Achieving Personal Mastery
In the 6 modules of The Designer's Coach, your goal is to create and evolve towards reaching your Strategic Vision. As you continuously strive to improve your business, there are several aspects to focus on.
In the first module The Leadership Coach your work is on your personal leadership competencies. It can also be called “Personal Mastery”. This is a lifelong commitment to learning and making behavioral adjustments in your own evolution. When you work on these challenging skills, you have the ability to achieve results that matter most to you. When you realize that no one else is responsible for your problems, only then can you create your own reality.
In the fifth module The Satisfaction Coach, you study the power of creating systems and systems thinking. This is an interesting web of interrelated actions than when skillfully woven into the life of your business, results in flawless client satisfaction. Creating a vision without systems is like planting a seed and not watering it. Implementation of systems requires discipline and commitment.
Throughout all the modules, but in particularly the 2nd module, The Team Coach, there is emphasis on creating meaningful relationships with members of your team. Be it the employees, vendors, suppliers, craftspeople or artisans, each are significant contributors in reaching your goals. This is done though effective communication techniques that require sharing the aspirations of your Strategic Vision.
The goal is to achieve more as a team then you can individually. If you can get others to join in with your vision of your future, you will add significant value to your company. Having a shared vision is an extremely powerful force. Until you can demonstrate to your clients that your employees and vendors are not merely a collection of businesses, but a trained team that executes your designs in only a way that you can offer, then you will be able to receive your just reward.
As you continue to work on your own Personal Mastery, you and your organization will thrive because you begin to see how your own behavior is the main contributor of your problems. Your achievement is a product of how you think, and no one else is to blame. Your success depends on what goes on in between your own two ears.
Thursday, November 30, 2006
Prospecting vs. Positioning
Who finds who is very important!
Imagine these scenes. It could be any two situations where there's a buyer and a seller...
Scene 1: A prospect is planning a wedding; she needs to decorate her home. You get lucky and just happen to call her that same day. The prospect was on your 'list' and you were able to meet her the next day.
Scene 2: Same prospect. She is planning the same wedding and wants to decorate. She starts keeping an eye out for a decorator. She talks to a friend, reads an article in a magazine - and hears about you. She calls you on the phone to see if you can help.
Which situation is most typical for you? Which one do you like more, scene 1 or scene 2? Well, unless you enjoy making phone calls that are uncomfortable both for you, you'd rather be living in scene #2, wouldn't you?
But there's another factor that's very, very important: In scene 2, you ALSO have TWICE the chance of getting the prospect’s business as you do in scene 1.
Why, because the buyer found you first. In scene #1 you were prospecting. In scene #2 you were positioning yourself.
The buyer naturally has more respect for you in scene #2 because everyone knows you must climb the mountain to find the guru. Gurus don't come down from the mountain hunting for disciples. Who calls who first is very, very important.
A prospect who "finds" you first is more likely to buy from you, than if you find her.
The difference is positioning. The doctor is perceived to be an expert, so you seek his counsel.
. A good marketing system, which helps clients find the designer, can do this for far less money than paying the designer to find the clients. Once an effective marketing system is in place, you can spend twice as much time in front of interested customers and double your income.
There's a hidden benefit to this: When the client finds you, instead of you finding the client, his perception of you is different. She perceives you as a consultant, not a peddler. Clients don't respect peddlers as reliable information sources.
Your Marketing Message
Your marketing & sales message must effectively answer the following four questions:
1. Why should I read or listen to you?
2. Why should I believe what you have to say?
3. Why should I do anything about what you're offering?
4. Why should I act now?
These are very basic questions, but few sales people can fire back fast answers to any of them. There are all kinds of companies who are the greatest in the world, but can't give you a really solid explanation of what they do or why it matters.
Your precise answer to these four questions is your Unique Selling Proposition. You must have this message clearly defined and focused. It must be written down and you must be able to repeat it in the middle of the night when your spouse wakes you from a deep sleep. Everything you do should answer those questions in a consistent way, whether directly or indirectly.
Your Sales Message
Every time you communicate with your customer, you should reinforce the core ingredients of your sales message.
People forget. It's never good enough to say something just once. Once your prospects have contacted you, they should regularly get things from you that reinforce what you told them the first time, and every time you talk to them, you must communicate your core sales message.
