Business by Design this month reports that budget questions limit their thinking -- and your income.

THIS MONTH:
+ Customer (Dis)Service
+ Give 'em Your Best
+ Howdy, Partner!

+ Customer (Dis)Service
It's not just that most clients don't know their budget for design.

They don't even have a clue.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

There's a word for that:

Dumb.

+ Howdy, Partner!
I'm pleased to welcome my newest corporate partner: Wisconsin Drapery Supply(WDS).

I've contracted with WDS to do on-line as well as live sales and marketing training for its customers throughout the country. I'll write sales and marketing articles each month on the company’s website, www.wiscdrapery.com, and in its quarterly newsletters. I also present customized live seminars for its clients.

WDS, a fabricator which has worked with window fashion pros for more than 35 years, is a major distributor of Graber and Kirsch drapery hardware and a preferred fabricator of Graber custom products. It also carries Conso trim and related products such as RocLon lining and unique decorative hardware.

Welcome WDS!