How to Create a Higher-end Image

A night out at a local five-star restaurant last weekend got my brain buzzing with marketing ideas.

Restaurant Nicholas is located on a highway not far from plenty of much less expensive eateries and fast food places. But Nicholas is always full. It's certainly not because the prices are low. No, the success of Nicholas has to do with their continuously living up to their high-end image.

With high-end businesses, high prices are accepted without question. So if you'd like to stop dealing with price objections, create a high-end image.

Here are 3 ways that can help you achieve a higher- end image with your design business. These ideas may seem obvious or common sense, yet many designers forget or ignore these principles. So I am writing this to remind you and give you a jolt. Which idea can you put into practice this week?

1. Pay attention to every detail
At Nicholas, my entire dinner was not only delicious, but it was spectacularly prepared and beautiful to look at. Instead of simply placing the dishes in front of us, four servers came to our table, and on cue, they lifted the silver covers off our plates - revealing each course (there were seven!). Without our noticing, our wine glasses were constantly refilled, bread was replenished, and tableware was replaced. It was all done so seamlessly. The silverware was lovely, the table linens were crisp and clean, the napkins in the bathroom were beautiful! No detail was overlooked.

Have you overlooked any detail in your business? Take inventory now, and make a note to ensure that everything lives up to your high standards.

2. Deliver more than expected
Several times during the evening, we were amazed with something extra and unexpected. A surprise introductory appetizer was served as we waited for our first course. A custom dessert was created for the "birthday girl" at the table. And towards the end of dinner, we were all presented with a lovely gift bag filled with freshly-baked banana bread (which I ate the next morning for breakfast).

Do you over-deliver?

3. Turn down lower-quality jobs
Several people have asked me to save them money by creating a design using less expensive fabrics and furnishings. Unfortunately, most of the time, less expensive means lower quality.
Imagine if I had asked the servers at Nicholas to "just bring me a peanut butter sandwich and potato chips." While everyone was more than accomodating, their high-standards would never allow them to give in to such a request.

We tend to agree to certain jobs because we think it makes us seem more accomodating and puts us in a better light. But saying yes to jobs that are of a lesser qualtiy actually lowers your image, and the higher-end prospects will not think of hiring you.

How else do you create a high-end image? Please post your comments.

Question of the Week

What do you enjoy most about being an interior decorator?

Click comments below and let me know. Let's find out what everyone finds best about our profession.

Chocolate Flowers
Going Beyond Customer Service

While taking a break from an intense day of antiquing, my friends and I ducked into a quaint coffee shop to rest our weary bones. We each decided to order chai lattes – a black spiced tea with a coat of foam on top. The barista asked if we would like cinnamon and chocolate in the tea and, before I could raise an objection (chocolate in tea?), one of my friends responded affirmatively for all of us.

A few moments later the lattes were ready and we were summoned to the counter to pick up our fancy drinks. As I approached the counter, I was delighted to see that on top of the white foam, the barista had drawn an outline of a beautiful flower in chocolate syrup. Imagine that! It was the first time I ever felt that four dollars was actually a bargain for a cup of tea!

That simple flower was something the three of us talked about while we drank our tea, after we left the coffee house, while we shopped, and then several times over the next few weeks. It cost the store practically nothing and took very little time, but it was a charming surprise. For such a small effort, those chocolate flowers made a great impact.

That experience got me thinking. What is my chocolate flower? What is it that I can give to my clients that is unexpected, that is more than I promise, that is a pleasant surprise?

After thinking about it for quite some time, I came upon the realization that there is not one perfect answer. Each of my clients may require a different chocolate flower. And each designer may have their own unique chocolate flowers. But to qualify as a chocolate flower, a product or service must have these two qualities:

• It must be something the customer will like, and
• It must be unexpected – more than promised

I don’t know where I first heard it said, but I always like to follow the rule:

“Under-promise and Over-deliver”

Your chocolate flower is part of the over-delivering.

As consumers and designers, we have the opportunity to interact with numerous businesses daily. Doesn’t it feel great when companies provide exceptional service – going above and beyond what was expected? Here are some ways that we receive chocolate flowers:

- We order several yards of fabric, and the mill sends us a memo sample for our client file.
- After buying new tires, the car comes back washed.
- While sitting in economy class on a plane, the flight attendant hands you a warm, moist towel.
- Get a manicure and pedicure, and receive the nail polish to take home for touch-ups.

Now let’s talk about some ways to serve chocolate flowers:

- When a customer orders draperies for their living room, surprise them with a matching throw pillow.
- At the completion of an installation, give your client a board with samples of all their fabrics and trims attached, so that they can bring it with them while shopping for coordinating items.
- If you are designing a treatment for a baby’s room, make a diaper bag out of the leftover fabric scraps.
- While you are up on the 16-foot ladder installing your treatment, dust the chandelier, clean the window, or replace a light bulb.

The Benefits of Chocolate

What are the potential benefits of serving chocolate flowers?

For about two cents and thirty seconds of time, that coffee shop received the benefit of some powerful word-of-mouth marketing with much more impact than any advertising could have accomplished. I told at least thirty people about the special service I received, and those people told others. I even heard that some friends were discussing it when I wasn’t around. Now I’m writing about it!

Can you imagine such publicity? Would that kind of chatter impact your business in a positive way? Could community gossip about your fabulous, unbelievable service add to your bottom line?