It's easy to get tired of constantly saying the same thing all the time, and it's easy to stop doing things that work just because you get bored with them. But you must resist this temptation and consistently, persistently reinforce that message.
Your message will never be consistent unless everyone in the company agrees on what it is. If you change your message every month, you'll never get real traction in the marketplace because customers will have only a vague idea of what you do.
An effective marketing system solves a number of very difficult business problems:
· You have enough “deal flow” that you can choose customers who match your capabilities, rather than taking whoever you can get.
· You have more negotiating power because you can safely “walk away from a deal.”
· Clients have more respect for you because you didn't “chase them down.”
· You can anticipate variations in your available capacity and revenue stream and open up or tighten your sales funnel as necessary, rather than scrambling at the last minute.
· You don't have to alter your manufacturing process or systems to accommodate customers whose needs don't match your capabilities.
· Your time with customers is spent productively, because when they call you, they already understand exactly what you do, what's unique about you and how you can help them.
· You are able to focus on the nuances of solving your customers' problems and building personal relationships with them, rather than worrying about whether or not you can close a deal.
If you sell a product or service, you should lead with information about solving problems, not information about the product or service itself.
It's an old cliché, but it bears repeating: Nobody who bought a drill wanted a drill. They wanted a hole.
What this means for you is that instead of providing information about drills, you should deliver information about making holes. You'll get a LOT more sales leads - with fewer literature collectors - and build more rapport with prospective customers that way.
This is Massively Huge!
This is NOT an afterthought. It is an entire shift in strategic direction that has created fantastically effective results for me, my clients, and my students. As in thousands of potential customers calling, sending emails, asking you for information. And you should incorporate this into everything you do, from your sales collateral to the presentations your sales people make, to seminars and white papers, to advertisements and press releases.
These are very basic questions, but few designers can fire back fast answers to any of them. Your precise answer to these four questions is your Unique Selling Proposition. You must have this message clearly defined and focused. It must be written down and you must be able to repeat it in the middle of the night when your spouse wakes you from a deep sleep. Everything you do should answer those questions in a consistent way, whether directly or indirectly. Every time you communicate with your client, you should reinforce the core ingredients of your marketing message. People forget. It's never good enough to say something just once. Once your prospects have contacted you, they should regularly get things from you that reinforce what you told them the first time, and every time you talk to them, you must communicate your core marketing message. It's easy to get tired of constantly saying the same thing all the time, and it's easy to stop doing things that work just because you get bored with them. But you must resist this temptation and consistently, persistently reinforce that message. Your message will never be consistent unless everyone in the company agrees on what it is. If you change your message every month, you'll never get real traction in the marketplace because clienyts will have only a vague idea of what you do.
Who finds who is very important!
Imagine these scenes. It could be any two situations where there's a buyer and a seller...
Scene 1: A prospect is planning a wedding; she needs to decorate her home. You get lucky and just happen to call her that same day. The prospect was on your 'list' and you were able to meet her the next day.
Scene 2: Same prospect. She is planning the same wedding and wants to decorate. She starts keeping an eye out for a decorator. She talks to a friend, reads an article in a magazine - and hears about you. She calls you on the phone to see if you can help.
Which situation is most typical for you? Which one do you like more, scene 1 or scene 2? Well, unless you enjoy making phone calls that are uncomfortable both for you, you'd rather be living in scene #2, wouldn't you?
But there's another factor that's very, very important: In scene 2, you ALSO have TWICE the chance of getting the prospect’s business as you do in scene 1.
Why, because the buyer found you first. In scene #1 you were prospecting. In scene #2 you were positioning yourself.
The buyer naturally has more respect for you in scene #2 because everyone knows you must climb the mountain to find the guru. Gurus don't come down from the mountain hunting for disciples. Who calls who first is very, very important.
A prospect who "finds" you first is more likely to buy from you, than if you find her.
The difference is positioning. The doctor is perceived to be an expert, so you seek his counsel.
. A good marketing system, which helps clients find the designer, can do this for far less money than paying the designer to find the clients. Once an effective marketing system is in place, you can spend twice as much time in front of interested customers and double your income.
There's a hidden benefit to this: When the client finds you, instead of you finding the client, his perception of you is different. She perceives you as a consultant, not a peddler. Clients don't respect peddlers as reliable information sources.
