To learn to speak is to learn to tell a story."

Not subject to the same standards as Scientific Truth

We are the stories we tell. It's more about how we define ourselves and not subject to the same standards as scientific truth. They may be stories about the cosmos or universe and humanity's identification in it - in fact we celebrate our stories at every opportunity be it Sunday worship, family reunion or a promotion.

Stories are who we are and who the others are

In the stories, we define who we are, what others are, what the world is about and how we are to relate to the world. With stories, we study and re-affirm our essential cultural principles and ideals of time and space, reason and being, and eventually giving meaning to all characteristics of our purposes. We create our social foundations, fashion our view of the world and our ways of responding to it.

How important are Stories?

Stories are as important to us as Food and Shelter

Why are stories so important? When our stories are effective and influential, there are more customers and more customers mean more revenue. Now, aren't stories important?

It is part of Human Behavior

Storytelling is ideally one of the earliest forms of folk-art. It consists of simple chants that praised the dawn, articulated the happiness of being alive, eased the boredom, combined in poems, music, recited in marketplace - it is simply a part of human behavior.

Stories can be our personal prison or set us free!

There is a saying which goes like, "We don't express the world we see-we see the world we express." Since we think in terms of words, they have the ability to either set us free or limit us. Likewise stories we narrate about ourselves ultimately become our lives. We can choose to tell healthy ones or the opposite, thus making our own personal prisons or just setting ourselves free and happy!

Stories are the spice of life!

Stories are that extra special which enriches or alters the quality of a thing, giving it zest, relish, flavor, in short it adds spice to life.

The Good Storytellers

"The finest glasses for both technical and hedonistic purposes are those made by Riedel. The effect of these glasses on fine wine is profound.

I cannot emphasize enough what a difference they make."

Robert M. Parker, Jr. The Wine Advocate

We do know that a glass cannot alter a fine wine or spirit, however, it can and does significantly alter our perception of it. The same conception applies to story telling. Though storytelling cannot alter your service/product it can however significantly alter the perception of a prospect with regards to your product/service.

Einstein

"Imagination is more important than Knowledge".

Albert Einstein states that knowledge is limited and imagination encircles the world. Now, isn't that right on target? The most imperative ingredient is ‘imagination' to create things that change the world. Adding a wee bit of imagination and creativity not only creates wonders but also is a true sign of intelligence.

The Marketplace is Emotional

Companies will treat these as facts if the consumer believes it to be so.

The market for convictions is not vulnerable to expert opinions. If the consumer believes it to be ‘a fact' the companies will treat them ‘as facts.'

"Companies are no longer setting the agenda for what customers want. They're finding out where the agenda is being set and enhancing it. The customers decide what's important. Your job is to listen and respond."
Avram Miler, Technology Consultant

To Sell Successfully....

We must be capable of listening, feeling, inspiring, and speaking the language of the heart.

By listening, feeling, inspiring and speaking the language of the heart we become solid in a way that is exceptional. One feels anchored and unyielding in conviction and certain of the words one is using. There is a steadiness and sense of mutuality and the limitations began to blur: heartfelt listening.

It's just Boring!

Being an Interior Designer or Decorator is not your Story!

When you build your story on providing an experience of creating "lifestyle entertainment", your prospects will recognize that you are adding value through your comprehension of  desires.

Benefits of a Good Story

Finding your story gives your work more of a purpose. When you find it, you will feel more unique.

Finding your story is a major skill or strategy that is highly effective if you truly want an authentic relationship. It gives your work more of a purpose -the purpose for your business. To find a promising story is to deliver a heroic outcome for a unique feeling.

Your self confidence will soar, as you spread the word of your expertise:

If your story and message is clear, it will be received and acted upon. The word of your expertise spreads. Once it spreads your sales improves, they will soar naturally lifting your spirits and boosting your self-confidence.

"When you engage in systematic, purposeful action, using and stretching your abilities to the maximum, you cannot help but feel

positive and confident about yourself."

-Brian Tracy

A well-defined story gives you more credibility. You will be judged to a higher degree, then others who do not have a good story to tell.

When your story is well defined people feel like they recognize and know you. It gives you more credibility and also makes them have trust and faith in you. You will be judged on a much higher basis standing out of the crowd!

Your story helps to spread the word about your company faster. People will talk about your company that has a story.

Great stories are heard, kept in mind and even retold. Since stories have a remarkable dual power to simulate and to inspire, let it be - simply great.

Your company will get noticed as it stands above the clutter. You need a story to separate you from the competitors.

How you tell your story makes a great difference! Take your time to begin to enhance your own stories that can be easily shared and understood by your audience. You may be surprised by the results!

People don't want information, they want a story. Stories will connect because it encourages emotions.

The power of this ancient tool is just amazing. People do not information; they need something to be inspired about, something which connects them emotionally, something which they can relate to - they want stories.

People will remember you because we remember stories and not information. The best way to tell your story is to create a Niche.

Talking with an effective-story is basically getting into the sub-conscious level of a person. To make the story effective, create a Niche. ‘Niche' is a special place within the scheme of things.

Niche Ideas

• Baby Nurseries
• Green Design
• Interiors for the Disabled
• Collectables
• Smart Homes
• Storage Expert
• Color
• Personality

The above are the Niche Ideas and let's elaborate on, ‘Baby Nurseries,' to make it clearer.

Baby Nurseries

• Connect with Emotional Mother
• She will show off the room.
• Relationship for generations
• Easily targeted segment
• Juicy Story content
• Great for articles, press releases, seminars

Using a Niche as a Market Strategy

There are dozens of industries that you can focus on to develop a market for your company such as law offices, medical offices, health care, hotels, restaurants, day care centers, yachts and much more. The great benefit about niche marketing is that it promotes those who indulge in it to be unique and one-of-a-kind.

By Product

Office Furniture, Kitchen Cabinets, Window Treatments, Color, Antiques, Artwork and Residential Furniture are just a few that fall under marketing with a product focus.

It's recommended that you choose a niche product that you are knowledgeable about. In case, you're not well-informed about the particular product, then choose a niche product that you would prefer to promote, spend some time to research on it, and you would eventually end up being a ‘niche marketing expert.'

