That’s the complaint I often hear from interior designers seeking top quality images to include in their proposals.

Designers lament that fact that, on too many manufacturers’ sites, too many images are too grainy and too small.

The result, the designers say: they can’t convey to their prospects the quality of the fabric, furniture and other items that they recommend.

But there are exceptions.

Some companies get high marks for their website images.

I’ve heard positive buzz about the following websites:

+ Robert Allen (robertallendesign.com)

+ Kasmir (kasmirfabrics.com)

+ Kincaid  (kincaidfurniture.com)

+ Hooker (hookerfurniture.com)

+ PIR International  (pirinternational.com)

+ Rizzy (rizzyrugs.com)

+ Jaipur  (jaipurrugs.com)

+ Bellacorpro (bellacorpro.com)

+ Lamps Plus  (lampsplus.com)

+ Stanley (stanleyfurniture.com)

+ Drexel Heritage (drexelheritage.com)

+ Maitlin Smith (maitlin-smith.com)

+ Sherrill Furniture (sherrillfurniture.com)

+ Lee Industries (leeindustries.com)

They could care less about you “vision” or your “passion.” They care only about what you can do for them.

I’ve yet to read an “Our Philosophy” section of a website that makes any sense. It’s always long on words, and short on significance.

So many design professionals seek to share their fundamental beliefs and ideas on their sites. So often they fail.

Take the design firm website that informs you that: “Our design philosophy is built on the principal, ideas and buildings that honor the broader goals of society.”

What’s that mean?

Or what does another designer mean when she says, on her site, that: “My philosophy is based on my belief that each person has the capacity to create a living or working environment that reflects their spirit and enhances their health and well being.”

Then there’s the design firm that summarizes their “vision” this way: “We believe good design is timeless in both function and nature.”

Another informs it’s website visitors that: “Exceeding your expectations is the heart of our business philosphy.”

Still another lets you know that: “Our philosophy dictates that exceptional design is second only to client satisfaction.”

Sounds nice. But, again, what’s it mean?

The problem with all of this philosophy is that it wastes valuable time. As I’ve noted before , the average visit to a website is four seconds and two clicks.

Given that short time frame, will I get how special you are when I visit your website?

Not if you waste my time, as one firm does, by “philosophizing” as follows: “With a careful balance of art and science, thoughtful consideration to the form and function of every space, and uncompromising attention to the importance of detail, each project is approached with the critical sequence of: ‘Listen, Analyze and then Design.”

I’m not making this up.

If you want to impress me with your website, don’t give me philosophy. Give me facts.

You’re not alone.

Design professionals across the U.S. and Canada tell me they’re finding  fewer opportunities nowadays to design the whole house or the entire office building.

Those who do land these larger projects often begin by simply advising clients about them. They begin the relationship merely by making themselves available as consultants.

Simply put, they make it big by starting small.

They get their foot in the door — and position themselves to take on the full project — by offering consultation services first.

It’s consultation by the hour. Or, as one firm promotes it, “Buy the hour.”

Not worth it you say? No way to generate big profits?

Think again.

Think about charging a consulation fee that’s 3-5 times your normal design fee. Think about requiring a three hour minimum.

Think about how much easier it is to sign a major contract with  new clients in this economy after you’ve consulted with them first.

Many design professionals report a substantial success rate in converting consulting clients into full time design clients.

Want to give this “buy the hour” consultation service a try?

Step one is to compose a list of all the topics on which you can provide “personalized advice.”

Your list could include things like:

space planning
color
flooring
window treatments
wall covering
lighting
kitchen and bath
green design

Now, create a page on your website and/or a one-page marketing piece promoting your customized consultation service.

Finally, announce the launch of the service in a mass mailing, or email blast to current, former and prospective clients, and in a news release to publications read by those you seek to influence.

In times like these, there’s a lot to be said for — and income to be earned from — promoting  interior consultation services.

David Shepherd shared three ideas at the Business of Design Conference earlier this month that have really stuck with me.

Shepherd is president of DPI (www.designingprofits.com),  the company which produces financial conferences for interior designers and runs a best practices network for 100 premier firms nationwide.

