Using our creativity in all areas of business

Interior designers are creative people right! I often think that we need to use this creativity not just for our client’s work, but actually when working on our businesses too. Take marketing for example which is such a wide subject, and one on which everybody has different opinion!

When thinking about ways to market your business to potential clients you really need to start by pretending you are one of them! To do this you need to decide exactly who they are first. So get a large piece of paper and write down all the things you imagine your potential best client to be and to have. Then try to get into the role of being a person like that. Where would they be when they heard about you, what would motivate them to give you a call. What would stop them in their tracks and attract them to you?

This is quite hard and can take quite a bit of time but it is well worth doing. Once you have focussed in on this perfect client –you need to start coming up with ways to get them to notice you. Now here is where you need to be creative. Don’t do what everyone else does and just put an ad in the yellow pages and hope for the best. No –you are an interior designer –you have to show creativity.

You need to start thinking about what you can do to get people talking about your business in a good way. Think about trying to find somewhere and someway of advertising your business that no one else has thought of yet. For example a golf coach I heard of advertised her service by having some small hanging tags made with her details on them that she could hang form the golf clubs hired out at her local club. –A real talking point I thought. Another example was a children’s entertainer who had her details printed onto balloons. She put these into envelopes and sent them to her prospects with a card saying something along the lines of “Blow this balloon up to find a great way to occupy the kids next party time” –it was different, fun and original. How about a handyman who sent out his leaflets with plasters attached for “all those for whom DIY spells PAIN” and last of all- the garden designer who had her business card in the shape of a leaf. Such a simple idea, but imagine lots and lots of business cards on a table at a networking event all rectangles except for this one–which one would you be drawn to? And which one portrays some creativity?

Now I’m not going to give away all my ideas here-but I am trying to point out that because we are selling a service where originality and creativity are so important , by using these skills in every part of our business may give us a head start on out competitors.

Holiday season

Holidays are on us once again –I really love my summer holiday as it is a time when I can recharge my batteries completely and get away from my desk!
I absolutely love my work and so even during other times in the year when I shouldn’t be working, I often find an excuse to spend the odd hour at my desk doing some sort of work related activity. But come the summer –even I know it’s time to get away. But how as business owners can we drop everything for a couple of weeks without a disaster on our hands?

Well there are several ways of handling this! The first is to tell everyone you can think of that you will be away during the next couple of weeks and so you will deal with any enquiries they may have after that. You can put a message on you answering machine stating that your office will be closed until a certain date, and after that you will respond to any messages that have been left for you. This isn’t unreasonable –everyone is entitled to a holiday and I for one wouldn’t be put off if someone I had called had a polite and clear message telling me this. Just don’t go away without leaving this type of message though because there is nothing more annoying for a customer thinking you are ignoring them! If you haven’t told them then they are not to know you are on holiday and therefore not to know that you just are not responding to their message –this can be pretty damaging to your reputation.

The second way of dealing with holiday is by getting someone else to carry on with some parts of the business for you. This is easy of course if you have employees who have worked with you for a while and who therefore know how you go about the business. But for those of you who are working on your own it’s not right to feel that you can’t go away because you may miss a really important call from a really important potential client. A great solution is to invest in an answering service for the duration of your holiday. How do these work? Well - you can search online for telephone answering services. They vary considerably in the services that they offer so it is worth doing a bit of research and even calling a few to see what their telephone manner is like. Then once you have chosen one to use, you basically spend a bit of time explaining your business to them so that they get to know you and how you would like different types of calls to be answered. Once you have gone away, your calls will be diverted directly to the answering service offices and will be answered by a real person not a machine. Now obviously the receptionist won’t be able to actually help your customers in the way that you do, but she will be able to book appointments for when you return, take messages, and even send out email information about your business to enquirers. The caller will not know that this receptionist isn’t actually sitting in your office taking the call –in fact using an answering service can give a very good impression of your company to callers. Many businesses decide to use these services even when they are not on holiday, but perhaps just out at meetings or even when concentrating on a heavy workload and not wanting the phone to interrupt them.

It’s certainly worth thinking about how your business looks to prospective customers whilst you are holiday and to plan beforehand so that you are not worrying about the business the whole time you are away –but even more importantly once you have set off on your break stop worrying and start enjoying! There is nothing you can do now anyway and you need to relax, unwind and enjoy yourself so that when you get back you are ready for anything.

Keep an eye on your target market.

I was recently talking with a business acquaintance of mine who was telling me she had finally seen what she said had been in front of her for a while! What am I talking about? -well this lady who I have met a various network events and courses over the past few years has always been very focused on her business and who her target clients are. To my mind it was a very small niche and a pretty tricky one to get to part with any money!

