That’s one of the findings in the NEW 2012 Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook created by Design Success University.

The 80 page ebook is filled with optimistic news about the state of the industry, the latest information about appealing to the affluent market and many other valuable insights.

The book, a $179 value, is a free gift from DSU and you can download it  to help you plan your winning strategy for the year.

If you are struggling to earn even $45,000, be sure to consider Your 12-Month Quick Start class.  Once you download your eBook, you’ll be forwarded to information about this valuable class that will show you how to make more money in your business.

Fred Berns is an interior design industry business speaker,  coach and copywriter.

The results are available for immediate download.

Here are a few highlights:

+ 53.3% of the respondents  said total revenue for 2011 was below $100,000

+  62% said total revenue for 2011 increased or remained the same

+  56.4% of firm owners earned less than $45,000

+ 87.3% of survey participants are 36+

+  89.7% of survey participants are female

Download your copy of the 2012 Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey now!
http://www.designsuccessu.com/aff.php?p=fber&w=vbfebk

Fred Berns is a sales and marketing coach for interior design professionals.

Interior 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.”

A LESSON FROM WESLEY SNIPES
Even the divas of design have doubts.

Cecil Hayes, a nationally-recognized Florida-based designer whose clients include prominent movie stars, athletes and CEOS, recalls her first meeting with Wesley Snipes.

Snipes, the actor and producer, hired her to design his home in an exclusive gated community near Orlando. But she worked with his staff, and never met him until he showed up to inspect her completed work.

Hayes remembers nervously preparing herself for the doubts she was sure he had. She suggested that he make a list of all the problems, oversights and modifications that he wanted her to address.

Snipes looked miffed.

“Why even bring up the negative without discussing the positive?” he asked. The house, he said, was “gorgeous” and he never doubted her ability to deal with the details.

Hayes says the experience taught her to attach a greater value to her work — and to herself.

Fred Berns is a business coach and copywriter for interior design professionals and design industry partners worldwide.

As an extra incentive, DSU will award one $100 Amazon gift card per week during the month of November. Four lucky survey participants will win.

Click here to take the survey now!

http://www.designsuccessu.com/aff.php?p=fber&w=11fss

The results of the survey eBook will be published in January 2012 complete with commentary about what the data means to you. You’ll receive notification when the eBook is available for download.

Each time DSU publishes the eBook, you receive helpful strategies to improve your business and profits. The eBook is a complimentary service provided by DSU and is valued at $179.

Your participation is greatly appreciated because your information helps us gather more accurate data about the state of the interior design industry. Don’t forget, you could win one of the $100 Amazon gift cards just for filling out the survey.

Click here to take the survey now!
http://www.designsuccessu.com/aff.php?p=fber&w=11fss

Click here if you’d like to receive the 2010 Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook with DSU’s compliments. You’ll find out how your competitors fared in 2010, how they charged, and helpful information about how to market to affluent clients.

http://www.designsuccessu.com/aff.php?p=fber&w=vbfebk

Fred Berns is a sales and marketing coach and copywriter for interior design professionals worldwide.

My colleague, Gail Doby from Design Success University, is presenting her “Fee Fiascos” webinar tomorrow, and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

The topic is timely, and the price is right. There’s no charge to attend.

The program is entitled: “How to Avoid Interior Design Fee Fiascos…And Attract Your Ideal Clients.”

Have you experienced even one of these with your clients?

They get upset with your large time bill and demand a credit or refuse to pay your bill
You get to the end of the job and your client refuses to pay your last bill
Your clients shop you on the Internet and get upset when they find the same look for less money
Your clients slow pay your invoices
Your clients stop the job in the middle because they’re upset with the fees

If you’ve had even one of these happen to you, be sure to attend Design Success University’s
How to Avoid Interior Design Fee Fiascos…And Attract Your Ideal Clients on Tuesday, October 11th at 3 pm Eastern (2 pm Central/ 1 pm Mountain/ 12 pm Pacific).

Click here to register for this complimentary webinar.
http://www.designsuccessu.com/aff.php?p=fber&w=ffs102011

Fred Berns is an interior design industry business coach and speaker.

It doesn’t take rocket science to attract bigger projects from better clients, and get higher profits in this challenging economy.