By Style

When you sell by style, you sell based on your own unique talent. Examples of style include: Modern, Traditional, Classic, Youthful, Tailored and Elegant.

ByDemographic

You can target a certain group of the market such as: Retiring Baby Boomers, Newly Divorced, and those relocating for their work. There are quite a few things to be taken into consideration such as age, gender, education, income, ethnicity, family definitions, lifestyle, activities, etc. By defining your ideal customer on ‘demographic basis,' you will be able to build your business easily.

By Solution

A clever way to finding your niche is through offering great solutions to common and difficult problems. It can be done after an unsatisfied customer demand is recognized. After which, marketing and reaching out ‘that' particular audience in the best possible way can be worked on, for your business to reach ‘skyrocketing success.'

For instance, you can specialize in: Solar Control, Motorization, Home Staging and offering Solutions to the Disabled.

Look at this as a Marketing Strategy

• This is not a "Straight Jacket"!
• You can implement several strategies.
• Niche Marketing Strategies tell a story.

 

By taking a straight jacket as an example, you can try to incorporate different approaches. Try not to look at it just as a straight jacket but include its importance with stories - tell a story with niche marketing strategies. You can talk on its coziness', its style, its fashion statement in a broader sense. On the other hand, if you want to target on a more specific audience, you can concentrate on the accessories of a straight jacket such as the buttons.

Target your niche market and create messages that advance the filters of the mind, thus reaching ‘the audience' who ‘want' and ‘need' what you offer.

Niche Strategies

• Appealing to Baby Boomers with a message about color
• Target Realtors with Home Staging Service
• Color Consultations to Painting Contractors
• Gift of Decorating to Men

 

A Guide to finding your Story

Be an Explorer: Look at your current resources in your business to create a new idea.

An instance would be instead of offering cleaning services you can create niche marketing by specializing in blind cleaning services. Why should one bother about creating a niche market? The answer is ‘you're alone.' Small business may not be aware of your specialized niche market and the big business wouldn't want to bother!

Example: We already help our clients with color.

Transform this resource into your Niche Marketing Strategy. For instance, we can offer this service to Painting Contractors who happen to be a great "Center of Influence". Look for your inner Picasso.       

                                                                                           

Now, here comes the judge:

Evaluate the idea and decide how to implement it.                                                        Example: We can offer 5 Free Color Consultations to Painting Contractors in the area.

Be the Warrior

Implement your Idea! Once you have decided on a certain niche marketing strategy, implement your ideas and be persistent in what needs to be done! It is always a good idea to market by your self as satisfying truly unique needs.

Example: Send out a mailing and follow up with phone calls. By following up with your prospects and providing great customer service, you are creating a long-term relationship. Fulfilled customers are more likely to purchase your other new products in the future. Treat them with the utmost respect and go beyond the expected.

With all that your present customers ‘can do for you,' there's simply no cause to not to stay in regular touch with them. Use your imagination, and you can think of numerous other ideas that can help you develop a durable relationship.

How to Market your Story

1. Free Report Marketing is a great way to position your business to your target market. It is simply offering a free report, based on your story, on typical problems your potential clients may have and providing effective solutions.

A major objection of many who take on market research is that information is often hard to find unless one is willing to pay. While the majority good market research is quite expensive to access, rarely there are good research nuggets that are freely accessible. Hence start your free report marketing by providing link to summaries, research reports and other practical research materials. Give your visitors the information/content they can't read anywhere else. If not the entire content, at least a portion of it should have the original information as people will read information they haven't read or seen anywhere.

 

2. When you offer a free report on your area of expertise, you begin a campaign with your target market that builds loyalty because you are educating rather then selling.

 

If your reports help build ‘customer loyalty,' customers will choose you over your competitors. They are likely to buy your product/service more frequently. In addition they become voluntary marketers eventually recommending you to others. Your reports and information can also provide an ultimate way to collect feedback from the customers whose views does matter the most as they could be of utmost importance. There are many trustworthy, dependable and cost effective programs that help to manage your list. They also help to create and send messages without investing in soft wares or other solutions that need to be outsourced.

 

3. You can actually convince the buyer that your product is the best because you understand their problem and your company is able to provide the best solution.

 

Having convinced the customers that you understand the problem, you can eventually provide a practical solution. A winning strategy sets you apart from the others. It emphasizes your strengths and eases the impact of your weaknesses. Ultimately it matches your anticipated clarification with the customer's needs.

Great Reasons to offer this Strategy

• You build client loyalty by becoming a trusted advisor. Those that request educational reports from you will view you as the expert.

People have various needs. If they request educational reports, it means they view you as an expert. It's in your best interest to make them feel unique, special and appreciated. The benefits are many.                                                                                                           "Quality of product or service leads to customer satisfaction, which leads to customer loyalty, which leads to profitability." Niche marketers are often dependent on the ‘loyalty business model' to sustain a beneficial volume of sales.

• You "set the specs" for the standards in your solutions. You establish the guidelines and since you are writing the report, you provide the exact solution to the common problems they are experiencing.

In other words you become your own master. You frame your own rules. You can convince then by setting your guidelines that you have the potential to resolve their issues and make them believe/understand that this is what they've been looking for or what they need!

SEVEN reasons why this is so effective

1. You begin the relationship on a positive note:

Developing relationship with prospects begins when you realize you get what you give.  Instead of directly marketing your product, you make your target audience realize that you're more interested in them. Your relationship starts on a positive note. When you begin ‘an issue' on a positive and respectful note, you can't imagine the difference it makes. You invite discussion. You look for win-win solutions to the concerned problem or issue.

2. You acknowledge to the prospect a level of respect in wanting to help rather then sell.

In asking ‘how you can help?' you start the conversation on a positive note. You are helping and not selling. We all know that people hate to be sold. All of us have been there and faced it - we don't like to be sold. The minute we realize that we are being sold, we often want to get away - fast. Don't we?

On the other hand, if one feels they are sincerely trying to be helped they will relax and open up to you. Though it is a simple perspective it is quite powerful and very effective with prospects.

