Fred Berns

Fred Berns speaks to, coaches and writes promotional copy for interior design professionals worldwide. For information about his services and products, visit InteriorDesignBusiness.net or contact him at Fred@FredBerns.com or 303-589-3013.

Articles by Fred Berns

• How to turn your brand into a phrase that pays

  Monday, April 15, 2019

  Branding has become big business among interior design professionals as they strive to get heard above the noise and stand out in an increasingly crowded marketplace. There are nearly as many interior design "brands" out there as there are interior designers, but the most effective of these — the ones that create the most buzz and attract the most business — have one word in common: "Only." Nothing differentiates your design firm more dramatically and spells out your specialness more effectively than that word.

• What it means when you get their questions but not their business

  Monday, March 25, 2019

  If it hasn't happened yet, it probably will: a prospect seeks your advice on furnishings, then goes online to buy them. If there's one thing interior design professionals hate, it's sharing their insights and ideas with people who end up taking their business elsewhere. But, as you think about that, think about this: What if those people are doing you a favor by "shopping" you? What if they're teaching you a very valuable lesson and giving you some frank feedback? What "shoppers" are telling you is that you're not selling them.

• Cater to your ‘currents,’ and you’ll beef up your bottom line

  Friday, March 15, 2019

  Looking to build your interior design business? Look no further than your current clients. After all, your current clients are your best ones. They’re the ones who know, trust and value you. They’re the ones most likely to refer you. And they’re the ones as interested in forging lasting partnerships as you are. Perhaps more so. The problem is most design professionals fail to tap into their resources of clients as much as they could, or should.

• Allow yourself to set — and get — higher fees

  Friday, January 18, 2019

  If you’re an interior design professional, only one person will prevent you from setting and getting much higher fees and markups in the year ahead. That person isn't a competitor, critic, or customer. That person is you. You're the one who will convince yourself that you can't charge more. You're the one who will tell yourself that clients would never pay more for your design services. And that your local market won't "bear" higher fees. And that you simply don't have the experience or expertise to substantially raise your fees. That's baloney.

• Meaningful marketing: Use wise words and avoid wimpy ones

  Friday, January 04, 2019

  So, you're a designer with an "intuitive eye for scale and proportion." Or, you're a showroom manager who sells furniture that "connects people, technology and space." So what? What does that mean? What’s in it for me? Those are the questions that all your prospects ask, all of the time. And those are the questions that so many design professionals and industry partners fail to answer on their websites, in their social networking, and in their marketing materials.

• ‘Look the part’ and the new year will be your best year

  Wednesday, December 19, 2018

  This is the time of year that companies in most every industry, in most every market set goals for the year ahead. And no matter if those firms are big or small, they often have a similar ambition: to get bigger jobs from better clients. It’s a worthy goal, to be sure, but a difficult one to achieve. So many companies work so hard to attract major projects from luxury-level clients, yet so few succeed. Why? Most don’t attract high-caliber clients because they don’t look like high-caliber companies.

• Plan your route and you’ll reach your 2019 destination

  Tuesday, December 11, 2018

  Many interior design professionals use the holiday season to reflect on the year that was. You’re wise to focus instead on the year that can be. Use this time to plot your course and make your 2019 sales and marketing plan. Why? Because a designer without a plan is like ship without a rudder. You may have a rough idea of where you want to go, but not a clue on how to get there. You can "get there" and achieve your goals for the year ahead by keeping these seven "p"rinciples in mind.

• 8 reasons you fail to get your fees

  Monday, January 08, 2018

  ​If you're feeling overworked and underpaid this time of year, don't blame your clients. Chances are you're undervaluing your services or committing one of the other common "money miscues" that too many interior design professionals commit too often.

• ‘Write’ the wrongs, if blogging isn’t working

  Tuesday, December 12, 2017

  More and more interior design professionals are adding blogging to their marketing mix — with good reason. Blog posts are the focal point of effective social media campaigns, since they can establish your expertise, enhance your online presence and get you clients.

• Real estate stagers can and should offer design services

  Monday, November 13, 2017

  The most financially successful interior design professionals are often the most diversified. They have multiple streams of income. One lucrative "stream" available to real estate stagers is offering partial or complete interior design services. Problem is, too many stagers avoid that opportunity because they feel they lack the proper credentials.

