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241: Power Talk Friday: Acuity Scheduling – Gavin Zuchlinski – Explains How He Can Help Organize Your Interior Design Firm

Welcome to another Power Talk Friday! Today we are very happy to have Gavin Zuchlinski on the show.  He is the founder of Acuity Scheduling, which is the slickest way for businesses to automate and manage their appointments online because it actually allows your clients to schedule themselves.  LuAnn has an inkling that the features of Acuity Scheduling may be even better than the one she’s using, so she may be switching over… Listen in to find out more.

Gavin is a self-professed Tech Geek and an Espresso maniac, and he’s also a really fun guy who truly and wholeheartedly believes that business should be fun. Acuity Scheduling currently supports over fifty thousand businesses, all of the different sizes, from solo-preneures to major corporations with thousands of employees. They have a really efficient Customer Service Department and their focus is on making life way easier for entrepreneurs and business owners. Listen in now to find out how Acuity Services could make your life much easier and help you run your business.

Show highlights:

  • Gavin explains what his company does, to help you to run your business.
  • How you can customise this service to suit your specific requirements.
  • How this service can really help you to be prepared and allow you to be more efficient.
  • Gavin discusses the different ways that you could use this service.
  • You could even embed Acuity on your website.
  • How a potential client could actually schedule an appointment with you, online.
  • How the service can make it easier for you to connect with potential clients and coordinate appointment times.
  • About forty percent of all appointments are booked after hours when businesses are already closed for the day.
  • How this service can help you to follow through with a potential client and convert.
  • Even if you don’t yet have a website, you can still use this service.
  • You can even filter different kinds of requests for appointments to different parts of your calendar.
  • How to set up and manage different appointment types.
  • Getting reminder emails for your appointments.
  • The monthly charges for the various services.
  • What you can get from Acuity Scheduling, absolutely free.
  • How you could give gift certificates via this service.
  • You can customise this service with your own logos.
  • Gavin explains how he initially came up with this service, to help his Mom.
  • The six-hour work days for Gavin’s Customer Support teams.

If you’d like to try Acuity out, go to https://www.acuityscheduling.com/luann for an extended 45-day trial. (It’s normally only for 14 days.)

Links:

https://www.facebook.com/acuityscheduling https://twitter.com/AcuitySchedulin   https://www.linkedin.com/in/gavin-zuchlinski-30b06885

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240: Face Book Coaching Session #5 – How To Set Up & Manage a FB Group For Your Interior Design Business

Today’s show is another in our Facebook Coaching Sessions Series, where we’re tackling the various aspects of Facebook and how to best leverage them, for your Interior Design Firm.

Today’s guest is Marc Mawhinney and he is particularly skilled at working with Facebook Communities, so today, he will be discussing the best ways to go about setting these up and he also discusses the different nuances of Facebook Communities. At the end of the show, you will hear about the course that Marc is offering, called Facebook Gold. Listen in to find out more.

Marc, a lifelong entrepreneur, is a Coach for Coaches. He does this through his programs, via his Podcast, Natural Born Coaches and also through his particularly successful Facebook Group, The Coaching Jungle. When LuAnn asked the peeps in her Podcast tribe about who is really good at creating Facebook Community Groups and Facebook Pages,  Marc was the man that everyone told her to invite. So, today, we are going to be finding out from him all about Consumer Facing Facebook Groups, where you would be helping and teaching consumers about Interior Design, hopefully with the end result that they would hire you, to be their Interior Designer. Listen in now, as Marc explains some great strategies for setting up a really vibrant Facebook Group.

