Designer Business Building Tip – How to Work Smarter, Not Harder

A recent article from the folks at Houzz for Pros caught our eye as particularly relevant in this time of increasing challenges and transition for entrepreneurs and small business owners. While we hate the phrase, it’s obviously true that we all either are or will be facing a “new normal” in the luxury furnishings and design industries. With these things in mind, we recommend taking a look at the said article, 5 Ways Pros Work Smarter, Not Harder.

 As author Bryan Anthony confidently declares in the sub-heading, “Design and remodeling pros offer tips for working more efficiently, delegating tasks, and relieving stress.”

Cope with Stress by Working Smarter

Among these insights the most valuable tips appear to be:

Know When to Delegate Client Work to Other Pros – Designer Barbara Milner of South Hill Interiors in Toronto says that when working with clients, delegating work can be a great strategy for working smarter, as long as you choose the right moments.

“Delegation is a wonderful thing and it can save you lots of time, but it really all comes down to the client and their needs,” Milner says. “Over the years I have established a network of showroom representatives and professional contractors that I trust to work with my clients without me having to be there.” Empowering clients in a direct relationship with other trusted pros saves Milner time she can then spend on the design work she does best, rather than accompanying the client to meetings with other pros. But her ability to delegate really depends on a client’s comfort level.

Share Daily Updates [with all team members and subs] – Kitchen and bath remodeler Jared Lewis of Lewis Design-Build-Remodel in Scotts Valley, California, says keeping everyone up to date and on the same page is one of the best ways to work smarter, not harder. Therefore, he shares a daily job log for every project.

“I send a daily job log to the contractors, subcontractors, and the clients,” Lewis says. “It reviews what was done the day before and what’s expected to be done for the day. Letting everyone involved know the current status of a project can relieve a lot of stress and miscommunication.”

Schedule Stress Relief – To be your best, you have to feel your best, and the remodeling and design professionals interviewed for this article all highlighted the importance of relieving stress in a consistent and scheduled manner.

“I recently purchased a new turntable to go along with my large collection of records collected over the years,” Milner says. “I listen to music every night as a way to unwind and reflect upon my day. There’s something about the tactile nature of taking a record out of its sleeve and putting it on the turntable that melts away my stress.”

For Lewis, a weekly golf game helps keep him and his business running smoothly. “If I don’t get a round of golf in every week, it’s going to show up in my work. I will be more tense and agitated. That’s not good for me, my employees, or my clients,” he says.

Bula says exercise helps get her through her workweek with lower stress. “Yoga is my go-to exercise,” she says. “I try to get in a few sessions every week. That and a nightly glass of wine usually does the trick.”

Two More Work Smarter Tips for Designers

Now, despite nearly a quarter-century in the industry, we would never claim to have all the answers and business building tips interior designers are habitually searching for, and with good reason. Yet, because of our experience and history, we believe the “pros” in the article missed a couple of high-value tips.

We offer two of the most valuable working smarter below:

Hang on to your most dependable subs – Finding dependable sub-contractors may be the greatest challenge faced by interior designers, especially if they are practicing social distancing (and plan to do so indefinitely). If you have developed relationships with a few subs who mesh with your needs, do not let them get away. Further, you can’t afford to let their pricing get in the way of working with them. Yes, some sub-contractors can get a little greedy with their rates once they believe they’ve gotten their hooks into you. But then, many designers work the same way; bumping up their rates for repeat clients is pretty much standard practice in the industry.

The best way to handle subs who seems to be pricing their services too high is to perform a cost/benefit analysis. If you can’t absorb the increase, you can try to pass it along to your client when you bid on their project. As a last resort in a case like this – or it could be the first resort for some – take some time to recall how difficult, time-consuming, and energy-draining it was to find the perfect sub-contractor in the first place.

If you're not ready to endure that kind of torture again, whether it be missing deadlines, misunderstanding the parameters of their projects, or a myriad of other things that can go wrong, then it’s time to “Stick with the one that brung ya’,” and find any and every way to keep them on your team.

Line up, and stick with, the right supplier(s) – There is a great deal more to working with suppliers than simply being able to choose from among a great lineup of furnishings. You surely know the drill by now, we’re sure. (And don’t call me Shirley). You search and search until you find yourself a wonderful line of luxury furnishings, fabrics, rugs, and wallcoverings from supplier X, only to discover they keep virtually nothing in stock and have lead times that make it virtually impossible for you to work with them.

For a sharp designer who’s looking to work smarter, not harder, you will discover that customer service, expertise, diversity of designs, and product quality is easily as important as selection and turnaround times – which, by the way, are becoming much shorter than ever before.