Your Marketing Message
Your marketing & sales message must effectively answer the following four questions:
1. Why should I read or listen to you?
2. Why should I believe what you have to say?
3. Why should I do anything about what you're offering?
4. Why should I act now?
These are very basic questions, but few sales people can fire back fast answers to any of them. There are all kinds of companies who are the greatest in the world, but can't give you a really solid explanation of what they do or why it matters.
Your precise answer to these four questions is your Unique Selling Proposition. You must have this message clearly defined and focused. It must be written down and you must be able to repeat it in the middle of the night when your spouse wakes you from a deep sleep. Everything you do should answer those questions in a consistent way, whether directly or indirectly.
Your Sales Message
Every time you communicate with your customer, you should reinforce the core ingredients of your sales message.
People forget. It's never good enough to say something just once. Once your prospects have contacted you, they should regularly get things from you that reinforce what you told them the first time, and every time you talk to them, you must communicate your core sales message.
It's easy to get tired of constantly saying the same thing all the time, and it's easy to stop doing things that work just because you get bored with them. But you must resist this temptation and consistently, persistently reinforce that message.
Your message will never be consistent unless everyone in the company agrees on what it is. If you change your message every month, you'll never get real traction in the marketplace because customers will have only a vague idea of what you do.
An effective marketing system solves a number of very difficult business problems:
· You have enough “deal flow” that you can choose customers who match your capabilities, rather than taking whoever you can get.
· You have more negotiating power because you can safely “walk away from a deal.”
· Clients have more respect for you because you didn't “chase them down.”
· You can anticipate variations in your available capacity and revenue stream and open up or tighten your sales funnel as necessary, rather than scrambling at the last minute.
· You don't have to alter your manufacturing process or systems to accommodate customers whose needs don't match your capabilities.
· Your time with customers is spent productively, because when they call you, they already understand exactly what you do, what's unique about you and how you can help them.
· You are able to focus on the nuances of solving your customers' problems and building personal relationships with them, rather than worrying about whether or not you can close a deal.
If you sell a product or service, you should lead with information about solving problems, not information about the product or service itself.
It's an old cliché, but it bears repeating: Nobody who bought a drill wanted a drill. They wanted a hole.
What this means for you is that instead of providing information about drills, you should deliver information about making holes. You'll get a LOT more sales leads - with fewer literature collectors - and build more rapport with prospective customers that way.
This is Massively Huge!
This is NOT an afterthought. It is an entire shift in strategic direction that has created fantastically effective results for me, my clients, and my students. As in thousands of potential customers calling, sending emails, asking you for information. And you should incorporate this into everything you do, from your sales collateral to the presentations your sales people make, to seminars and white papers, to advertisements and press releases.
These are very basic questions, but few designers can fire back fast answers to any of them. Your precise answer to these four questions is your Unique Selling Proposition. You must have this message clearly defined and focused. It must be written down and you must be able to repeat it in the middle of the night when your spouse wakes you from a deep sleep. Everything you do should answer those questions in a consistent way, whether directly or indirectly. Every time you communicate with your client, you should reinforce the core ingredients of your marketing message. People forget. It's never good enough to say something just once. Once your prospects have contacted you, they should regularly get things from you that reinforce what you told them the first time, and every time you talk to them, you must communicate your core marketing message. It's easy to get tired of constantly saying the same thing all the time, and it's easy to stop doing things that work just because you get bored with them. But you must resist this temptation and consistently, persistently reinforce that message. Your message will never be consistent unless everyone in the company agrees on what it is. If you change your message every month, you'll never get real traction in the marketplace because clienyts will have only a vague idea of what you do.
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
Monday, November 27, 2006
I made the cover of Drapery and Window Covering Magazine's October issue.