Show highlights:

  • Marc uses a great analogy to clear up some of the confusion around the differences between Facebook Business Pages, Facebook Group Pages, Facebook Fan Pages and Facebook Public Pages.
  • How Marc’s personal Facebook profile has changed since Facebook has become his business.
  • A Facebook Group as really a great way to build your business.
  • Why size isn’t everything, with a Facebook Group.
  • What Marc would do to build a community for a brick and mortar Interior Design business.
  • Setting up your Facebook Group and making sure that you have the right keywords in the title.
  • How often you need to show up, in your Facebook Group.
  • The most powerful kinds of Facebook Groups.
  • Why monetizing your Facebook Group, or your Podcast, is really the way to go.
  • Some great tips for starting a Facebook Group.
  • The three choices that you will have when starting your Facebook Group.
  • When a Secret Facebook Group would be an appropriate choice.
  • When a Closed Group would be a good idea.
  • Setting up the rules for your Group.
  • Giving great value on your Facebook Group.
  • Why Marc has Promotion Fridays in his Group.
  • Why Marc suggests having Theme Days, on your Facebook Group.
  • How to let people know about your Facebook Group, if you’re starting from scratch and how to get people to engage with you, once your Group has been set up.
  • Why you shouldn’t just add people to your Group, without asking them.
  • You can access Marc’s Facebook Gold Course, to help you set up your own Facebook Group, through windowworks-nj.com/facebookgold. (It has a 60-day money back guarantee.)

 Links:

Marc’s Facebook Group: https://www.theccoachinjungle.com

His Email: marc@naturalborncoaches.com

His website: https://www.naturalborncoaches.com

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239: Katharine Earnhardt – How to Advise Your Clients on Art

Today we have Katharine Earnhardt on the show! She’s the Founder of Mason Lane Art Advisory, a Brooklyn-based company that styles walls with art and objects to fit client’s taste, space and budget. 

Keeping up with the art world inventory, resources and pricing is a full-time job, and Katharine explains how designers can get support in this area so they can appropriately source and pitch the right art to clients. 

Katharine has a B.A. in Art History and Economics from Williams College and an M.A. in Art Business from Sotheby’s Institute. Katharine has experience working in the Management office of the Museum of Modern Art, in business development at Christie’s, and leading the business development team at a international art appraisal and advisory firm, Gurr Johns. Katharine is well versed in Art History and art market dynamics and works with designers through by straight referrals as well as through her trade program called Mason Lane Partners (MLP).  

Listen in to find out more about the kind of assistance that Katharine offers to Interior Designers through her boutique art advisory service. 

Show highlights:

  • Katharine talks about her company’s Interior Design Forum, called In The Maoson, that she hosts in her living room. It’s a really great networking opportunity!
  • The pain points around buying art, that Katharine helps and educates Interior Designers and her clients with.
  • How Katharine helps people to spend wisely when buying art.
  • The aspects of art that go beyond the aesthetics, which can really add to the quality of the piece and also to how one feels about the work.
  • The value in educating your client about the meaning behind an artwork and what drives price. 
  • Sometimes a client doesn’t need new art, they could just rearrange, or re-frame what they already have.
  • The ideal height to hang your artworks- a great place to start!
  • Katharine’s upcoming Webisode, where she goes through the kinds of problems that Designers tend to face when advising their clients about art. Go to masonlaneart.com to sign up.
  • Why Katharine created her Webisode.
  • Some great tips for you, from Katharine’s Webisode.
  • The best places for you, as Designers, to source art.
  • Some great online resources for art.
  • What you will get from working with Mason Lane.
  • How Mason Lane’s services save Interior Designers money and time.  
  • A really fun rule, around the use of color, form, and design.
  • Coordinating the light fixtures with the art.
  • A frame can really make or break a piece of art!
  • Some tips for creating professional-looking gallery walls- they really take a lot of planning.

Links:

Katharine’s website: https://www.masonlaneart.com

Katharine on Instagram: masonlane_art.   

 

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238: Power Talk Friday – Stephan Spencer – How To Build Traffic to Your Interior Design Website

Welcome to today’s episode of Power Talk Friday! LuAnn is very excited to introduce Stephan Spencer, who she spent a short time with,  just a couple of weeks ago at the chaotic, yet exhilarating Podcast Movement in Anaheim. LuAnn and Stephan first met in a Mastermind about the future of podcasting, which was given by LuAnn’s friend, Edie Burke. When Stephan placed a copy of his (really thick) book on the table, LuAnn didn’t think she would ever be able to understand any of it and that really made her want to get to know what goes on in his brain. She’s been looking forward to having him on the show ever since then, so listen in now!

