Interior Design that starts with people, not just a space
Spaces that reflect who you are in Fredericksburg, Texas
Amy Slaughter knew she loved interior design. With decades of experience and lots of feedback under her belt, she knew she was good at it too. But there was a nagging question, a knowledge gap of sorts. Why do people choose to work with her and why are some client relationships more successful than others? It is the age-old problem of the talented entrepreneur: translating talent, skill, and experience into a rich and consistent clientele that accurately value the work.
As a solopreneur, there are many dangers to face and overcome. No matter how good you are at your craft, there are others who are also really good. There always exists the potential for bigger fish to swim into a new pond with more media reach and communications heft, regardless of the quality of their work, who could drown out the voice of a nimble and closely knit team of skilled local women. It hasn’t happened yet, but with Fredericksburg, Texas growing in popularity and affluence, the lack of competition seems like a potentially short-lived reality.
Getting a new Perspective
Amy's situation was uncomfortable. She had a busy schedule, clients to serve, and expertise in interior design, not "marketing". She needed someone to pick up these questions and walk with her down the path of finding answers and coming up with ways to articulate herself to the kind of clients that spurred her to do her best work. So she made the pivot to us and we stepped alongside.
Through our extensive discovery process, interviewing her and her clients, we really drilled into the question of what made her best clients such raving fans. As is always the case, our process of discovery inherently turned up surprises and unexpected insights. A temptation many business leaders face is to think they already see it all and therefore can't imagine why taking the time and effort to ask these questions would pay off. But leaders who have the humility and courage to stop and ask are rewarded with one of the greatest assets a person can have, real self-knowledge.
The Joy and Surprise of Discovery
Amy Slaughter was no exception to this rule. The best surprise that came up was this. Her clients, of course, think she is a great designer, but they love working with her because they love working with her. It is how she works, what her priorities are, what it is like to work with her that sets her apart. For Amy, it is the person in front of her that matters most. She starts by getting to know them, their history, their dreams, and their likes and dislikes. She is there to design a home not for herself, a magazine, or even the next owner of the house, but for them.
Right here was the brand gold that had been there all along, but that she'd never quite put her finger on. This was the heart of her work, the source of satisfaction for her clients, and even, really, what she enjoyed most about designing: knowing people and designing specifically for their personality and history.
With this key insight in hand, we designed a communication plan that centered on Amy's unique ability to know people and design for them. This flowed into a beautiful website, a steady stream of social media related to these themes, and blogs that highlighted her process and way of thinking about design and relationships.
RESULTS,
FROM A DIFFERENT ANGLE
The results are akin to what people look for from "marketing", but really what we did together was uncover her authentic story, put it to words and visual design that did and continues to do the marketing work for her. For example, Amy's online presence makes her look like she's the only game in town (just Google "Interior Design Fredericksburg TX") It's also worth noting that a person who had approached her before the new website was launched but decided to go elsewhere, upon seeing the new brand, immediately understood what she hadn't gotten about Amy the first time around, called back, and hired her.
This is the power of a clear and authentic brand that flows from who you actually are, as seen by you and your best clients. It is a natural telling of your story in true and compelling language that resonates with the kind of people you want to work with.
