That was my takeaway from her presentation at a recent design industry conference at which I also spoke.

Sarah,the host and co-producer of “Sarah’s House” and “Design Inc” on HGTV, offered some  insights on her philosophy about interior design, and life.

Here are some of them:

+ Trust yourself and your instincts.

+ Always experiment.

+ Know your look.

+ At the end of the day, be proud of your work and move on.

+ Live in color, and have fun.

+ Choose a direction, and build on it.

+ Don’t take yourself too seriously. Add whimsy and fun to your life, and your work.

+ Go outside your comfort zone. You might like it.

+ Practical makes perfect. Shop at Home Depot and Lowe’s, when you need to.

+ If you can imagine it, you can do it.

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

David Shepherd’s 8th Annual Business of Design Conference will be held September 1-2, 2011 in New York City.  This event focuses solely on the bottom line of interior designers and this year, in addition to David, you will hear from a variety of best selling authors and faculty members of elite business schools.

Do yourself a favor and visit www.bodconference.com and look at all the speakers, sponsors, and reasons to attend. Early Bird pricing for this conference ends May 31 so you can save hundreds by registering soon.

Then, if you decide to register, be sure and enter the promotional code berns and you’ll receive $100 off your registration fee as my gift to you.

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

Gail Doby, ASID and Erin Weir, Co-Founders of DSU emcee the free event for  interior designers hungry for a competitive edge.

Session 1 – How to Build an Easier & More Profitable Interior Design Business with Automation

• Rick Gillman, CPA CITP, Director of Baker Tilly Virchow Krause, LLP
• Lance Haeberle, Founder of StudioIT and Studio Webware
  • Quick and easy rules of thumb to improve your profitability with Rick’s financial tips and shortcuts
  • Discover the Newest cutting-edge software solutions to streamline and simplify your business.

Session 2 – iHow to Get Featured on TV

• Allison Bergamo – AKBD, Principal at Bergamo Interiors

Tips and tricks to get featured in your own TV episode

• • Even if you don’t think you want to be on TV, you’ll learn great strategies for building high-powered connections

Session 3 – How to Skyrocket Your Credibility with PR

• Dan Janal, President of PRLEADSPLUS.com
• How to create high visibility to build instant credibility and clout in your market
  • How to effortlessly attract the media attention you need to be a local, regional or even national st

Session 4 – How to Amaze Your Clients and Love Your Business More

• Shep Hyken, CSP, CPAE is the Chief Amazement Officer of Shepard Presentations
  • Discover seven customer service strategies to create an amazing client and employee experience
  • You’ll be the first to hear about Shep’s newest book, The Amazement Revolution scheduled for release in April 2011

Session 5 – The Glamour of Working Internationally – What Is It Really Like?

• Laurel Quint, Owner of Q Interior Design

• How do you get work overseas and get paid
• How do you adapt to the cultural differencesssioin 6:

Session  6 – Empowering Yourself & Your Team & Creating Success

• Yasmine Bijan, Transformational Business Leader – a Master Mentor in the insightful documentary films The Power of Mentorship: the Movie and The Voices of Women.

• • Discover how to attract success easily
  • Activate your inner drive and passion with dreams that become reality

Interior designers attend the live event for free.  MP3 recordings are $57 for all 6 hours of interviews before the event, or $97 after the event.

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.

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.

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.

Ask Rodney Briggs his strategy for success in sales, and that’s what he tells you.

He’s used that strategy to become the No. 1 salesperson for the Ralph Lauren Home Collection. And to accumulate sales of $1 million or more for each of the last 19 years. And to reach $2.3 million in sales in one year alone.

Simple strategy, stupendous results for the sales associate based in Ralph Lauren Home’s Denver store.

One of his clients spent $1 million with him during a New York shopping spree. Another placed a $125,000 fabric order. Others routinely contact him with thousands of dollars in orders for everything from furniture to window hardware to accessories.

See that photo at the top of this post? That’s Briggs displaying some of the $95,000 worth of fabrics he sold to one customer last year.

That’s what happens when you build relations with clients by asking lots of questions, and listen carefully to the answers, Briggs says.