Stephan is an SEO expert and a best-selling author who has written has three books, all published by O’Reilly. They are The Art Of SEO, Social E-Commerce, and Google Power Search. In 1995, Stephan founded a multi-national SEO Agency, called Net Concepts, which he sold in 2010. His client list includes Zappos, Sony, Quicksilver, and Chanel.  He also has two Podcasts, the one is called The Optimised Geek and the other is Marketing Speak. Today Stephan answers some of LuAnn’s questions, which are related to SEO and to Stephan, as both a Podcast Host and a seasoned Podcast Guest. He also talks about his Podcast, The Optimised Geek, where he spends time speaking to people about how to improve their health and their wealth and also about how to reboot their lives. Listen in now, to find out more about Stephan, his Podcasts, and SEO and also to get some really actionable tips.

Show highlights:

  • Stephan shares his really inspiring story about Tony Robbins, who became a catalyst for Stephan’s own ‘life reboot’.
  • What Stephan gained from having been part of Tony Robbins’s amazing Platinum Partnership, for three years.
  • Stephan explains what SEO does and why it really matters.
  • Some of the ways that you can enhance your SEO, to really stand out from the rest.
  • Google will reward you for having really remarkable content in your website.
  • What Stephan needed to do, in terms of SEO, in order to appear on TV.
  • Using a dog to create a hook, to increase the emotional content of a TV segment.
  • Stephan explains the kind of ‘R and D’ that he does, in order to find inspiration for the very best content.
  • Using BuzzFeed to inspire you.
  • How to create the kinds of connections that will become ‘the rising tide that lifts all boats’.
  • The two processes that Stephan does in tandem, to help him with the discovery of the amazing content that he’s created.
  • Who Google sees as the really big influencers. (Stephan calls them the Linkeratti!)
  • Pitchbox– a tool that Stephan uses regularly.
  • Identifying the content that’s linked to the influencers- these will all be powerful links for you to use.
  • Writing authentic blog posts that are actually geared towards the big influencers.
  • Creating a really solid pitch, with a great hook.
  • Pinterest- it has way more staying power than Instagram does.
  • Why Google hates guest posts and guest bloggers.
  • A great tool to see if what you’re thinking of targeting, is actually going to be a popular keyword, or not. (moz.com/explorer)
  • The services that Stephan has to offer. You can contact him at stephanspencer.com

Links:

His email: stephan@stephanspencer.com

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237: Claire Jefford- How To Get More Clients With Video Content

Claire Jefford

Today we have Claire Jefford on the show! LuAnn knows that hundreds of the Interior Designers that are in the three different Facebook Groups she’s in are really cheering like crazy now because they all know Claire from her Design and also from her inspiring leadership, so listen in to find out more!

Claire came into Interior Design in 2011, after a career in Human Resources and People Management. She found her way to Interior Design and then started her own firm. Her really exceptional organizational skills, combined with her drive, have contributed to the great success of her business, which is still fairly young. Now, in addition to Interior Design, Claire offers Coaching where she teaches other Designers to replicate her success. Although Claire has done some really great things in her career, today we will try to focus on a particular super power of hers- creating quality video content for her Design firm.  Her videos have a big part to play the success of both her firm and her Coaching business, so listen in now, as Claire shares some of her best tips for creating really professional video content, on today’s show.

