Grow Your Design Biz Blog » Home Staging

Simple but Powerful

Mary — Thu, 11 Mar 2010 13:33:55 +0000

Malcolm Gladwell is the author of The Tipping Point and Blink - two books I read when they came out and I loved them both.

I actually learned about The Tipping Point in a class I attended at the Expo several years ago [I'm speaking at the next one in May - hope you can be there!] and it was so good that I made it a point to continue to look out for his new books.

For Christmas this year I asked for his new book - Outliers – The Story of Success. And not surprisingly – I loved it! The man is an incredible story teller, and he looks at things differently which makes you think about things differently – and I truly found the book fascinating. So I decided to tell him.

I found his website online, went to the contact us page and sent him an email. Told him I loved his book(s) and if he was ever in town I’d be happy to host him for dinner. (My sister pointed out that Holden Caulfield from Catcher in the Rye said something to the effect of “you know you’ve read a good book when you want to have dinner with the author.” I do love J.D. Salinger so I decided I keep good company.)

And not too long afterwards – he wrote back. He hit reply – he wrote back. He said thanks for taking the time to write – I appreciate it. That was it. And it knocked my socks off.

I immediately forwarded it to all of my family and told them that I want Malcolm to be my new best friend.

So that’s it. Simple but Powerful. All the man did was reply graciously to an email.

Think about what’s going on in your life. Who has been in touch with you that you haven’t gotten back in touch with? What potential client called and you didn’t return the call? Who sent an email – maybe even a potential client- and somehow you let it slip through the cracks?

I talk to a lot of designers and when I ask them about this – getting back in touch with people who they have let slip through the cracks – they often say it is too late, too much time has gone by and they missed the chance.

Personally, I don’t believe there is any such thing as “only having one chance to do something right.” I think there are lots and lots and lots of chances, new ones every day, and no matter how long ago the contact was made - you can STILL get back in touch. As always- simply be truthful. Try “I don’t know how this slipped through the cracks. Are you still in need of some help with your design project? If so – I’d love to speak with you. If not, good luck with your project and hope it turns out great.”

It is these simple yet powerful things that really make a difference for people – it is why they remember you later.

What simple thing have you done lately? Tell me about it below – I’d love to know. I’d also love to know if any of you now take the opportunity to get in touch with someone you let fall through the cracks – leave your comment below!

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

PS – If you read last week’s blog you know I am a fan of Art Sobczak – well, he and I are on the same wavelength again! Check out is story about “doing the little things” - Low-Tech, high touch for Big impact.

The Perfect Time

Mary — Tue, 02 Mar 2010 23:33:37 +0000

My life is filled with moments that are always crazily connected. At the very least, it makes everyday events a lot more interesting as I wait to see how it is all going to connect and come together – I call these moments “God Moments.” [For a great book based on one man's life/business and on how we are all connected through God you might want to check out Synchronicity by Joseph Jaworski].

When these moments happen, it reassures me that I am where I am supposed to be, doing the things I am supposed to be doing.

This week my moment was about – of all things – making phone calls! And yes, it can apply to you too. It all started with a phone call of my own.

1. Last Thursday I called a past client and was very happy when she was ready to start another series of consulting calls with me.

2. The next day my handyman called to tell me he didn’t have any work, and what should he do. I often coach him on business practices, and I often tell him he needs to reach out to past happy clients – those clients are your best source for new work or new referrals. I asked him how many past clients he had reached out to (this is an ongoing discussion with us, so I knew the answer) and yep, not one. I told him I wasn’t going to talk to him anymore until he called 3 past happy clients. I also told him this call was easy to do – ask about their past work, and ask if they have any new work.

3. Jokingly he says to me – So Mrs. Larsen, I know you love your backsplash, do you have any other work around the house, cabinetry, handyman, painting that you might want to have done?

4. And I DID – I had been meaning to call him for several weeks about some cracks in my ceiling – and had totally forgotten so I lined up some work for him that weekend.

5. About 30 minutes later he called me back and said - it worked, it worked! The very first client he called said she didn’t know he did all those things, and she had a whole list for him to do.

