“A terrible thing happens when you don’t promote yourself. Nothing.”

Circus showman P.T. Barnum wasn’t speaking to the interior design industry when he made that remark. But he could have been.

His words are especially timely today for design professionals.

Never has it been easier to buy elsewhere the design services and products that you sell.

And never has it been more important to promote yourself as a unique, one-of-a-kind design professional.

Some tips on making the Personal Sale, adapted from my book Sell Yourself! 501 Ways to Get Them to Buy from YOU: http://fredberns.com/Products_SellYourself.html

+ Present Yourself with Polish. “Look the Part” of a winner, in person and in your marketing materials

+ Communicate with Confidence. Create a killer commercial which begins with “I’m the only design professional in my area who…”

+ Create Credibility. Articles by and about you in the right print and on-line outlets can work wonders.

+ Establish Your Expertise. Become the area’s foremost information source on your design specialty.

+ “Wow” ‘em With Your Website. Promote yourself as well as your services on your site, and watch your sales soar.

The most important sale you’ll ever make is the Personal one.

Remember, people don’t buy design services from companies. They buy them from people.

Sell yourself effectively, and they’ll buy from people like you.