Show highlights:

  • Claire’s incredible level of interaction, leadership, and expertise, on her Facebook Group, Interior Design Business Strategies.
  • What Claire’s career in Human Resources involved and how it’s informed her career in Interior Design.
  • Claire explains how she manages to produce her really professional looking videos- all by herself!
  • The difference between doing a Facebook Live and doing a Youtube video.
  • The importance of having a plan, ahead of time, for your video.
  • How and where Claire uses her videos on the services she offers. People really relate to them.
  • Claire explains some of the technical aspects of how she makes her videos.
  • You really don’t need a fancy setup to make professional looking videos if you’re using a smartphone.
  • If the content is good, people are going to watch, even if you don’t look your best.
  • How Claire edits her videos and the software she uses to do that.
  • The numerous things that you can do with the Camtasia App.
  • Creating a moving video out of still pictures with Camtasia.
  • How long it took for Claire to become adept at using Camtasia. It really isn’t that complicated.
  • How Claire cues herself when making her videos.
  • How Claire manages to re-use her video content from Youtube to Facebook Live, Instagram, or even to send to a client.
  • How to let people know where to find your videos.
  • The benefits of not being perfect.
  • The marketing value in producing a body of work on Youtube.
  • Why you need to keep asking your clients for reviews for your videos.
  • How Claire goes about asking her clients for reviews.
  • Claire’s great, actionable tips for new Designers who don’t yet have a portfolio.
  • All about Claire’s soon to be launched a course on making videos. There will be a special launch price.
  • The great resources available for those of you who are looking for more in-depth information from Claire, on how to market your business through video. 

Links:

Claire’s website: https://www.clairejefford.com

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236: Shea McGee of Studio McGee Joins Me Today!!!!

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LuAnn is extremely happy to let you know that she has Shea McGee, of Studio McGee, in the house today! It’s been a long time coming, as she’s a very busy lady, but she’s here today, and you are not going to be disappointed, so listen in to find out about the journey that Shea’s been on and the challenges she’s faced.

If you’re one of the few people who are not familiar with Shea, LuAnn assures you that she and her husband, Sid, truly are the real deal! They are the creators of Studio McGee and today you will hear how Shea realized, only after obtaining her degree in Public Relations, that what she really wanted, was to be doing Design, so she went back to school, to learn how to do that. Soon after, Shea found that she was attracting more projects than she’d ever before thought possible. She and Sid realized that with his business experience and her creative vision, they would really make an amazing team. So they decided to sell their home in California and move to Utah, where they put all their life savings on the line and started a business. Shea used the power of Instagram to grow the business and now, just less than three years later, they have over five hundred and forty thousand Instagram followers, a team of thirty, two multi-million dollar businesses (Studio McGee and McGee and Company) and they have projects all over the country. Listen in today and find out how Shea and Sid manage to run their operation and their family and also, the pro’s and con’s of working with a spouse.

Show highlights:

  • Shea explains how they have managed to get such great results, in such a short time.
  • How Shea and her husband manage their hectic work schedules and still find time to spend together, as a couple and to be parents to their two little girls.
  • The growing pains that Shea and Sid experienced, early on in their business, before they found their ideal way of working together.
  • The real importance of separating the roles of each spouse, in a business partnership.
  • Why you really need to sort out your personal dynamics, as a couple, before entering into a business relationship.
  • Some ways to create the necessary balance within your business. You don’t have to do everything yourself!
  • Ways to divide up the different responsibilities, within a business.
  • Shea gives the backstory behind their really successful businesses.
  • How Shea stretched her content, to tell her story on Instagram when she first started out.
  • Why they made the move from California to Utah.
  • Shea talks about the initial dream that she and her husband shared, for their business.
  • Shea’s advice for Designers wanting to step up above the noise, with Instagram.
  • Some tips to take a good and well-styled photo- one that stands out from the rest, in order to create a really great vignette.
  • How Shea creates her content for Instagram now, as compared with when she first started out.
  • Shea explains her strategic way of growing her Instagram following.
  • How Shea manages to keep up with the engagement on Instagram, with their really huge number of followers.
  • Where Shea draws her design inspiration from.

 Links:

Shea’s website: https://www.studio-mcgee.com

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235: Power Talk Friday – Tabitha Carro: How To Create Creative Content Using Your Smart Phone

Welcome to today’s episode of Power talk Friday! Tabitha Carro is the guest for today and she is the leader of Smart Phone Marketing School. LuAnn really struggles with so much of what it takes to be productive, in using a smartphone and she says she has ninety thumbs, so she’s very excited about having Tabitha on this show today, to help her to figure some of this out. Listen in as Tabitha explains what to do, and apps that you can use, to add that extra little ‘something’ to your marketing, using your smartphone.

