Managing customer service issues can be very time consuming, yet it is an extremely important part of running your interior design business.  Without responding to your clients in a timely manner and meeting their needs, your interior design business will not thrive successfully.  Just as word of mouth marketing can benefit in a positive manner from happy customers, people also speak their mind when they’re unhappy with their experiences from an interior design business, or from any type of business Read more [...]

Every interior design business needs something that will set you apart and differentiate you from your competitors.  That is where a USP comes in. A USP refers to a unique selling point and every business needs one! Otherwise, you will be lost in the crowd of similar businesses.  Think about what your business offers that others don’t.  That will be your USP. If you’re stuck on what your unique selling point can be, consider the following: •    Excellent Customer Service – There Read more [...]

It’s the only time during the year (in my humble opinion) when getting organized is fun! I am reminded again how important it is to get organized, stay focused, and most importantly… get productive this time of year. High productivity doesn’t have to be difficult, but it is vital if you want to have a successful interior design business. With all the distractions you deal with and everything vying for your attention on a daily basis, how do you stay focused and productive? I’ve listed a few tips Read more [...]

Have you ever sat down and thought about all the great things you enjoy about being a designer? I did. Here are some of the things I like doing in my interior design business – * Pulling fabrics * Creating color boards * Reviewing beautiful elements – furniture, fabrics, accessories, finishes, colors, etc. * Developing long term relationships with clients * Hearing the ‘oohs‘ and ‘aahs‘ on installation day from happy, satisfied customers * The satisfaction I feel when I get a Read more [...]

Marketing your interior design business with postcards has never been a better idea than it is today. 4 color, glossy, low-cost postcards can drive a high volume of traffic to your web site, generate a flood of new leads, or promote anything you’d like. After generating hundreds of thousands of dollars from postcards for my interior design business, I must say that they’ve always been a fabulous marketing method and one that has never failed me. As one of the few long-standing marketing Read more [...]

No matter what kind of business you’re in, you absolutely must have clients in order to be successful and stay in business. There’s no other way to say it. Without clients, there is no business. So why don’t more business owners spend more time marketing for new clients? Hands down, the two reasons I hear the most – A – Don’t know what to do B – Don’t have the time If you find yourself in group A and you don’t know what to do, consider researching marketing plans and writing Read more [...]

When I was a young girl, all I ever wanted to do was ‘fit in’ with the rest of the kids in school. I never wanted to be singled out or ‘different’. The thought of that could send a young girl into a tizzy! I just wanted to blend in. That kind of thinking today however, is detrimental to any interior design business! As a business owner there’s nothing more important than setting yourself apart from everyone else so you can get the attention of and draw in more customers. After all, why would someone Read more [...]

I found some awesome planning worksheets that have helped me stay focused on my projects and I thought you might like them too. If you Google ‘Charlie Gilkey’ you’ll see the guy who makes these. You can even get a new set from him each month! Pretty cool huh!?  Below are the ones I like the best. I’ve made mine ‘generic’ so I can just use them over and over again each month. * Daily Action Plan * Weekly Action Plan * Monthly Action Plan I encourage you to download the FR:EE Action Read more [...]