The windows may be the best way these days to gain entry into the homes and offices of high end prospects.

One of  the easiest ways to introduce yourself to a classier clientele is to discuss their window treatments.

That’s because so many prospects nowadays  are so focused on reducing their energy bills. Good  window treatments can help them meet that need — and qualify customers for federal tax credits.

Take the Hunter Douglas Duette Architella collection, for example. Architella shades can save up to 50% of the energy lost through the window, and customers may qualify for a $1500 federal tax credit.

Granted, window treatments may be a very small part of your product mix, particularly if you present yourself as a “full service” design professional.

But many leading design professionals have been successful using window coverings to whet the appetite of  promising prospects, and then selling them the main course: the full service project.

Fred Berns is the world’s leading business coach and trainer for interior design professionals.

Forget, for a moment, what your income is. Focus, instead, on what it can be.

Your income this year can be substantially higher.

And it WILL be if you follow the steps in my new FREE report entitled: “10 for ’10: The Ten VERY BEST Ways to Turbocharge Your Design Business in 2010.”

This report, based on my recent sold-out tele-seminar, explains how to achieve much bigger profits, land much bigger contracts and connect with much better clients.

Download this FREE report, and you’ll learn ten strategies that can immediately turn your business around, and dramatically increase your sales and profits.

Some are sales strategies. Some are marketing strategies. Some are time management strategies.

All are shortcuts to greater success in your design business and career than you’ve known before.

This report will help you take charge of your interior design business and career, and make this your best year.

For more information and download details about the FREE “10 for ‘10” Report, click here: http://www.fredberns.com/10for10/

Fred Berns is the world’s leading business coach for interior design professionals.

Asking more questions ges your more business. Just ask a physician.

The most financially successful doctors do the best job of finding their clients’ pain, and prescribing remedies.

Make this the year that you play doctor.

Make this the year that you spend more time identifying your clients’ needs, problems and pains when in it comes to design, and then offering solutions.

Some examples of “pain questions:”

+ What’s your biggest challenge when it comes to updating your corporate offices?

+ What’s your biggest concern when it comes to remodeling your vacation home?

+ What’s your major fear about tearing out all of that carpeting in the lobby?

+ What would it cost you if you don’t install more energy-efficient window treatments?

+ What do you see as the biggest problem in the design of the employee break room?

Questions like those will convince prospects that you care, and will get their focus off your fee.

Fact is, most prospects are more interested in coming up with solutions to their design challenges than they are in paying the very lowest price for a designer.

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

If bigger sales and higher profits are on your mind, Baltimore is the place to be on Feb. 13-14.

Baltimore is the site of the  Exciting Windows! annual conference, for which registration is free.

The two day event will offer programs on topics ranging from building your sales to internet marketing, and will feature such industry experts as Grace McNamara, the publisher of Visions magazine.

Exciting Windows! is a franchise organization which bills itself as “America’s only nationally advertised full service” company whose professionals “come to your home with all window products – blinds, draperies, shadings, and shutters.”

Franchise owners will be on had at the conference to share their success stories.

Speakers will discuss how to target customers who have money and want to buy NOW, and such internet marketing ideas as interactive websites, email campaigns, social networking and search engine optimization.

When you register for free, you get your choice of two online classes, valued at $300, at Window Coverings University.

For information and free registration details for the Exciting Windows! annual conference, contact Steve Bursten at steveb@excitingwindows.com.

Fred Berns is a sales and marketing coach for window fashion specialists and other interior design professionals worldwide.

Play the numbers game.

That will be one of my suggestions in tomorrow’s tele-seminar entitled: “10 for ’10: The Ten VERY BEST Ways to Turbocharge Your Design Business in 2010.”
http://fredberns.com/teleseminar/.

I will  show how “playing the numbers” can help you get much bigger and better clients and projects.

The numbers game can also help you close more sales.

I came upon the following statistics in Jack Canfield’s remarkable book called The Success Principles.