“A lot of interior designers try to impose what they want, instead of what the customer wants,” he remarks. “I try to get to know the customer first.”

He feels that it’s vital to keep an open mind toward clients, free of any preconceived notions.

He recalls how a man walked into the store one day dressed in overalls.

He became the customer who flew Briggs to New York in his private plane, booked accommodations in the Carlisle Hotel, and proceeded to buy $1 million in furnishings for his five Colorado homes from him at Ralph Lauren’s flagship store in the city.

Briggs, who doesn’t have an interior design degree, began his career providing design services and selling furniture for an Aspen, CO. store. He joined Ralph Lauren’s Denver store in the mid-1980’s at the time the company chose that store to launch its home collection.

Briggs attributes his sales success to his ability to convince prospects to invite him into their homes. He figures that if they’re willing to spend time to have him over, they’re ready to buy.

“Some designers are too cautious,” Briggs points out. “They don’t present a whole picture for their customers.” Briggs, who estimates that up to 30 per cent of his business comes from designers, says that he helps them “finish the picture” and decide next steps for their clients.

Briggs contends that the better he can get to know his clients, the better are his chances to works with them repeatedly, and get their referrals.

“I try to make them feel comfortable with me,” he says. “Sometimes that means getting to know their mom, and their dog.”

Briggs’ latest project is providing interior design services for Elk Creek Ranch, a 2850-acre luxury ranch community in Meeker, CO. He has designed, among other things, the main lodge and restaurant.

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

But what are the challenges industry partners face in dealing with design professionals? That’s the focus of a national survey I’ve launched this Spring.

The survey is intended to identify the common problems that vendors and suppliers face in challenging economic times in their interactions with residential and commercial design firms.

The idea is to pinpoint the key obstacles confronting the companies, and to offer suggestions on how to overcome those obstacles. I”ll publish my results in at least one national trade publication, and in several on-line outlets.

I’m asking suppliers to identify their five biggest challenges in connecting with and serving their interior designer clients. 

I’ve gained some interesting — and, in some cases, surprising insights – in my early interviews with two window fashion companies, two audio visual suppliers, a flooring manufacturer and a lighting company.

If you’re an industry partner interested in participating in the survey, or know of one who would be, please contact me at 888-665-5505, or Fred@FredBerns.com.

Fred Berns trains manufacturers, retailers, design centers and showrooms on how to create a “buzz,” build traffic and increase sales to design professionals. And, he delivers programs on behalf of manufacturers for their clients.

Your prospects don’t. Your website visitors don’t. Even your clients don’t.

That’s because, if you’re like most interior design professionals, your promotional bio is a bust.

Chances are your printed bio sheet and your website “About Us” section undersell you. As a result, those you seek to influence don’t know all that you do, have done, and can do.

This is not to say you’re unqualified, or lacking in interior design talent and skill.

It is to say that you don’t adequately share that information on your website, and in your marketing materials.

Your personal bio is your most important on-line and print marketing piece.

Is yours boosting or blocking you?

The beginning tells a bundle. A sure sign your bio doesn’t work is if it starts by saying that you “launched your company seven years ago.”

Or that you’re a New York native. Or that you received your design degree in 1999. Or that you belong to an association.

Nor am I impressed when you tell me that you “search beyond typical design solutions.”

Or that you “believe that your home interior reflects your lifestyle.” Or that you feel that “good design enhances the quality of life.”

Oh, pul – eease!

Skip the baloney, and give me benefits.

Tell me how you can enhance my home value or increase my workplace productivity, and how you can save me time, money and headaches.

And tell me how you differ from your competitors.

+ Get it Written Right

If you’re up to creating a killer bio, go for it.

If you’re not, don’t.

You can spend long hours writing and rewriting, and polishing and perfecting your personal promotion piece.

Or I could write it for you.

Aren’t you supposed to do what you do best, and delegate the rest? What you do best is interior design.

What I do best is help design professionals earn lots more money and recognition by promoting themselves more effectively.

Give me an hour on the phone to interview you, and I’ll give you within three weeks the most powerful bio you’ve ever had.