These are the qualities we believe in at TD Fall Luxury Furnishings. These are also the qualities that have helped us decide to work with Kravet, the leader in the industry. And, when we say, “the leader”, we aren’t just talking about innovative designs. This century-old company has no intention of showing its age, employing cutting edge technology and a commitment to serving their customers, unlike any furnishings manufacturer we’ve found. To learn more about our business philosophy, and how it meshes so well with Kravet’s, contact TD Fall today.

Have you figured out a few new tricks to work more efficiently and with fewer headaches or lost sleep, ways to work smarter, not harder? Share them below and help out other designers who read this blog.

Ted remains available for individual business consulting support, and more ways to work smarter, not harder, to interior designers and furnishing store owners. Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Sourcing Products and Samples Becoming Less Trying!

You have to love industry jargon, don’t you? Whether the appalling use of “clock it” to describe spiking a football to the ridiculous tech phrase “bleeding edge” to describe something that is “beyond” leading edge, we abuse the language at our own risk. In the design industry, our use of the word sourcing product and/or samples is a bit of gibberish which should make all of us cringe when we hear or use it.

Is the more accurate and grammatically correct phrase “sources of supply” really that difficult to use, instead? (OK, that’s enough blather on a subject most care nothing about!)

Anyway, despite the poor choice of words in the title, in a recent article at Business of Home, A designer’s guide to sourcing and sampling services, author Fred Nicolaus shares some good news about improving access to sources of supply and samples for interior designers.

First, he describes a familiar problem:

“Whether you’re building a massive resource library for your firm or just looking for a new kind of tile, sourcing materials can be a serious drag. There’s the hassle of sifting through endless options online, creating dozens of new accounts, digging up a rep’s contact information—and then keeping track of everything, all while running a business.”

Next, he offers a newly optimistic outlook for smaller design firms:

“Fortunately, there are tech-powered services that help bring order to the chaos. Typically, these sourcing platforms skew toward commercial designers (where there’s more volume of material, hence more money to be made on big orders). However, residential designers can certainly benefit, as well.”

New Tech Has Improved Access to Sources of Supply

While Nicolaus is more than happy to offer details of development and such, we prefer to focus on how these services can benefit the individual designer. From free to somewhat pricey, the four services described below should offer you enough diversity of section to get you heading in the right direction.

Material Bank – Designers create an account with Material Bank (there’s an approval process) and can then browse a library of materials. If you place an order for a sample by midnight EST, it will arrive via FedEx the next morning. Samples are packaged in a single box and come with a return label. The platform also connects designers with reps. Cost: FREE.

Source – Formerly known as KrowdSourced, this is a giant database of product information that designers can search with a variety of filters. Want to find phthalate-free white flooring options? Simple. From there, the platform connects designers with local reps, who answer questions and fill sample requests. Those tools are free. Source also has a premium tier, which assigns the customer a dedicated librarian who can perform research and make recommendations. Cost: Basic tier: FREE. Premium tier: $350/month.

SpecSimple – Designers create an online portal that allows them to centralize information from their favorite vendors, connect with reps, and request samples. The platform tracks products from a jaw-dropping 23,000 vendors, and the goal is to give designers a suite of tools that helps them narrow down what they’re actually looking for. For a cost, SpecSimple can also provide users with research support and assigned reps. Cost: FREE, with upgrades to $2000/year.

DecoratorsBest – Designers create a trade account (the site asks for membership in a trade association like the IIDA or ASID, or a design degree) and can then request samples for most of the represented brands. The manufacturers themselves actually fulfill the requests. For certain lines, designers can also request CFAs. Cost: FREE to designers (consumer samples are $5 each).

It should go without saying that, here at TD Fall, we are more than happy to help you with sourcing (Argh!) the products, samples, and services you need to best serve your business and your client’s design projects.

Further, Ted remains readily available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Service and Availability Are Priorities for Kravet Fabrics and Furnishings

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From guaranteed in-stock fabrics to their innovative online Configurator for creating custom furnishings for your clients, Kravet has made service and availability their highest priority. Perhaps more important from an end-user’s point of view, quality and originality have not suffered in the least.

In fact, since the company’s founding in 1918, the business started by Samuel Kravet and his four sons has become the industry’s primary resource for fabrics and furnishings.

The business has never been the type to rest on its laurels or reputation, but rather, has always labored to remain at the forefront of the design and furnishings industries. As Kravet’s chief process and innovation officer Jesse Lazarus recently proclaimed, “It’s incredibly important to resist assuming you already know what your customers want and need.”

“Suppliers need to bring the threshold to the customer, rather than waiting for that customer to come to the supplier,” he explained. “[All] buyers are consumers in their own right, and their desire for service and availability is shaped by the environment where they do their own private shopping [whether digital or face-to-face]."