• Keys to a powerful partnership with interior designers

  Monday, September 25, 2017

  What's the best way for companies to increase sales to leading interior designers? Help them help themselves. Manufacturers, showrooms, local retailers, independent sales reps and others looking to boost their business with designers should help them build their businesses. They should partner with them, providing guidance on how the designers can differentiate themselves, promote their expertise and build their database.

• ‘Interior consulting’ paves the way for projects and profits

  Thursday, August 24, 2017

  Want to make it big as interior design professional? Then start small. Start out by promoting yourself as an "interior consultant," rather than "interior designer." Why? For one thing, it's an outstanding way to differentiate yourself in a crowded marketplace. Chances are, there are far more designers in your area than consultants.

• Don’t get bamboozled by these interior design business blunders

  Tuesday, June 27, 2017

  If your interior design business isn't where it could be and should be this summer, you might blame it on blunders. You may be committing the same sales and marketing missteps that sabotage the success of too many design professionals, too often.

• If your interior design website is weak, it’s time for a tweak

  Monday, June 19, 2017

  Is your website working? Is it attracting lots of visitors, lots of "buzz," and lots of business? If you are like most interior design professionals, you probably invested a hefty sum for your site. Are you getting a good return on that investment? Is it getting you the kind of projects and clients that you want and need? If not, it’s time for a tweak.

• Designers should tell all, if they want to sell all

  Tuesday, January 10, 2017

  If you're not earning the income you could be, or should be, that may have nothing to with the interior design services you offer. It may have everything to do with the fact that not enough people know about them.

• Interior designers should be meaningful about their marketing

  Tuesday, December 13, 2016

  ​So, you say you'll market your interior design business more in the year ahead? Why? Marketing is meaningless unless you have a specific reason in mind. Too many design professionals don't. Sure, they have a vague notion that they should promote themselves though social media and other channels as a way to "get more recognition." Right idea. Wrong reason.

• Successful interior designers find power in their pipelines

  Monday, October 31, 2016

  If disappointing sales are your problem, there's a simple solution: Pump up your pipeline. You can quickly jump-start your interior design business by simply reaching out every workday, every week to at least 10 individuals who can help you build your business.

• Leading designers ‘take it to the top’ to boost sales

  Wednesday, August 31, 2016

  Show your best before you discuss the rest. That's the selling strategy of some of the most financially successful interior design professionals. They talk about and showcase their highest end products and services at the outset, before rolling out lower-priced alternatives.

• What interior designers can learn from Dr. Phil

  Wednesday, June 01, 2016

  Looking to get a better return on the investment of money and time you put into promoting your interior design business? Then, make "pain" your priority. You'll market yourself much more effectively and substantially increase your sales if you address the most pressing design challenges your prospects face.

• Designers beware: The terrible 10 selling sins

  Tuesday, April 12, 2016

  When it comes to selling, many interior designers have discovered the hard way that avoiding the wrong steps can be as important as taking the right ones. Those design professionals whose sales results and profits aren't what they could be, or should be, are usually guilty of some — or perhaps all — of the terrible 10 selling sins.

• 5 guidelines to get the 2016 goals you set

  Monday, January 18, 2016

  ​Those interior design professionals who focus and follow through on the most ambitious goals often reap the biggest rewards. Designers can convert their goals into reality and achieve outstanding outcomes by following these guidelines for the year ahead.

• Use a January letter to give yourself a raise

  Tuesday, January 05, 2016

  Interior design professionals should think of January as "show and tell" time — and a swell time to raise their fees. It's a time to connect with those you seek to influence, show them what you got, and tell them what to do. Let's have a design discussion, check out my Houzz site, review my new portfolio, read this blog post, have a look at that video, etc.

• Self-selling is key to your interior design career

  Wednesday, December 02, 2015

  If you're planning a career in interior design, you should promote yourself as if your career and your future depend on it. Because they do. Self-promotion skills are every bit as important, if not more so, than space planning know-how, remodeling acumen or color expertise. You can't overemphasize the significance of personal marketing in a highly competitive job market.

• ‘Don’ts’ don’t matter when promoting your interior design career

  Wednesday, September 30, 2015

  Too many interior designer professionals dwell on their "don'ts." Don't make that mistake. Don't tell your prospects and clients about the design experience you don't have. Or the design degrees you don't have. Or the professional affiliations you don't have. Or the product lines you don't carry.

