Establishing Business Development Habits
Shift Your Mindset, Establish Your Systems, and Identify Your Accountability Partner
In today's unpredictable business landscape, it's critical to have an established strategy for steady growth that sees your interior design firm through the slow and busy periods. A proactive approach to business development is needed to overcome economic challenges and unlock new opportunities. This involves embracing a mindset transformation, implementing systematic processes, and maintaining unwavering accountability. In this article, we explore how you can revolutionize your business development efforts, equipping you with the tools and support needed to thrive in an ever-changing world.
Shift Your Mindset
Success begins with the right mindset. We know business development (sales) can be daunting. Your genius is design and you can engage in conversations about interior design extremely well, and with great ease. But the thought of selling yourself paralyzes you. We get it. We’ve been there.
Shifting the mindset starts with owning your purpose. You have come this far because you are talented. People love your work. You love your work. Telling someone about your business should give you great pride. Here’s an easy shift you can make today - clients don’t become your clients because they can do it themselves. They pay you because they want their home or business to look nice but they don’t know how or where to get started. If they can’t afford you that’s their issue not yours. Do not take it as something you need to change. They simply can’t afford you - not everyone can. They don’t like your style. That’s ok, do you like every fashion designer out there or do you lean to a particular style? There is a fit for everyone, and the right client for you will come. Repeat that in your head. Write it down and read it to yourself before you get on a call or send an email.
Seize new opportunities by empowering yourself to think bigger, act boldly, and embrace change. Start simple and warm up by doing the following:
Post recent projects on your LinkedIn and share with contacts. In-message contacts and ask if they would mind reposting on their pages
Send an email to past clients showcasing a recent project or asking how they’re enjoying their space
Contact realtors in your area to share your contact details and ask if they would pass on to their new home buyers
Create a System
You’ve shifted the mindset, and you need to ensure you don’t miss an opportunity because a follow up email never got sent or a potential client wasn’t sure of the next steps. This happens to so many companies because they don’t have the right systems in place to support the business development efforts. Acting fast while you have an interested person is the key to closing on a new project.
An established CRM (Customer Relationship Management) is needed to truly close the loop on any potential lead generation. A CRM doesn’t need to be expensive or complicated. At 19th&CO we use Zoho’s CRM due to its ease of use, and just the right functionality for our needs and budget.
The right approach for using a CRM is understanding your ultimate goal, planning out how you need to achieve that goal, and start by taking it one step at-a-time. Not tech savvy? That’s ok. There are loads of how-to videos on YouTube. Take a few minutes to gain an understanding of how it works. You’re guaranteed to find similar videos on whichever CRM you land on.
Accountability Partnership
Accountability is a crucial element in achieving long-term business development goals. Your employees are held accountable to complete projects on time, on budget and to spec. Who is holding you accountable for business development? Do you find yourself putting it off because something else has come up or you simply want to avoid the act altogether? Committing to and pushing through on lining up new clients is work but like everything else becomes second nature or habit once you’ve done it enough - just like the first day at the gym or training for a marathon. Some of us need an accountability partner and that’s ok. It’s important to recognize that in yourself and act on it. Take a few minutes to identify your accountability partner. Don’t have one? Many times it takes paying someone to hold you truly accountable. This can mean hiring a member of your team to focus on business development if your budget allows or working with a consultancy for the time you need to get your business development habit established.
Building a successful business requires a solid foundation supported by efficient systems and processes. By analyzing your current operations, identifying areas of improvement, streamlining workflows, and implementing scalable systems your interior design firm will be in a solid place for continued steady growth. By adopting a holistic approach that encompasses mindset transformation, systematic processes, and unwavering accountability you will start to unlock your full potential, achieve sustainable growth, and navigate the complexities of the modern business landscape.
The 19th&CO team is also available to review your current process, make recommendations and be the voice of reason for any doubts you may have on the way forward. Get in touch here, and start growing your interior design clients today!
