10 Tips to Attracting More Clients

Our world is changing and as we work from home, we are trying to figure out new ways to navigate business. People still want to live in beautiful spaces, they still want to purchase new items for their homes and they still want to live their best lives. It’s times like these that force us to pivot and create new innovative ways to continue to push our business forward. Below are some ways I’ve seen other interior designers continue to stay in front of clients and continue to offer services that will keep their businesses thriving in our current climate.

1. Nurture that email list! Spend some quality time creating some really heartfelt and genuine emails to send to your contact list. Create emails that let your subscribers know that you understand what they are going through, you are here for them if they need anything and outline the ways you can still help them. Start an email series right now that will help them during these times.

2. Offer virtual consultations. Let clients know how they can still work with you during these times. You may be surprised how many people just need a consultation right now. They are spending more time in their homes than ever and they are sick of looking at it. It’s time for a refresh!

3. Create shoppable concept boards and renders. Share your favorite products and make money using affiliate links. People who shop your style may be more inclined to work with you.

4. Share your portfolio. Start inspiring people with your work and share what makes you happy about what you share.

5. Update and share. Now is the time to get caught up on housekeeping issues like updating your portfolio, creating content, organizing your processes and share what you’ve learned. People connect to you and your story … use this time to share your story and how you are growing and changing during quarantine. What silver linings have you found in this pandemic?

6. Share your e-design services. Share how people can work with you during this time, outline this process and make sure your target market is aware that you are still working with others. Perhaps you have a remote only service and perhaps you have a remote hybrid service. However you are working with clients at this time, share it!

7. Create interest. Write a blog post about why now is a great time to update your home, or how interior design can affect your mood or about the psychology of color. Write intriguing posts relevant to the times to get people interested in your brand.

8. Continue to educate yourself. Now is a great time to start listening to an interior design podcast or to get continuing education through interior design platforms. Many of them are offering free video conferences and webinars at this time. Use what you learn to attract more clients.

9. Create videos. People have time to watch stuff now so create some fun videos about refreshing a space, your process, choosing the right rug or something else that you know your target market will love.

10. Be real. You will attract the clients you are looking for just by being yourself. Stick with a positive message, share a sneak peek into your quarantine life and use humor if that’s your thing. Sometimes we are afraid to be ourselves but it’s only when we are ourselves do we find growth.

Our world will forever be changed so we have to adapt and grow. We will be stronger and our industry will thrive.

Stay safe & well!

XX, Danae

Services you may not know that we offer...

Hello and Happy Wednesday from Elite Design Assistants! 

I don’t want to brag or anything, but we have some of the BEST design assistants out there.

I’ve had a lot of requests lately for services like blog writing and social media….but did you know we offer services that are more in the realm of actual design work? 

I know you’re busy and sometimes all the client work on your plate can be overwhelming. That is why my team offers the following services so that we can help you as much as possible!

1. 3D Renderings: These are HUGE in our industry right now, as they are a beyond amazing way to show your client exactly what they will get, before any furniture or accessories are ordered!

2. Drafting: CAD floorplans, detail drawings, etc. 

3. Mood Boards: We’ll take this step over so you can focus on other things that you love in your business

4. Floor plan services: Space planning for your clients or creating CAD drawings, like I mentioned above. 

5. Sourcing: the process of finding, compiling and recommending finishes, fixtures and furniture. My team will help you find the perfect piece for your project. 

To view examples of some of these services, check out the Portfolio section of our website!
My team and I really want to make your life easier when it comes to your business. When you focus on things you love and let us take care of the rest, your business will flow better and you have more time to focus on bringing in new clients and giving them the best experience possible!

Ready to get help on some of these tasks? Contact us today!

XO, Danae

The importance of having a blog in your interior design business

Hi, folks and happy Wednesday!

Do you have a blog for your interior design business? Yeah, yeah...I know! You don’t and you may not want to. I’m not typically a believer in doing things for your business that you don’t love….BUT, a blog is an important part of most businesses, especially for interior designers.

We’re gonna talk a bit today about why it’s important to have a blog and how you can get started creating one today.

A Blog….

1. Positions you as the design expert. Blogs are a great way to show that you know what you’re doing, showing your credibility with each post. 

2. .Are binge-worthy pieces of content. This means that someone could start with reading one post and they find it so valuable that they read your other posts. Before they know it, they’ll be signing up for your freebies and then eventually hiring you. 

3. Connect with your audience. Blogs are a great way to show your personality.

4. More traffic to your website. You can promote your blog post on social media, bringing them to your site to read. The more time they spend on your site the more likely they are to hire you.

5. Content that keeps on giving. You write it once and then it’s out there getting you new clients every week! No more work required after the initial writing session. 