3. When you educate, you project a better relationship.

Once you understand the prospect's issues and problems and try to resolve those, it shows you've started a relationship. The prospect will find you approachable and much at ease. Focus on educating and delivering insightful content. Coaching your prospects gets that rapport established. You're educating your prospect, in short your helping yourself by helping him/her. Customer has to make a decision, "Do I prefer building a long-term relationship with you?"  Long term is what every business wants. You surely don't want a ‘just one time customer' and they really want a ‘just one time - buying' relationship.  

4. Prospects will buy from companies that put their clients first.

Once the image that ‘you care for' the prospect reflects that there's no turning back for him/her. Show them that you care for their needs rather than their money. It's basically creating an environment where each gets what they want. As we all know, customer service is important in each and every business, and at each and every stage of delivery process. A professional tries to solve a client's issues/problems and make efforts to prevent future ones. If your attitude towards your prospect is with interest and thoughtfulness, you can be sure your prospect will give you the same reaction.

5. You "set the specs" and this makes you the perfect solution.

What can you say that no one else can say?

What can you say that the market will act in response to?

Well, that's the hush-hush of positioning: a successful approach will enclose the debate so that your solution is the only good solution. It compels potential prospects to think and react about their issues on the same terms as you do. With a good market insight, figuring out how to talk about a solution in the way your prospects want to take notice of is a whole lot easier thus - ‘your solution is the only solution.'

 

6. You are recognized as the expert in the field.

 

Expert status is one of the prime factors that turn ordinary business into extraordinary business. When you're considered to be an expert in a particular area, audiences with an interest in the concerned niche will follow you because it gives them what they want.

As you become an acknowledged expert, people tend to believe in and act on your recommendations. When they act on your recommendations, your business increases. It all starts with offering your free marketing report!

 

7) People love free stuff, it works! :

If there is one that people in general enjoy is getting something for free - people love to get free stuff. First is the fact that free is so influential. Not to mention in business, the most effective word is free. It drives prospects to its source and as a matter of fact everyone comes as a winner. The prospects benefit as they get something which they don't have to pay for and the business benefit as they end up promoting their bottom line. By giving free stuff you are giving your prospects a reason to hang on to it now and in the future.

Using your Story in Networking

When you go to Networking Events, you will be remembered and referred when you tell story:

The use of networking is to develop relationships so you will get leads from someone who knows you. When you attend a networking event the main reason is to meet business people from different industries to get solid exposure and publicity.

The key to thriving promotion of a business is consistency - informing the same message very often in different places. Repetition is critical to becoming remembered by your desired prospects where story plays a major role. Thus a great method to incorporate storytelling is networking. When your prospects have a chance to refer you to their contacts they can tell your story. A brilliant story shared with a new prospect creates a mark in their mind about you and your offer. That simple association can help generate a new liaison with someone influential which might prove beneficial for your business. The advantage of building relationships with an effective story will result in new leads for your business.

We've all heard stories about the executive who showed up and solved a huge problem at our offices or homes. It works the same way. Your network is out admiring your capabilities to their contacts, and there the connection is made. The key is to use words and images that capture your prospects impact and prompt them to want to tell your story to their listeners. Finally-don't give up. If you have a good story to tell, keep trying to tell it in all possible ways!

However, one should understand that networking is not a place to sell. There is no point in collecting around 50 business cards, eventually to get piled up in a box. It is about the quality of your contacts and not quantity. Let it be a platform to introduce your self with an effective story and not a sales pitch.

The 10 Second Intro

You have to hook them!

It's VERY CRUCIAL to create the right impression about you and your business straight away. That's where a 10 second introduction comes! The more this introduction stands out of the crowd, the more likely your new prospect is to remember you. You have a matter of seconds to grab your prospect's attention hence NEVER blow it with a weak opening. Presenting your story in a truly unusual light will turn out to be a grand investment in the long run. One way of making your introduction stand out is to put an unexpected twist right at the start -the point is to be instantly recognized and remembered by your acquaintances. For example, "Hello I am Joe Albert, here to make you an expert." Now that's an introduction that grabs everybody's attention - and leaves them with wanting to know more. So their next assignment goes to you instead of the person who just said, "Hello I am Harry Dane and I am a designer."

The 30 Second Story

• Use in Networking
• At the beginning of a presentation.

Be it in networking or at the beginning of a presentation, remember that what we really need to do to get people excited is to start with a gripping story. Just be sure to keep your audience in mind and make sure it relates with them, no matter how you chose to tell it. Always think - Will others find your story interesting?  Try to develop a story as you would like to have it told.

The 30 second story is really a powerful introduction that converses your unique selling proposition in just a matter of few seconds. To make it less complicated, think about your introduction in terms of it being a headline or few bullet points that portray who you are to others. Try to best sum up yourself in this 30 second introduction which is commonly called as the 30 second drill.

Just keep in mind that your story is generally the first and foremost step to making the initial contact. A powerful first impression takes you to high levels of success than you ever imagined. Let your story be a RESOURCE for people wanting to know more about your offer and that includes basic information such as your mission, services, programs, your accessibility etc.

So, to recap, a great 30 second story needs:

 

• A method to introduce your business that will grasp the listener's attention.
• A brief description of your USP and benefits.
• A Guarantee that people can trust you.

 

Get all these essentials together and you'll notice the difference: how your audience will remember you, talk about you, refer you - and give you their business.

 

Don't Be Boring!!

No one cares that you are an Interior Designer or a Decorator.

Why be boring when you can be...

• The Green Decorator
• The Nursery Designer
• The Solar Man
• The Motorization Expert

In order not be boring create a niche. The best thing about a niche business is that you are not struggling to fight against numerous other marketers. Your ‘niche' is unique and one of its kind. Many are under the impression that niche marketing restricts their ways of offering service. The good news is that it is exactly the opposite in choosing a niche market- it will free you to be the biggest, most reliable, most authentic and most complete method possible.

When you look at niche in this percept, you will find that your perfect niche market is a platform where you are most readily accessible to the people who are most likely to benefit from your work. It is the right place in the right ecosystem and you have a natural competitive advantage. What's more is that you can experiment and put to use your talents, skills and expertise.

People will find it interesting if your offer is different and unique apart form the same old story that, ‘I am an Interior Decorator.' Be interesting, have something to say, do something exciting, make your readers/listeners worth the time. Don't do anything that wouldn't hold your own attention if you were in your prospect's place. Ultimately, DON'T BE BORING! Be UNIQUE, attention-grabbing and one of its kinds.