“Hiring out” your bio isn’t cheap.

But, then again, what’s your current bio costing you in lost sales, projects and revenue?

Can you afford to continue using a bio that undersells you and disqualifies, rather than qualifies you for the kind of clients you want and need?

I can create for you your most vital personal promotion tool.

I have time this Spring to work with three design professionals on their bios. If you’re interested, contact me at Fred@FredBerns.com .

Bio Boosters

What goes into a good bio?

The Superstar Selling System for Design Professionals recommends that you include your:

+ “Only” phrase (” ____ is the area’s only designer who…)
+ Awards and other honors
+ Design specialities
+ Experience
+ Accomplishments
+ Skills and capabilities
+ Other qualifications
+ Unique services and products
+ Publication history (where/how you’ve been published)
+ Client profile (who you serve and how)
+ Resources (vendors, contractors, etc.)
+ Affiliations
+ Educational background

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

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.

It was music to my ears.

Titi Ogufere, the director of a design association in her country, told of getting flooded with requests for free information on design resources and solutions.

She’s overun with queries at all hours of the day and night from individuals seeking outlets for everything from flooring to furniture. Lots of questions come from other designers.

“I get all of these questions about how to get into interior design, and how to run a design business and how to charge,” she explains.

She’s given away dozens, maybe hundreds of hours of free advice. But not any longer. Now she intends to charge for her time and advice.

Great idea.

Once she starts “valuing” her time, her callers will too. They’ll pay for that time because they’ll view it — and her — as a priority.

Fred Berns is a Colorado-based trainer and coach for the world’s interior design professionals.

They’re interior architects and space planners and specifiers and project managers. But they’re not recipients of priority treatment.

Yet.

You know you’re not a priority when clients cut back on their interior budget. And put projects on hold. And constantly bicker about your price. And wait 90 days, or more to pay you.

Those are the challenges facing many design professionals here in the Middle East, and elsewhere in Asia and Europe.

They’re the same challenges confronting interior designers in the U.S. and Canada.

How to make yourself a priority was a major focus of my seminar here at the conference of the International Federation of Interior Architects and Designers(IFI).

I touched on the same theme a few days later in my presentation at INDEX, the Middle East’s largest interiors trade show.

Getting more respect, recognition and income in this uncertain economy involves attaching more value to yourself and your design services and products.

How?

By explaining how you make your clients money, and save them money and time.

Point out, for example, how you supply office furniture and lighting that will make their employees more productive.

Explain, too, how you provide the expertise and personnel to get projects done more quickly and efficiently.

You make yourself a priority when you identify the “pain” and problems clients have with their interiors – and then propose remedies.

And when you differentiate yourself from competitors, and establish yourself as a uniquely-qualified, one-of-a-kind expert in your field.

And when you share success stories and testimonials from satisfied clients.

Among the speakers at the IFI conference was Ross Lovegrove.

He’s the award-winning industrial designer credited for creating the walkman for Sony, computers for Apple, and other products for companies ranging from Airbus Industries to Motorola.

He told the audience that he travels around the world, and clients gladly pay whatever he charges for his products… “because they’re mine.”

Here’s a guy who believes in himself and, as a result, his clients do, too.

He’s made himself a priority.

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

Shashi, the president-elect of the International Federation of Interior Designers/Architects (IFI), hopes her organization can help establish the “intrinsic value and relevance” of the design profession.

“In every nation, there is a question of how seriously interior design is taken by the public,” said Shashi, who’s organization represents  70 member groups and 65,000 interior design professionals in 45 countries. “Too often design is confused with architecture and decorating.”

I spoke with her recently in preparation for my presentation next week at IFI’s World Interior Design Congress in Dubai, U.A.E.

I present a program entitled “Supersize Your Success! 8 Steps to Peak Profits in Challenging Economic Times” on Monday, than serve as emcee at the event for the next two days.

Shashi pointed out how the economic slowdown continues to take its toll on design professionals the world over.

“Designers in many countries are hard-pressed to sustain their business,” said Shashi, a design professional for more than 20 years and the former chair of the interior design program at Parsons.