What is the Kravet Configurator?

In a time when personal interaction is at the very least frowned upon, and in some cases punishable by force of law, servicing the client demands new and innovative solutions. In some ways, our digital age makes this far easier than feared. In some, less so.

For those who are able to imagine and visualize original approaches to long-standing challenges, as well as new ones, the future can be incredibly bright. And, as many of us have come to expect, Kravet is again leading the way by developing resources and offering digital remedies to the obstacles we are all facing.

For example, imagine being able to fully visualize and customize the furnishings you hope to offer your home design clients. Will that new sofa and chair ensemble appeal to them in fabric A, or would they prefer fabric B? If only you had an image of the pieces in both!

With the Kravet Configurator, you do.

Now, with a 360-degree view of the products you're considering and using their custom Configurator, Kravet has made it much easier for interior designers to visualize their style choices on a variety of furniture frames. As you make choices to customize individual pieces, pricing is automatically updated for you in real-time.

If you're like most interior designers, your buying process begins with requesting samples, so Kravet focused on making that as simple as possible for you too. With a mobile-first strategy in place, Kravet has also simplified the process of reaching out to mobile users and a variety of platforms. This enables you to work seamlessly from your studio or on-site, from a client’s home or office.

Does that sound like a tool you could use in your design business?

NOTE on Availability: At this time, Kravet is continuing to develop and test the program, with an expected rollout coming in the New Year. (Finally, we all have something to look forward to as this crazy year comes to an end!)

For now, it is available on Kravet’s QuickShip program and the Kravet Tailor and Lee Jofa Workroom collection, which are partially up and running. Now would be a great time for you to begin familiarizing yourself with the Configurator so you are proficient in its use when you need it later.

Let Us Help You

As with so many innovative solutions, it can take a bit of time and practice to familiarize yourself and use the Configurator. But hey, that’s what we’re here for. We can answer virtually any question you may have about this virtual design tool (see what we did there?) and would love to guide you in the use of this amazing tool from our favorite luxury furnishings manufacturer.

Also, don’t forget, our founder Ted Fall, a man for whom service and availability have always been priorities, is available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. Get in touch with TD Fall today.

When Interior Design Includes In-Home Wellness Design

(Photo courtesy of  Body + Soul)

At this point, it seems almost inevitable that in-home wellness design has become a popular subject this year. From likely sources such as Houzz.com and KGA Studio Architects to somewhat less likely places such as USA Today or Body + Soul, designers are being strongly encouraged to consider health and wellness as a priority in their client’s homes and offices.

While it certainly seems counter-intuitive to even consider, one might be forgiven for thinking this year’s health crisis may have been a blessing in disguise, forcing all of us to consider how well or poorly we’ve been taking care of ourselves and our families. This is not meant to diminish the tragedies so many have suffered as a result of the worldwide pandemic; but rather, to note that had more of us been living a healthier lifestyle it may have prevented a significant percentage of such awful outcomes.

With that in mind, and perhaps as inspiration for the future, articles at the sites listed above (along with many others) offer lists of characteristics that any “healthy home” must possess.

Naturally leading the way, we are told that air quality, water quality, and natural light are the absolute minimum for designing a healthy home.

In support of this, Body + Soul author Caitlin Chander shares the thoughts of wellness expert Jessica Sepel…

“If you have a healthy environment, you’re more inclined to live a healthier life,” Jessica explains. “Having a home full of healthy triggers has a huge impact on your physical self.” (Conversely, a home filled with unhealthy triggers could harm all members of a family.)

In-Home Wellness Design Features

Beyond the need for clean air and water, as well as natural lighting, other areas may not jump immediately to mind when trying to design a healthy living or workspace (or both in the same home these days).

Air quality – Many wellness-focused designers make air quality a priority. Although houseplants such as spider plants and aloe vera can remove toxins, including formaldehyde, from the air, specific design features can clean the air in a home as well.

“Adequate filtered air in every room is necessary and a building code standard we abide by in every project. An HVAC system controlled and timed with an app like Nest is energy-efficient and allows for consistent airflow,” says Shelly Lynch-Sparks, founder and principal of the boutique design firm Hyphen & Co., at USA Today.

Water quality – “Water is essential to maintaining the function of every system in the body, including the heart, brain, and muscles. Use touchless faucets with built-in water filters throughout the home to encourage hydration.”

“A shower filtration system greatly reduces exposure to chlorine and other harmful chemicals that can dry out and damage skin and hair. A zero-threshold shower with an attractive grab bar ensures that shower will be accessible to everyone.” (KGA)

Natural lighting – As all designers know, light can make all the difference in any space. “Dark spaces impact your mood and also impact your ability to make healthier choices,” says Jessica. “For me, dark places make me unhappy. Not feeling happy of course, increases our chances of making the wrong health choices – like emotional eating.”