Of course, the answers to these questions are yes! As designers and business owners, it is up to us to create our own chocolate flowers – to find ways to go beyond what is expected of us. It can be the difference between a customer who is satisfied and one who is overwhelmed by the exemplary service and professionalism of her designer. Chocolate flowers are one of the most effective marketing tools at our disposal, and the best part about it is that it costs practically nothing to provide.

"Can We Compete with the Big Box Stores?"
I had a very interesting experience this weekend, which left me annoyed and upset. But as I was fuming, I realized this was a great lesson for small businesses, and so I share it with you in this week's article.

Do you worry about the big-box franchise stores swallowing up the little independent designers? With their buying power, they are able to charge much lower prices. So how do we compete? Here's my story...

On Saturday, the plug to my computer stopped working. So after a few hours, my batteries ran out, and I had no computer.

Let me explain the impact of this on my life: The weekend is the only time when I can get a big chunk of work done because my husband is around to take care of the baby. And 95% of my work is done on the computer. So for me, not having a computer on the weekend is like taking a week off from work (but without the suntan). And, as you know, when you run your own business and you take time off, you don't get paid!

So on Sunday, my husband went to a large electronics franchise store in our area. He came home with a plug that the guy at the store assured him would work with my laptop. It didn't.

Now with the 2 hours I had left to get work done, I had to run back out to the store to exchange the plug. After 30 minutes of being ignored, getting the run-around, and being outright lied to, I left without a plug. This giant electronics store did not have the one I needed.

On the way home, I stopped into a very small electronics store out of desperation. I knew they couldn't possibly have what I was looking for. After all, they were about 1/20th the size of the big store.

It took just a minute and a half for Chris (my new best friend) to find a plug that would work with my laptop. And I felt confident that it would work because Chris asked me a lot of questions to make sure he was giving me the right product. I paid for the plug and drove home singing to myself about how much I loved Chris and his small store.

Okay, now here is the point of my story... The plug cost 20% more than a similar product at the large store, and 40% more than if I had purchased it online. And I would have paid double that!

So why do we small business owners think we need to compete with the large store prices? Clients who come to us are not looking for the lowest price. They are looking for what I got at Chris's place: service, caring, attention, and a solution to a problem. You know you can compete in this area, and win - hands down.

Remember: Price is not an issue when you provide the solutions your clients are struggling with.

What's Your Door?
My tagline is "Opening Doors for Designers" so I am wondering... what is your door? In other words, what is your biggest obstacle to achieving more success and joy in your decorating business? I'd like to help take your obstacle away - but I need to know what it is!

Post any challenges, questions, comments...

Design Business Trends?
The recent "heat wave" on the East Coast has affected trends in business. Here in NJ, we seem to be finally in winter mode, but the typical slow-times and busy-times in our business are a little screwed up. Some designers have reported a "less-than busy" holiday season, yet a busier than usual January. Have you East-coasters noticed any changes in your business trends? Do you have any theories?

Feel free to post any thoughts or comments...

Are You Wearing A Fanny Pack?

My best friend Karen and I were at the gym last week walking on adjoining treadmills and chatting. Karen was telling me about a man she saw at the gym the day before. "He was so handsome," she said. She went on to describe his flowing hair, piercing eyes, and great body. "But then I saw..." She paused as she scrunched up her face. "...he was wearing a fanny pack."

I laughed out loud. (A fanny pack, for those who don't know, is basically a belt bag. It's often used by tourists, and it is definitely considered as utility over fashion.) Karen, who likes to call herself the "Fashion Police," immediately altered her high opinion of this otherwise perfect man.

So this got me thinking. What are we doing with our businesses that, although it may seem small and unimportant, can change the opinions of our prospects, sometimes without our even knowing? Every part of your business must live up to your professional image. Even a small detail overlooked can damage your reputation. Are you ignoring any aspects of your business? Are you wearing a fanny pack?

Below, I've listed business elements that are often overlooked or given little attention. Make sure you take care with all of these areas.

• Website
  Does your website look like an amateur designed it? If you are not an expert on web design and hosting, find someone who is. A professional website is a must to compete in today's marketplace.
  
• Answering Machine
  If you can't answer the phone in person, does your recording sound professional and cheerful? Do you get back to people quickly?
  
• Receptionist / Greeter
  There nothing more irritating than being treated badly by a salesperson or receptionist. Do the people who come into contact with your prospects live up to your desired image?
  
• Contracts
  Just because you've gotten a sale, your professionalism should not end. Your contracts need to reflect your company image, or you can lose future sales or cause buyer's remorse.
  
• Portfolio
  I was recently in a small furniture / accessory store when another customer asked the store owner to see her portfolio. The owner pulled out a wad of 4X6 photos from a desk drawer and spread them on her cluttered desk. This is how she tries to get design projects? Although her store had beautiful items, her "portfolio" (which showed a lack of pride in her work) was a fanny pack that I'm sure turned many prospects away.
  
• Your Appearance
  What is your desired business image? Professional? Wild? Creative? Does your physical appearance match it? If not, prospects will have a hard time getting past that, and you will appear less credible.
  

Remember: If you are overlooking any area of your business, you can be sure that prospects will notice. Everything you put out there needs to be as fabulous as you!

I wish you continued success.