It takes seven simple strategies.

That’s the message I’ll share during one of my presentations in Louisville, KY. on  Sept. 8 at Inspire 2011, the national conference of the Window Coverings Assn. of America.

“Supersize Your Success: 7 Steps to Peak Profits in Challenging Times” is one of two programs I’ll present at the Inspire 2011 event. Program #2 is entitled:“Market Smart: Make a Big Splash with Little Cash.”

The CEU-accredited “Supersize” program in a nutshell:

+ Sell Yourself! Your most important sale in times like this is the Personal one.

+ Fail More. Only when you put yourself out there more, can you SUCCEED more.

+ Build Buzz on your Website. The more timely, relevant, and interactive it is, the more business you’ll get.

+ Sell “Now” as well as “Wow!” Tell why now is the very best time to invest in your design services and products.

+ Top-down Selling. Save your best for first.

+  Serve “Appetizers.” Attract wary prospects with introductory programs that can lead to major — and multiple — projects.

+ Don’t Quit. The most successful design professionals are the most persistent.

For Inspire 2011 information, visit: www.WCAA.org.

Fred Berns is a business coach for window covering specialists and other design professionals worldwide

Your business.

I’m offering 1-on-1, in-person coaching sessions Sept. 1-3 in Chicago, and Oct. 19-21 in New York to interior design professionals and design industry partners. I’ll be in both cities on other business.

So what’s in it for you?

A two hour, face-to-face discussion of your design business and career, your financial and other goals, your challenges — and/or any other topics you want to cover. All that, plus you’ll get a 30-day follow up period.

Do you have questions about the business of your interior design industry business? I have answers.

I’ve heard, and addressed a wide range of sales/marketing/pricing/ staffing/customer relations and other issues during my 25+ year career coaching interior design professionals and design industry partners worldwide.

Are you committed to bigger sales, better clients and greater profitability this Fall and beyond?

If so, then commit to this live coaching experience near Chicago or New York.

For details about this fully-guaranteed personal coaching opportunity, contact me at Fred@FredBerns.com, or 303-665-6688.

Fred Berns is a business coach for interior design professionals and design industry partners.

The 2011 median income for U.S. interior designers with at least eight years experience is only $68,683.

For those with 4-6 years experience, it’s $51,962.

For designers in business for two years or less, the median is 37,647.

My source for those numbers: Salary.com.

My word for those numbers: “disappointing.”

Disappointing because design professionals work way too hard to earn that little.

Disappointing because they know so much about so much and don’t get adequately compensated for it.

Disappointing because they’re three times as skilled as other professionals who earn six times more.

The income numbers should give you a clear message: it’s time to quit.

Quit giving away your time and expertise. And negotiating your fees. And working with clients who can’t afford you.

Quit wasting your time on non-income producing activities. And taking on projects that are more trouble than their worth.

Quit thinking small.

Make More, Promote Yourself for Less

The best way to increase your income is to promote yourself more effectively.

You could spend lots of time and money promoting your interior design credentials.

But why?

Why not acquire a collection of all the forms you’ll need to sell yourself economically, in half the time.

The Big Splash, Little Cash Marketing Materials Manual is a collection of the most effective marketing forms used by design professionals.

It’s available in print, or digital formats.

Here, in one easy-to-use resource, are examples of outstanding articles, news releases, cover letters, follow up notes, website bios, social networking profiles, design service lists, voicemail messages, letters to prospective corporate partners, “only” statements — and a whole lot more.

All you’ll need to do is adapt those forms for your purposes.

Why “reinvent the wheel” with your marketing materials?

You can simply plug your information into the done-for-you forms in this collection.

If you want to make a major marketing impact for a minimal investment of time and money, you’ll want the Big Splash Manual.

For more information, and to order the Big Splash, Little Cash Marketing Materials Manual click here: http://www.fredberns.com/marketingmanual

Money Maneuvers

Your personal financial situation shouldn’t get you down.

It should get you going.

It should motivate you to take steps to earn the income you want and deserve.

Here are some strategies spelled out in the Double Your Dollars audio program:

Raise Your Fees. You improve clients’ work space and living space and lives. Now, charge accordingly.

Justify Why. Memorize 12 reasons why you’re worth your higher rate. It’s Price Objection Protection.

