Through lots of hard work and continuing to educate myself and others, I was recently appointed as the Chairman of the Professional Development Committee for IRIS (Interior Redesign Industry Specialists.) I count this an honor and a privilege. It is very fulfilling and extremely rewarding to learn from other successful professionals and help others grow.
On another post on "Effective Pricing Strategies that Keep Us Competitive"I will be will be hosting Fred Berns as the April Teleconference Presenter for IRIS. It will be interesting to hear what Fred Berns has to say to us.
Have you ever had a massage? There are a variety of massages you can get. There is the light touch, Swedish massage. Then there is the heavy duty deep tissue massage. Well when I see my Marketing Coach it is like getting a Deep Tissue Coaching "Massage." It is painful and I know that my muscles will be sore afterwards. Nevertheless, I know I will feel much better later and our business will be more effective. At the end of our sessions, I am brain dead, yet hopeful and stimulated for business growth.
My marketing coach, Kathy Martin, from Martin Sanders Consulting is also a Marketing professor at Boise State University. She has been a wonderful mentor for our business of One Day Redesigns Inc. & The Color And Redesign Institute. She has also been doing some heavy duty "Deep Tissue Coaching Massages" for me personally. She recently challenged me with this comment. "It is not what you want to sell, but what do your clients want to buy?" We forget that sometimes. Even though we may have great ideas, we sometimes need to adjust our presentation and our perception of the value of what we are trying to sell. Creative type personalities think of all kinds of things that we can sell. However, are we reaching the right market for our services and products? Or perhaps we need to adjust our presentation of our service?
I am also spending more time pre-qualifying my clients on the phone. I do not do "free consultations". I am a professional that has worked too hard to give my advice away for "free." I am also too busy to go out to do an hour service. I now only schedule two hour consultations. I have learned that it takes a good hour just to assess the client's needs. It also takes at least another 30 minutes to an hour to figure out a plan for them. I also now do a written plan of action for them when I finish my appointments. I have also learned to tell my prospective clients that if they insist they only need an hour of my time, they can find someone else to help them. In all honesty and integrity, I do not want to waste their time or mine, or their money. As my coach has taught me, that hour is better spent on my marketing for our business and doing presentations.
Sandy Dixon, our new Executive Director for IRIS says the following regarding staging: "If there is no dough, don't go!" It is amazing how many people will tell you, "Oh I will give you referrals if you do a service for free and usually do not follow through." You are a professional and need to act like one, right? How many doctors or mechanics do you know that will work for "free?"
I'm sure this Active Rain Community has some tips that you have learned along the way that can help us be more effective with our marketing and pricing strategies.
What is the greatest lesson you have learned on pricing marketing strategies that keep you competitive?
Please share, we are all eager to learn from you!
© 2008 Irene Woodworth
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