• Learning from your losses will set you up for success

  Wednesday, September 09, 2015

  Too many interior design professionals have committed too many business blunders, and their incomes have suffered as a result. The median income for interior design professionals is less than $49,000, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

• Relationships bring results for interior design industry partners

  Wednesday, August 26, 2015

  ​If your challenge is to increase your business with interior design professionals, here's your solution: teach them how to sell your stuff. Been there, done that, you say. After all, your sales reps talk and text and tweet with designers all the time. And you put on those training events. And you show up at the right social events.

• ‘YOU-SPs’ and lead stories distinguish designers

  Tuesday, August 04, 2015

  Do the people you need to know…know you? Do they know all that you do? All that you can do? When they need the kind of interior design services and products that you sell, do they absolutely, automatically contact you? If not, that means that they don't "get" what you have. And if they don't get that, you don't get their business.

• Success shortcut: Reach out to the right realtors

  Wednesday, July 15, 2015

  If "How do I work with higher-caliber clients?" is your question, successful local realtors may have your answers. When it comes to landing fat-cat clients, success leaves clues. You'll find lots of them when you hang around high-end real estate professionals, the ones who sell multimillion luxury properties to the area's most affluent buyers.

• Lessons can be learned when interior designers get ‘shopped’

  Tuesday, May 19, 2015

  If your prospects are "shopping" you, they're not shafting you. They're doing you a favor. Most interior design professionals cringe at the thought of providing design ideas to prospects, only to have them take their business elsewhere.

• Use ‘cost’ to close interior design sales

  Tuesday, May 05, 2015

  When it comes to pricing, most interior design professionals focus only on what it costs prospects to hire them. In contrast, savvy designers focus on what it will cost prospects if they don't. Chances are you periodically encounter price procrastination when presenting your cost to prospective buyers. They tell you that they want to "think about it" or talk it over with their spouse, or perhaps "get back to you tomorrow."

• 12 truths about your best interior design prospects

  Tuesday, April 21, 2015

  You work hard to get your best interior design prospects to know you, but do you know them? Perhaps not, if you're unaware that ...

• Interior designers should hunt eagles, not turkeys

  Tuesday, March 31, 2015

  Eagles, not turkeys. Follow that client strategy, and you'll fly high from this point onward. Looking to take your design business to the next level? Reach that by remembering this: Work with good clients. Don't work with bad ones. Resolve to bond with the best, and avoid the rest.

• Speak up! Public speaking is good for business

  Tuesday, March 03, 2015

  Public speaking is a good way for interior design professionals to create credibility, establish expertise and get business. Designers can share their insights by speaking at home shows, conferences of facility managers, "lunch and learn" meetings for realtors, continuing education classes or other public programs. It's an easy way to make a maximum marketing impact for a minimal investment of time and money.

• Build your design business with a powerful Houzz profile

  Tuesday, January 20, 2015

  If Houzz.com is going to work for you, you need to put some work into it. That's one of the takeaways from a new report issued by representatives of this social media platform that connects homeowners with design and building professionals.

• What design professionals don’t do in 2015 may be the key to success

  Wednesday, December 03, 2014

  The holiday season is a good time to look ahead, as well as back, as you think about your interior design business. As you plan ahead for 2015, consider what you can do to take your design business to the next level. But it's also important to ponder what you won't do, to avoid mistakes and missteps that could sabotage your success.

• Interior designers can make magic — and money — through voicemail

  Monday, November 24, 2014

  What do callers hear when they don't hear you? What you say — or don't say — on your voicemail can have a major impact on your design business in these competitive times, considering how often prospects get your "message" before they get you. Too bad so many design professionals play the same game when it comes to voicemail.

• 7 paths to peak profits for interior designers

  Tuesday, October 14, 2014

  ​Interior design professionals can boost their bottom line and have a fantastic finish to 2014 if they follow seven simple strategies.

• ‘Now’ is how to build your interior design business

  Wednesday, September 24, 2014

  Interior design professionals can't grow their profits simply by convincing prospects to buy. The key is convincing them to buy now. You compete with far more than your competitors when it comes to getting prospects to work with you now. You compete with those new cars that prospects want to buy. And those vacations they want to take. And those college tuitions they have to pay for.

• Blow your horn, toot your flute and watch your sales soar

  Tuesday, September 16, 2014

  If you're not getting clients you want — and the income you need — it's not your competitors' fault. It's yours. If you're like many industry pros, you don't do a good enough job of telling others how good you are. You're your own best-kept secret.

• Is standing out a problem? Discover the ‘only’ solution

  Wednesday, September 10, 2014

  Why you? That's the question on the minds of everyone you seek to influence. How well you answer that question determines how successful you'll become in your interior design career and business.