His observations:

1/ No one will ever dictate price in the design industry, the way, say,  Steve Jobs and Apple Inc. determined that all songs on the Internet should cost $.99.

2/ There are no barriers to entry in the design business — except those that a designer creates, such as project management skills

3/ Architects and builders can’t live without designers, because they either can’t or don’t want to provide the details that designers do.

And help you double your income?

And get you the recognition you want and deserve?

It’s not an interior design skill. It’s a personal
marketing skill.

It’s self promotion.

It’s the ability to sell yourself as effectively as your design services and products, to present yourself with polish and communicate with confidence.

Sell Yourself! Get Them to Buy from YOU  is the name of a tele-seminar scheduled for 11 a.m. – noon, Eastern time (10 a.m. Central, 9 a.m. Mountain, 8 a.m. Pacific) on Tuesday, Oct. 7.

The investment for the tele-seminar, plus the textbook entitled Sell Yourself! 501 Ways to Get Them to Buy from YOU, is only $50.

Or you can invest in the tele-seminar, alone, for only $35.

You won’t have to leave your home, office or showroom to learn keys to the most important sale you’ll ever make: the Personal  sale.

All you need to do is dial in and enter your pin number.

Register for this tele-seminar, and learn how to differentiate yourself, and stand out as a unique, one-of-a-kind design professional.

Find out how to use self promotion to overcome price and other objections.

Discover how to substantially increase your sales and income through self marketing.

For registration information on the Sell Yourself! tele-seminar, click here:

http://fredberns.com/SellYourselfTeleSeminar.html

Questions like: “Why are you so expensive?”

Or: “Can you give us a better price?”

Or: “Why is this project taking so long?”

Failing to come up with right answers to the wrong questions may cost you more than time and energy.

It may cost you money. You may end up cutting your fees or giving away your time to avoid a confrontation with a difficult client.

Problem is, a meeting with a client or prospect is rarely a time for impromptu brilliance.

You’re not likely to come up with a knock-their-socks-off response to a question out of nowhere, such as: “What’s your mark up on this?”

Approach meetings hoping for the best, but preparing for the worst. Expect the unexpected, and craft, ahead of time, good answers to lousy questions.

Prepare today for a question like: “Why are you twice as expensive as other design firms in town?”

Develop a response, now, that points out that you’re “the only award-winning area firm with more than 30 years experience serving leading corporations and high end residential clients throughout the region” …or, whatever.

Don’t let tough questions tie you up, bring you down and stress you out.

Create a list of your killer questions — and a cheat sheet of answers to them.

“What questions kill you?”

That’s what I asked designers prior to my presentation at the Business of Design conference in Las Vegas.

Here’s what I heard:

+ Can’t you do it for less?

+ Can I decide if I like your work before I pay?

+ How much are you going to make on this?

+ Can we negotiate?

+ Why do you cost so much more than Internet companies?

+ Are you any good?

+ Are you as talented as the designers on HGTV?

+ Are you done yet?

+ Why can’t I get this furniture next week?

Is it qualifying you — or disqualifying you — from the caliber of clients and projects that you desire?

The average visit to a website is four seconds and two clicks. Do visitors “get” how special you are in that amount of time?

Fifty per cent of website visitors never get beyond the home page. Does yours knock their socks off?

YOUR WEBSITE DOESN’T WORK IF IT…

+ doesn’t help solve client problems

+doesn’t contain something very important on every page

+isn’t easy to navigate

+isn’t updated regularly

+contains too much “flash” and other special effects

+ packs too much information into one page

+contains too much text

+contains text and/or photos that are too small

+lacks photo captions

+makes the reader scroll sideways

+uses busy backgrounds that make text hard to read

Want to add “Wow” to your website? Check out this audio program:fredberns.com/Products_21KeysToAKillerWebsite.html

And there’s no easier way to announce a rate increase than in a letter.

Charging higher fees was one of five strategies I discussed last week in my presentation in Las Vegas on how to double your income by the end of the year.

The most effective rate hike letters update clients and prospects about recent accomplishments and upcoming developments. The new pricing information appears at the end.