6. Then one of my consulting clients called for her weekly call. I asked her what she had done since our last call to try to get some work and she said – you mean besides pull my hair out? So we talked about the fact that she has never not once in her 6 years of business – beyond initial follow up right after a project – called a client to see how they were doing and was there anything she could do for them or was there someone “just like them” that they would introduce her to by facebook or email to see if she could help them. I told her the handyman story for encouragement.

7. All of these things took place between Thursday and Tuesday.

8. And Tuesday morning I received a marketing newsletter from one of my favorite marketers - Art Sobczak – titled “Here’s the Best Time to Call a Prospect.” I swear I burst out laughing. A list of the BEST TIME to call someone. Talk about reassurance that I am in the right place, doing the thing I am supposed to do! Here is a link to his newsletter – you might want to check it out for even more ideas. And here’s a little secret – the real answer for calling a past great client is any time – because you need to take action to make action happen in your business.

9. My favorite tip from his list – A buyer wishes they could find a vendor (replace designer for the word vendor) who “gets it right the first time”. Ah, I love that!!!

So. How long has it been since you CALLED a past client? How long has it been since you reached out rather than waited for someone to call you? Don’t overthink it -just pick up the phone and call. Really. That simple. And comment below and let me and everyone else know how it goes – I’m confident it will be great.

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

Work Less and Make More Money Article

Mary — Mon, 01 Feb 2010 14:20:03 +0000

I am very pleased to say that I was recently featured in the latest issue of Window Fashion Vision magazine. It was on my favorite topic – helping women in the design field make more money – and not just give all of their talents away.

This was one of those great articles where I was asked to submit the article, went to bed that night, and woke up with a whole LIST of things that can be done. I love it when that happens.

In fact, that was one of the reasons I went into consulting with people in the design field. I started having ideas about how to make my business better and more profitable show up in the middle of the night - and -those ideas worked. It’s very cool.

Just click HERE to enjoy the article in full – I know you’ll like it. And please leave me a comment and share what you think!

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

Stilettos and Ladders

Mary — Wed, 15 Jul 2009 13:13:48 +0000

One of my favorite things about vacation is the ease in which I get through many books – lots fiction, lots non-fiction, lots completely work related. This past week I had the great pleasure to read Climbing the Ladder in Stilettos - 10 Strategies for Stepping Up to Success and Satisfaction at Work by Lynette Lewis. It was suggested to me by my fabulously talented sister Nancy McGuire who runs a consulting business that helps organizations with leadership development. Turns out that a lot of the issues that face women in the corporate arena face women in ANY work situation – even little orgs like my business and potentially a lot of yours, such as home staging, redesign, drapery design and interior design.

The book is GREAT (and I highly recommend it as a gift to any woman in the corporate world who needs a bit of encouragement and support) and was filled with very valuable lessons. But ONE thing really really REALLY stood out for me, and was found in Lynette’s opening remarks on page 4.

” We are all waiting and yearning for something”

Regardless of the situation we are in – how great it seems to be or even how bad – we are all always waiting and yearning for something.

Lynette goes on to say it is the tension between our VISION (that thing we are yearning for) and the Challenges of WAITING that often bring discouragement and stress. And I don’t know about you – but yes! Waiting for the vision to become reality DOES bring discouragement and stress.

The book is intended to help you become more satisfied in your what you do with the majority of your time -work - and the 10 lessons shared can help you do just that. The first several chapters work on the theme of “Finding Meaning in the Job You Have NOW!” – not yearning and waiting for a better job or a better situation that will surely bring you that meaning – but finding the meaning in your current job. Later chapters work on moving from “Great Ideas to Dreams Come True. ”

I think the final chapter is one of my favorites – “Different than What I Thought – Better than What I Imagined.” Cause really – when does IT show up just like you thought?

Having just been through a serious case of burnout (and taking a good 10 days off to cure it!) this book was just what I needed – a compassionate look at appreciating and enjoying the work you do now, as you prepare for what comes next – since we are all “waiting and yearning” for that elusive “something.”

What is it that you are “waiting” for – what do you think it will “get” you – and is there maybe, maybe, just a chance that what you have now is giving you some of what you are waiting for? When you find some of that in where you are now… perhaps the wait won’t feel so long. Feel free to leave a comment!!

Have a great week!

-Mary Larsen

Understanding and Graciousness

Mary — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:09:40 +0000

As I mentioned last week, I have been going gang busters for months now and it has become crucial that I take that much needed break – which I will be doing starting Friday.

One of the things that I mentioned that happens to me when I am stretched too thin is I get “dumb” and make lots of little mistakes and create a lot of general nuisance for myself and others around me.

This has happened several times over the past week, ranging from going to a showroom to pick things out for a client and not having the client’s file with me, to setting up conference calls with my old and new mastermind groups and completely messing up the scheduling, resulting in way too much confusion and way too much email back and forth to get things straightened out.

So it’s irritating and a big bother for everyone involved but yes, eventually this stuff starts to have an impact beyond annoying and into downright unprofessional. Which is what happened yesterday.

Over a year ago a former student of mine loaned me some material knowing that I would enjoy the information. I did enjoy the information, and was happy she had shared. In the meantime, I did NOT return the material to her (I can’t even imagine what excuse I came up with in my head) it just sat in my bookshelf where it has always sat. Until I remodeled my kitchen – which is next to my office – so the next thing you know nothing is where you think it is. Which I didn’t know til Monday, when my student called and said hey, drop my stuff in the mail to me. So I marched right to my bookshelf – and it’s gone. It’s not there. And it’s not there in that way that I am 99% sure that I am never going to see it again.

I was just sick about it. Talk about not being considerate! Here a STUDENT of mine who is willing to look to me as a mentor loans me her personal things and I was not considerate enough to return them promptly and THEN actually lose them! For real! I went into damage control mode and was able to track down another copy of the material for her – but that’s not the point. The point is:

She was crazy understanding and unbelievably gracious when I told her what happened (and as I expressed my complete embarrassment and unprofessionalism). And later as I reflected I realized I had not been the same to her in regards to her things. And. EVERYONE who I have been infringing upon in my state of “stretched too thin” has been incredibly kind and gracious. So. My request of you this week is to reflect on your behavior – are YOU being as kind as gracious as you can be? Not in just your personal life but your business life? Are you being understanding of your clients in this shakey economic time? And are you being understanding of yourself?

My thanks and gratitude to those of you who have been and consistently are kind, gracious and understanding. I strive to be the same.

Have a great week,

-Mary Larsen

Get Me A Kit Kat Bar! Or at Least a Break.

Mary — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 10:05:01 +0000

I need a break. I wish it could be as simple as the Kit Kat candy bar commercial - imagine humming the “break me off a piece of that Kit Kat bar!” little ditty - it kind of brings a smile to your face.

However, I have found over the past week that though I have eaten a dozen Kit Kat bars and many other delectable chocolates – it’s not that easy. I truly, really need a break. And perhaps not surprisingly, one of the outward signs that I actually do need a break is the amount of chocolate I am consuming!

So here’s the deal – nothing new to a lot of you. I have been going virtually non-stop since last November. Yes, I have had a couple of slow weeks and a couple of great vacations – but it has been all out for many, many months as I have been working on the 2nd edition of my book, putting together a complete online training system for home staging and redesign INCLUDING actually filming a staging and redesign, as well as keeping up with design clients and have made a serious attempt at moving a whole piece of my business online. And as the saying goes – what comes up, must come down, and I need a break.

Clues you need a break.

Not feeling great – feeling out of sorts. This is SO OUT OF CHARACTER for people of high energy and motivation that when it happens we REALLY fight it. We often think we can just power through, cause hey! We get through anything and like it! Feeling “not quite right” can be the first sign that you are stretched too thin.

2. Not accepting you are stretched too thin. So this is a double edged sword – you are always stretched – why should today be any different? Usually this is how you love to operate. The operative word there is USUALLY. It is very hard to accept that perhaps at this exact moment we need a break.

3. Not wanting to go to work. It’s an odd feeling when you love what you do but you find yourself dragging your feet, putting things off, sighing all the time how tired you are, doing anything (including watching old episodes of ER – it would have been NYPD Blue but I couldn’t find it!) to put off doing your work.

4. Not accepting that burnout can lead to resentment and actually beating ourselves up for being weak! We can do anything – we prove it all the time. But man do we resist actually accepting and taking responsibility to stop to recharge the batteries. And in fact, can actually be embarrassed or feel guilty to admit it! Now I know there are “real” problems in the world, but burnout leads to resentment which leads to not sharing our gift – and what good will that do?

