As we head into the last quarter of 2017, it’s time to begin planning for next year. Say what? Yeah, the year’s not over yet and it’s time to plan for 2018? Well, only if you want to be successful!
And, that’s one of the tips that we’d like to offer: setting goals and developing strategies to achieve them for next year cannot begin too soon. In a recent HuffPost article, author Ira Kalb offers some great advice on how to create a viable marketing plan for the new year – and successive years.
- Goal setting – The goals you set for your business must be measurable and challenging. Measurable goals give everyone a common target, while challenging goals keep people interested, help to avoid boredom, and motivate your team to reach their potential. While you don’t want to overreach, you also don’t want to lower expectations. Set a realistic goal based on experience, then add a few percentage points so of growth to keep the adrenalin flowing.
- Marketing strategy – From branding to promotion and from pricing to information systems, your marketing strategy encompasses all aspects of your business. Having measurable goals means you must be able to accurately measure them, after all. Keeping your name top-of-mind in the marketplace, while differentiating yourself from the competition enhances your brand. Knowing what the market will bear in pricing will enable you to protect your profits. Stay on top of these things and you’ll have a banner year in 2018.
Color Trends for 2018
With each new year we see changing color trends. At times, these trends can be quite stark, while at other times we see more subtle changes in the color palette. For next year, shades of green and blue lead the way, while black, pink, and metallics are being used to make statements. (Not in the same rooms, hopefully!)
According to Elle Décor, These Are the Colors Everyone Will Be Talking About In 2018.
Black as a “statement color”.
Pink as a “power color”
Metallics as “neutrals”
Design Styles by Age
While we shudder at the thought of being labeled “ageist”, we also must recognize market trends when they speak to us. besides, we’re not claiming that age is a defining factor n interior design trends, ArchitecturalDigest.com is making that claim.
In a recent article titled, “The Top Interior Design Styles Based on Age”, they state that we should “Add decor to the long list of things millennials and baby boomers disagree on.”
And, it actually makes little sense that millennials would seek out “refined rustic” interiors as baby boomers do; or those baby boomers would become fixated on modern, minimal mid-century design, called "mod visionary", as their grandchildren do.
While nothing is ever written in stone about such trends, the article is certainly illuminating.
Looking for more new design trends, marketing tips, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.
The ability to know a customer and anticipate her needs; and, to finally, creatively, and effectively recover from a problem or challenge, are the very cornerstones of good customer service. For an interior designer, where the interaction is so very personal, the importance of such service cannot be overstated.In addition to understanding the customer, simple good manners, kindness, and remembering to constantly communicate with and thank customers for their business are the basics of exceptional customer experiences; the type that leads to positive testimonials and referrals, as well as increased income.Customer-centric Thinking Will Enhance Your BrandOf course, knowing these things and putting them into practice can be very different exercises. After all, those of us in service industries are as human as our clients; which means we too can suffer from a lack of patience with problematic clients, or we can just have a bad day. Yet, for a designer, not only will good service have a positive effect on sales, exceptional service will also define your brand!Accomplishing such a lofty goal requires placing the goals and needs of the customer first – without reservation or hesitation – and committing all of your assets, talents, and mental energy to that. In other words, you can’t just say it, you have to mean it.Doing this is not always easy. Human nature is fundamentally self-centered but, if you understand that doing what is best for the client is also what is best for you and the success of your design business, you're more than halfway there already.There is an axiomatic business philosophy that can help you achieve this customer-centric goal: Tell people what you’re going to do for them; do what you told them that you were going to do for them; and, finally, tell them that you did what you told them you were going to do for them.This type of customer-centric thinking will not only enhance your reputation with your clients, it will also reinforce such thinking for you and your team, keeping good customer service at the forefront of your business model.Looking for more new design trends, marketing tips, and ideas? 
One of the best things about the “information age” in which we live today is that clients and potential clients tend to have a better understanding of what they want from their interior designer. On the other hand, some clients who use the internet for research learn just enough to become dangerous – to their designer and themselves.Overall though, today’s clients know what they want, and when they want it – now. With the internet at their fingertips, they can quickly access a nearly infinite number of ideas, products, and potential designers. If they send an inquiry and don’t get a response from one designer, it takes little for them to get in touch with another.Understanding this craving for “instant access” that is at the top of mind of so many consumers is critical to your ongoing success. In fact, there is recent research which indicates that, if you respond to a potential client within five minutes of receiving a message, it increases your chances of reaching that person by 100 times, compared with responding after 30 minutes, for example.This means that responding promptly to potential clients’ voicemails, emails, and other messages, from homeowners and office managers, from your website, social media page, email marketing, or any marketing effort, will greatly increase your likelihood of winning the job.How to be More ResponsiveIf you set a goal of being more responsive to client inquiries, you're going to boost the odds of landing a contract in your favor. The average time it takes a small business to respond to a potential client is 48 minutes. You can set yourself apart and impress your prospective customer by being far more responsive.
