Who Else Wants to Discover the Hidden Keys to Running a Booming Decorating Business Using Dynamic 21st Century Tactics Combined With Timeless, Legendary Customer attraction Strategies
 |
Introducing The Designer’s Coach: Business Strategies for Interior Designers and Decorators 2nd Edition This is the highly anticipated, brand new book by acclaimed designer and business growth expert Neil Gordon that will shake your paradigms, rattle the cages of your current business philosophies and roll your company into a new long-term growth zone.
January 1st, 2010 |
Dear Friend,
It’s done. It’s a wrap. Time to call it a day.
You’re going to love this book. From cover to cover you’re going to make discoveries that will benefit your design business for years.
There is no fluff. It’s pure diamonds of guidance, advice and wisdom. Straight information on how to do everything right so you can stop worrying about merely surviving, and start thinking about growing, thriving and expanding over the long haul.
And now it’s ready.
I’m Neil Gordon. I’ve been in the window covering business for over 20 years, served on the editorial board of Window Fashion Magazine, I am the Director of Design for Exciting Windows, I’ve been interviewed about my business techniques by national magazines and was featured as the cover story in Draperies & Window Coverings Magazine. I also own and operate Decorating with Fabric, a Drapery and Upholstery Workroom in New York.
And now you can get my book.
To order The Designer’s Coach: Business Strategies for Interior Designers and Decorators and take your business to a new level of efficiency, growth and profitability, just click here!
The Designer’s Coach: Business Strategies for Interior Designers and Decorators will put things into clear focus for your design business. Once you start reading the material in here you’ll want to put it down and get to work implementing all the advice.
But you won’t be able to put it down.
The tools, resources and potent business advice comes at you so fast and furious that you’ll want to get out your yellow highlighter just to keep up.
Just take a look at the chapter list and get a sneak peek at what’s in store for you when you crack this open:
Decorating Is Entertainment!
At the end of the day, our clients want to be entertained, and to feel as though their project is bigger than the sum of its parts. It’s a major production, perhaps one of the biggest of their lives, and your job is to see it and treat it that way.
In this first chapter you’ll be exposed to a fascinating analogy between decorating and the theater. Through a series of 6 scenes, you’ll start to better understand your own role in this play a whole lot better, which will set the stage and tone for what you’ll learn in the rest of the book.
Do the Design, Systemize the Business
In order to run your design business in a way that ensures you’re doing what you do best, which is design, you must put systems into place for the other critical aspects of your business so you don’t spend all your time putting out fires.
In this chapter we’ll discuss those systems, how to implement them so you can get back to doing the things you should be doing, which is why you got into this business in the first place!
We’ll also introduce the 6 modules for running your business effectively, as part of The Designers Coach program. Each of these modules will be the subject of future chapters later in the book.
The Six Fatal Flaws
Possessing and practicing any one of these 6 flaws on a regular basis will put your business on a collision course to failure. Having all 6 will bring about such a collision much sooner.
We’ll review each flaw and tell you how to avoid, counteract and replace them with positive, productive habits and qualities so you can move your business ahead with confidence.
The Leadership Coach
This is the chapter that is the foundation for all the others, and it’s jam packed. I’ll show you how to do a SWOT analysis (Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats), which is the starting point for any serious marketing plan.
We’ll also examine how to determine your leadership skills and competencies, and help you to develop a strategic vision for your company by completing a 19-question worksheet and devising an action plan around it.
The Team Coach
Whether you have employees or not, you need to know how to pull your team together. This could be anyone in your client fulfillment chain, so think about who that might be and remember that you are only as good as the weakest link in that chain.
In this chapter I’ll reveal must-know strategies that will have your team running like a top consistently, with the result being more satisfied clients and a more profitable business long term. You’ll also see a sample letter to suppliers that will help you put it all in perspective.
The Marketing Coach
Your understanding of the concepts and lessons contained in this chapter alone could very well make or break your business. Here we’ll show you how to determine your ideal customer and explore how to find your perfect niche that is not to broad and not too narrow, and how to determine the lifetime value of your client.