Now more recently as things have been a little more difficult and she was having to think a lot more than before about how she was going to get her clients she told me that she finally registered the fact that she had in fact been turning work away that she was more than qualified to do because it didn't fit into her niche -it wasn't what her business did!

So what has she decided to do ?-well all credit to her -she has taken the bull by the horns and decided to rethink her whole business and to target these people who she knows are out there wanting what she can offer. I liked this attitude -there is actually quite a lot we can learn from this:

1) Know your target market really really well.

2) Check every now and then that your target market still exists and still wants what you are offering.

3) If the target market has changed, or if its requirements have changed then you may need to change and adapt too.

4) Be flexible in what you offer but not so much that you dilute your skills so much that no one can really understand what it is you do.

5) Don't be afraid to change - things are changing really fast in the business world and business owners can't afford to stand still and let it all happen

6) Be open to what is going on around you - listen to what your customers are asking you for and be prepared to adapt and try new things.

7) Keep an eye on what is happening in the business world, both locally and nationally so that you can keep up with the current ways of doing business, meaning that your customers will get the impression you are a leader not a follower.

8) And finally, don't be disheartened if things aren't going quite how you would like them to. Be astute and aware and keep your ears to the ground for any opportunities that you may be able to tap into.

10 tips for easier Project Management

For interior designers who are new to the business or have little experience, project managing a renovation can seem like a daunting prospect. Without real organisation it is something that can easily spiral out of control. Here are my 10 top tips for getting the project managing side of things right.

1) ORGANISE: Once you have the go ahead to implement your proposed schemes you need to be very organised with paperwork, specifications and schedules. Start a paper file with dividers to separate various aspects of the job. Make sure you file everything meticulously so that you can refer back whenever you need to.

2) COMMUNICATE: Your contractors wont know what to do unless you tell them. It's really not enough to hand them a load of drawings and ask them to get on with it. Contractors wont spend the time working from your plans -they want someone on site regularly telling them what to put where. Ideally you should visit the site daily so that you can quickly get on top of any misunderstandings that may occur.

3) PLAN, PLAN, and PLAN AGAIN: If you take the time to make sure you have covered every detail then your job will be easier once the project is underway. You need to make sure you have the right materials on site at the right time so it is important to sit down with the contractors and timetable the project properly.

4) CHECK: Make sure you double check measurements before making large orders for furniture, curtains etc. It is also vital to check orders when they arrive - its no good having a consignment of door handles delivered a week before they are needed only to find on the day they are being fitted that they are not the right ones!

5) RECORD: Write everything down! If the client wants changes made or additions part way through the project make sure you have the changes in writing along with a signed agreement for the extra costs involved. Record materials used, invoices received and sent out , money spent and keep any notes made during meetings with contractors.

6) BUDGET: Take time to carefully plan the budget. Timetable when items need to be ordered, when they will arrive and more importantly when they will need to be paid for. Documenting your cash flow for the project will help you decide when to ask your clients for interim payments.

7) SUPPLIERS: Keep on top of suppliers -call them to check they have received your orders if you don't receive acknowledgements from them. Find out delivery dates so that you can be sure someone is in to receive the goods, check goods are in stock and can be delivered on time, follow up if things don't turn up when you expect them to.

8) TROUBLE SHOOT: Inevitably there will be problems along the way. Don't bury your head in the sand! Assess the problem and deal with it before it spirals out of control.

9) BEFORE CONTRACTORS LEAVE: Take lots of time to really inspect the job that has been done. Write a snagging list of all the things that need to be done before the job is signed off and make sure they are followed up on quickly. The best way is to make sure the contractors haven't received their final payment until this is done.

10) FINISHING TOUCHES: Finish the job well! Make sure rooms are clean, rubbish is taken away, windows are cleaned, carpets are vacuumed, furniture is correctly placed, cushions are plumped- you get the idea! Even if your client has 4 cats sprawling on the new sofa before you left the driveway you must leave the job looking like a showroom!

Hopefully these tips will lead to problem free project management for all of you readers. Look out for my new project management course for interior designers coming soon. More details will be published on this blog nearer the time.

Setting Goals

This week I wanted to talk to you about setting goals in our business. Never has this been more important than it is now when to succeed we need to be focused on what it is that we define as success. The best way to move forward is to set ourselves goals, and this is something my business mentor has encouraged me to do on a regular basis.