Walk the Talk. Conduct yourself — and your business — as if you already earn twice your price.

Differentiate Yourself. Talk up your experience, awards, design specialties and, above all, your “only.”

Look the Part. Make your promotional bio, design service list and other marketing materials look like a million.

Sell Yourself. Write, speak, network — do whatever it takes to get known by high end prospects.

Fred Berns is a success coach for interior design professionals and design industry partners worldwide.

If you earn too little income, you probably give away too much time.

A key reason why many design professionals fail to achieve their financial goals: they give away their expertise.

They donate too much time, too often.

They don’t bill for lengthy phone calls from clients.

Or for installing the window treatments. Or for meeting with contractors. Or for shopping. Or for “overseeing” the furniture delivery.

Fail to charge for your time, and you fail to attach a value to yourself. You invite others to take advantage of you. You make it more difficult for other design professionals to charge for their services.

 The most financially successful design professionals I meet at my speaking engagements around the country bill for:

+ all their telephone consultation time

+ all their planning time

+ all their drafting and “sketching” time

+ all their measurement and installation time

+ all their project management time

+ all their travel time

+ every hour of every personal appointment If you’re reluctant to follow suit, call a lawyer, or visit a doctor.

You’ll find that all of their expertise comes at a price. Yours should, too.

Fred Berns coaches interior design pros and industry partners worldwide on how to increase their profitability.

Your success in this tricky economy  will depend more on your “aim” than your fame.

Time was when your reputation, alone, could assure your future prosperity.

Times have changed.

Welcome to Summer, 2011 a period with more gifted, extensively educated, widely-acclaimed, multi-talented, highly qualified, award winning interior design professionals than ever before.

With that kind of competition, it will take more than your skills to meet your financial and other goals in coming months.

It will take 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 through social media, and in more high profile online and print outlets.

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.

That kind of big thinking will be your competitive advantage.

90% 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.

Fred Berns, and interior design industry business coach, is the author of the Audio Success Series, on which this post is based.

Jennifer Aos asked for my advice, and now I’m asking for yours.

In response to my recent business blunders post, Jennifer sent me the note below.

She raises a issue I hear so often from so many design professionals: How do you master a move? How do you get your business back on track once you’re forced to relocate?

I — and she — would be interested in any and all of your ideas. Please send them to me at Fred@FredBerns.com

Everything I read here is so true!

What do you recommend for an interior designer who had to relocate to a new city (LA) and has lost her clientele base? 

 I have been aggressively seeking both regular employment and free-lance opportunities here now for 2 years to no avail.  Wages have regressed to what they were 20 years ago and I actually am getting resumes sent to me from all over the country!

I have tried every approach and strategy that there is. I have 20 years of design experience but no Bachelors Degree (only an ID certification) which makes it impossible to get into the rock-star firms like Gensler. I’m recently divorced and out of savings and options. 

 I may have an opportunity to work on a design project in Beverly Hills ($10 million mansion) but she is only willing to pay $20/hour because she has a design background and wholesale license herself. 

 The project is only 3 months in duration and was advertised as an ‘internship’.  For the client??  $20/hour does not even cover my fixed overhead expenses and I would have to go into debt to put gas in my car.

She has a long list of designers willing to work for this amount or less.  I am out of options and feel that I must do it in order to survive and get contacts in that area who can refer me.  We did get along great and her home has been published 17 times. 

Should I demand more per hour?  Negotiate a fixed fee instead?  Accept the $20/hour? 

Or go sell my soul to Ethan Allen for the benefits and financial stability?

Fred Berns provides sales and marketing training for interior design professionals and design industry partners worldwide.

Whine all you want about the real estate market and other challenges, but your mistakes could be causing your misfortune.

See how you score on this list of the Ten Biggest Design Business Blunders, taken from the audio program entitled: “12 Reasons You Earn Less Than You Could…and Should.”

+/ Passing up Possibilities. Obsess over obstacles and you miss opportunities.

Help clients add value — and eventual resale value– to their homes and other properties. Give them design solutions that will reduce their energy bills.

Also, move in where competitors drop out.

+/ No niche. The most financially successful design professionals are the most specialized.

They build their brand and profits by reaching out to specific demographics (say, California’s luxury residential market) and offering appropriate services.