Use the prototype below as your model:

Dear    ,

We want you to know how much we appreciate your business, and how excited we are about working with you in the year ahead.

We feel that you will benefit in many ways from a number of changes we are making at XYZ Interiors.

For one thing, we’re adding a design assistant and an administrative manager to our staff as a way to process and fulfill orders more efficiently.

In addition, we’ll specialize in the coming year in serving residential clients in North Scottsdale, Carefree and Paradise Valley. Over the years we’ve worked with homeowners from Boston to Beverly Hills, but our goal now is to focus our efforts on local high end communities.

To maximize our local service, we’ll align with the architects and home builders who are developing the Valley’s most exclusive homes.

We intend to expand our international shopping program to help our customers stay up to date on the world’s most significant design trends and products.

Meanwhile, we’re assembling a team of subcontractors that will enable us to become a “one stop shop” for our clients. That team includes some of the area’s foremost lighting design specialists, artisans, installers and other home services providers.

Your input – on our plans and on our service – is vital to us. Accordingly, we’re planning a variety of activities to get your feedback.

These are some of the changes planned for the months ahead. Our mission is to serve you in new and better ways.

Effective November 1, the investment in our design service will be $400 per hour.

Thanks again for your business. It is a privilege to serve you.

Sincerely,

Times have changed.

This is a time with more gifted, extensively educated, widely acclaimed, multi talented, highly qualified, award winning design professionals than ever before.

With that kind of competition, it takes more than your skills to meet your financial and other goals.  It takes Big Thinking.

Big Thinking, as in, pursuing higher end clients.  Bidding on bigger and better jobs.  Proposing larger scale deals.

Big Thinking, as in seeking more referrals. Reaching out to more prospects. Marketing yourself in more high profile publications.

Big Thinking, as in networking with and speaking to more prestigious groups. Aligning yourself with more established allied professionals.

And, Big Thinking, as in setting higher fees.

Big Thinking provides you with a competitive advantage.

95% of design professionals — even those gifted, extensively educated, widely acclaimed, multi talented, highly qualified, award winning ones — think small. Outrageously so.

They’re so focused on day-to-day details that they don’t get the big picture. They aim way too low.

Reach higher, and think bigger this year, and you’ll reap far greater rewards.

Recommended Reading:The Magic of Thinking Big by David Schwartz.

There may be a better book out on this topic, but I haven’t seen it. It’s a bit dated (1959), but it’s a classic.

Her’s was the first email I received that pointed out that  the phrase The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog uses every letter of the alphabet.

Her prize: a free copy of the audio program Twice the Price: Double Your Dollars as a Design Professional. http://fredberns.com/Products_TwiceThePrice.html.

NIce going, Victoria!

There’s no better time than now to abandon habits that hinder more than help you.

Want to be more profitable? Then STOP…

+ selling only “stuff.” Clients can get nice window treatments elsewhere, but they can’t get you elsewhere. Promote your service and yourself.

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

+ qualifying. Why waste time – yours and your prospect’s – asking questions that you hope will determine if they can afford you?

Inform them, instead, that they should look elsewhere if they’re seeking the cheapest window treatments.

But they should hire you if they’d like to work with, say, a motorization specialist with 20 years experience serving a variety of clients with a variety of budgets.

+ asking about “budget.” Prospects don’t have one.

They don’t have a clue what design professionals do, or how they work, so how can you expect them to have a realistic idea about what they want to spend on your service?

Focus instead on their wants, needs and priorities, then let them know your cost for fulfilling them. That will help them determine how they’ll invest their money.

+ closing deals. Your goal, instead, should be to open long term relationships.

Your best customers are your current ones. It’s easier, and more lucrative to do repeat business with a few good clients, then to close single sales with lots of individual customers.

+ resisting price objections. View them as opportunities rather than obstacles. They enable you to differentiate yourself from competitors who charge less.

And, they’re buying signals. Studies show your chances of closing a sale are substantially higher when price objections are raised.

+ apologizing for your price. You’re a unique, one-of-a-kind design professional who saves clients money, time and headaches. You should be compensated accordingly.