So when you start out in business you have lots of thoughts about what you would like to do and achieve, and as time goes on these things change or evolve into different goals. Setting goals is a great way to keep motivated when the going is tough, encouraging you to keep developing your business. Setting goals also helps you to get a clearer idea of what direction you want to take your business and what steps are needed to get you there. If you have staff then having clear business goals can help them too, as they will clearly be able to understand the reasons for the work you are asking them to do.

So how do you go about setting goals? Well I suggest taking a blank piece of paper and writing down all the things you would like your business to achieve in the future. Some of these goals may be small, for example "complete company website" and some may be huge such as "Get ten new hotel clients on board" It doesn't matter at this stage, just write down all your dreams for your business. If you have employees it can be useful to get them to help you brainstorm because they may have a great idea of a direction you could take the business.

Think about issues such as:

Do you aim to expand your business or move to a different premises?

Is there a way you could improve your existing business methods?

Do you aim to increase your staff?

Are there any elements of your original business plan that you still need to bring into action?

What is your marketing strategy and how could it be improved?

Are there any new technologies you could use to improve or streamline your business?

How many new customers would you like to have on board over the coming months?

What new advertising ideas could you explore?

Are there any companies/individuals that you would particularly like to work with?

These are just to get you started, usually once you do start this type of activity the ideas come forward quite easily.

Once you have a list of goals, you need to connect them to some sort of time line. You cant expect all these things to be achieved straight away or even in a year. I tend to divide a clean page into 4 boxes and give them titles of "In the next 4 weeks" "in the next 6 months" " in the next 18 months" and "in the future"

You can then put your new goals into the right boxes so that you have a time frame for achieving them. Don't worry about putting some goals into the "sometime in the future box" This does not mean you are opting out completely , but that you have prioritised and chosen to complete other goals first. These future goals need to be looked at next time you set new goals for your self, and then it may be time to move them into another box.

So once you have your immediate short term and medium term goals decided in your mind, you need to plan how to achieve them and what you need to do to get there! Commit this to paper and work at them often and you will be sure to progress your business forwards.

Passion!

After a lovely bank holiday weekend it's back to work with a vengeance and I feel lucky enough that I have plenty to do. However about a month ago I had just finished a few larger projects and was a bit quieter than I usually am for a couple of weeks. I wasn't really worried about the business as I knew I had a few good things in the pipeline, it was just a timing issue more than anything.

During this quieter time, I noticed that I became a bit listless, and some may even say a bit grumpy (just ask my husband!!) I certainly wasn't my usual happy self. It was easy to keep myself busy as I had lots of things I needed the time to catch up on in my business, and of course I had plenty of marketing activities to focus my time on. But I was aware that without lots of interesting projects on the go I didn't feel fulfilled and this made me really think.

It can't be right to only be really happy when working hard can it? I think as business owners this is deep down how many of us feel. If we are busy then we know we are successful and we know the money will come in. If we are not busy -for me I know I start to feel as though I am failing. What nonsense I talk myself into though! Two quieter weeks do not make me a failure!!

We must really learn not to beat ourselves up about things that crop up with business. During difficult times it is really important to look back at all our achievements that have got us to where we are today in the first place. I am a great believer that in telling ourselves that we are successful will help us to find momentum to get out there and find even more success.

The other side to this feeling of being down though really reinforced to me why I do what I do for a living. I really really love designing and am so passionate about it that I cant wait to get started on the next great project. Passion is something else we all need to feel toward our work -its the reason we get up in the mornings and go to our offices. It's the reason we pick up the phone when it rings and its the reason we keep coming up with the goods time after time.

To help balance out this feeling of despondence when things are less hectic, I am trying to take time to enjoy some other things in life that I used to have time for. Playing the piano(badly), growing a few veggies in the garden, and just listening to music and reading. Finding guilt free time to do a few of these other things means I return to my work refreshed and raring to go. So on that note...back to the drawing board :)

Hi - Over two weeks ago I invited a garden designer to take a look at an area in my garden that I wanted her to prepare a planting plan for. This person is someone I have met on courses and has appeared very knowledgable and capable. She happily visited me two weekends ago, and took a look at the area of garden we are thinking of re-doing, she took notes and did a few sketches -all was going well. Before she left - I obviously asked her what the planting plan was going to cost me? I have never used a garden designer before, and have no idea what it was going to cost me. She happily said she would give me a quote soon and would only start the work once I had agreed to the quote. All well and good I thought -this is exaclty the way I do business as an Interior Designer - Meet the client, take the brief, quote for the work and the carry out the job once the quote is accepted.