Sure they diversify, but only within their niche.

+/ Forgetting Your Fans. If you’re spending most of your time “prospecting,” you’re wasting it.

You’re seven times more likely to get business with a current client than a prospect. And, it costs five times as much to attract a new customer as it does to retain an existing one.

In uncertain times like these, your current clients need you more than ever. Serve them.

+/ Falling for the Stall. You can’t afford to let customers use “This Economy” as an excuse not to buy now. Their procrastination is your poison.

Create immediacy by explaining how the current economy is exactly why they should invest in your services now.

Tell them how acting now will assure quicker delivery and help them avoid price hikes, say, for furniture, fabrics, and shipping.

+/ Assinine Assumptions. Predicting what clients can’t afford is bad business. How do you know what’s in their bank accounts?

You do clients –and yourself– a disservice by not offering your best design services and/or product lines because you assume they can’t afford them.

Present your best, before discussing the rest.

+/Wimpy websites. It’s your most important marketing tool, but is your website securing or scaring away business?

It’s hurting rather than helping you if it doesn’t differentiate you, isn’t updated regularly and is too wordy and difficult to navigate.

+/ Flying Solo. Don’t go it alone. Align with allied professionals by trading referrals, exchanging client lists, and collaborating in advertising.

Hook up with vendors and suppliers, and seek their help with your website, seminars, and other promotional activities.

+/ Holding onto Hardship. Underachieving employees and unprofitable profit lines bring you down in times like these. Get rid of them.

Figure out what’s working for you — and free yourself from what isn’t.

+/ Giving in. When you succumb to price pressure and cut your fees, you diminish your value.

Your expertise is worth more, not less in challenging times. When customers question your price, question their priorities — other than the lowest price.

Remind them you can save them time, headaches and, yes, money.

+/ Giving up. What you face now isn’t a problem. It’s a test — of your will, persistence, and courage.

This is no time for pity parties. It’s a time to dig deep.
The design industry’s top dogs at some point all fell down. Then they stood up. And they pushed on. And they never, ever gave up.

Fred Berns is a sales and marketing coach for interior design professionals and design industry partners.

There’s no better time to make  your annual business plan than now.   And there’s no better way to make that plan than to review the business.

Not just your business. The Design Business.

That’s why a new ebook from Design Success University is so timely.

The new 2010-2011 Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey shares insights about the state of the industry, based on a survey of design professionals nationwide.

This ebook is valued at $79, but you can get your copy FREE at http://www.designsuccessu.com/aff.php?p=fber&w=vbfebkk .

The complimentary ebook includes helpful tips and stratgegies to make the most of the information.

If you’re serious about success this year, you should make it a top priority to download this ebook  NOW.

How can you set and get higher fees in this challenging economy?

What do you say when clients say you’re too expensive?

You’ll get answers to those and other vital questions in a tele-panel scheduled for next Tuesday, Dec. 7.

The program is entitled Smart Pricing Strategies In the New Economy.

I’m one of five panelists, along with David Shepherd, Lloyd Princeton, Michelle Williams and Ashley Whittenberger.

For details, and registration information: http://bit.ly/telepanel

I look forward to helping you take charge of your pricing, and earn the income you want and deserve.

Fred Berns is a business coach for interior design professionals worldwide.

If you’re like many design professionals, you’re woefully underpaid for your time and expertise.

Don’t blame your clients for taking advantage of you. Blame yourself for letting it happen.

How to bill for your design services will be the key topic of a tele-panel on Tues., Dec. 7 entitled: Smart pricing Strategies in the New Economy.  I urge you to sign up and tune in.

In the meantime, here are some suggestions on how to dramatically increase your fees and income:

+ Target higher caliber prospects

+ Identify yourself as a design pro who “specializes” in serving those prospects

+ Focus your time on reaching out to and serving those prospects

+ Send out a letter to your current clients announcing your rate increase

+ Create a complete list of all of the services included in your (higher) hourly fee

+ Bill for all of your time, all of the time

+ Present your prices with polish, by using the phrase: “Here’s how I work with my clients…”

+ Memorize a “cheat sheet” of reasons why you’re worth the higher fee

+ Differentiate yourself in your marketing materials, social networking sites and website from lower priced competitors

+ Write articles and present seminars that establish your expertise.