Beyond light-filled design features, “She recommends opening up the doors first thing in the morning and when you get home from work to allow the natural flow of air and light to stream in. While not everyone will have the luxury of loads of natural light, try and find patches of sun in your home that you can retreat to.” (Body + Soul)

Head health – “Caring for the mind is equally as important as caring for the body. [Incorporating] “I deserve it” features such as an in-home massage room or yoga studio are a great way to support mental and emotional health.”

“Provide space and opportunities for interaction with friends, family, neighbors, and the community. Homes with a strong indoor-outdoor connection, such as a living room with over-sized or corner-meet sliding glass doors that open up to a patio, create a cozy atmosphere that promotes socialization.” (KGA)

Heart health – Not in just the physical sense, but the emotional. “Jessica recommends creating a space in your home that manifests all those good feelings [and] acts as a destination for healing after a crazy day outside and using it as a retreat in times of stress. Also if possible, a place where you can work out when you don’t have time to go to the gym or exercise outdoors.”

“In my home, I have my own sanctuary which acts as a healing space I can go to in times of stress. I have a yoga mat and I burn candles. Of course, if you have a garden you can also create it there.” (Body + Soul)

Natural fabrics – Though not mentioned specifically in the articles referenced above, the use of natural and “organic” fabrics can add a sense of natural beauty that leads to a more peaceful and comfortable living space. (We put the word organic in quotation marks because not all organic products are as completely organic as we would like them to be. Check with your suppliers for true, organically produced fabrics where available.)

Just as with air, water, and building materials, eliminating chemicals like pesticides and artificial dyes will go a long way toward making any space healthier. Whether you are selecting and recommending fabrics for new furniture, carpeting, rugs, linens, or draperies, sticking to the natural side of things will add a greater degree of wellness to any home or office.

Design features like these will do much more than simply creating a healthier living and working environment for your clients. By making them conscious of such healthy choices in your designs, you will also be encouraging them to adopt a healthier mindset for themselves, their families, and in the case of office wellness design, their coworkers.

Granted, the areas we’ve listed above do not represent every area an interior designer can focus on to meet the growing need for in-home wellness of their clients. However, it should get you thinking in the right direction and, with a bit of research, you should be able to compile your own list of home-healthy characteristics.

Business Coaching and Consulting with Ted Fall

Are you struggling to implement new in-home health design protocols for your clients? Have your reactions to the crisis left you floundering for a practical response while foundering to stay afloat until things return to normal?

Beyond being your Go-To, dependable source for luxury furnishings, and with more than 25 years' experience in the furnishings and design industries, Ted is available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Remote Work Business Model – Lessons from the Pandemic

Many lessons can be learned from our response to the pandemic, not least of which is the evolution of the remote work business model that some of us have embraced. (And which some of us have tried to kill off as quickly and mercilessly as possible!)

On an individual level, powerful impressions have been made about our lives. These include things like the importance of meaningful work, the value of family, and how even the smallest gestures can have a huge impact on our well-being. (Ideas.Ted.com)

Perhaps most important; enjoying life and living in the moment are receiving greater focus as many come to realize the transient nature of life.

That being said, running a business and “going to work” have also been affected in ways we may never have anticipated.

The Work From Anywhere Model

Newly defined as the remote work business model or working from anywhere (WFA), the work from home (WFH) trend that began in the 70s has evolved into something much more organized and valued.

As explained in an article at the Harvard Business Review, “Without question, the model offers notable benefits to companies and their employees. Organizations can reduce or eliminate real estate costs, hire and use talent globally while mitigating immigration issues, and, research indicates, perhaps enjoy productivity gains. Workers get geographic flexibility (that is, live where they prefer to), eliminate commutes, and report better work/life balance.”

Of course, as with so many things, the new model is not all roses and sunshine.

“However,” the article continues, “concerns persist regarding how WFA affects communication, including brainstorming and problem-solving; knowledge sharing; socialization, camaraderie, and mentoring; performance evaluation and compensation; and data security and regulation.”

The question remains though of how all this remote working may affect the relationship between designer and client.

The Remote Design Business Model

Despite the difficulties outlined above, what's really striking right now, is that business in the interior design sector is strong. It's the way designers are engaging with their clients that have evolved and changed. Certainly, more is being done virtually than ever before.

From staff management to client relations, the menu of available virtual engagement tools has exploded in response to the lockdowns and stay-at-home orders.

Employee engagement software can be had as no-cost, open-source platforms to be used for increasing job satisfaction and retain talented staff. Even a free application can be used as “an essential tool to serve the purpose of employee surveys and classification, health checkups, and peer recognition and to keep the employees engaged for all the activities.”

The website GoodFirms.co, quoted above, also offers a list of seven of the best open-source employee engagement software solutions.

Remote Client Engagement

Promoting your brand and building relationships are particularly difficult when face-to-face meetings are either frowned upon, restricted, or forbidden. And, while this is true for virtually any business, it may be even more so for interior designers who normally need to be a presence in the client’s home or office.

As explained by the folks at NewBreedMarketing.com, “A customer engagement platform is a software that helps you engage with your customers through every touchpoint they could possibly have with your organization. It houses a database of connected content and tracks your audience as they transform from strangers to prospects to customers and eventually to promoters.”

In its simplest form, creating a Facebook Group (whether private or public) can be a useful brand building and engagement tool. Next, of course, the use of video conferencing tools has become almost ubiquitous for virtual meetings. Applications like Skype and Zoom have become so popular this year that there have been times when they could not support the massive amounts of traffic. Still, they are essential for remote client engagement.

However, complete and professional engagement with your clients will require more than basic video and audio service. Instead, “Customer engagement is about improving customer communication and interaction, making them more personalized, dynamic, and contextually relevant,” according to the software evaluation experts at Capterra.com.

In fact, in their article 6 Best Customer Engagement Software Tools, they do a great job of guiding you through the mind-bending assortment of hundreds of engagement software choices.

These applications will normally include customer relationship management (CRM), customer service, customer feedback, digital marketing, customer success, and even live chat software.

Are you already using a client engagement tool you love? Please share your experiences with other readers in the comments section below.

Business Coaching and Consulting with Ted Fall

Are you struggling to implement your own remote work business model? Have your lessons from the pandemic left you floundering for solutions while foundering to stay afloat until things return to normal?

With more than 25 years' experience in the luxury furnishings industry, Ted remains available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Shifting Priorities – Business and Personal Focus and Values are Changing

Lives and livelihoods have been lost during the 2020 pandemic, and it has yet to fade into the background. As a result, shifting priorities can be expected among your clients, associates, and partners, whether business-to-business or business-to-consumer.

On a personal level, work/life balance has become more important than ever. Relationships, in both the personal and business arenas, are being prioritized by an increasing majority as interpersonal interaction has suffered from the rules for social distancing.

For many, once important pastimes have become trivial; with things such as fashion, social status, and even ideological convictions seeming far less crucial than in pre-pandemic times.

As shared in an article from The Guardian, professor of history and philosophy at the University of Paris Justin EH Smith made an interesting observation about life in quarantine.

“Any fashion, sensibility, ideology, set of priorities, worldview or hobby that you acquired before March 2020, and that may have by then started to seem to you cumbersome, dull, inauthentic, a drag: you are no longer beholden to it,” he writes. “You can cast it off entirely and no one will care; likely, no one will notice.”

And there we have the crux of the matter… “no one will care; likely, no one will notice.”

Except, the clever business owner MUST care and notice if she hopes to prosper in a world where “Nothing is the same as it used to be”, a declaration made by author Michelle Russell at pcma.org.

Individual Priorities are Trends for Businesses

Of course, on an individual level, the changes are usually highly personal, while businesses are responding to broader shifts, as they always tend to do, as a matter of course. After all, the larger the business the more they are forced to respond to changing general trends rather than shifting individual priorities.

In a report published by MIT, titled Amid the covid-19 pandemic, shifting business priorities, we discover that “Organizations are reshuffling projects and accelerating investments that were already underway, leaning heavily on technology to stay competitive.”

Further, “The pandemic is shaking up corporate priorities rather than introducing new ones. Nearly three-quarters (72%) report that covid-19 has acted as a catalyst to their companies’ innovation, but fewer (53%) have changed their technology roadmaps substantially.”

Some key points from the report include:

• Nearly two-thirds of survey respondents expect covid-19 to disrupt the way their companies innovate.

• Businesses are building new capabilities and ecosystem partners and automating as much as possible.

• [Normally slow-to-respond large organizations and] businesses have learned how quickly they can adjust when they have to.

These shifting priorities include: improving productivity, improving customer experiences, and improving the employee or agent experience.

Targeting Shifting Demographics

What does all of this mean for small business owners and entrepreneurs?

It should go without saying but must be reinforced, that when your target audience shifts their priorities, your response – or lack of response – will determine your level of success (or lack thereof).

Resilience and versatility are two of the greatest assets you have as an entrepreneur. Putting those qualities to use in response to your client’s shifting priorities will no doubt be a requirement moving forward, whether during or post-pandemic.

In fact, beyond a change in priorities, you should also expect to see a shift in values; the very principles and standards by which individuals choose to live and do business. Literally, for many, they are responding to a shifting world view that has altered their perception of the nature of life. There is probably nothing that can shift priorities as dramatically for them, and you will need to be empathetic toward their needs at all times and in ways you may not have imagined, pre-pandemic.

Ultimately, the ability to build and sustain relationships will be the saving grace of entrepreneurs and small business owners. By staying focused on the needs of your clients as individuals, you will be able to adapt to shifting needs more quickly and with greater elasticity.

In other words, you are going to need to be empathetic and holistic in your approach to serving the needs of pandemic-damaged clients. For that is what many of them will be; fearful, angry, resentful, damaged human beings who need your support and understanding.

Ted remains available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. With more than 25 years' experience in the luxury furnishings industry, he can answer questions about everything from general marketing to specific tips for developing a unique selling proposition and your UVP as the foundation and guides for your marketing strategy… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Your Elevator Pitch Keeps You Ready for Unforeseen Opportunities (and those you expect)

Imagine for a moment you're attending a business conference and you suddenly find yourself in a one-on-one encounter with one of the “Sharks” from the popular TV show Shark Tank. Imagine further that, after you greet them, they happen to ask what you do for a living. Would you have a quick, clear answer ready to go? What if you had a solid new product idea and were the conference looking for an investor? Here you are, with one of the most curious angel investors in the country right in front of you and, without your elevator pitch ready to go, you have to wave goodbye and look for an investor elsewhere.

That is a missed opportunity. Will you be ready next time?

Granted, the scenario described above is unlikely for most of us. However, in business and life, unforeseen opportunities do crop up from time to time. There are also expected meetings where you may have a chance to promote yourself and your business. While they won’t all be opportunities to “cash in” with shark-like investors, they could easily lead to new projects or referrals.

Being ready at all times, by developing and memorizing your elevator pitch, just might be the best tool you can carry with you every day.

Merge Your UVP and USP into Your Elevator Pitch

Now that you’ve spent hours sweating over your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and Unique Selling Proposition (USP), we’re going to ask you to invest even more of your precious time and mental energy to create your elevator pitch.

Again, let’s define our terms. An elevator pitch is a “short, yet effective speech should be the most stellar speech that you can give to promote your company, your expertise, and your purpose within your industry.” (ClearVoice.com)

In other words, if we go back to the Shark example and put you in an elevator with one of them, could you clearly describe your business, your vision, and your goals in the 45-90 seconds it might take to reach their floor?

THAT is why we call it an elevator pitch. It’s a tool you can use to generate interest in what you do without taking up too much of the other person’s time.

“Your elevator pitch is a way to share your expertise and credentials [as well as your vision] quickly and effectively with people who don't know you.” (BalanceCareers.com)

It works whether you're looking for a job, seeking a business partner/investor, or trying to turn a prospect into a client.

Why You Need an Elevator Pitch

Why are they important – and effective?

An elevator pitch is especially effective when you're talking to a stranger or new contact who asks, “What do you do?”

“In situations like these, you need a short, snappy, easy-to-grasp explanation of your company and its products [or services]. The person you're speaking with might turn out to be a perfect fit – or know someone who is.” (HubSpot.com)

However, to be clear: “An elevator pitch is never an opportunity to close a deal. It's an opportunity to close more of your prospect's attention and time. It's a quick introduction to you, your company, and how you can help your prospect.”

You need to think of your elevator pitch as an attention-getter. It should be engaging and friendly, without trying to “make a sale”. Rather, your goal should be to generate interest and to get more of your prospect’s curiosity, time, and attention.

According to HubSpot, your elevator pitch should include:

• Who you are

• What your company does

• Your unique value proposition

• Your unique sales proposition

• Your vision

If you can do all of these things in 30-45 seconds (or 90 seconds max), you are sure to get their attention and generate interest. Once you create a pitch you think is worthy of use, you’ll need to read and re-read it, then edit the pitch. Then, you’ll want to practice it incessantly, in front of others, and a mirror, until you have it memorized but can deliver it as if you’ve never said it before.

You want your elevator pitch to flow, to seem natural and off-the-cuff, rather than rehearsed and/or overused. Keep it fresh. Make it pithy. Always make sure it accurately reflects what you do.

Ted remains available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. With more than 25 years' experience in the luxury furnishings industry, he can answer questions about everything from general marketing to specific tips for developing a unique selling proposition and your UVP as the foundation and guides for your marketing strategy… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Developing a Unique Selling Proposition as The Foundation for Your UVP

Should we have offered this information about developing a unique selling proposition (USP) before our post about creating your UVP? Maybe, but then, where would the mystery have been – the burning question we left you with that got you to come back and look for more?

Pretty sneaky, huh? (Sorry, not sorry!) LOL

You see, this is all part of our strategy to hook you on our series of posts on marketing your design business more effectively. We figure that, in the face of the pandemic and its eventual aftermath, a return to marketing basics has value for you and we hope to be able to provide that. Of course, if you need more individualized attention, Ted is available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners.

Now, onward and upward…

What Your USP Says About Your Business

Once again, we need to define our terms for you:

“A unique selling proposition, more commonly referred to as a USP, is the one thing that makes your business better than the competition. ... Your USP plays to your strengths and should be based on what makes your brand or product uniquely valuable to your customers. Being ‘unique’ is rarely a strong USP in itself.” (Shopify.com)

Yeah, that unique thing they mention is taken care of when you create your UVP, right?

Now it’s time for some cool graphics! (YAY!)

First, let’s just get our heads around the basic concept of what a USP really is. This graphic, borrowed from TractionWise.com, illustrates the concept in a clear and simple way:

For a more detailed look at the issues your USP must address effective, we borrowed this graphic from Medium.com:

As you can see, both of the images present an area where your offerings best meet the needs of your prospective client, while avoiding areas of risk or similarity.

When you develop your USP, you avoid areas of similarity with your competition because there is nothing unique to offer in your UVP. Areas of risk are avoided for the obvious reason that you may actually push your prospects toward your competitor by mistake.

In other words, the whole point of developing a unique selling proposition is to figure out and proclaim how you are different from your competition – not to mention BETTER.

Why It Matters

You see, while it may seem counter-intuitive, it’s a simple fact of life that not every owner knows what makes their business unique, different, and better than their competitors. Frankly, some of it is just ego talking (“If it’s mine it MUST be better!”). But, more often, it’s a combination of lack of time, energy, and knowledge.

By this, we mean that, often, there is just too much to take care of for a single entrepreneur to be able to get it all done alone. Something has to give and, too often, it winds up being market research into the competition. That lack of knowledge can make developing your USP and UVP more than a time-consuming chore; it can make them completely ineffective.

That’s why it matters so much because of the time and energy you invest in this kind of work must have a solid return. So, set aside whatever time you need to get them done right.

Again, Ted remains available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. With more than 25 years' experience in the luxury furnishings industry, he is able to answer questions about everything from general marketing to specific tips for developing a unique selling proposition and your UVP as the foundation and guides for your marketing strategy… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Hey There Goldilocks, Is Your UVP Too Much, Too Little, or Just Right?

Does your UVP cover everything from ABC to XYZ? If so, you're likely struggling to make ends meet.

Ok, now you're wondering just what the heck we’re talking about, aren’t you? Oh, nothing too important, just your Unique Value Proposition. Or, you know, the answer to why prospects should want to work with you!

Now that we have your undivided attention, let’s quickly define some terms so we can get to the meat of the matter. Sound like a plan?

What is Your Unique Value Proposition?

What is UVP?

“Also known as a unique selling proposition (USP), your UVP is a clear statement that describes the benefit of your offer, how you solve your customer's needs and what distinguishes you from the competition. Your unique value proposition should appear prominently on your landing page and in every marketing campaign.” (Unbounce.com)

Or, even more simply:

“A unique value proposition (UVP) is the core benefit or solution that differentiates your product or service from the competition and positions it as the best possible option on the market.” (CoSchedule.com)

So what do these definitions have to do with our opening question about “everything from ABC to XYZ”?

There is a tendency among entrepreneurs and small business owners to try to be all things to all people. After all, the thinking goes, whether you're trying to build or grow a business, you need more clients and, the best way to get more clients is to broaden your menu of services, isn’t it?

BUT, and here’s where that kind of thinking tales you – there’s no real value proposition to excite prospective clients there!

You see, your UVP should answer the question, “Are the unique features of this [product/service] worth the price?”

If it instead boasts the fact that you can do everything anyone could ever conceive of wanting from you (which is impossible, BTW), it offers no real value relative to the cost for the client. And, when all is said and done, clients buy VALUE, not your all-in-one fantasy menu.

Think a graphic will help? Here’s one borrowed, with thanks, from the folks at Omniconvert.com:

How’s that for adding clarity?

Where to Go From Here to Develop Your UVP

The website Dummies.com offers some excellent guidance for the next steps when developing your unique value proposition:

“Famed business author Neil Rackham believes a value proposition consists of four main parts: capability, impact, proof, and cost. You could have a strong selling proposition, but a weak value proposition.”

This model, the Value Proposition Builder, creates six stages for value proposition analysis:

• For what market is the value proposition being created?

• What does the market value the most – the value experience or the customer experience?

• What products are being offered?

• What benefits will the customer derive from the product?

• What alternative options exist?

• What evidence substantiates your value proposition?

“The unique selling proposition combined with the unique value proposition shows how marketable [your services] can be. It isn’t enough to be unique; you must be unique in a way that creates the perception of good value to the customer.” (emphasis added)

From this list, it’s easy to see that the most important feature of your UVP should be placing the emphasis on benefits and value. Or, to put it a simply as anyone can, make sure your UVP answers the client’s #1 question, “What’s in it for me?”

In these confusing times, Ted remains available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. With more than 25 years' experience in the luxury furnishings industry, he is able to answer questions about everything from general marketing to specific tips for developing your UVP as the guide for your marketing strategy… Get in touch with TD Fall today.

Video Conferencing Tips – The Latest Scourge of the Design Business

The word scourge means “Something causing misery or death”. Now, while dying may not actually be a realistic fear of holding a virtual meeting, video conferencing has definitely been known to make more than a few designers miserable. Yet, for most of us, social distancing and ongoing stay-at-home orders require that meeting remotely become the norm. If you're struggling to come to grips with the “new normal” for meetings, we have some valuable video conferencing tips to help you adjust. (And, we hope, become proficient!)

First, whether we like it or not, it’s time for all of us to accept that the current pandemic has made video conferencing an essential component to keeping a business running. Sorry but, being camera shy is no longer acceptable (or forgiven).

Whether you're conferencing with your team, contractors, suppliers, clients, or prospects, you need to do everything possible to ensure your remote conference or consultation is glitch-free. In other words, how you handle yourself in these (hopefully) temporary but stressful times will make a huge impression on everyone you do business with. Professionalism simply MUST be the priority here and we have a number of tips to help you.

Virtual Meeting Hosting Tips

Conducting a virtual meeting can be challenging for the uninitiated. Even some of us who have experience with them run into problems occasionally, which is why we suggest you follow these tips:

• Testing… Testing 1, 2, 3 – It should go without saying that being heard matters in a video conference. It should, yet many people forget this little detail. Making sure you can hear and be heard clearly is critical to the success of any virtual meeting. Using a headset with an attached microphone is usually much better than relying on the mic that’s built into your computer.

• What they are seeing matters – Whatever you do, avoid the nostril shot! Keep your camera at eye level or slightly above and never, never, never use the upward angle. (You must have seen that horrible view on remote reports or meetings. Yikes!)

• Look over your shoulder – Because they will be, guaranteed. Yes, your background is important. While you might want it to be attractive and “make a statement” during your meeting, you want to avoid distractions. Your goal should be to keep attendees’ eyes on you and what focused on you're saying, instead of some cool but diverting piece of art or furniture.

• When silence is golden – As with so many things, knowing when to stop speaking and listen is important; and never more so than during a video call. That’s what your mute button is for. The experts in this stuff agree: Mute your microphone whenever you’re not speaking, even if you’re alone in the room. Background noise can be an annoying distraction and stifle any meeting’s flow. (So can mumbled comments you hope no one else can hear.)

• Light it up – Make sure your room is well lit (side lighting is the best). Few things are worse than having a professional meeting while feeling like you're talking to someone in a dungeon. [Also, it’s a bad idea to have a bright window behind you, putting your face in shadow] Use natural light from windows or simply turn on the overhead light in the room to brighten up the conference. (Entreprenuer.com)

• Dress the part – While you may love the new remote work environment because you can keep it casual all day, that won’t work for you here. For an online conference, trade-in your “work PJs” for a regular work outfit. (What if you suddenly have to stand up and they see your ratty shorts beneath your lovely blouse?) Keep it professional in every way. You can always revert when the meeting is over.

• Rehearse your role as moderator – Practicing in a low-stakes environment with a friend or colleague ensures that your lighting, audio, and visuals are all optimized before you’re in an important meeting with a client. Pay attention to yourself so you can critique how you look. (Houzz.com) And, make sure you have a roadmap for the meeting. Use an agenda and stick to it so none of the attendees feel like you're wasting their time.

Once you've set up your conferencing system, test it with someone who won’t judge but who will give solid feedback. Also, while muting your mic when you're listening is important, make sure you unmute before offering a monologue that displays your amazing expertise and insight – but which no one can hear!

A final tip for those who attend virtual meetings: make sure you can be seen and heard as well as your host, and that you're dressed appropriately with a non-distracting background. Otherwise, you may be ignored and you certainly don’t want that to happen.

Ted remains available for business consulting support to interior designers and furnishing store owners. With more than 25 years' experience in the luxury furnishings industry and through all sorts of economic crises and natural disasters, he should be able to help you cope with all the changing trends and priorities.

If these video conferencing tips don’t answer all your questions about hosting virtual meetings – or other questions about marketing your furnishings or interior design business… Get in touch with TD Fall today.