5. And as mentioned earlier – finding yourself eating a LOT MORE of your favorite foods (in a failed attempt to feel better) and avoiding your daily walk or workout cause again – you’re just too tired.

So this is where I am today and yes – clearly – I need a break. And as I give myself permission to take that break exactly 10 days from now for a full week – and MORE if I need it! - this is what I will keep in mind:

1. Taking a break and NOT WORKING for one week (or more if I need it!) will let me see my business as a whole again, not these tiny little pieces that I have been solely focused on.

2. It will help me regroup and see if the things I am working on are REALLY what my business needs. Or did I just get sidetracked in all of the “stuff” and maybe these things don’t even fit my business plans anymore.

3. It will help me rejuvenate, so that my intuition comes back (I don’t know about you, but I get “dumb” and make lots of mistakes when I am burned out!) and I can use all of my talents at work – not just drive!

4. It will help me appreciate again why I have my own business

5. It will help me move from burn out to appreciation again to be in a position to help other women make more money in their business as I make more money in mine – now what isn’t there to appreciate??!

So do you need a break? What are you doing to keep yourself balanced, centered, and in a state of appreciation? I’d love to know – leave a comment below! Have a great week,

-Mary Larsen

What Being an Expert Will Do for You!

Mary — Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:14:21 +0000

So I am totally going to be hitting you all up in the near future so that you will have an opportunity to BE PUBLISHED in either a book, and ebook or a training publication that I am working on.

WHY you want to do this seems obvious, yet I can hear it already – I’m too busy to submit – my things (my pix) aren’t good enough – I don’t have anything new to say – etc, etc – and what I say to that is “baloney.”

(oh wait – don’t forget to register for the 5 f.r.e.e webinar event that is THIS Wednesday the 3rd for the design field – register HERE. )

Let me share a little story – several years ago I was contacted and asked if I would be interested in submitting some ideas to a book on Home Staging. The author found me by searching on line for people who do staging and found my website. (HINT – if you don’t have a website, you are missing out on huge opportunities every day!)

At the time – as is the case so often – I was slam busy. And I put off responding to the request. Luckily (or according to plan) I had put a reminder of the deadline in my calendar, and the day before the deadline dashed off a note saying of course I would be happy to talk to the author.

In the end I was one of 12 or so designers featured in the book – which then led me to authoring my OWN book – which then led me to be featured in TWO MORE books.

Now, why is this important? Because being in a book – being published in SOME WAY give you expert status – and now I am going to share with you just a couple of quick things that YOU get when you are an expert.

One of my favorite online authorities – Nancy Marmelejo of Viva Visability recently shared these quick reasons why YOU need to be an expert and get online:

• Build a credible name for yourself in your niche or industry

• Showcase your expertise

• Connect with prospective clients

• Drive traffic to your website, blog, or articles

• Build a following

• Attract joint venture and strategic alliance partners

• Get known by the media

• Broaden your sphere of influence

These are all GREAT reasons to get what you know and what you can do OUT there. And here’s the ending to my story – over 200 designers were contacted for that first book – only 75 responded at all – and only 25 actually carried through.

Don’t be one of those 200 – be one of the 25!!! More info on how you can contribute coming soon.

Here’s to Designing Your Success,

-Mary Larsen

PS – last chance to register for the 5 F.r.e.e webinar series – I’m teaching a great topic – how to boost your biz through online newsletters! Register HERE

Last Chance and More F.r.e.e!

Mary — Fri, 29 May 2009 15:39:10 +0000

WOW! What a great call Wednesday night! The teleseminar “7 Steps to Boost Your Earnings This Summer!” was just buzzing! People are excited and motivated – so as we talked about – take action!

Don’t forget the VERY SPECIAL DISCOUNT for those of you on the call….. it ends on Friday, May 29th!

www.growyourdesignbiz.com/mastermind.htm

If you missed the fabulous call you can order it here for $10 – the audio download will be available next week and I will send you a link to the program. It is filled with things that you can do RIGHT NOW to boost your summer biz!

AAAANNNNNNDDDDDDDD…..

Another fabulous opportunity for you – I know you are really going to love it!