The most successful dealers of  the most expensive window treatments do little things to make big sales.

That was a key takeaway from an award-winning research project I conducted in behalf of Hunter Douglas on the sales of  Luminette Privacy Sheers.

In the project, I discovered that the top 100 top North American dealers of Luminettes do the little things better.

Little things, like displaying Luminettes  prominently in their showrooms, and presenting them with enthusiasm and confidence. And cross-selling them with furniture and carpeting.

And offering 24/7 customer service and extended showroom hours. And following up quickly and regularly with customers. And asking for referrals. And promoting Luminettes in brochures and at home show.

Here are ten strategies that the top dealers rely on to sell Luminettes.  Can you apply any — or all — of these techniques to sell your highest end design products and services?

1/ Save the Best for First – Show ‘em the Luminettes first time, every time. Introduce the best, before exposing them to the rest.

2/ Be Dazzling in Your Display – Make it big and make it motorized, and watch your sales grow.

3 / Call them a Bargain – they’re more valuable than verticals, more affordable than draperies, and they give you the benefits of both. Is this a great deal, or what?

4/ Call them an Investment – they boost resale value – and help reduce energy bills.

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5/ Banish the “B” Word – most customers don’t know their budget anyway, so why press the issue?  Show them your Luminettes, and let them decide if they’re affordable.

6/ Share your “Only” -  Nothing differentiates you more. Finish this sentence: “We’re the only Luminette dealers in the area who…”

7/ Cross–Sell – “Now that I’m doing your carpeting, want me to do your windows?”

8/ Build a Buzz – Install Luminettes in a new building, or a new neighborhood. The word – and the “Wow” -  will spread fast.

9/ Follow Fast – Call tonight the customer you saw today. Offer to help him or her “talk it over” with their spouse.

10/ Sell Yourself – The most important sale you’ll ever make is the Personal one. Communicate with confidence and present yourself with polish.

The research project, entitled Profits by Design, received a Best Trade and Education “honorable mention” award recently from the Window Covering Manufacturers Assn.

Fred Berns is an award-winning sales trainer in the interior design industry.

The Cutting Edge: Going for the Gold move

“I’m not taking part in this economy.”

Those words of wisdom came from San Francisco artist Ann Rea (annrea.com)  prior to my seminar  this weekend to ASID’s California Peninsula chapter.

It was a passing comment Ann shared moments before my “Million $$$  Marketing on a Shoestring Budget” presentation.

Year of the Comet move A passing comment, but a very powerful one.

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Powerful, because it demonstrates that Ann,  a specialist in California vineyard painting, “gets it. “

She gets that industry partners need not take part in gloom and doom discussions about the economy. 

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She chooses instead to accentuate the positive about her business of creating and selling paintings, prints and custom canvasses.

While the media is busy painting a dismal picture of the economy, Ann paints a bright one about her business. She’s quick to point out, for example, that she recently sold five major works.

Storm Warning move

How delightful it is to meet a professional who,  in “this economy”  believes now more than ever  in her product — and her ability to sell it to designers and end users.

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

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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.

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His observations:

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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.

It is, she says, “the biggest issue in interior design today.”

“It” is whether to impose licensing, and “she” is Lynne Ford Breyer, the former IFDA president, writing to ask why I’ve never addressed the issue in my writing.

If any of you have any thoughts on licensing, please share them.

In the meantime, I’ve included Lynne’s comments below:

 I was the first to actively oppose licensing when it raised it’s ugly head in my state of Arizona. 

No other state had ever developed any opposition to licensing, primarily because in all 26 states where there is some type of licensing, it was done quietly under the radar outside the view of the design community.  I made this an issue in 2003 and believe me, I was a voice crying in the wilderness!

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Starting Out in the Evening psp But I did considerable research, speaking with licensing law administrators in about half the states as well as speaking with designers in states that had licensing and came to the conclusion that licensing, due to it’s extremely proprietary nature and form, was a predatory attempt by ASID to control the design industry.

Now, six years later, there is a huge opposition movement growing in this country with many opposition groups forming.  Where these groups have formed or where there has been a strong opposition to licensing, lawmakers have refused to enact such laws.  In fact, since 2005, no such laws have been put on the books although the state of New York does have a law sitting on Gov. Paterson’s desk awaiting signature.

