Most of the interior designers we work with source primarily to-the-trade and custom products for their full-service interior design projects. Sure, they'll pull in a retail item here and there when it comes to accessories or styling items. But for the most part, if they specify something, they're ordering it through one of their vendor accounts. 

This may be how you run your business, or maybe you'd like to start selling more to-the-trade items (if this is you, be sure to check out our mini-course: Beyond Retail). Either way, I’ll bet you've heard questions similar to these from prospects before: 

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Dear Dakota, I have no leads coming and haven't booked a new client in a while. Do you think I should invest in having my website rewritten, or should I have it redesigned?

This question was submitted by a designer via The Weekly Install®, and here’s the thing: if you don't have leads coming in, it's …

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If you're anything like me, you have a gazillion things you want to do in your business. But how do you know where to start when you have SO MANY things you want to do? And on the flip side of that, if everything feels broken but you also want to add in more things, where do you begin?

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This week’s tech tip is all about organizing your ordering and tracking process to save you SO. MUCH. TIME.

Set up an orders@yourbusinessname.com email address and use that email to apply for all your vendor accounts. This way, all your order update emails go to that inbox AND once you hand over the ordering to a team member, they’ll have full access to that inbox and won’t need to log into your inbox to get order information. 

If you’re not booking interior design projects with five and six-figure design fees, don’t blame it on your market or your clients. Many things have to be in place to book those bigger projects that everyone so desires. And best of all: these things are all in your control. Woop woop.

Without further ado, here’s what needs to be true to book interior design projects with five and six-figure design fees (that’s design fees in the five and six-figures, not project budgets).

If you're using the form feature on your website to collect feedback, new inquiries, etc., these tutorials will show you how to redirect the form submission so your prospects and clients land on a beautiful page, rather than seeing just the generic “Your form has been submitted” message.  

BLEH! 

For many interior designers, a large source of business comes from past and current client referrals. I mean, of course! Who better to ask when hiring someone to help with your most important investment (your home) than a trusted friend who’s actually gone through it with your company?

It goes without saying: having an amazing client experience will have clients referring you from the day they sign on to years after they work with you, so it’s important to focus on delivering your services in an elevated and thoughtful way from day one. This way, when it comes time to ask for a formal testimonial, your clients will already have been singing your praises all over town so the ask won’t be a difficult one. 

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If you’re anything like me, there’s a lot that needs to get done in your day for you to keep the odds stacked in your favor. Kids, pets, partners, homes, health, friends, family, school, travel…the list goes on and on, and I haven’t even mentioned work.

But here’s the truth (and a reminder I write in my journal just about daily):

I have time for the things that are important to me. 

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