44% of all salespeople quit trying to sell a prospect after the first call
24% quit after the second call
14% quit after the third call
12% quit after the fourth call.

The problem, he points out, is that 60% per cent of all sales are made after the fourth call.

The moral of the story: “No” may simply mean “not now.” So, keep on truckin’ — and callin.’

Fred Berns helps interior design professionals worldwide increase their sales and profits.

What if I can show you that you’re 10 steps away from success?

10 steps away from bigger profits, and bigger contracts and better clients?

10 steps away from having your best year ever?

That’s what I’ll show you in my Jan. 26 tele-seminar entitled: “10 for ’10: The Ten VERY BEST Ways to Turbocharge Your Design Business in 2010.”

The “10 for ’10” Tele-seminar is scheduled for 11 a.m. – noon, Eastern time (10 a.m. Central, 9 a.m. Mountain, 8 a.m. Pacific) on Tuesday, Jan. 26, and IS OPEN ONLY TO THE FIRST 35 WHO REGISTER.

The investment is $29.

You won’t have to leave your home, office, studio, or showroom to learn strategies that will absolutely, positively make this your most successful year. All you need do is dial in and enter your pin number.

Tune in to the “10 for ’10” Tele-seminar, and you’ll learn what you can do to get longer term and more lucrative projects.

And what you can say to close twice as many sales, and convince clients to buy NOW.

And what you can create that will attract more high caliber prospects.

And what you can offer to turn those contacts into contracts.

And what you can do to instantly get more recognition and respect.

Give me one hour of your time on Tues, Sept. 26 and I’ll give you the VERY BEST Ways to have your VERY BEST Year.

Sign up NOW for: “10 for ’10: The Ten VERY BEST Ways to Turbocharge Your Design Business in 2010.”

For more information and registration details, click here: http://fredberns.com/teleseminar
Fred Berns is a sales and marketing trainer and coach for design professionals around the world.

Make 2010 the year that you “fail” more.

Make this the year that you encounter more rejections, lose out on more bids, and fail to close more deals than ever before.

Make this the year you really get to know “No.”

Why? Because only when you put yourself out there more, can you fail more.

And, only when you put yourself out there more, can you SUCCEED more.

Interior design professionals tend to be far too skittish when it comes to presenting themselves and their services in challenging times.

Many are reluctant to pursue higher end clients, bid on bigger projects, enter higher profile design competitions, offer larger contracts, and set higher fees.

That’s because they’re petrified, horrified, and mortified of the word “No.”

They don’t realize that “No” may simply mean: “Not now.” Or “Not yet.” Or, even, “Tell me more.”

The “No” word surfaced often during last year’s economic meltdown. Many design firms responded to rejection by retreating.

They reduced sales and marketing activity at a time when they should have ramped it up.

Problem is, quitting has consequences. When design firms disappear, they die.

Every time you contact a prospect, submit a proposal, offer your services, raise your rates, promote a new product, present a program, or seek financial support, you risk rejection.

But you also increase your odds for success

To reap rewards this year, you’ll have to take risks. And one of the risks you run is that you’ll try something and fail.

So what? Said Tom Watson, former IBM chairman: If you want to succeed, double your failure rate.”

Author Jack Canfield suggests that every time you hear “No,” you should say “Next.” Pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and move on.

Catch yourself saying alot of “Next’s” this year. That means you’re hearing alot of “No’s.”

That means you’re putting yourself out there more.

And that means you’re boosting your chances for success.

Fred Berns is the interior design industry’s foremost sales and marketing trainer.

Can you handle another year like 2009?

Can you handle another year of declining sales and disappointing revenue, of smaller and fewer projects, of working more for less?

Even if you can, do you want to?

If not, tune into a Jan. 26 tele-seminar entitled:
“10 for ’10: The Ten VERY BEST Ways to Turbocharge Your Design Business in 2010.”