To read the article click here>>
http://www.dwconline.com/DWC/2006/oct/cover.html
Friday, November 24, 2006
Do the Design; Systemize the Business
"What motivated you to become a designer?" I have found that every designer that I ever asked this question have all replied with a comment about some "deep passion" for the career choice. I have also found that there has become a quick dose of disappointment when one finds that being an Interior Designer is not a glamorous as it sounded before they traveled down this winding road. I am here to tell you that I can rescue you from the drudgery of running a complicated business and restore the glamour you are seeking. You studied and worked hard to become an Interior Designer because you felt a real desire to be creative and use your talent as a career choice. "You should do what you love !" Great advise, it sounds so good. But I hear over and over again these common complaints:"I am doing everything myself. I am always on the phone, so much paperwork". "Why am I working so much, and getting so little done?" "Is all this effort and hassle worth it?" "Why am I always solving problems?" "Why do I feel like I am like a juggler at a circus?" Did you become a designer to handle all these problems ? No, but you are running a business, and in order to free yourself up to "Do the Design", you must "Systemize the Business". To do the design, to fulfill your dreams, to fulfill your client's dreams, you must develop business systems. As a designer in your own business, you are an entrepreneur. The meaning of this, is working with the knowledge of organizing your company to understand 6 basic skills:
1) Providing effective Leadership and a Vision
2) Building a solid team
3) Creating a brand and awareness
4) Selling your designs
5) Fulfilling your promises
6) Being an effective negotiatorTo develop these necessary skills, you need to create systems and techniques for each of these points, in order to release yourself from the torturous bondage of a "job" you hate .
Every system you implement in your company will add value or equity to your business . Why? Because you are creating procedures that do not require you to perform every task. You can assign someone for these responsibilities. Maybe you are the only employee today, but if you plan on growing your business , you will eventually hire someone. This first hire will be greeted with systems in place and an understanding of the requirements of the position. I have created six modules, each one focusing specific discipline of running a successful business . The modules are in a specific order, as you will soon read. It is my wish that you follow each module as they are presented. There is a logical progression from 1 through 6, so if you jump around, you might not get the full benefit of going through the work as intended.
Are you ready? Click here to take the test>>
The Leadership Coach
This is the first area of business development, all about you. You are the leader , and you must look within and become self aware as to the type of leader you will need to be. In this module, the work we will do will depend solely on you, your attitude, believes, your actions. We will examine your leadership competencies , and your leadership profile. How will you take your strengths and implement your vision for your organization ? What will be your Strategic Vision for the future of your company? Are you willing to measure your own behavior with a 360-Degree Feedback analysis?
The Team Coach
All businesses from a one person company to a larger organization, needs to work within a " team" concept. How will you manage, coach and lead your team ? How can you become an effective leader, even if you are a one person operation? In this module you will learn how to create a team-chart , position and vendor agreements and how to employ strategic business systems.
The Marketing Coach
The life blood of any business is to generate leads . We must develop a way to have a constant flow of new leads or we cannot survive. In this module we will examine the current state of your lead generation . Through careful analysis you will determine who your target market is. All successful businesses of your type, relies upon referrals. You will create a Referral Marketing System and The Agenda Letter System .
The Sales Coach
The conversion of a lead to a sale is a strategic part of your business that requires the utmost attention. How do you sell your designs ? Have you established a positioning statement ? Do you serve a particular niche ? Are you delivering the intended message to your target market? Have you implemented a selling system ? We will develop a Client Management System to keep in contact with your clients.
The Satisfaction Coach
Keeping your promise is the best way to grow your business and to encourage referrals. A flawless Client Fulfillment System is critical to delivering on your promise to your clients. We will examine how you get things done, and encourage setting up the various systems. Along with this, we will work on making sure that you are exceeding your client's expectations each and every time, with great Satisfaction Staging ideas.
The Negotiation Coach
Do you understand what happens during the negotiation or decision making phase of the selling process? Who is " The Decider ". How do you know if you can trust what your client says? We will work on becoming a more effective negotiator and we will develop a pricing and estimating strategy . Are you basing what you charge on value you create or costs you incur? Also, in this module you will learn an effective "negotiation defense" against price shoppers and a strategy for developing effective contracts and agreements. Do you have a system to track all costs for each job? Are you communicating your " value-message " that will maintain the margins you need to stay in business?
If you follow the modules and apply the concept, I believe that you will find a remarkable change in your business and in your life as I have. I ask only one thing from you, that you must want to make a change in the way you run your business. The key to succeeding comes only from you and your motivation. I hope that you will find the inspiration , and execute a new way of running your organization and then we can celebrate together.
The Designer's Coach offers one to one coaching and seminars throughout the country. Browse through the site, and let me know how I can help you in making your business great.