Bringing back the principle of Pinocchio: learn to be a story teller. Yes, Pinocchio landed in trouble because of his stores but when it comes to business they are a major ‘stepping stones' for a career.  

Free E-Book

Who Else Wants to Discover the Hidden Keys to Running a Booming Decorating Business Using Dynamic 21st Century Tactics Combined With Timeless, Legendary Customer attraction Strategies?

Introducing The Designer's Coach:
Business Strategies for
Interior Designers and Decorators
2nd Edition

This is the highly anticipated, brand new book by acclaimed designer and business growth expert Neil Gordon that will shake your paradigms, rattle the cages of your current business philosophies and roll your company
into a new long-term growth zone. 

The Designer's Coach: Business Strategies for Interior Designers and Decorators will put things into clear focus for your design business. Once you start reading the material in here you'll want to put it down and get to work implementing all the advice.

But you won't be able to put it down.
The tools, resources and potent business advice comes at you so fast and furious that you'll want to get out your yellow highlighter just to keep up.
Just take a look at the chapter list and get a sneak peek at what's in store for you when you crack this open:

Decorating Is Entertainment!
At the end of the day, our clients want to be entertained, and to feel as though their project is bigger than the sum of its parts. It's a major production, perhaps one of the biggest of their lives, and your job is to see it and treat it that way.

In this first chapter you'll be exposed to a fascinating analogy between decorating and the theater. Through a series of 6 scenes, you'll start to better understand your own role in this play a whole lot better, which will set the stage and tone for what you'll learn in the rest of the book.

Do the Design, Systemize the Business
In order to run your design business in a way that ensures you're doing what you do best, which is design, you must put systems into place for the other critical aspects of your business so you don't spend all your time putting out fires.

In this chapter we'll discuss those systems, how to implement them so you can get back to doing the things you should be doing, which is why you got into this business in the first place!

We'll also introduce the 6 modules for running your business effectively, as part of The Designers Coach program. Each of these modules will be the subject of future chapters later in the book.

The Six Fatal Flaws
Possessing and practicing any one of these 6 flaws on a regular basis will put your business on a collision course to failure. Having all 6 will bring about such a collision much sooner.

We'll review each flaw and tell you how to avoid, counteract and replace them with positive, productive habits and qualities so you can move your business ahead with confidence.

The Leadership Coach
This is the chapter that is the foundation for all the others, and it's jam packed. I'll show you how to do a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), which is the starting point for any serious marketing plan.

We'll also examine how to determine your leadership skills and competencies, and help you to develop a strategic vision for your company by completing a 19-question worksheet and devising an action plan around it.

The Team Coach
Whether you have employees or not, you need to know how to pull your team together. This could be anyone in your client fulfillment chain, so think about who that might be and remember that you are only as good as the weakest link in that chain.

In this chapter I'll reveal must-know strategies that will have your team running like a top consistently, with the result being more satisfied clients and a more profitable business long term. You'll also see a sample letter to suppliers that will help you put it all in perspective.

The Marketing Coach
Your understanding of the concepts and lessons contained in this chapter alone could very well make or break your business. Here we'll show you how to determine your ideal customer and explore how to find your perfect niche that is not to broad and not too narrow, and how to determine the lifetime value of your client.

I'll also reveal the most powerful lead generating tactic that any business possesses but very few use to their fullest potential. You'll want to read this chapter several times and act on every piece of information given.

The Sales Coach
Creating a name for yourself, building your brand, is essential to dominating your market instead of just treading water. Here we'll discuss how to do that effectively. We'll also explore how to create a selling and design system that's perfect for you, as well as reveal a 2-visit selling system that will have you closing prospective clients faster and easier than ever before.

On the pro-active front, you'll learn the importance of having a quality client management system and how to put a winning one into action.

The Satisfaction Coach
Having satisfied clients should be one of your ultimate goals, and this can be a tricky proposition. In this chapter we'll uncover what the keys are to making this happen, including being proactive instead of reactive, anticipating potential problems and acting on them to head them off.

In an industry with little margin for error, your success in this area is paramount. So I've put action steps into place that will ease the satisfaction process for you. You'll need to think like both a customer and a project manager and sift through all potential problems in your mind before they occur. Sound difficult? It can be, but with this book in your possession you'll be one giant step ahead of your competition and well on your way to sustained customer satisfaction.

The Negotiation Coach
Your mastery of negotiation will pay for this book a thousand times over. We'll delve into this topic fully, immersing ourselves in the negotiation process. In this chapter you'll learn to create a pricing and estimating strategy so you don't just go and arbitrarily lower your price during a negotiation simply because the client demands it.

Value is what you long to establish, and once that's been solidified properly in the eyes of your prospect, price becomes almost irrelevant. You'll discover the 10 things clients want besides a great price, and you'll learn the four temperaments, an ancient personality assessment method that is still used today by the top negotiators.

Armed with this knowledge will have you properly equipped to handle any negotiation smoothly and stress free.

Are You Ready to Grow Your Business?
This final chapter pulls it all together. You'll grade yourself on all the crucial factors that come into play when moving your business forward, along with an analysis of what each grade means and what you can do about it.

By now I think you understand the importance of having this book on your desk at all times. It's not something you read once and put up on your shelf. It's a field guide for overwhelming success in your design business. Knowledge is power as they say. The knowledge you'll possess when you have this book in your business arsenal will give you power for years to come.

Download your FREE copy of The Designer's Coach: Business Strategies for Interior Designers and Decorators

The Six Fatal Flaws

             In my study of the decorating and design business, I have discovered that there are six main reasons that prevent ultimate success. I call them the "Six Fatal Flaws." This sounds serious, and it is. If you are like most of my clients, you are passionate about your work. You decided to become an interior designer because you love it. But, I bet you love the design part and not the business part. Like most of us, you are more right-brained than left-brained. That means that the business development side of you probably needs some work. I have outlined six typical mistakes that most designers and design firms make. Even if your company doesn't have problems with all of the six flaws, you could still rein in your company from achieving its goals. Therefore, to attain the status of a world-class organization, you must strive to understand and overcome these six areas that could potentially destroy your dreams.

