Hi Everyone . . .

First, I know everyone is very busy so I would like to offer a free gift to those with the most detailed and well thought-out responses. It's an Excel spreadsheet that is unique and details the 8 areas a business needs to focus on for FAST growth. You can put in the existing info for a business and then see what the potential is if the 8 areas have certain percentage increases.

OK . . .here's my situation . . .

My wife is an interior designer, we live in Charlotte, NC and we are starting our own Interior Design business in January 2006. The name of it is Classic Interior Designs.

Our target market is:

a. affluent individuals
b. people who are very busy and who need a personal design consultant to help them decorate their new or existing home.
c. the woman of the home

To get new Clients, our goal is to:

1. Send out Welcome Letters to new home owners (price of home is over $250K). The Welcome Letter will have a coupon on the bottom for $50 Off an "in-home consultation". We will also include a magnet with the letter. The envelopes will be a cream color (stand out from standard white) and have a regular stamp and a handwritten font will be used.

2. Mail an oversized beautiful 4 color postcard to homes that are in "high income" subdivisions within 10 - 15 miles of our home.

3. Since I build commercial web sites . . .we have one under construction now.


Here are my questions . . . If this was your business . . .

1. What other marketing ideas would you suggest to get prospects FAST?

2. On the postcard, what would you say that would get the most attention by the reader?

3. Regarding the Welcome Letter and the coupon . . . any ideas here or do any of you have examples of things that have worked for you or others?

Thanks

Darrell

Please tell us you didn't have these coupons printed yet! The above makes no sense at all. Read it carefully and literally. You see?

Marcia Yudkin

Thanks . . . My typo here . . . the word FREE should have been removed. I have edited my original post.

No marketing literature has been designed or printed yet.

To help with understanding . . .

In the interior design business, it's standard to charge $85 - $100 for what the industry calls an "in-home consultation". This is where the design consultant comes to the prospects home, measures all of the windows, etc... spending 1 - 2 hours with the prospect asking questions, etc...

The design consultant then takes the info home and sends back detailed sketches on graph paper showing what the possibilities are.

The reason these are usually not done for free is because, in the past, many homeowners have had consultants come in . . .do all of the work . . .and then do the work themselves . .or send the proposal to others to bid on. Since they don't need to come in and do all of the leg work, they can price it for less.

Thanks again for catching that.


D

Not at all. You missed the point.

You used the word "free." A free consultation is free. It costs nothing.

If you are taking $50 off a free consultation, this is either total nonsense or you are paying the client for the consultation.

This is not something you can play fast and loose with. If you did already print those coupons, you'll have to throw them in the trash and start over again.

I hope the point is clear now.

Marcia Yudkin

Please see my response and correction . . .

Hi Darrell,

Would it make sense to contact Realtors who operate in your target areas?

Seems like many people who buy pre-existing homes won't be 100% satisfied with the place "as-is." Perhaps you could offer a referral fee, or some other mutually advantageous arrangement.