The business side of decorating.

Interior decorating is a people business and it’s all about closing that sale, yes…, decorators are salespeople! Clients you work with will run the gamut in preferences, geographical location, economically and in personalities and lifestyles. It is a business where your ego should be checked at the front door of each project as the understanding of pleasing the client is foremost. A decorator’s job is to bring their clients ideas to life by creating a workable plan and executing in a professional manner.

A successful practice calls for an expert synergy of the left and right brain. Creatives are notorious for not wanting to get involved with budgets and bills and the business side of things… so, unless you want to be a starving decorator, who shows up at events, pretending to live this glamorous life on social media while cabbing it around your respective location, pay really close attention.

A day in the life of a décor professional…

Details and accuracy are very important in the business of decorating. Much of your time will be spent on paperwork and more paperwork. In a day, you will make and return phone calls, emails and texts. You will have and attend meetings in person and virtual, do house calls, schedule contractors, put in work orders, figure up estimates, write proposals, work with clients on new and existing projects, plan ahead for future projects and troubleshoot challenges that will arise. Shopping and scouting for new artists, artisans, suppliers are a constant and of course the all-important posting on social media to remain relevant.

The job description

The description of a decorator is diverse. A professional decorator is one that pulls together all elements of an interior while coordinating colours, textures, styles, line, form, space, light sources etc. A decorator is also a psychologist, financial analyst, mathematician, sales professional and a manager of time and in addition a manager of people. A decorator must be a self-starter not wanting or expecting management to stand over them and keep them on a schedule. Paperwork must always be thorough, precise and neatly typed.

Your personal brand

A well put together image with clear speech and good communication skills are a must and effective communication is a given. Confidence and a positive attitude are what keeps a decorator winning along with a strong foundation in décor principles. Punctuality or the lack thereof will make or break a positive impression.

What’s expected of a professional decorator Professionalism

To execute to job correctly.

Pride of performance.

To feel confidence that the decorator knows what he/she is doing.

Completion.

A quick resolution of problems that may arise.

Correct pricing…, the first time.

To be able to have difficult conversations about delays or/and team challenges.

Messages returned ASAP.

To get right back to customers with promised information.

Clarity is king…

Custom decorating is a field that Mr. Murphy loves and his law comes into play frequently. So knowing that bit of information, you, as a decorator cannot be too careful. Write everything down on paper or your device of choice. Be specific on all orders for everyone eg., workmen, window treatment fabricators, installers and for yourself. Always record all decisions on worksheets and contracts and never ever delete a text conversation.

Always verbally review contracts with your customers and carefully review each item agreed upon. This is the time to catch errors and clear up assumptions. Having it in black and white keeps everything clear and more problem free.

Always try to work with the same installers if possible. A consistent installer will get to know your style and planning of jobs.

Your accurate planning and measuring of the job are only a small part of the whole project. Realisation that other people are working on the project who do not have near as a big interest as you in key.

Decorators and customers

Customers bring their ideas for fulfilment; the goal of a decorator is to help the customer select the right product for their needs. Customers generally know what they want and you will not succeed in this business by letting the customer feel that what they want is ugly, outdated and in bad taste. You been trained to decorate properly so save that training for customers who do not know what they want. Give the Customer as much value as possible for the money spent. The customer is the reason you are in this business. You are dependent on customers; they can always go elsewhere. Customers are not an interruption of your daily activities, when the customer calls, he/she is doing you a favour.

Wrong words to use:

Ordinary

Common

Cheap

Death

Fail

Trouble

Try

Atlernate words to use

Usual

Popular

Inexpensive

Expiration

Unsuccessful

Challenge

Attempt

A Decorators toolkit

A car or SUV with a large trunk for carrying samples such as, hard window treatment sample books, Wallpaper books, paint fan decks and fabric sample books.

A steel retractable tape measure that is capable for staying rigid for 7′

A smartphone for taking pictures and record keeping

A Laptop for administrative and creative purposes

Lots of notebooks and pencils for jotting and drawing concepts

A calculator with large keys for ease of use

Estimate sheets

Business cards with social media handles to hand to everyone

A planner for writing the weekly and daily forecast

Thank you notes virtually and physically

Graph paper

Brown paper scissors and masking tape to make templates

Your electronic portfolio in the form of an IG page, web page, blog, etc,

Prospect Sheets — This is the lifeline of your business; they are multilayered sheets that tear apart. The top layer goes with you and staples in your appointment book. The second layer stays in the studio and is used to track where leads are coming from and the third layer is used as a tracker or control copy to track your closing rate and shows where you need to improve your skills.

The profile of a successful and professional decorator

A well-kept appearance

Poise — you need to like yourself and be comfortable with who you are as a person. You need to appear at ease at all times.

Confidence not arrogance

An outgoing personality, or the ability to act as if you have one

Proficiency in projecting warmth and enthusiasm for other people

The capability of a positive attitude

Excellent people skills

Good posture

The ability to speak and write basic English

Drive for making money

Mastery for selling to your potential

Ability to set goals and focus on the goals

Mathematical skills

Resourcefulness and industriousness

Capability of putting in the work

Competitiveness

Immense knowledge of the decorating

Time management skills

Integrity

Good judgement

Optimistic

Honesty

…And these are just the tip of the iceberg

A bit of advice…. On house rules

Customers are not your friends, they do not need to know about your life, you however need to know about their lifestyle. Please ask what they prefer to be called by you…Do not sit unless invited. Do not visit during dinner. Never ask for a drink of water and if offered, politely refuse. Under no circumstances must you plug in your phone in a customer’s house. Put your phone on silent. Never post unless granted permission.

Set boundaries as to your business hours and calling times.

You owe it to yourself and the industry to get certified or as much training as possible in the area of decorating. Imagine how shocked your customer would be if they found out the the socalled decorator in their home has no background or education in the field and is faking their ability to do the job.

So, here’s the deal…

Strangers decide within minutes whether they want to deal with you or not. So you must be confident, listen and care about what the customer is saying, never over talk them and show off your self-proclaimed decorating savvy. Cream always rises to the top. Understand that the project is not about you and what you would do in your home, but always about the customer and their home.

You need to be willing, all day every day to be interested in making recommendations, offering ideas and reminding the customer of correct décor guidelines for them to follow.

The customer wants to work with the ecorating Professional; Is that You?

Karen Booker

Creative Director/Principal

Karen Booker Design Group and DeZign Diva

Lifestyle Brand Ambassador for Edgechem Paints