A couple months ago I attended a presentation given by Steve Noble at Kenneth McDonald Designs, a fantastic showroom in a nearby design center. I took fervent notes and even ran out of ink in my pen. The presentation was fantastic with a clear and engaging message for interior designers. If you ever have the opportunity to hear him speak, be sure you do. Take it from me, you’ll be very glad you did.

In the meantime, I’ve listed a few of my favorite ‘take aways’ from Steve Nobel’s presentation…

Take Away #1: What is your definition of a “luxury” client? Oftentimes what that terminology conveys in your own mind can ‘take you out of the game’ and prevent you from working on the larger, more lucrative projects. Would you feel intimidated if Martha Stewart contacted you for help with one of her homes? Your clients don’t have to be the Martha Stewart’s or Kardashian’s of the world to be considered a luxury client. Think about it this way… when a client of yours walks into their room, pinches themself and says “Wow, is this really my home?” then the work you did for them, IS luxury for THEM!

Take Away #2: Why clients hire you is completely different than ever before. You must adapt if you want to stay desirable in today’s market. The reason why so-called luxury clients hire you is not like it used to be. Designers use to be the only ones with access to the information they needed and wanted – ie designer resources, products, colors, fabrics, etc. Now, Google and the internet have changed that. Now the reason they hire you, is because YOU are a visionary! Yes, I’m talking about you. Did you know that because you can envision what someone’s house/office could look like, that’s a gift and a talent you’ve developed and honed over time? Not everyone can do that. You can “see” the big picture and most times your clients cannot.

Take Away #3: You help them stretch and get out of their ‘brown everywhere’ comfort zone. Have you ever heard a client say… “Wow, I never thought of that, and I love it!” I have, many times. And I’m guessing you have too. Again, you help them see things that they’ve never thought of before… like a client’s house that has every shade of brown, with no pops of life or color or sparkle in a room. They need something to make it vibrant and stunning and a place they long to come home to at the end of the day.

Take Away #4: They get overwhelmed and you don’t. Let’s face it… there are A LOT of moving parts to a project, and you are the one that knows how to manage it and make it all come together for them, beautifully… just the way you envisioned it.

Take Away #5: Relationship marketing is what works today. If you want to land bigger and better projects, spend time developing your relationships. Pay more attention to the “experience” your clients have as they work with you. Shift the focus of your lead generation activities to relationship marketing.

If you’re anything like me, you’ll find that your work is much more fulfilling than ever before. And as a side note… you’ll also find that you’ll never ever have to compete on price again!

Thanks Steve for a great presentation!

When you’re ready to start working with ‘dreamy’ clients, get in touch with me and let’s see how I can help you attract all the clients you could ever want or need.