BUT here the similarities end, because two weeks later I am still waiting for the quote! Now, call me demanding, but I wanted that quote a few days after the visit -whilst I was still fired up about having the garden designed! Now I am not really that bothered as the moment has passed! I am tempted just to head out to my local garden centre and buy a load of plants I like the look of! So this is a lesson I think we need to take note of - " Strike whilst the iron is hot" Even if you are not able to complete the work for a week or so -get the quote out to the client! That way they are more likely to agree to it whilst your visit is fresh in their minds -whilst they are enthused about the idea, and whilst it is still a burning issue for them! You can always call them to let them know that you are busy and that their design will be a couple of weeks before it is ready, but they will be happy to know that their work is in the queue!

Now perhaps this designer hasnt sent me a quote because she doesnt want to do the planting plan for me -it is a pretty small job after all compared to some of the work she does. However - in my work as an interior designer I OFTEN get asked if I know of a garden designer I can recommend! Well I can hardly recommend her now can I?? But if she had been upfront with me from the start and told me the job was too small, or that she was snowed under with work and wouldnt be able to take it on I would still have respected her and maybe passed her number on to others.

So lets remember to be upfront about our work -and what we are willing to take on, be honest and open and to treat our clients as we ourselves would want to be treated. A lot of work comes to us via recommendations and word of mouth so we need to conduct ourselves professionally for all jobs whatever the size.

"You Never Know!"

One of the things I find myself saying often is "you never know what's round the corner" and it is something I firmly believe in and remember in my business. As an example, about a month ago I was asked by a mature lady to advise her on some fabric for one pair of small dining room curtains. I went along and willingly helped her out with this, and arranged for the curtains to be made up with her fabric that we chose together. Whilst I was measuring for the curtains she was chatting to me about her dining room and the problems it gave her, and I offered a little bit of on the spot advice -moving her mirror to reflect more light and grouping her pictures in a different way.

When I returned to hang her new curtains I was pleased to see she had made these changes and she told me that those small things that she would never have thought of doing had made a big difference to the room. She was delighted too with her new curtains which finished the room off nicely. As I was about to leave, she asked me what my charges would be to completely redesign her whole living room, new furniture, carpets, wall coverings, curtains -the lot. I took a look and gave her a quote on the spot which she immediately accepted.

My point here really is that what seemed like a small job was actually my clients way of "dipping her toe in the water" to find out how I worked and whether that suited her enough to trust me with a larger job in her home. So in taking up the small jobs rather than turning them down in search of bigger and better things don't forget that the small things can often lead to bigger and better things themselves. "You never know what's round the corner"

WELCOME

Hi and welcome to my new blog. I am really excited about starting this blog where I hope to be able to give useful information and tips to interior design students who are planning to start their own businesses and to interior design professionals who are up and running but enjoy finding out more about this wonderful profession!

I thought I would begin today by talking about client or customer service! If you are working in your business on your own, there are so many hats you need to wear. Today, in my business I have typed invoices, hung a pair of curtains, arranged a couple of appointments, opened the mail, sourced fabric samples for a client scheme, ordered some furniture brochures for a client, typed a quote and now am writing this new blog:) Tomorrow I have a client meeting, need to do some accounts, file some paperwork, draw some plans and prepare a client presentation! How on earth will I find more time to check on client satisfaction!

However, we need to be aware that this is a really important aspect of our business. By checking on our clients satisfaction we can make sure that we know what clients expect from us and we can ensure that we give it to them! If we fall short of their expectations in any way, then we are wasting our time and all our hard work. After all we depend on our clients for our reputation.

Another good reason to ask our clients for some feedback about our services is to remind them that you are still around. By getting back in touch with them a couple of months after you have finished working with them, you may jog them into getting started on the next stage of their project.

A good way of getting client feedback is by simply posting or emailing them an easy to fill in form. If you want to have more of a chance of them returning a posted form you could include a stamped addressed enveope as well. A simple tick sheet where your customers can tick the options very good, good, not very good would suffice. Some questions you may ask could include:

How would you rate the intital contact with me?

How would you rate the way I communitcated with you?

How would you rate the designs I proposed

How easy was it to interpret the schemes I proposed

And then perhaps a section where the clients have to write a short sentance:

What did you like best about my services

What other services would it ahve been useful to offer you

What did you like least about my services

Would you be happy to recommend me to your friends and family

You could also ask them if they are willing to include a short testimonial about your services for you to include on your literature/website etc.

By asking these questions and getting this feedback you will be surprised how your confidence will grow, you will get more business, and you may find other related services that your clients are trying to find that you can start to offer them.