"What motivated you to become a designer?" I have found that every designer that I ever asked this question have all replied with a comment about some "deep passion" for the career choice. I have also found that there has become a quick dose of disappointment when one finds that being an Interior Designer is not a glamorous as it sounded before they traveled down this winding road. I am here to tell you that I can rescue you from the drudgery of running a complicated business and restore the glamour you are seeking. You studied and worked hard to become an Interior Designer because you felt a real desire to be creative and use your talent as a career choice. "You should do what you love !" Great advise, it sounds so good. But I hear over and over again these common complaints:"I am doing everything myself. I am always on the phone, so much paperwork". "Why am I working so much, and getting so little done?" "Is all this effort and hassle worth it?" "Why am I always solving problems?" "Why do I feel like I am like a juggler at a circus?" Did you become a designer to handle all these problems ? No, but you are running a business, and in order to free yourself up to "Do the Design", you must "Systemize the Business". To do the design, to fulfill your dreams, to fulfill your client's dreams, you must develop business systems. As a designer in your own business, you are an entrepreneur. The meaning of this, is working with the knowledge of organizing your company to understand 6 basic skills:
1) Providing effective Leadership and a Vision
2) Building a solid team
3) Creating a brand and awareness
4) Selling your designs
5) Fulfilling your promises
6) Being an effective negotiatorTo develop these necessary skills, you need to create systems and techniques for each of these points, in order to release yourself from the torturous bondage of a "job" you hate .
Every system you implement in your company will add value or equity to your business . Why? Because you are creating procedures that do not require you to perform every task. You can assign someone for these responsibilities. Maybe you are the only employee today, but if you plan on growing your business , you will eventually hire someone. This first hire will be greeted with systems in place and an understanding of the requirements of the position. I have created six modules, each one focusing specific discipline of running a successful business . The modules are in a specific order, as you will soon read. It is my wish that you follow each module as they are presented. There is a logical progression from 1 through 6, so if you jump around, you might not get the full benefit of going through the work as intended.
Are you ready? Click here to take the test>>
The Leadership Coach
This is the first area of business development, all about you. You are the leader , and you must look within and become self aware as to the type of leader you will need to be. In this module, the work we will do will depend solely on you, your attitude, believes, your actions. We will examine your leadership competencies , and your leadership profile. How will you take your strengths and implement your vision for your organization ? What will be your Strategic Vision for the future of your company? Are you willing to measure your own behavior with a 360-Degree Feedback analysis?
The Team Coach
All businesses from a one person company to a larger organization, needs to work within a " team" concept. How will you manage, coach and lead your team ? How can you become an effective leader, even if you are a one person operation? In this module you will learn how to create a team-chart , position and vendor agreements and how to employ strategic business systems.
The Marketing Coach
The life blood of any business is to generate leads . We must develop a way to have a constant flow of new leads or we cannot survive. In this module we will examine the current state of your lead generation . Through careful analysis you will determine who your target market is. All successful businesses of your type, relies upon referrals. You will create a Referral Marketing System and The Agenda Letter System .
The Sales Coach
The conversion of a lead to a sale is a strategic part of your business that requires the utmost attention. How do you sell your designs ? Have you established a positioning statement ? Do you serve a particular niche ? Are you delivering the intended message to your target market? Have you implemented a selling system ? We will develop a Client Management System to keep in contact with your clients.
The Satisfaction Coach
Keeping your promise is the best way to grow your business and to encourage referrals. A flawless Client Fulfillment System is critical to delivering on your promise to your clients. We will examine how you get things done, and encourage setting up the various systems. Along with this, we will work on making sure that you are exceeding your client's expectations each and every time, with great Satisfaction Staging ideas.
The Negotiation Coach
Do you understand what happens during the negotiation or decision making phase of the selling process? Who is " The Decider ". How do you know if you can trust what your client says? We will work on becoming a more effective negotiator and we will develop a pricing and estimating strategy . Are you basing what you charge on value you create or costs you incur? Also, in this module you will learn an effective "negotiation defense" against price shoppers and a strategy for developing effective contracts and agreements. Do you have a system to track all costs for each job? Are you communicating your " value-message " that will maintain the margins you need to stay in business?
If you follow the modules and apply the concept, I believe that you will find a remarkable change in your business and in your life as I have. I ask only one thing from you, that you must want to make a change in the way you run your business. The key to succeeding comes only from you and your motivation. I hope that you will find the inspiration , and execute a new way of running your organization and then we can celebrate together.
The Designer's Coach offers one to one coaching and seminars throughout the country. Browse through the site, and let me know how I can help you in making your business great.
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