In an age of internet marketing and online sales, we sometimes forget the basics of face-to-face encounters with potential clients. Since we experience such interactions almost daily in the design business, it seems a good idea to remember some of the basic business tips for success. As a designer, you can never forget that you're dealing with human beings, not some anonymous online entity.
A Well-Appointed Guest Bathroom
An Organized Entryway
In 
Or, are you going for the green as your favorite color?
Bare Floors or Rugs: Which is best?Perhaps even more contentious among designers is the classic issue of bare floors versus rugs; which may never be resolved to the satisfaction of everyone – or anyone, for that matter.Rugs are a great and relatively easy way to add warmth to a room, which is why they are so popular. They are also easily replaced, which is another feature that appeals, since changing the feel of an entire space can be accomplished by simply tossing something new and beautiful on the floor. And yet, rugs can be maintenance heavy items, requiring vacuuming of shedding layers of wool, pet hair they can capture, or even cleaning stains from spills by the kids (or that unruly guest who consumed too much wine).Potentially one of the most transformative elements in a room, a strategically placed collection of rugs in a home can make all the difference in the world: accenting, featuring, joining or separating spaces as needed.
Then again, there are some rooms, and some floors, that cry out to be left bare. For example, covering the exquisite pattern in the image below could be thought of as a crime by some. Then too, rugs in a dining area can attract all sorts of accidents left behind following a dinner party. This floor is not only gorgeous, it’s easier to clean and maintain than a rug might be.
As with so many things, when it comes to designing a comfortable, attractive living space, there will be many disagreements on exactly what comfortable and attractive mean. The sharp interior designers agree with the client more often than not, helping to guide them yet accepting that the space belongs to them, and so must meet their needs above all else.Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas? 
What is “Making a Sale”?The answer to this question includes a bit of human nature… A sale is made when the value exceeds the price paid. That’s it. There is nothing more to add, and it doesn’t get any deeper than that. The human nature side of this definition is – people LOVE getting a value and, if you're the one who provides that value – they’ll also love you!“Price is what you pay; value is what you get.” This quote is usually attributed to billionaire business magnate, investor, and philanthropist Warren Buffett; but, it didn’t end there. He added, “Whether we're talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down."Even a world-famous billionaire, a man who can afford to buy anything, enjoys a good value!Every positive sale encounter eventually devolves to the relationship created between the salesperson and the prospect. A positive experience, that is, when a sale is made, is the result of a relationship that benefits both of you – and – as a professional, it is your responsibility to build that relationship.After all, the prospect has already done their part by coming to you (however that may have been done) and presenting you with the opportunity to make a sale, which leaves the next part of the encounter, building the relationship, in your hands.If you're uncomfortable with that responsibility, selling is not for you.Start by quickly building a rapport with your prospective clientFear is a component of nearly every sales encounter; where the prospect fears “being sold,” rather than finding a solution. While such fear may be irrational to the salesperson, it is very real to the prospect and must be dealt with quickly and effectively, yet with subtlety. A sincere, well-intentioned greeting will enable nervous and fearful prospects to relax, making them willing to listen, which will reduce their defenses against being “sold something,” and make them more open to making a purchase.Many salespeople have been trained to greet their prospective client in a highly standardized, “Hello my name is… What is yours… Shake hands fashion.” In contemporary sales, this can be a dangerous approach. Since it is highly likely your competition has been trained in this cookie-cutter-welcome fashion, greeting your prospects in this way could make them think you are, “Just like the last guy,” they spoke with. The last guy they didn’t buy from.While you must, of course, welcome your prospects to your encounter, quickly putting them at ease, you should do so in a way which sets you apart from your competition. Do your research and perform your due diligence on your competitors. Knowing the style and approach of your competition will go a long way toward helping you set yourself apart from them. For example, a mildly humorous greeting can do wonders to help your prospect relax.That being said, knowing something of your prospect’s needs, in advance, may be just as important. If, due to the nature of the sales encounter this is impossible, beginning a conversation and exchange of information will be critical to your success. If you are open and honest from the very beginning, your prospect will be more likely to follow your lead.Your body language will often telegraph your intentions, as will the body language of your prospective client. Avoid folded arms and crossed legs; maintain eye contact in an open and curious fashion; reflect an attitude of warmth and concern; be forthcoming and positive, and – most importantly – be genuine in your concern for your prospect’s welfare.Remember, many of these hints to your client are only grasped subconsciously – which means you need to be fully conscious of them at all times.Once you’ve built a rapport with your prospect, it’s time to get serious about building a relationship, which we will examine in more depth in future posts.Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas?