Marketing & Sales
BUSINESS BUILDING BLOCKS: 5 No-Fail Marketing Methods for Everyday
Marketing is the life blood of every small business, particularly those that are creative and service based! It is vital to make marketing a real part of everyday business activities. Here are five cost effective, time efficient, and proven successful ways to market your business daily. The Power of Thank You When I began my business, I…
BUSINESS BUILDING BLOCKS: Are Your Prospects Afraid of You?
I was listening to Karen Fisher of Designer Previews on the Interior Design Summit and she confirmed what I’ve always known; design prospects are often very intimidated no matter what level they are at. Design professionals too often fail to realize that this is a very BIG DEAL! They are coming to us with their…
BUSINESS BUILDING BLOCKS: 5 Must-Haves for Every Designer’s Website
I speak with so many design professionals and even retailers and am continually amazed at how many don’t have websites at all, or websites that work for them. I have had a website for my design practice since 1994, and even won awards for its design! My biggest clients have always come through the website.…
BUSINESS BUILDING BLOCKS: 7 Secrets to Turning Prospects into Clients
These quick and effective steps are ones I use regularly to turn prospects easily and quickly into clients (if there is a fit). Listen. It sounds simple and it can be but too often we get caught up in wanting to tell them all about ourselves. This isn’t about us; it is about them, so…
Are You Connected?
How often do we focus exclusively on our client in business and forget to talk a bit about ourselves? Don’t underestimate the power of finding those points of connection that will set you apart from your competitors. It can be as simple as gathering any of the following information: Where are they from? Where did…
Are You Easy to Do Business With?
At the Atlanta Home Furnishings summer market this last Friday I had an unusual experience. I had been checking out showrooms for a few filler pieces for my mountain retreat and found Go Home. It is a resource new to me, which has some great unique pieces. I asked about lead time and the owner…
Relationship Investing for Real Business Returns
One of the essential keys to weathering the storms and vagaries of an unpredictable economy is to develop lasting relationships with your clients and consumers. It doesn’t matter if you are selling services or product, at the high end or the low end, what matters is that you have taken the time to develop long…
The Keys To Good Service
Yes, it is easy, do what you say you will. But surprisingly this is rarely the case. I don’t know about you, but I find all too often vendors and providers don’t do what they say they will. Recent experience getting quotes for replacement windows has been frustrating to put it mildly. Before getting quotes,…
Building Your Business
As discussed in the last issue, it is vital to ask, ask, ask to find the best and most appropriate resources and service providers to ensure your business success. But, getting the resources and providers is only half the equation, it is building the relationships that really matters now. How do you create a long…