1) No Strategic Vision

            Many design businesses open their doors as quickly as the business cards are printed. Yet running a successful business requires a real plan. Does your business operate without a vision of where you want to be in five years? Do you function day to day by making decisions that have no strategic basis? I have seen many design businesses that function from moment to moment without having a plan. How can you make decisions when you do not have a road map to guide you? Have you ever considered what your strengths and limitations are? If so, have you thought how you might take advantage of your strengths and remedy your weaknesses? As the leader, do you measure your own leadership competencies? Have you ever considered a 360-degree feedback analysis? Are you willing to make behavioral changes in yourself in order to better the organization?

            The consequence of No Strategic Vision is you operate your business without a road map and raise your odds of making poor decisions.

2) Uncooperative Teamwork

            Whether your company is a one-person operation or has dozens of people on the payroll, your business must operate as a team. Your clients view all of the vendors, craftspeople and suppliers you send to your client's home as part of your team. Have you created position and vendor alignments that spell out your vision and expectations? Does your team understand that they represent you when meeting your clients? Do your plans and ideas go unfulfilled because you are not communicating your strategic vision? Do you hire people because they are available, rather then find individuals that meet the roles that your team chart requires?

           The consequence of Uncooperative Teamwork is your team doesn't understand the vision of your business and sabotages your hard work.

3) Haphazard Marketing

            How will you find clients? Have you established your positioning statement? Have you established a marketing strategy? By the way being an interior designer is not a marketing strategy. Do you throw money at advertising as if it magically encourages appointments? This is an ineffective attempt to generate leads. What ends up happening is that you pay an extraordinary amount for a lead. The most valued type of lead, the referral, is basically ignored or taken for granted. Have you implemented a word-of-mouth marketing system that will generate a reliable source of leads?

            The consequence of Haphazard Marketing is without effective strategies you waste your resources and do not give your business enough leads to survive.

4) Amateur Selling

            Selling without a plan or system leaves the designer working in a confused state. At times you may be selling on price and other times on value. Do you understand the discipline of psychographics or understanding the subtle reasons why consumers make buying decisions? Has your business established a position in the mind of the consumer that projects a clear value message? Do you use the Summary Letter and the Advocate Referral System that focuses on getting results?

            The consequence of Amateur Selling is without powerful sales techniques, you have ineffective presentations and therefore you are poor at closing sales.

5) Poor Negotiation Skills

            How do you negotiate? Do you understand the nuances of the negotiation process? Are you able to analyze correctly who the decision makers are? After establishing your business as value-based, are you able to receive your just reward? It all comes down to this, the bottom line. The final measure of success will depend on your margins. This is a complex business, and unless you understand that your business must work on certain margins, you will not succeed. Most businesses will price each job as to the urgency of the cash‑flow status and not understand the detrimental effects of a price cut.

            The consequence of Poor Negotiation Skills is you fail to close sales or work on lower margins. This is the number one reason for business failure.

6) Faulty Client Fulfillment

            Once the deposit is received and the order process is underway, so begins the task of fulfilling your promises. This is the critical area where most businesses falter. There is very little room for error in meeting the expectations of your clients. This is a challenging business and you will be constantly solving problems if your client fulfillment systems are faulty. Have you created and implemented battle tested systems that prevent mistakes?

            The consequence of Faulty Client Fulfillment is without business systems you are always solving problems by not meeting your client's expectations.

             Fortunately there is a way to remedy these six fatal flaws. I have developed six coaching modules that address each flaw and offer practical solutions. Let's get started and begin work on the six modules.

Neil Gordon is the owner of Decorating with Fabric. Decorating with Fabric proudly serves the New York Metro area's Window Covering and Upholstery needs. Among our many clients are Architects and Interior Designers that work on Commercial or Residential projects. From Consultation to Fabrication to Installation, Decorating with Fabric has the staff, skill and experience to handle all types of projects. Visit our blog Draperies & Window Coverings to read more interesting articles @ http://www.dwfcontract.com/.

Do the Design, Systemize the Business

            What motivated you to become a designer? Every designer that I have asked this question to has replied with a comment about a "deep passion" for the career choice. I have also found that there has is a quick dose of disappointment when one finds that being an interior designer is not as glamorous as it sounded before they traveled down this winding road. I am here to tell you that I can rescue you from the drudgery of running a complicated business and restore the glamour you seek.

            You studied and worked hard to become an interior designer because you felt a real desire to be creative and use your talent as a career choice. You should do what you love! Great advice; it sounds so good. But I hear over and over again these common complaints:

            "I am doing everything myself. I am always on the phone, and there is so much paperwork."

            "Why am I working so much and getting so little done?"

            "Is all this effort and hassle worth it?"

            "Why am I always solving problems?"

            "Why do I feel like I'm a juggler at a circus?"

            Did you become a designer to handle all these problems? No, but you are running a business and in order to free yourself up to "do the design," you must "systemize the business."

            To do the design, to fulfill your dreams, and to fulfill your client's dreams, you must develop business systems. As a designer in your own business, you are an entrepreneur. Therefore, you need to organize your company around six basic skills:

 

            1) Providing effective leadership and a vision

            2) Building a solid team and a shared vision

            3) Creating a brand and awareness

            4) Selling your designs

            5) Becoming an effective negotiator

            6) Fulfilling your promises

            To develop these necessary skills, you need to create systems for each of these points. If you do, you will release yourself from the torturous bondage of a job you hate. Every system you implement in your company will add value or equity to your business. Why? Because you are creating procedures that do not require you to perform every task. You can assign someone these responsibilities. Maybe you are the only employee, but if you plan on growing your business, you will eventually hire someone. This first hire will be greeted with systems in place and an understanding of the requirements of the position.

            The Designer's Coach is a program that will help you develop these critical business skills. I have created six modules, each one focusing on a specific discipline of running a successful business. The modules are in a specific order. It is my wish that you follow each module as it is presented. There is a logical progression from one through six, so if you jump around, you might not get the full benefit of going through the work as intended.