We’ve noticed that blogging is one of the least-liked tasks for designers in their business. You’re already wearing so many hats, and blogging is not at the top of the list. Next week’s topic will be about how to start an interior design blog, so stay tuned for that! 

We love helping interior designers create a blogging presence online so that you can spend your time focusing on your clients and bringing in more business. Interested in chatting with one of our design assistants about this? Contact us today!

Client Processes for Interior Designers

I’ve heard from many of you that are getting very busy, which is very exciting but can also be very overwhelming so I thought I’d give you some ideas on things you should consider to help you get and stay organized!

First of all, take some time to write down everything you need to do in the coming days, weeks and months. Then crumple up that list and throw it in the trash. I’m so sorry! I’m totally kidding. Please dig that list back out of the trash and from here on out I promise I’ll be serious. J

Block out some time and let’s get to work!

Guidelines

Do you have an operations manual? Have you written down or typed out your business process from start to finish? Creating processes help you stay organized, prevent important details from being overlooked and are very beneficial when delegating tasks.

Write down your business processes and create a manual or guideline that you can use as a reference for all clients you work with and assistants you hire. Include processes for working with clients, marketing, hiring, purchasing, bookkeeping and anything else that is a major part of your business that you feel needs a detailed guide.

I have found that interior designers organize their businesses a little bit differently. Some of them are paper, binder, folder people and others are computer, software, techy people. Do what works best for you!

Today I’m going to write more about client processes and what you should consider having in place, if you don’t already.

Create binders or folders either hard copy, on your computer or in your favorite software program for each client. Now create a To-Do list and schedule for each client. Color code each client and merge the schedule into one master calendar so you have a clearer picture of what needs to be done. But before any of this can be done perhaps you need to take a look at your client processes.

Communication:

Do you have an outline for how communication is handled with clients? Do you have email templates ready to save you time since you most often are sending some of the same emails, whether it’s a response to an inquiry or a welcome email, next steps email, update email or invoice email.

Consultations:

Do you have guidelines on how quickly you need to respond to inquiries and set up consultations? Do you have certain days/times blocked off for consultations only? Do you have a client qualifying process you go through before booking a consultation with an inquiry?

Proposals:

Once you’ve qualified a candidate, had a consultation and are ready to create a proposal, do you have proposal templates on hand? Do you use a formula for figuring out a project timeline and budget? How long do your clients have before they need to respond to your proposal?

Working with Tradespeople/Vendors:

Do you have a list of your go-to contractors, tradespeople and vendors? Do you have a process for connecting with them and lining them up for projects and/or placing orders? How do you schedule installations? Communication and follow up is key and guidelines on these processes are going to eliminate time, headaches and costly errors in the future.

Site Visits:

These processes may have changed due to COVID-19 whether it be the frequency of visits or the manner in which they are conducted. Be sure you have a clear idea of how to schedule and coordinate these as well as how many of these you need for each project. Do you block out time on certain days for site visits?

Reveal Day:

Do you have a checklist and processes for the completion of the entire project? Do you also do styling or take photographs? How do you then present your client with the final invoice?

Running an interior design business is no easy feat! There are multiple moving pieces and a lot of things to coordinate, order, install and consider when working on one project let alone several at one time. Writing down every process and procedure may seem like an overwhelming task but spending a little time now will save you loads of time, money and headaches in the future.

Hopefully, this has given you some things to consider! If you are really struggling with your processes I do know there are courses on this very subject that you can take to really help you get your entire business organized and running in a more efficient manner! Or, I know people who hire an assistant to help get their processes in order as well.

Have a great week! Danae

5 places to show up so your ideal client can find you online

Did you catch our blog post a few weeks ago about the 3 things you can do right now to connect with your ideal client online? This is the second in that series, and we’re going to show you 5 places you can show up, share your services, and talk to your ideal client online.

Using social media is a great way to get the word about your business out there! It gives you the opportunity to showcase your talents and skills, share valuable and helpful information, and develop your brand online. 

Here are 5 separate social media platforms you can utilize in your business today!

1. Facebook: On Facebook, you will find photos, videos, and other forms of free content. You can also find specialized facebook groups. Posts can be much longer on this platform than they can on others. 

2. Instagram:  You have endless opportunities for marketing on this platform. You can share photos, videos, trainings, and other forms of free content. You can also communicate with your potential clients in direct messages. 

3. Twitter: This is a great place to share short-form content. Nothing too long or complicated! Short and sweet. 

4. Pinterest: Pinterest is not a social media platform, but it’s a great place to share freebies and other fun visually stimulating and valuable content.