Fred Berns is the author of the best-selling audio program Overcoming Price Objections: Turn Price Bellachers into Believers.

I say: by the hour.

Others say: by the project.

Others say: both ways. Still others say: neither way.

What do you say?

How to bill for your design services is, and always has been a complicated and controversial question.

I’ll be one of five design industry authorities to discuss that question in a tele-panel on Tues., Dec. 7 entitled: Smart pricing Strategies in the New Economy.  I urge you to sign up and tune in.

My view, as I spell out in my audio program Twice the Price: Double Your Dollars as a Design Professional , is that time is money, and that design professionals should bill for all of their time, all of the time.

A key reason that many design professionals fail to achieve their financial goals is that they give away their skills. They donate too much time, too often.

How can you justify an hourly fee in this economy? 

By promoting your unique qualifications and expertise, and pointing out how you save clients time, money and headaches.

But to hear others tell it, this is no time for design pros to be charging hourly.

They contend that clients are more cost conscious these days, and prefer to be billed per square foot or per room so that they can calculate the costs ahead of time.

In contrast, Gail Doby, the co-founder of Design Success University, favors a Value Based Fee method based on the emotional motivations and buying criteria of individual clients.

What are your thoughts about the best way to charge for your services?  Please send your comments to me at Fred@FredBerns.com, prior to the Dec. 7  tele-panel.

Thank you!

Fred Berns, one of the biggest names in the business of interior design, trains design professionals and industry partners worldwide.

Where you are, and where you want to go in your design business and career are among the topics we can discuss in a year-end telephone Coach Call.

How to land bigger projects from better clients, create a 2011 marketing plan, get higher fees, update your website, or achieve other goals are other points we can cover.

The investment for this 90 minute telephone session is $147 if you register by Tuesday, Nov. 30, or $297 if you sign up thereafter.

Once you register, you can schedule your session for any time prior to Dec. 31.

The investment includes a money-back guarantee, and a 14 day follow up period.

Here’s what others say about the Coach Call program:

Arlene Ladegaard of Overland Park, KS.: “This was the best investment I’ve ever made in my design business.”

Sandra von Kampen, Rockville, MD: “You gave me the confidence to charge significantly higher fees.”

Cara Flemming, Seattle, WA.: “My business has increased steadily since I hired you as a coach.”

To register, simply contact me at Fred@FredBerns.com, or 303-665-6688.

Fred Berns is an interior design industry business coach.

Gail Doby offered up some interesting ideas recently about the “business of the business” – so interesting, in fact, that I want to share them with you.

Gail, a designer with more than 20 years experience and the Co-Founder of Design Success University, shared her perspectives in an excellent presentation in Denver entitled “How to Avoid Fee Fiascos…And Attract Your Ideal Client.”

I’ve listed below five of Gail’s key points – and her elaboration on them:

1/  A fixed-fee system is best, because it involves paying for an end result. An hourly fee involves only paying for a process.

Clients are more value conscious than ever and it is vital to adapt to market demands.  Otherwise, you may find that prospects don’t choose you because they don’t accept the billing methods we’ve used in the past.  More and more prospects are rejecting the hourly fee and mark-up method.  They can purchase online, and that includes Trade Only products.

Our typical method forces the client to pay for a process, and that as we all know is very messy.  70% of all clients want to pay a fixed fee according to an ASID survey.  How do you bill?

A fixed fee method can be computed a number of ways including a percentage of the budget, per square foot, per room, etc.  It is better because the client has a clear expectation of costs.

However, that’s not the best method.  A Value Based Fee method provides fees based on what clients really value – a result.  The biggest differentiator between fixed fee and Value Based is connection with the emotional motivations of the prospect and the process required to “set up” the process to uncover the real buying criteria.

This is a 5-week course I teach, and it has transformed many of our student’s businesses.  It removes them from the Interior Design Slave status and elevates them to a Strategic Interior Designer who is a trusted advisor.

2/ Don’t meet clients at their home before they sign a contract. Meet on neutral ground.