The Leadership Coach

            This first area of business development is all about you. You are the leader and you must look within and become self aware as to the type of leader you need to be. In this module, the work we will do depends solely on you, your attitude, your beliefs, and your actions. We will examine your leadership competencies and your leadership profile. Are you willing to measure your own behavior with a 360-degree feedback analysis?  How will you take your strengths and implement your vision for your organization? What is your Strategic Vision for the future of your company? You will write a first draft of your Strategic Vision.

The Team Coach

            All businesses-from a one-person company to a large organization-need to work within a team concept. How will you manage, coach, and lead your team? How can you become an effective leader, even if you are a one-person operation? In this module, you will learn how to build a shared vision, draft a team chart, create position and vendor alignments, and to understand what it takes to keep your vendors, suppliers and craftspeople happy.

The Marketing Coach

            The lifeblood of any business is generating leads. We must develop a way to have a constant flow of new leads or we cannot survive. In this module, we will examine the current state of your lead generation. Through careful analysis, you will determine who your target market is and how to create your positioning statement. You will learn the most effective marketing strategies for a design business from networking and referral building to public speaking.

The Sales Coach

            The conversion of a lead to a sale is a strategic part of your business that requires the utmost attention. You will learn such things as the power of "asking questions", understanding the mind of your prospect and how to establish your business value message. Additionally, you will be asked how you sell your designs. Have you implemented a selling system? Finally, you will be introduced to the Advocate Referral System.

The Negotiation Coach

            Do you understand what happens during the negotiation or decision-making phase of the selling process? Who is the decision maker? How do you know if you can trust what your client says? We will work on becoming a more effective negotiator with a strategy called: The Pendulum Principle. Also in this module, you will learn an effective negotiation defense against price shoppers and a strategy for developing effective contracts and agreements. Do you have a system to track all costs for each job? Are you communicating your value-message that will maintain the margins you need to stay in business?

The Satisfaction Coach

            Keeping your promises is the best way to grow your business and to encourage referrals. A flawless client fulfillment system is critical to delivering on your promises to your clients. We will examine in this module how you get things done and encourage setting up the various systems. Along with this, we will work on making sure that you are exceeding your client's expectations, each and every time, with great satisfaction staging ideas. You will also be introduced to the concept of Project Management.

            If you follow these modules and apply their concepts, I believe that you will find a remarkable change in your business and in your life. I ask only one thing from you: you must want to make a change in the way you run your business. The key to this program succeeding comes only from you and your motivation. I hope that you will find the inspiration to do this, and execute a new way of running your organization. Then we can celebrate together. But before we begin, let's take a look at the most common mistakes that many design firms make.

Neil Gordon is the owner of Decorating with Fabric. Decorating with Fabric proudly serves the New York Metro area's Window Covering and Upholstery needs. Among our many clients are Architects and Interior Designers that work on Commercial or Residential projects. From Consultation to Fabrication to Installation, Decorating with Fabric has the staff, skill and experience to handle all types of projects. Visit our blog Draperies & Window Coverings to read more interesting articles @ http://www.dwfcontract.com/.

Decorating is Entertainment

            Why do we decorate? Since the age of cave dwellers, humans have added some type of decoration to the places they live. I think the reasons probably haven't changed much since those early days. We decorate our homes because:

1) It makes us feel good.

2) We like to show off.

3) Decorating is entertainment!

            As designers, our target market is those people who love to decorate. These people love showing off their homes to their family and friends. When they invite people to their home, they immediately give them a tour. This is their entertainment.

            What a wonderful position to be in, as a designer.  How do we provide the entertainment experience so a client can entertain friends? To offer this style of decorating service we need to look at our business as theater and practice a new mind-set called "Decorating is Entertainment." Everything we do as designers needs to give the perception to our clients that they are buying an experience and not a collection of products. Every aspect of communication, expectations, appearance, and sensory images needs to focus on one outcome: to provide entertainment.

            Face it; do our clients really need to buy anything more? Don't they have all they need? Our clients don't want to buy more things. They want entertainment, and guess what? They will pay a premium for it.

            In the six scenes that follow, I name each category of the design business with a theater term. It is very interesting to see how life on the stage can be an inspiration to our business life in the world of decorating.

Scene One

The Producer

(The Entrepreneur)

            As the producer, we must make sure that all aspects of the business, from the letterhead to our client-fulfillment systems, all say theater. Nothing can be left to chance. In a stage performance, it is a huge blunder if a stagehand is seen.

            We should build our company around encouraging emotions, just like the entertainment industry does. Emotions are what govern our lives, yet it is incredible how most businesses ignore this. Now is the time to reinvent your organization. The ultimate client experience is giving them exactly what they want, which is customization. What luck! We are in the custom business! We provide the best products and services to exceed our client's expectations. This must be enhanced by being sure all other aspects and communication with the consumer have the same intent.

            The role of the producer is to make visible the story of the playwright, or as we call it, the vision of the organization, and to give the company all the tools necessary to entertain.

 

Scene 2

The Director

(The Manager)

 

            The role of the director is to interpret the vision of the producer. This is done by directing the cast (staff). The cast needs a script (systems) to ensure a similar great experience for the audience (customers) at each and every performance (sale). The cast needs to remember that work is theater, and they need to remain in character during the time on stage (at work). It is the role of the director to understand that to create a successful performance, the company must strive to make memories, not just sell goods or services. The audience wants to be entertained.

            Think about your experiences with other businesses. Remember the two check-out clerks chatting across the lane while your groceries were rung up? What about your dentist who fails to call and advise you that he is running behind one hour? There are countless poor experiences we can relate to. It is up to you, the director, not to allow the cast to perform its own drama and make sure that personal issues do not appear on stage.

 

Scene 3

The Narrator

(The Marketer)

 

            The narrator tells the story to the audience. He brings awareness of the important aspects of what needs to be communicated. As the storyteller, we need to make aware to our target market that we exist. Any performance that becomes a hit does so from great word of mouth. Word-of-mouth marketing does not happen by accident; it takes a systemized plan to keep the crowds coming. There is also all the promotional material that accompanies a performance, such as the posters and playbills. Furthermore, all the material must communicate the same message. The narrator has the ability to encourage the spreading of the word, so that the company can have a long and lucrative run.