I’ll also reveal the most powerful lead generating tactic that any business possesses but very few use to their fullest potential. You’ll want to read this chapter several times and act on every piece of information given.
The Sales Coach
Creating a name for yourself, building your brand, is essential to dominating your market instead of just treading water. Here we’ll discuss how to do that effectively. We’ll also explore how to create a selling and design system that’s perfect for you, as well as reveal a 2-visit selling system that will have you closing prospective clients faster and easier than ever before.
On the pro-active front, you’ll learn the importance of having a quality client management system and how to put a winning one into action.
The Satisfaction Coach
Having satisfied clients should be one of your ultimate goals, and this can be a tricky proposition. In this chapter we’ll uncover what the keys are to making this happen, including being proactive instead of reactive, anticipating potential problems and acting on them to head them off.
In an industry with little margin for error, your success in this area is paramount. So I’ve put action steps into place that will ease the satisfaction process for you. You’ll need to think like both a customer and a project manager and sift through all potential problems in your mind before they occur. Sound difficult? It can be, but with this book in your possession you’ll be one giant step ahead of your competition and well on your way to sustained customer satisfaction.
The Negotiation Coach
Your mastery of negotiation will pay for this book a thousand times over. We’ll delve into this topic fully, immersing ourselves in the negotiation process. In this chapter you’ll learn to create a pricing and estimating strategy so you don’t just go and arbitrarily lower your price during a negotiation simply because the client demands it.
Value is what you long to establish, and once that’s been solidified properly in the eyes of your prospect, price becomes almost irrelevant. You’ll discover the 10 things clients want besides a great price, and you’ll learn the four temperaments, an ancient personality assessment method that is still used today by the top negotiators.
Armed with this knowledge will have you properly equipped to handle any negotiation smoothly and stress free.
Are You Ready to Grow Your Business?
This final chapter pulls it all together. You’ll grade yourself on all the crucial factors that come into play when moving your business forward, along with an analysis of what each grade means and what you can do about it.
By now I think you understand the importance of having this book on your desk at all times. It’s not something you read once and put up on your shelf. It’s a field guide for overwhelming success in your design business. Knowledge is power as they say. The knowledge you’ll possess when you have this book in your business arsenal will give you power for years to come.
To order The Designer’s Coach: Business Strategies for Interior Designers and Decorators and take your business to a new level of efficiency, growth and profitability, just click here!
Testimonials
I just wanted to say thank you for all of your help and advice. It really has inspired me to move ahead with expanding the business much sooner than I had ever planned. I really enjoy my new role as an owner/manager. It’s nice stepping back from the retail end of things to really take a look at the business itself. I definitely have renewed excitement in my work.
Lisa Cibula, Breckenridge Blinds & Draperies, Inc.
This was more than I expected. Great value! I will attend more of Neil’s programs.
Jeff Brooks, Jeff Brooks Interior Design
Neil is an excellent coach and has great ideas for building business. I especially like the creation of “systems” to support the growth of my company. Excellent seminar, glad I attended.
Denise Inskip-Deale, Tiga Interiors
Finally, a practical course to increase my business!
Mark Polo, Polo M.A. Inc.
Watch live testimonials on You Tube by Clicking Here>
Neil, you are one of the most talented and down-to-earth coach/consultants I have ever met (and I’ve been subjected to a lot of them during a past life in my career). How you find the time and muster the energy to do everything you do, I cannot fathom. Everyone who attended your sessions at the conference will benefit from not only your counsel, but the many new ideas you’ve pioneered and the tools you’ve developed. Thanks again for the inspiration. Exciting Windows! is all about sharing in success, and you’re making a phenomenal contribution to our team.
Denise Modrick AAA Blinds and Window Fashions
Your presentations were so inspirational; I can’t wait to start to put some of these things into action!