He Was a Quiet Man movie download  If you are committed to doing a piece on this issue, I would like to be the person you interview on the opposition side.  And I urge you to select a knowledgeable person on the pro-licensing side. 

Designers will come to their own decision about licensing when presented with the facts. 

To get you started, you can review the ASID website on the pro side and go to www.ij.org and search Designing Cartels for their study on licensing and also you can go to www.reason.org 28 Weeks Later… psp and search Adam B. Summers for his study on occupational licensing in general but it refers specifically to interior design licensing. 

Also, you might want to read The New Unions published by Forbes earlier this year and the George Will column, Wallpapering with Red Tape for their views.  I would refer you to pro-licensing articles but there have been none except those put out by ASID, which you can find from them.

Those against licensing: NARI, AIA, IDS, NKBA, the Institute for Justice, National Homebuilders Assoc, the governors of Indiana and Colorado, multiple grassroots organizations including ours in Arizona, www.azidalert.org with links to others. 

And you might want to read the opinion of the Alabama Supreme court from November 2007 which strikes down their Practice Act as being unconstitutional.  Another law in New Mexico took all the teeth out of their Title Law and there is currently a suit pending in Texas against their Title Law with others to come.

Again, I appreciate your response and your interest.  Licensing is the major element that will affect the practice of interior designers and the ancillary businesses that depend on those designers for their business.

Memento Vivere (Remember to live),

Lynne

Actually, the following is brought to you by Bruce Knott, the director of WFCP/Media Relations at Grace McNamara, Inc.

Snow Angels buy I used to present sales and marketing programs as part of the full day new product presentations Bruce delivered around the country for Springs Window Fashions.

I never met — nor probably never will meet — someone so knowledgeable about color.

Each of Bruce’s monthly columns in Window Fashions Magazine focuses on a different color.

Here’s his latest article, from the May issue:

Black is on a power trip. It’s all about black. Black is authoritative and powerful. It carries weight – it is perceived as the “heaviest” of all colors. Like white, black makes other colors stand out and be noticed.

Black is formal and elegant. Coco Chanel took that “little black dress” and turned it into a fashion statement, making it haute couture – it could be worn for day or for evening; all depending on how one accessorized it. It’s still considered a classic.

Black tie, black patent leather shoes, and arriving at the function in a shiny black limousine also support the elegance and formality of black. Black and gold as a combination is the ultimate expression of luxury and sophistication.

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Throughout the history of Western Civilization, the wearing of black clothing has symbolized a denial of the sensual life. It was the color worn by priests, monks, and mourners. In 15th century France, when the beloved wife of King Louis XII died, he declared that the court would dress in black, perhaps giving it the status as the “official” color for mourning.

In 16th century Spain, black gained elegance as clothing. Black was favored by the king and queen of Spain, and as the court imitated the royal couple, black became fashionable and sophisticated. Maybe the royals knew that black makes most people look slimmer.

Black is also associated with the dark side – with evil, malevolence, and violence. The bad guys in the movies always wore black. Blackguard, black sheep, black market, blackmail, and blackball are some of the common expressions using black in a negative way. Think about Darth Vader.

In nature, the combination of black and yellow is a warning sign. We learn from an early age to be careful when black and yellow insects are buzzing around us.

Does black have a scent, or a taste? For some people, it might be licorice; for others, black leather. Black pepper is used in almost every recipe, and black tea accounts for most of the tea consumed in western society.

Black has always had an important place in design and decorating. Too much black can be overwhelming, and, with improper lighting, can even be hazardous, as we might miss seeing that slight step up or down as floor levels change from room to room, or getting in or out of a booth in a restaurant.

The combination of black and white has made a comeback in the last year in fabrics, taking a retro color mix and giving it a fresh update. Both black and white reside on the Classic Color Card for Color Marketing Group, indicating their importance to many industries.

Many of us in the design world believe that every room should have something black in it somewhere, because it helps “settle” other colors. I’m one of them.