 

Scene 4

The Cast

(The Staff)

 

            The cast is the crucial link to success. They are the frontline providers of a great performance and long-lasting memories. The performance of all the cast members needs constant rehearsing to deliver the intended message and to encourage critics' approval (more sales). The theater of improvisation is a required skill. Acting off the interaction of the audience takes a lot of practice. The audience does not want a choice of experiences. They want a great experience each and every time. In order to do this, the cast must engage the audience and reach deep and draw from their training, to give a memorable performance.

 

Scene 5

The Critic

(The Client)

 

            The critic is the master of our destiny. The critic must be thrilled with our performance. During show time (from the sale to the delivery), we should be staging a client surprise at every available opportunity. When every other show in town is providing the same boring performance, it is up to you to offer a great performance (client experience) that will thrill. The critic's expectations are emotional ones and we must tap into them. The role of pleasing the critic is not the actor alone; it requires a great crew. From the producer, to the director, and to all the extras, we need to be focused on the same outcome: keep them coming back for more!

 

Scene 6

The Sold-Out House

(The Bottom Line)

 

            How do we charge for a great performance? Should we figure what the actual cost of the production is in order to calculate our ticket prices, or should we base our prices on the value the audience is willing to pay?

            The prices we charge should be based on the value perceived. Companies that entertain can charge more than companies that do not meet their clients' expectations. You should charge for the value you add, not the costs you incur. You must base the prices you charge on the value you have created.

            To do this, you must make sure all aspects of your presentation justify your margins. You will need to make clear that the prices you charge are well worth it. If you do, your clients will be thrilled to pay you. When you price with the consideration on perceived value, you focus on the performance, not the price per yard. Everyone in the production must be committed to staging this concept, so that nothing that the audience (the client) sees will sacrifice the margins.

 

Conclusion

            Of course, our style of entertaining is not done in a theater. We instead sell "lifestyle entertainment." We are providing a service to improve our clients' expectations of their own lives. We make their homes beautiful and this brings them a high level of satisfaction. Every aspect of bringing awareness to our company-selling, designing, and providing our clients with a thrilling experience-will leave the audience with only one response: a standing ovation.

Neil Gordon is the owner of Decorating with Fabric. Decorating with Fabric proudly serves the New York Metro area's Window Covering and Upholstery needs. Among our many clients are Architects and Interior Designers that work on Commercial or Residential projects. From Consultation to Fabrication to Installation, Decorating with Fabric has the staff, skill and experience to handle all types of projects. Visit our blog Draperies & Window Coverings to read more interesting articles @ http://www.dwfcontract.com/.

The Case for Business Coaching

There is a growing frustration with the condition of your body so you finally decide to do something about it. With great enthusiasm you take the gym tour and sign up. Along with membership comes 3 free personal training sessions and maybe a massage or two. This is great and your new life begins. Early morning before work seems to be the best time based on your schedule. 6:30 AM on the treadmill for thirty minutes, another half hour on the weights and then a steam and a shower. What a great way to start the day.

You feel amazing, never better! You see the pounds start to peal off and your muscles firming up. You hear compliments from your family and friends that you look better then ever. "Have you been working out?"

Then it slowly begins. You stay out late one night and your 6 AM wake-up alarm feels like it's three in the morning. You decide to sleep in and miss the gym. "Hey, it's only one day, I've been doing so well, and I deserve it."

A few days later, you hear the rain pounding the roof and the howling winds. There is no way you are going out in this weather, and so it goes. The excuses grow and your enthusiasm wanes. Eventually the gym becomes a distant and annoying memory.

Hiring a business coach is a lot like joining the gym. I have coached dozens of great people with an amazing amount of enthusiasm about changing their business and their lives. We begin the coaching process by working diligently on making the changes needed to grow the business. Exciting and lofty goals are set. A Strategic Vision is talked about. If you could have the business of your dreams, what would it look like in 5 years?

Then, just like the gym, something happens. Something creeps into your head that is confusing. It is an anxiety that grows when the present day reality is compared with seemingly out of reach goals. To illustrate this point, imagine a rubber band stretched around your two hands as you hold them out in front of you. Your left hand represents today-your current reality. Your right hand represents your goals, your Strategic Vision. It is your dream business.

What happens when you pull your right hand away from your left? Actually two things occur. The first is your goals become loftier and grander; the other is that the tension of the rubber band increases. As you hands spread apart, you are striving for greater achievements, but there is increased resistance from the rubber band. What is this tension, is it stress?

It is natural to think that this tension is anxiety or stress. Obviously something we want to avoid. But what would happen if we analyzed this emotion differently? What if we tried to put a positive spin on this uncomfortable feeling?

We need to find a way to change our behavior if we want to make any improvements in our lives. The only way to do this is to examine what causes us to self-destruct? Why do we have good intentions but fail at the execution? Is it because we label any tense feelings as negative?

Tension often leads to feelings or emotions associated with anxiety, such as sadness, discouragement, hopelessness or worry. These negative emotions do not need to overcome our dreams and goals. Here is where we need to be careful not to confuse these two emotions.

We may feel deeply discouraged that our goal is not happening and we might lower our vision. The feelings that we dislike go away because the tension was reduced. Our goals are now much closer to our current reality; the only price we pay is abandoning what we truly want: Reaching our original goal.

Business Coaching is effective because you are working with someone who keeps you focused on your goals and offers advice, encouragement and a plan to follow. But this takes a strong desire for behavioral changes.

As the graphic above shows, the realm of coaching resides above normal behavior. It requires a journey to seek out exceptional behavior in order to reach extraordinary goals.

Just like going to the gym, optimal health requires behavioral changes. You start of with the best of intentions, eventually the goals seem unachievable and you experience that uneasy feeling or tension associated with pursuing an unattainable goal, so you quit.

Challenge these negative emotions, recognize that there are different types of stress and not all of them are bad. Do you get butterflies before you speak in public? Does this make you afraid or do you channel this into your toolkit as a positive ally?

Success depends on what goes on between your own two ears. A Business Coach is someone who can help you remember this and make sure you stay on track.