The Society of Design Professionals is hosting FIVE F.R.E.E. webinars NEXT WEDNESDAY on great fabulous topics (and yes, I am presenting - which include:

DesAnn Collins
Tools for Success

Mary Larsen
Clients through email Newsletters

Jill Butler
Tools for Transforming You and Your Business

Kathryn Bechen
PR Pizzazz: How to Get Free PR for Your Interior Design/Decorating/Redesign/Organizing/Real Estate Business

Diana Hudson Kresnye
Win Clients by Creating Computer-Generated “Design Boards

You can learn about EACH PRESENTATION by clicking HERE, then scroll down the page a bit for ALL the info. For each seminar you can push the “show details” button in the lower right of each descriptor box.

I THINK you need to register for each webinar individually – I know several of the presenters personally – this is going to be good stuff!

Fit it in if you can – and if you can’t make it I think you can get each webinar for $10 or $40 for all five.

Hope to see you on the webinar!

Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary

Why I Love My Assistant!

Mary — Wed, 22 Apr 2009 13:09:59 +0000

So I’m getting ready to rush off to the Dominican Republic with a bunch of my siblings and spouses for my big 40th birthday bash. And as I scramble to get ready, I cannot express enough gratitude for my assistant Linda. She makes every day of my work better than it would be alone, and is an enormous help. Luckily for me she is willing to do anything I ask – even work as my personal assistant when needed – like this week.

I know you have heard it before – once you take the time to train someone to do the things you don’t like to do – or the things that keep you from doing the things that you love – you are suddenly a lot more free to spend time with clients and the money making ventures of your business. This allows you to make more money which will more than cover the expense of your asssistant. But as all things go – you will only hire an assistant when you are desperate to do so.Even though you KNOW it will help your business, you put it off til you are desperate… and then say “why didn’t I do this earlier???” So consider this a little “push” to get you in the place you need to be to make that step now!

Here are some of the things I rely on Linda for:

responding to frequently asked questions by email
entering expenses and purchases into quickbooks
writing press releases
submitting press releases on line and to print publications
shipping items
receiving items
preparing my “client kit” for all client visits
keeping my schedule
running out for lunch
bringing in lunch
bringing in chocolate, treats, and special things
contacting clients for follow-up
running any and all errands
and the list goes on and on and on….

Now is it time for YOU to hire an assistant? For the next couple of days write down everything that you do in your day – then review your list – what could an assistant do for you? Design work – your assistant could pull fabric swatches, paint swatches, and even draft a room plan based on your suggestions. Client follow-up – your assistant could manage follow-up calls, client gifts and thank yous, and getting all things ready for your appointments. Admin – opening mail, logging calls, replying to emails….. What can a assistant do for you???

If you already have an assistant, I would love for you to share what tasks YOU delegate by commenting below.

Have a great week!

-Mary Larsen

Spring Has Sprung

Mary — Thu, 09 Apr 2009 18:48:19 +0000

It’s gorgeous here in the south and everything – you name it – is blooming! And that seems to be the same for business – and hopefully for yours, too.

WE Magazine for Women named me as a “Top 101 Women Bloggers to Watch” in 2009 – and I was really thrilled to receive the honor. If you haven’t read my previous blog posts – you should. Lots of helpful information here from me AND your peers – good stuff!

What was funny/not about this honor is that WE Magazine caters to women in their 40s – and I don’t turn 40 til NEXT WEEK! HA! But really, just like everyone else, I am looking around saying – how did 40 happen already???

At the end of May I am hosting a webinar in conjunction with the ADE on “The Art of Window Treatments: How to Add a Proven Revenue Stream to Your Staging, Redesign and Decorating Business.” This will be a great introductory look at adding window treatments to your business if it is not something you are doing already. I’ll keep you posted with more details as they develop.

Don’t forget I will be at the EXPO in Atlanta May 13-16! Here is a little blurb about the redesign class I am teaching – you might want to check it out.

And I have big plans for a retreat this fall for a lucky handful of you – and the topic is “money.” As in “how to make it work for you, and how to make more of it.” Just getting started on the details, but will keep you posted.

And for today’s Marketing Minute I am going a bit off of the beaten path – I am hosting 19 of my family for an Easter/Big FOUR-OH (before the big trip with my siblings to the Dominican Republic to REALLY celebrate) dinner and I thought these tips from Southern Accent Magazine on how to host a dinner party were really helpful - and beautiful, too.

Happy Easter!

Here’s to Designing Your Success™,

-Mary Larsen