Macarena R. Janninck, WCAA, WFCPSumptuous Living
In my position as president of Exciting Windows!, I have contact with hundreds of window covering business owners and I have found that Neil Gordon is one of the most professional executives within this industry. Neil is a visionary. He is able to see beyond the daily problems faced by every business owner and has the conceptual ability to see trends and changes within the industry and with the consumer way beyond what most people are able to predict. Neil Gordon is a leader of people with the ability to be able to attract, recruit, and manage the best in the industry. He is a mentor, coach, and trainer, offering individuals who work with him the ability to achieve their highest performance levels. His experience and knowledge of the window covering industry is outstanding. He understands how to motivate consumers to buy, how to make long lasting relationships with his customers and most importantly, how to make money. Neil is an instructor and teacher. With his dynamic and personal presentation skills, he is able to motivate audiences asking for more. His material is always relevant and professionals attending his seminars walk away with a far better perspective of how to be the best in this industry. As a friend and business colleague, I must say that Neil Gordon is truly one the best executives in this industry.
Steve Wishnow, President of Exciting Windows!
I have known Neil for many years, and I have always found him to be extremely knowledgeable about the decorating business. He has innovative ideas that many designers and business owners will find helpful in developing their organization. I highly recommend his seminars and coaching courses.
Bruce Heyman, President and owner of Fabricland Interiors and Metropolitan Window Fashions
From the moment I walked into Decorating with Fabric and met Neil, I knew Neil was passionate about window coverings and his business. His expertise is not only selecting the appropriate window covering, but designing the entire window treatment and extending his design across additional fabric accented decor. His attention to detail that shows not only in the magnificent trims he uses to complement each window treatment design, but also in his flawless execution of each job straight through to installation. And the confidence and assurance he presents to each and every customer, that he is designing the most beautiful and most appropriate window treatment for their needs. Not only does Neil stand out in designing window treatments, but also in how he approaches his business. He is continuously developing new motivating approaches to promote and differentiate himself and his business that have obviously led to his tremendous success.
Kim Kiner, Vice President Product DesignHunter Douglas Window Fashions
Neil Gordon’s step-by-step approach to success is both novel and practical. He has some very creative ideas about decorating and presents them in a highly entertaining and lucid manner, which is no small feat. He knows what he talks about inside out and lets the audience in on his knowledge in the most approachable way possible.
Fred Rivera, Stand Out Speaking
Dear Neil,
We just wanted to thank you for all your assistance in helping us create a more successful business. You’re extensive knowledge of the window fashion industry, creative ideas, and how to grow a business have made you an incredible asset to our business. As we look to the future we are excited that you will be part of our team.
Best Regards,
Tom and Barbara Miller, MINI BLIND KING
Neil Gordon is one of those unique individuals who is very well grounded, but at the same time, enormously creative. He has that rare gift to look at business from a variety of perspectives that helps the people he coaches to prosper and succeed. His passion for the design industry is evident in his contribution of state-of-the art education. Neil is a natural and passionate leader, and I am honored to know him.
Margarett DeGange, MEd, National Director of Training for the Window Coverings University and Founder of the DeGange School of Interior Decoration
During the fall quarter at Berkeley College, Neil Gordon, proprietor of Decorating with Fabric, was a guest lecturer in the Interior Design Business Practices & Procedures course. The course is a critical component of the college’s interior design curriculum, dedicated to providing comprehensive instruction regarding the business aspects of interior design.
Neil’s presentation, entitled “The Business of Decorating with Fabric,” provided students with invaluable “hands-on” marketing advice specifically targeted to the interior design industry. His imaginative, multi-media presentation covered such important topics as the necessity of setting personal and business goals, successful procedural/operational systems, building and maintaining client relationships, word-of-mouth marketing and profitable financial management. Colorful visuals of unique window treatments made a dramatic conclusion to the presentation.
All twenty-six students registered for the course unanimously evaluated the presentation as highly informative, providing invaluable guidance for successful performance in the interior design industry.
Kevin G. Byrne, ASID, Chair Interior Design Department