What would happen if you could free your mind and imagine the business you dream about? What would happen if you could actually make it a reality? All great athletes and business leaders believe in coaching. But it is up to you to decide what kind of life you want to strive for.

http://www.dwfcontract.com/

Dreaming Your Vision

I was soaring high above the trees and with ease I reached the clouds. I was flying like an angel, I was dreaming and I knew it. Have you ever had such a revelation when you knew you were dreaming? This is what is known as lucid dreaming, which means dreaming with awareness while you are asleep.

There is incredible creative potential in our dreams. Why not tap into that source? What if we could take the creative energy that our dreams offer and write a vision for our business, a strategic vision? I have done many presentations and coached many business owners on the importance of creating such a useful tool. The most common challenge I encounter is that most people have a hard time imaging what their ideal business would look like, say, five years from now. I like to offer the concept of lucid dreaming in order to assist in overcoming such difficulties.

Imagine yourself in a dream-like state. You are able to make anything happen: move the clouds, shift the shapes of the rocks, meet your soul mate. Now let's move to your business. If you could imagine your ideal business, how would it look five years from now? Before you start, let me first explain what a strategic vision is and why I consider it to be a fatal flaw not to have one.

NO STRATEGIC VISION
Many people open their doors as soon as their business cards are printed. Yet running a successful business requires a real plan. Does your business operate without a vision of where you want to be in five years? Do you function day to day by making decisions without a strategic basis? I have seen many window coverings businesses that function from moment to moment without any idea of what tomorrow may bring. How can you make decisions without a road map to guide you? Creating a strategic vision is the first step in building a foundation for your company.

A strategic vision outlines your ideal business-the one you want to see become a reality sometime in the future. You should take a moment to imagine what you could create. Be bold. Try to think of ideas that might not be possible today. Also, consider your personal goals. If you could take time out of your busy day what would you do with it? Besides working, what do you like to do? What in your life fulfills you and makes you happy?

In my book, "The Designer's Coach," I break the process down into six parts. Each part focuses on a different aspect of business development. The first module focuses on you as the leader. There is a need to understand that a good dose of self-awareness is required in order to lead the organization. Before a successful strategic vision can be written and implemented, self-examination needs to take place.

The second module focuses on the team. Yes, even if you work alone, you still have a team. This may include your installer or anyone who contributes to fulfilling the needs of your customers. As the leader of your team, it is up to you to share your strategic vision. Your vision is useless if your team does not understand it or buy into the five-year plan.

Marketing is the third module and critical to the creation of a strategic vision. Questions will come up such as: How have you created awareness that appeals to your target market? How have you created a hook and a company story? How have you created a referral marketing system to encourage word-of-mouth marketing?

Having a practiced and evolved selling system and negotiating skill are the fourth and fifth modules. How do you sell? Do you wing it, or do you use a system to sell with? Do you focus selling based on price or by style and offering solutions? Then there are the questions of negotiation. How do you ensure you know the essential techniques of negotiating that preserve the bottom line?

Finally in module six, we deal with business systems. How have you implemented business systems to prevent costly mistakes? How has been thinking like a project manager improved your client fulfillment systems? What steps have you taken to ensure you meet the expectation of your customers?

Writing your strategic vision takes a lot of thought and time. Regardless of the extent of your business experience, this is an excellent tool. Remember, this vision should explain your future, not your present. Stretch your imagination; be bold with your vision, dream. This is your business. Only you can decide how great you would like it to be.

http://www.dwfcontract.com/

Free Report Marketing

Free Report Marketing (FRM) is a great way to position your business to your target market. FRM is simply offering a free report on typical problems your potential clients may have and providing effective solutions. As you will see there are many benefits to creating awareness about your company with this great marketing strategy.

When you offer a free report on your area of expertise, Interior Design, you begin a campaign with your target market that builds loyalty because you are educating rather then selling. You can actually convince the buyer that your product is the best because you understand their problem and your company is able to provide the best solution.

Traditional marketing, such as advertising is product orientated and therefore gets stuck in the price-sensitive category. FRM is solutions based and focuses on educating and not selling. You offer solutions to common decorating problems with your company being the answer.

With a FRM program you not only educate your prospects but you build your mailing list through the requests for the free reports. In exchange for you sending the reports out, you receive permission to remain in contact with the prospect via email or direct mail. You can build a list very quickly with a "bait" marketing program by using such vehicles as Google Pay-Per-Click, with your free report being the call to action.

Examples of a Google ad:

The Designer's Coach
Free Report on Referral Marketing,
Your Source for Business Growth
http://www.thedesignerscoach.com/

Home Staging Free Report
Great for Designers and Decorators
Learn ways to network with Realtors
http://www.thedesignerscoach.com/

You can also view an example on my website on how I capture names offering free reports. You can go to: http://thedesignerscoach.com/free_reports.html

Let's return to the educational benefits of FRM. There are great reasons to offer this strategy: You build client loyalty by becoming a trusted advisor. Those that request educational reports from you will view you as the expert. Additionally, you actually "set the specs" for the standards in your solutions. You establish the guidelines and since you are writing the report, you provide the exact solution to the common problems they are experiencing.

Here are 7 reasons why a FRM program is so effective:

• 1) You begin the relationship on a positive note.
• 2) You acknowledge to the prospect a level of respect in wanting to help rather then sell.
• 3) When you educate, you project a better relationship.
• 4) Prospects will buy from companies that put their clients first.
• 5) You "set the specs" and this makes you the perfect solution.
• 6) You are recognized as the expert in the field
• 7) People love free stuff, it works!

Prospects have both immediate and future needs. When you reach out to your target market, only 10% will have an immediate need, while the other 90% will have a future need. Prospects are like submarines, they spend most of their time underwater, not in a buying mode. They surface when they are ready. Your goal is to keep them thinking about your company while they are beneath the surface.

You can keep your name in your prospects mind with a FRM program. People will accumulate helpful solutions to their problems for future reference. There is a big difference when you are informing and positioning rather then interrupting and prospecting.

It is important to remember, that we still need to sell. This is not a one-way relationship. We hope to make it evident that we have more to offer then just a free report. That is why you need to include a message at the end of each report that makes an offer to move the client along the path to hiring you. Maybe it's an offer for a free home consultation and the up selling begins.

FRM is effective and it is a great way to build your business. Start using it today! By the way, if you need help in implementing this concept, feel free to contact me. I am here to help. neil@thedesignerscoach.com