Give ‘em a page.

One of the best ways to enhance your website — and your business — is to create a resource page on your site for your target market.

One of my coaching clients is glad we created a Realtor Resource Page on her website. That’s all the marketing she’s had to do this year, and her business is booming.

Her challenge, like that of so many other redesigners and stagers, was to connect with local realtors.

Who you know makes a big difference in the staging business, and realtors can be — and often are — a source of abundant referrals.

The problem was that her competitors had the same idea, and area realtors were tapped out. Few  bothered to return her phone calls.

That’s when we got the idea to post a page on her website for and about realtors. Included on it: a “Turnaround Tips and Trends” article filled with helped hints on how to prepare homes for resale.  A “Client Corner” column each month spotlights a realtor she works with.

“Who’s News?” is a website article that shares tidbits about area real estate agents. A “Q and A” column includes the most common questions the stager hears from realtors — and her answers to them. A “Guest Article of the Month,” and a variety of links to other helpful sites are other features of the resource page.

The result: large numbers of area realtors began visiting the site. Many now seek to be featured on it.

Now my  client has more business than she can handle from real estate professionals in her area.

Is there better way to attract prospects– and motivate them to return — to your website than creating a special resource page for them? I can’t think of one.

What are your the biggest challenges confronting your prospects and clients? How about creating a page on your website to deal with them?

That’s smart marketing at its best.

Those of you attending the Sept. 3-5 Business of Design Conference in Las Vegas can find out how in my Double Your Sales! program that’s just been added to the agenda on Friday, Sept. 5.

This power-packed  interactive session will cover simple, cutting edge strategies  you can use to boost your bottom line in the remaining months of the year.

Among the topics we’ll cover:

+ the 5 best sales strategies for design professionals in this economy

+ the 4 best selling tools

+ the 3 best sales success shortcuts

All that, plus you’ll walk away with out-of-the-box selling methods that will help you increase your closing ratio, set and get higher fees, overcome price objections,…and much more.

I look forward to seeing you at my Double Your Sales! program – and sharing strategies that will help you supersize your sales, and earn the income you want and deserve.

Answer to Monday’s Brainteaser: What’s significant about Monday’s Brainteaser:

What’s significant about the sentence: The quick brown fox jumps over the laxy dog? It uses every letter of the alphabet.

The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog.

I asked each  to share  his or her financial goal.

An East Coast interior designer said that the economy has jeopardized her chances of reaching her original 2008 goal of $800,000 in net profit.

“There’s only four months left in the year,” she lamented. “That’s the problem.”

“That’s not the problem,” I replied. “That’s the point.”

Now’s  the time to focus all of your attention on finishing strong, and meeting and exceeding those goals you set way back in  January.

Now’s the time to commit yourself to spending as much time as possible on those  activities that will generate the most income.

Now’s the time to seek additional projects with your best clients — and promote yourself to your most lucrative prospects.

Please don’t tell me all the reasons why you can’t significantly boost your sales and income by year’s end.

Don’t whine about the economy, because I’m not going to listen.

You know why?

Because clients need you now more than ever. They can’t afford to waste their time and money working with designers and architects and kitchen and bath specialists who can’t get the job done right the first time.

Tell me all the reasons why you can finish the year in a blaze of glory. Share with me all the sales and marketing initiatives that are most likely to produce the quickest, and most lucrative results.

By the way, “Quick Fixes” — how to generate big sales in a limited amount of time — is a key theme of the audio sales training set called the Superstar Selling System for Design Professionals. http://fredberns.com/Products_SuperStar.html

That’s the median income for U.S. interior designers with 20 or more years experience, according to a survey by Payscale, Inc., the world’s largest database of
compensation data.

Those in the design business for 10-19 years have a median income of $52,671, Payscale reports. For 5-9 years experience, the number is $46,893.

Meanwhile, 1-4 years experience puts your median income at $35,917. And those with less than a year in the business can figure on a median of $32,786.

Pretty low numbers, don’t you think?

Granted, these are “medians.” That means half the designers in each category earn more, half less.

Still, my takeaway is that design professionals earn considerably less than they deserve.

They work way too hard to make so little. They’re three times as skilled as professionals in other fields who earn six times more money.

Problem is, design clients don’t “get” it. They don’t understand the invaluable service that designers provide.

Bottom line: design pros need to do a better job of educating their clients about their value.

Design professionals can be — and too often are — their own worst enemies.

At my seminars in recent months I met four individuals who were more knowledgeable about their “can’t’s” than their “cans.”

An interior designer told me she lacked the “credentials” to enter a design competition.

A kitchen and bath professional declared he lacked the “track record” to raise his hourly design fee.

A window fashion specialist complained she lacked the “technical know how” to learn about and offer motorization.

A showroom manager said he lacked the “facilitation skills” to conduct a focus group of her top customers.

In fact, the key thing they lack is the courage of their convictions.

Too bad so many designers, window fashion professionals, decorators, retailers and others are so attuned to their doubts about their ability.

Some suggestions on how to rid yourself of destructive self talk:

+ Recall past successes. Remembering yesterday’s achievements will empower you to tackle today’s
challenges.

+ Refuse to lose. Heed the advice of Winston Churchill: “Never give up. Never, never give up.”

+ Refocus your energy. It takes lots of effort to dwell on your shortcomings. Rechannel that effort into focusing on your attributes.

+ Rehearse your responses.Develop –ahead of time — good responses to lousy questions. Preparing yourself for the “Questions from Hell” will boost your confidence.

+ Fake it ’til you make it. Accentuate the positive about yourself to the greatest possible degree. If you don’t toot your flute, who will?

+ Mind your own business. By comparing yourself to more “talented” competitors, you put yourself down. Comparison is a game without winners.

+ Consider the consequences. So what if you try something and fail? It’s not what you lose, it’s what you learn. Said Tom Watson, former IBM chairman: “If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.”

How many times have you heard that line?

How many times have you considered it a deal-killer, a sure sign that the prospect could care less about buying your design services or products?

And how many times, then, have you failed to follow up?

A New Jersey furniture dealer realizes that following up fast is critical in a soft economy like this.

That’s why the dealer, who asked not to be identified, recontacts tonight the wavering prospect he met today.

He calls at 7 p.m. or so, and guess who often answers: the husband. The dealer gives him a personalized sales pitch and, voila, he closes the sale over the phone.

Design professionals in general do a crummy job of following up with prospects. So, for that matter, do those industry partners who spend thousands  preparing to exhbit at design trade shows, then fail to follow through on the leads they get.

Who was it who once said: “Quitters never win, and winners never quit?”

The best strategy for dealing with prospects, especially the more promising ones: Go until you hear “No.”

Get outta town.

If the economy has you down, if you’re severely challenged by your design business , if you’re burnt out, get outta town.

If you’re uncertain where to go from here, go there.

“There” can be a mountain resort, or a sandy beach, or a nice town a few hours away.

Get away for a few weeks, a few days, or a even a few hours. Just…get outta of town.

Nothing can give you more clarity about your business than time away from your business.

That means time away from your cellphone and email and blackberry and every other link to your workaday world.

A recent vacation in New York reminded me how renewing and energizing time away can be.

I was so busy enjoying myself at the Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown, and Fire Island and New York City, that I didn’t have much time to think about business.

Nevertheless, I came back filled with fresh perspectives and exciting ideas about my speaking and coaching business.

And I returned with solutions to some challenges which had perplexed me for some time.

Time away is great for your mind, body and soul. And it’s great for your business, too.

Some things to consider before the cameras roll:

+ Dress the part. Medium shades of gray, blues and browns look best on screen. Avoid wearing anything too dark or too light.

+ Keep it simple. Avoid fancy words and designer jargon.

+ Keep it brief. Speak succinctly and stay to the point.

+ Be honest. If you don’t know the answer to a question, say so.

+ Use humor. It breaks the ice — and captures your audience’s attention.

+ Get personal. Stories and anecdotes help get across your ideas.

+ The eyes have it. Focus yours on the person asking the questions.

+ Loosen up. Gestures, facial expressions, vocal variety and body language add pizzazz to your presentation.