Register for The “10 for ’10” Tele-seminar, and you’ll learn ten strategies that can immediately turn your business around, and dramatically increase your sales and profits.

You’ll discover something you can do to get longer term and more lucrative projects.

And something you can say to close twice as many sales, and convince clients to buy NOW.

And something you can create that will attract more high caliber prospects.

And something you can offer to turn those contacts into contracts.

And something you can do to instantly get more recognition and respect.

And something you must STOP doing immediately in order to substantially boost your revenue.

For more information and registration details, click here:  http://fredberns.com/teleseminar/

Remember:  The “10 for ’10” Tele-seminar IS OPEN ONLY TO THE FIRST  35 WHO REGISTER.

Fred Berns is a sales and marketing trainer and coach for interior design professionals around the world.

Happy New Year!!!

Now that a challenging year is behind us, consider this: What’s it going to take to make 2010 your best year yet?

Good answers to some basic questions.

You don’t need slick advertising or a glitzy new web site or trendy new product lines to make this your “career year.”

You need answers. Answers to questions about goals, what’s working, and what needs to work better with your design business.

Many design professionals never consider the kinds of issues raised below. That’s why they’re so unfocused and unprofitable.
 

What do you want to be when you grow up?

No-Service-Just-Online-Design.com? Home Depot? Under A Buck Blinds? If not, stop trying to act like or compete with them.

Create your own unique message. Target your own market. You make a great you, but a lousy somebody else.
 

Why you?

Competition has never been tougher. It’s never been easier to buy elsewhere the design services and products that you sell.

What do you offer that your competitors — especially the lower priced ones — don’t?  Don’t say “good customer service.” Every other design professional in your area talks about the same thing.
 

Who’s Lovin’ Ya, Baby?

Kojak, the TV cop, raised a key question there. Who are your blue chip clients? How have you built rapport with them? How do you stay in touch with and generate additional business from them?
  

How Do You Find the Fatcats?

Where and when do you get your best clients? What marketing strategies work best for you? What are you MVP (Most Valuable and Productive)promotational activities?

 What’s Makin’ Ya Money?

What are they buying? What’s your most lucrative product or service? How much of your income comes from your design consultations? From product sales? What percentage of your sales comes from residential clients? From commercial clients?
 

Who’s on Your Team?

Who do you turn to for help when the going gets tough, as it did last year? 

Do you have–or can you create–an advisory board with a financial advisor, a lawyer, a business coach? Who are your mentors? Are you aligning yourself with top clients and/or allied professionals?

Fred Berns is a trainer and coach for interior design professionals around the world.

One of the most common questions I hear from design professionals these days is the easiest to answer.

The question: How can I work with better clents?

The answer: Ask your better clients.

Your best customers can and will help you build a higher caliber clientele.

They can introduce you to people they know who appreciate fine design and quality products. And can afford them. And who want to establish a long term relationship with a design professional.

All you have to do is ask.

Your best customers can be your best marketing representatives.

They can give you testimonials and referrals. They can tell you which local organizations to get involved with. And which local publications to submit articles to.

Maybe they can even introduce you to local realtors or builders or facility managers.

All you have to do is ask.

And there’s no better time to ask than now. The holiday season provides a fine opportunity to take your best clients to lunch, and  seek help from, as well as give thanks to your best clients.

What better season to express your appreciation for their business? And, what better setting in which to ask for their suggestions on how to build your business?

+ Four Magic Words

“I need your help.”

Those are the words I advise my coaching clients to use when they take a client to lunch.

What surprises these design professionals is how positive is the response.

They’re amazed how flattered their customers are to be asked, how eager they are to help, how willing they are to make personal introductions, to track down information and assist in any other way they can.

Your best customers know you, and like you and want to help you. Often, they have insights about the high end market that you don’t. They can answer the questions that you can’t.

You best customers can and will open doors for you.

All you have to do is ask. 

Fred Berns is  a sales and marketing trainer and coach for interior design professionals around the world.