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.