5. Google My Business: This is also not a social media platform. It’s really a place where your potential clients can read reviews, check your portfolio and other things like that. 

Now, I know you’re probably feeling pretty overwhelmed with this list! But don’t worry, you don’t have to implement all of these at once. Just start with one or two, and as you build up your free content, you can start sending out content to the other platforms as well.

Need help creating content and getting it out to the world via social media? Contact us today. 

Now offering Edesign Services!

Now that we are all quarantined from the outside world and spending more time than ever in our homes, we all want to be in a beautiful space. E-design will become more popular than ever as interior designers find creative ways to continue to work with clients and clients desire to make their quarantine spaces more attractive. Let’s be honest, spending time in a beautifully designed space is much better for the soul especially during times like these.

Marketing your e-design service should be an easy sell at the moment. Sign up for my weekly e-mail at www.elitedesignassistants.com and I’ll send you a FREE client/prospect email you can send to your current clients, prospects and email subscriber list regarding your e-design service.

Need more information on e-design for your own business? Here you go!

How does e-design work? (This is a very high-level overview of the process.)

1.       Offer your clients/prospects an intro call and/or zoom meeting to see what their needs are and review your e-design packages. Be sure to explain that in e-design everything is done remotely, so it will not include on-site visits, installation, construction, etc.

2.       Once they choose to work with you, email them your LOA (you may need to adjust this for e-design services) and once it’s received email them a modified version of the questionnaire you normally would in your business. Ask them to include inspiration photos as well as pictures and measurements of the space they want you to design.

3.       Let the designing begin. You can create concept boards, 3d renders and a shopping list for your clients. The shopping list can include links to your affiliate sites for self-ordering or you can offer trade options that you’ll place orders for them as you normally would.

4.       Send your clients the package (concept board, render, shopping list) along with instructions on how to order products and install the design.

5.       Once they’ve implemented your design, ask them to provide after photos so you can use them in your before/after portfolio for e-design. I know a lot of e-designers struggle with getting the after photos so maybe offer some sort of incentive to get those. 😊

6.       Send them a thank you and let them know you’re happy to help them again in another space.

Pricing – Just like in regular design, pricing is very different for all e-designers. Many of them offer a variety of packages. Some ideas of pricing and options I’ve seen are as follows:

1.       Full design per room includes concept board, floor plan, paint palette, shopping list, render, written instructions for installation and a 60 day follow up. Priced anywhere from $700 - $1,000.

2.       Design per room includes everything above EXCEPT render. Priced anywhere from $500 - $650.

3.       Refresh per room – this would be refreshing what they have and styling it, you could still offer a small shopping list of items. Priced anywhere from $300 - $450.

4.       You can also offer online consultations, furniture layouts or shoppable boards for specific styles.

There are definitely options for you during this time to still do what you love. There are a lot of resources now on e-design. You can try the Facebook Group called edesign Tribe as a great place to start. Many groups are doing special live training on e-design during this time.

As always, please let me know what you need as I’m happy to help!

XX, Danae

3 Things you didn't know you could hire Elite Design Assistants for...

We’ve had a few requests lately for tasks that are not typical interior designer tasks, so we wanted to share them here for you so that you know all the possibilities for things you can outsource. Now, now... we know….you’re super woman! But you don’t have to do it all. We want you to have more time to focus on the things that matter...your clients and your design work!

One great thing about working with us is that when you contact us, you’ll be paired with the perfect design assistant for you and YOUR needs. Just consider us Design Assistant matchmakers!

If you’ve ever considered hiring an Elite Design Assistant to take care of any of your design tasks, you probably haven’t thought of these 3 things….

1. SEO (Search Engine Optimization): for your website. Squarespace, wordpress, etc. The purpose of SEO is to increase the quantity and quality of inbound traffic to your website. It is beneficial to both the consumer and business because it connects searchers with content that is most relevant to them. Now, In English, it will bring more ideal clients to your website. 

2. Systems set up:  Helping you to get all your systems set up so that you can operate your interior design business in the best and most efficient way possible. This could be anything and everything from client contracts to installation and project maintenance.

3. Vendor management: including the site, SideDoor. This could involve a variety of things like tracking shipments, custom furniture builds, item & sample deliveries. We will function as your middle man. 

As a designer and small business owner, we know that you are wearing pretty much every hat. Accountant, stylist, writer, website designer, head of marketing, rendering artist…..

But that doesn’t have to be the case. We are here to help!

Have a request for a specific task in your business that you’re not sure we offer? Just email us at
danae@elitedesignassistants.com or call us at 515.309.2838.

Does email marketing actually work to find interior design clients?

