Winning at Interior Redesign #3

We all make mistakes. Every last one of us.

It's a foregone conclusion that you will make mistakes in life and in business. It happens to us all. But one of the reasons that separates successful people from unsuccessful people is their ability to learn from their mistakes.

If you push your failures and mistakes under a rug and ignore them, you will miss out on a great opportunity to stay on track.

Try to look at life as a series of "lessons". Some will be good lessons; some will be bad lessons. But whether good or bad, they are both part of the process of getting you to your goals - if you let them.

I've made plenty of mistakes or poor judgment calls in my business career. I have deep regrets about many choices. But one thing is certain: I always, always learned from my mistakes. As a result my business is far better today than it was last week or last month of last year.

Analyze every error you make. Decide what you will do differently in the future. Expand. Improve. Make clear. Test.

And lastly. Don't beat yourself up. When you always try to make the best decisions with what you know at the time, then don't beat yourself up afterwards. You will grow and learn and develop, trust me. Don't be so hard on yourself.

Working Hard for your Redesign Business

It's harder to stay focused and in the trenches in work than it was in athletics.

When I was competing in track and field and basketball in my youth, there usually were other students, parents, teachers or coaches there to cheer me on. So it was easy to get "pumped up" and get my adrenaline flowing.

The same was true when I played drums for a women's trio, when I gave great speeches, taught classes, acted in plays. There was always an audience to impress and get approval from.

But in business there often is no one to cheer you on, except for your family. Much of your success goes unnoticed. If you don't have deep, abiding goals to keep you steering your course in the right direction, you will likely fail.

So surround yourself with good mentors - people who know how to be successful who can act sort of as your cheer squad. Go to them for advice.

Write down your accomplishments and now and again treat yourself to a reward.

Winning at Interior Redesign #2

Everyone needs to feel secure - to a point. I often have people contact me about training and they say, "I don't know enough yet. I want to learn more first before I start."

Man, when I think back over some of the first redesigns I did two decades ago, I would probably be mortified at what I did. I just jumped in and started doing it. No one was doing this kind of design back then - no one.

There wasn't any training I could take. The internet hadn't been invented yet.

Sometimes waiting is just an excuse to mask the fact that you're just plain scared.

So tuck your fears into your pocket and get out there and do it anyway. You will learn and grow and get better with experience and time.

If you wait until you think you know enough, you will never get started at all.

Winning at Interior Redesign #1

Achieving maximum success in your business depends on achieving mini-goals along the way.

You can achieve any goal you set, but you first have to break it down into a series of sub-goals. Each small goal you achieve should advance you, day by day, into achieving the larger goal.

First define your major goal and do it in writing. It then takes on the same impact of a legal contract.

Second, outline your goal in the form of steps. This way it becomes more focused in your mind, is less intimidating and more easily achieved.

Third, set goals that can be achieved in 90 days. It becomes a quarterly goal. Financial reports are usually generated quarterly. So it makes sense to set your goals according to the same time frame.

Fourth, claim your goal as your own. In 90 days you will own it, but only if you claim it now.

Interior Redesign Marketing Strategy #4

A marketing approach or a selling method that is common to other industrys might be completely unique to yours in your area. In a sense, using a strategy that is refreshing and new in your area can become like a "holy grail" to you.

If you are the first (or only) one to utilize a strategy in your area, it can have the impact of an explosion. But you have to understand it first, recognize its worth and then incorporate it into your tactics and strategies.

Sometimes you have to look outside your own industry to find innovative approaches. Bring them over and adapt them and you may find your phone ringing off the hook.

Redesign Marketing Strategy #3

Would it surprise you to know that 40% of all businesses generate 100% of their business from referrals?

Unfortunately 30% of them don't get a single referral in a week.

As a consultant, a large amount of your business should be coming from referrals - people who know you and think you are talented with a worthy service or product.

But it doesn't happen automatically.

You have to have a referral generating system in place. By that I mean, you have to have some method that regularly works on your behalf to garner referrals.

When you put that in place, there is no reason why you can't generate dozens of referrals every month and that will sustain you just by itself.

Redesign Marketing Strategy #2

If you ask the wrong question, you'll get a wrong answer.

Most people ask themselves, "What do I have to say to get people to buy from me?"

Instead, ask yourself, "What do I have to give?" "What benefit can I offer them?"
"What value do I have to share with them?"

You must create and offer value to your clients. There is no place for sales gimmicks. I hate it when I get interrupted by someone calling me and saying, "This isn't a sales call . . . or I'm conducting a survey . . ." Please.

Don't waste my time.

Of what value is it to me to participate in their survey? I'm too busy for that kind of stuff.

So look at your talents and figure out what you have to offer them that will be valuable them. Forget about what's in it for you. That's how you build a successful business.

Redesign Marketing Strategy #1

It's important to continually fall in love with your client.

Is your devotion misplaced? Instead of falling in love with the money you're making, fall in love with your clients. Instead of falling in love with your product or service, fall in love with your clients.

All truely great entrepreneurs share this one trait.

They habitually and repeatedly fall in love with their clients and treat their clients as valued and revered friends. They look for ways to bring an enhanced advantage, a protection, a benefit or value into the lives of their clients.

When you know your client is in need of a specific accessory, call them or drop them a line about that fabulous accessory store that's going out of business. It let's them know you're looking out for them.

Mother's Day and Values Shared

My mother is 90 years old, living in a foreign country all alone. As Mother's Day approaches I naturally think of her and the values she has shared with me throughout my life. This short movie encompasses many of those values. I thought it would be meaningful to you, especially at this time of year.

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May You Be Blessed
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Five More Mistakes to Avoid in Redesign

1) Cutting prices to solve the problem instead of finding out what's wrong.
2) Failing to make doing business with you fun, easy and appealing.
3) Not giving enough to customers.
4) Quiting too early
5) Not targeting the right market.

Look for ways each day to make small improvements to what you're doing. Over time you'll see the greater benefits.