Tabitha’s background is as a Certified Elementary School Teacher. She was also the owner of a Curriculum Design Business, from which she developed another business when she realized that she really needed to be able to do things quickly and easily, from her iPhone. She took the bull by the horns and taught herself all the necessary design techniques with the iPhone and so developed her new business, called Smart Phone Marketing School. Now, she has tons of content, videos and tutorials, to teach the people in her Facebook and Membership communities how and what apps to use, on their iPhone, to make their social media marketing way, way easier. She teaches where things are in an app and how to tap into them and get what you want. Listen in now, as Tabitha sheds some light on how to use your smartphone to market your self really easily, even when you’re on the fly!

Show highlights:

  • Tabitha explains all about the super cute and direct labeling app called This by Tin Rocket, which could be really useful in the Design Industry.
  • Which apps Tabitha uses, on her iPhone as well as on her desktop.
  • The best ways to utilize the Legend App, to announce across social media, that you’re about to go live.
  • Why what Tabitha teaches is great for everybody, even those that aren’t so ‘techy’.
  • Why Tabitha really thinks you should care about Instagram stories.
  • Facebook Live or Instagram Stories? When to use each one.
  • How you can increase your engagement on Facebook Live with Instagram Stories.
  • Apps that can really enhance your Instagram Stories.
  • A way to put something on Instagram Stories, without showing yourself.
  • If you have 10 000 or more followers, you can link that up with Instagram Stories.
  • Some tips and great apps for using an iPhone with Pinterest. Tabitha has a blog post about this.
  • Why Tabitha actually prefers using a phone screen, when working with Pinterest.
  • Tabitha has a Facebook Live session to teach you how to use Adobe Spark on your phone.
  • All the fabulous free content that Tabitha has made available for you.
  • Tabitha’s not all about selling, however, she is opening up a paid membership program.

Links:

For Tabitha’s free courses, go to courses.tabithacarro.com

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234: Kimberley Kay Interiors: A New Designer & Her 1st 5 Months in Business

What is your vision for your design business? How do you manage to balance work and life? Are you managing it, or has the business taken over your life? When you’re in the middle of the day-to-day of running a business, it can be easy to forget why you started in the first place. Whether it is creative freedom, income to support your family, or a dream that has finally taken flight, it is so important to keep the values you hold dear close at hand. This podcast is all about giving you tools that you can use to launch your design business. Today, I am thrilled to bring to you Kim Worswick, who has been in business for just five short months and is already operating close to her values. What’s her secret? This podcast!

Kimberley Kay Interiors is Kim’s solo firm and boy has it taken off! Kim has a strong Instagram presence, where she films these great short videos that are zany, fun and full of personality and great design. Kim’s business is based on referrals so that she can ensure that she is only taking the right amount of projects at a time. Work-Life Balance is so important to Kim, so she has set up her business around that value. Today, we will share how Kim launched her business, sticks to her values, and overcomes mistakes and challenges as her business has grown. It is encouraging to hear how this podcast has changed Kim’s life, and I would love to hear from you too! Give this episode a listen, and then reach out to me to let me know the ways our guests have transformed your design business.

 

More from this episode:

  • Kim talks about her crazy, zany Instagram videos.
  • Take a little inspiration from Kim who used tools from the podcast to launch her business.
  • Kim operates off of her 5 Key Values.
  • Work-Life Balance is the basis for Kim’s business model.
  • Using Interior Design as an act of community service.
  • Growing a business only to the point where it fits within your lifestyle.
  • Working underneath a lead designer was beneficial, but creatively stifling.
  • Why a bookkeeper should be your first hire.
  • Learning from mistakes and celebrating triumphs.
  • Gaining customer loyalty by doing whatever it takes to get the design right.