That “something black” can be as simple as trim on decorative pillows, a favorite black vase, or black matting on a framed picture. It makes a statement. In our home, that “something black” is a little black toy poodle named Bentley that we recently adopted. He’s definitely into a power trip. Just ask the cat. Color in motion.

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Staging is hot, and there’s no one more qualified to provide you with staging training�than Sandy Dixon.��

http://www.interiorarrangements.com/

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Sandy teaches a variety of staging courses at her Evergreen, CO. studio, and I had a chance to address some of her “graduates” this Fall.

Thanks, Sandy, for sharing your article, entitled: �Dressed to Sell�: Staging Makes the Difference!

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Within seconds of walking into a house, prospective buyers form an impression and know whether they want to buy the house or not.� In some cases they won�t even get out of the car after looking at the outside of the house.�

�This initial reaction can make the difference between a swift sale and a house that languishes on the market. To gain the advantage the home must be look superior to the competition.� It needs to be in �showcase� condition, with all the architectural features shown to the best advantage.�

Home staging is a unique �decorate to sell� technique using furnishings, artwork and accessories to create a visual experience and a feeling of emotional warmth that will appeal to the widest range of buyers.

Prospective buyers only know what they see, not the way it�s going to be—which makes staging or �setting the scene� even more critical in marketing properties.� They want to imagine themselves living in the house, to clearly see the house and its� features and not be overwhelmed or distracted by the current homeowners �stuff�.

Staging has become the secret weapon of real estate agents and their savvy clients because the ultimate goal of staging is getting the house sold at the best possible price in the least amount of time. Any house, regardless of price or location will show better when staged.

Homebuilders and retailers have been successfully using this technique for years.� Creative window and store displays generate interest, as well as increased sales and research shows model homes sell faster than vacant homes and typically sell for more.

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Two fundamental things to remember when preparing a home for sale: #1 �The way you live in a home and the way you sell a home are two very, different things� and #2 �You don�t get a second chance to make a first impression�.

A simple Internet search highlights the huge visibility, as well as career opportunities in the field of home staging or preparing homes for sale.� The process is also referred to as restyling, redesigning, house fluffing and home enhancing.

�No matter what it’s called, the purpose is basically the same�de-cluttering, depersonalizing and decorating homes to sell faster and for more money. Today there are over 34 shows on television relating to home staging and redesigning which is prompting designers all across the country to add these income generating services to their businesses.

Sandy Dixon, owner of Interior Arrangements, Inc. is a Professional Redesign and Staging Trainer, National Speaker and Published Author of Insider’s Secrets to Skyrocketing Your Real Estate Staging Business; Vacant to Vibrant: Giving Empty Properties the FULL Advantage. She teaches a variety of redesign and staging certification courses at her state-of-the-art training studio in Evergreen, Colorado. She is often featured in redesign industry and real estate publications and is frequently an expert guest on television and radio. Sandy can be reached toll free at 1.877.674.8667 or visit her website at www.interiorarrangements.com
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Add up all the failures of all the design professionals you know, and that number won’t even approach the failure rate of James Dyson.

Dyson is a designer of a different sort. He’s an industrial designer, engineer and inventor who knows a lot about failure.

He failed 5,126 times over 15 years trying to invent a prototype for a his Dual Cyclone bagless vacuum cleaner. Attempt #5,127 was successful, and he’s now known as the maker of the best selling vacuum cleaner by revenue in the U.S.

Dyson’s� net worth : $2 billion.

In a recent issue of Fast Company magazine, Dyson shares some interesting views on failure.

�”I learned from each one. So I don’t mind failure,” he points out. “We’re taught to do things the right way. But if you want to discover something that other people haven’t, do things the wrong way.� Initiate a failure by doing something that’s very silly, unthinkable, naughty, dangerous. Watching why that fails can take you on a completely different path.”

How many interior designers, design industry manufacturers and others focus all their time and energy instead on avoiding

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failure? How many stay in the box, rather than think outside of it?

�Design professionals looking to move to the next level in their careers should heed the words of IBM founder Thomas Watson: “Would you like me to give you a formula for…success? Double your rate of failure.”