The temptation is too great to meet at the prospect’s home and “give away your best stuff.”  It’s best to meet on neutral ground to establish rapport and credibility.  If you’re finding it difficult to say “no,” try saying, “I’d love to meet with you to see if we’re a good fit before I come to your home.  This will be a long-term relationship, and I would love to meet you for coffee to see if we will be comfortable working together.  Would that be OK with you?”

3/ Don’t call it a “markup.” Use the phrase: Purchase Management Fee.”

Perception is important, and when you say that you charge a “mark-up,” the client sees it benefiting you.  When they see how much you make, they get irritable.  It’s not that they don’t want you to make money, it’s because it appears to be self-serving and excessive especially with high budget projects.  A Purchase Management Fee is more palatable because it implies a benefit.  You’re a manager of their project on their behalf.  They are willing to pay for service especially when they understand why the service actually saves them time and money.

4/ Establish a “Pain in the Butt” Price, when necessary.

If you take difficult clients, charge a premium.  You will lose money with them in some parts of the project, and quite frankly, you should earn more for the PIBs.  They will cause you stress and frustration, and you may find yourself in difficult negotiations at one ore more points during the project.  I’d prefer not to take these clients because their emotional immaturity is not enjoyable to me, and if I am supposed to work with them for months, I’d prefer to work with pleasant people.

5/ To keep clients interested in the days before design and delivery, give them a 3D rendering, or something else showing the end result

Our business involves a lot of details, coordination, management and lead times.  Clients get uncomfortable when you have tens of thousands of dollars of their money.  The majority of our work is intangible until the reveal or delivery of our products.  If you can create tools of tangibility like renderings, it can reinforce their excitement and belief that the project will be all they dream.

Gail shares these and other tips in her webinar, “How to Avoid Fee Fiascos…And Attract Your Ideal Client.”  To receive an invitation to this complimentary event, just click on this link to download her Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook ($79 Value) – also complimentary.  Her latest survey results will be available in a few weeks, and she’ll let you know how you can download them.

Fred Berns is a sales and marketing coach and trainer for interior design professionals and design industry partners worldwide.

Looking to prepare yourself for a career year in 2011?

Then you should look to take advantage of a 50% savings on the Digital Audio Success Series, the best selling downloadable audio collection for interior design professionals and design industry partners.

Order by 5 p.m. (Eastern time), Mon., Nov. 8, and you can download all eight audio programs for only $73.50. After that, the regular price of $147 will apply.

Download this series, and you’ll hear about connecting with higher caliber clients, overcoming price objections, setting and getting higher fees, and closing more sales.

Learn how to do million dollar marketing on a shoestring budget. And how to design a killer website.

And how to work less and earn more. And how to recession-proof your design career.

The Digital Audio Success Series is an outstanding toolkit for the business skills you need to earn the income you want.

Remember, you can download the Digital Audio Success Series for only $73.50, a 50% savings off the regular price, if you order by Mon., Nov. 8.

For more information, and ordering details, click here: http://fredberns.com/audio_success_series.html

Budget questions limit their thinking — and your income.

It’s not just that most clients don’t know their budget for design.

They don’t even have a clue.

That’s why it makes absolutely no sense to ask clients up front what they want or expect or plan on spending for new home furnishings, a kitchen and bath remodel, etc.

You do your customers a disservice by forcing them to come up with and keep their minds on some random budget numbers.

Zeroing in only on those numbers limits their choices, and may prevent you from showing them the fabric or flooring or furniture options that would best meet their needs.

Customers hire you not as a financial adviser, but as a design consultant.

Your job is not to fix their finances. It’s to help them identify their design priorities, needs and wants, and provide the products and services that will fulfill them.

You earn your customers trust by informing them of your qualifications. And by explaining how you charge for your expertise. And by advising them to look elsewhere if they’re seeking the cheapest design services and products.

As the best, it’s your responsibility to inform your customers of the best options — whatever the price. Not until they find that price unsatisfactory should you advise them of less worthy but cheaper alternatives.

Surely you want to present your clients with good value at a fair price. But they can’t make an informed decision on how best to spend their money until you’ve identified and presented solutions to their design challenges.

Focusing exclusively on budget cheats your customer, and also prevents you from earning the fees and margins you deserve.

There’s a word for that:

Dumb.

Fred Berns is a business coach and trainer for interior design professionals and design industry partners worldwide.