This is a common question in many fields today. Does email marketing actually bring in clients? According to optinmonster.com, “59% of respondents say marketing emails influence their purchase decisions and 80% of business professionals believe that email marketing increases customer retention.” 

Many think this isn’t possible with how much social media has grown over the years. If the contents of the email are interesting to the recipient, it is indeed a great marketing tactic. But if you can’t hold the attention of your reader, then you won’t be able to make sales.

Here are a few tips for creating emails that your email subscribers will enjoy!

1. Consistency: Show up in their inbox at least once per week. If your schedule only allows for twice a month, start there and work your way up. Do your best to keep things consistent so that your audience knows when to expect to hear from you!

2. Establish yourself as the expert: The best way to do this is to send your ideal client the info that they need. Share actionable steps or tips for reaching whatever their goal is. What are the things they need the most help with? What are the most frequently asked questions that your clients ask you about.

3. Give value: Give as much value as you can in each email. Share your greatest tips & tricks so that they can take actionable steps in their home NOW. 

4. Ask for the sale: Give them an opportunity to buy from you. Decide what you want your clients to do next and then make it easy for them. For example, you could write your email about the best way to hang curtains. Then offer up a freebie or low level offer like, “my 5 favorite sources for curtains” and mention it at the end of the email. Another example would be to send them an email about the 5 Steps to a remodel that runs on time and without problems, then mention that they can book a consultation with you at the end to help review their renovation plan. 

Email marketing can be overwhelming. If you’re not sure what emails to send to your clients, we have a full library of email templates we’ve created for you. Just edit the content as you see fit and send to your subscribers. 

You can find the templates in our shop!

The 5 most popular outsourced tasks that an elite design assistant can handle for you

Running an interior design business is no walk in the park. You wear so many hats and end up juggling all of the work...including those pesky tasks you hate!

As a busy designer, you should be focusing on creating content, networking and building relationships, and planning new growth strategies.

Many clients come to us because they’re feeling overwhelmed with all that they need to accomplish in a given day while balancing all of their clients. So we wanted to make you a list of the tasks that you may be doing in your business that we could take off your plate!

These are the 5 most common things that designers hire us for:

1. Administrative tasks. This could be a variety of things but mainly procurement like placing orders, tracking shipments and dealing with vendor.

2. 3D Renderings

3. CAD drafting

4. Sourcing. This is a very common task that designers decide to outsource. Finding the perfect furniture piece, fabric, etc.

5. Blog writing/social media management

The great thing about Elite Design Assistants is that our assistants are actually designers or have design experience themselves, making it easier for them to complete even the most intimate designer tasks like sourcing and writing blog posts.

We match virtual design assistants with designers based on a variety of skillsets, talents, personality and software knowledge. So if you need an assistant to create 3d renders and you aren't choosy on the software, we got you. If you need someone to create 3d renders specifically in Chief Architect or 2020 or Revit or SketchUp or another program, we got you.

If you need administrative help specifically in Ivy or MyDoma or Studio Designer or other, we got you. Let us know what you need and we will find the virtual design assistant to match your specific needs.

If you have a task that’s really weighing you down, respond to this email and we’ll get you setup with your personal design assistant. We’re here to help!

Have a Happy New Year!

3 things you can do right now to connect with your ideal client online

I’m sure you’ve heard it before! You have to connect with your ideal client through your marketing if you want to not only call in clients but to have those clients be the best fit for you and the services you offer.

Because who wants to work with clients who just don’t feel quite aligned?! Nobody….

Clients are more likely to purchase from you if you are talking specifically to them in your marketing and tailoring things to their needs. 

The problem is, it’s hard to know what to do to actually form that necessary connection. So we decided to leave you our top 3 tips for doing just that!

1. Know who they are and talk directly to them in every post. This will require sitting down and deciding exactly who this person is. Give them a name, a profession, an income, interests, a favorite wine, a style preference, etc. Go as deep as you can and really get specific with their hobbies, interests, and anything else you can think of.

2. Solve a problem for them. Pick a couple pain points that your ideal client has and show them a project where you solved a similar problem. This is a great way to position yourself as the expert.

3. Be you. Do you have anything in common with this client? People are more likely to hire people that they know, like and trust. And sharing more of who you are allows them to do that! Maybe you both like to drink wine and you share your top favorite kind or do a quick and easy boomerang of you drinking a glass at the completion of a project.

Remember to dive deep into who your ideal client is. If you’re talking to everybody in your marketing, you are actually talking to nobody. 

Bonus tip: Don’t be afraid to create polarizing content. This will eliminate those clients that are not a good fit and invite in the ones who are. 

Happy Holidays from everyone at EDA!

Need help creating content that will connect you with your ideal client? Reply to this email to inquire about our services.