The Designer's Coach

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.
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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.