Links:

https://www.kimberleykayinteriors.com   https://www.instagram.com/kimberleykayinteriors/   https://www.facebook.com/kimberleykayinteriors/

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233: Design Biz Live – Do this Self-Assessment of Your Skills

We are back together for another installment of Design Biz Live, in spite of all the obstacles and scheduling conflicts we’ve had to overcome to make it happen! I’m back with my trusted experts, Judith Neary of Roadside Attraction Design Studio, and Corey Klassen of Corey Klassen Interiors. One of our goals is to cover all aspects of the flat fee vs. hourly rate question that designers face. What we have discovered is that there is a more basic issue at stake that we must turn our attention to first. The issue is that YOU, as a designer, need to know what you are and are not most efficient at in your business. In other words, you need to break down the work of a designer into your personal strengths and weaknesses. Corey and Judith have developed a self-assessment for principals to use in evaluating all the different things we do for our clients. As industry leaders, Judith and Corey have spent a lot of time speaking in front of their peers, and they have developed this tool with the purpose of evaluating your skills as they relate to your design firm. Let’s jump into this conversation!

Show highlights:

  • Gear your services toward your skill set according to the self-assessment
  • How Judith and Corey got the idea for developing this helpful tool
  • The three phases of the assessment: concept, execution, and administration
  • Debunking the “ideal client” myth
  • Why you need to get clear on what you do really well
  • A basic fundamental that a designer must figure out via the self-assessment:
    • What am I most efficient at?
    • How can I fill in the gaps that I’m not best at?
  • Look for opportunities to improve your skill set
  • Your business evolves and grows as a living, breathing entity
  • The relationship between your strengths and weaknesses and the question of flat fee vs. hourly rates
  • For the client, services needed in each of the three phases and their associated fees
  • Segmenting your services in each distinct phase
  • How the designer controls “the process”
  • Setting the project and the team up for success
  • How designers get into trouble when they tackle things they aren’t good at
  • How Corey graphed his and his employees’ strengths of skill and how the result measured up to their perceptions
  • When you as the business owner-need to change the outcome
  • How to have the difficult conversations with employees
  • “Am I interested in rehabilitating this employee or do I want them to leave my firm?”
  • The “show-tell-do” and feedback process
  • Reach out to get an honest evaluation of your performance as a designer
  • How to ask questions to former clients for feedback about your fee structure

Links:

Visit https://www.windowworks-nj.com/designbiz2 to download the self-assessment!

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232: Power Talk Friday – John Ruhlin: The Art & Science of Creating Powerful Relationships

Today we are in for an incredible treat. John Rhulin is the founder of the Ruhlin Group, a powerhouse company that helps high-end firms reach their audience, maintain customers, and gain referrals through Gift-Giving. John has roots as a salesman, but by seeking opportunity, reaching for excellence, and learning the huge value of gratitude, John has created a Group with high-end clients such as the Chicago Cubs and Electrolux. 

With such huge clients, it might seem like a stretch to think that John has wisdom for you and your design business. Well, that simply isn’t true! The elegant principles of good gift-giving are universal, and they will help you win referrals and maintain clients. The secret is in the gift itself: personal, unexpected, and filled with authenticity. Today, you will learn what gifts to give, when to give, and how to keep your clients close at hand. It’s time to stretch those generosity muscles and make someone’s day. Winning clients and growing your business is really as easy as that!

Show highlights:

  • John shares his first selling experiences with Cutco that shaped his business acumen.
  • Building a company around gratitude.
  • Hear John’s incredible story about the Brooks Brothers.
  • John has unparalleled employee relationships to change the way they do service.
  • John’s advice to small business owners who are trying to gift their customers well.
  • The best gift John has ever received.
  • Re-defining the way that we treat our customers.
  • Make referrals happen by taking care of the “inner circle.”

 Links:

Follow the link for John’s gift to our listeners! 10 Gifts to Avoid Giving.  

https://giftologybook.com/design/

Pick up your copy of Giftology by John Ruhlin

https://ruhlingroup.com/