The Design Side by Madison

Get new clients!

pamsandall — Thu, 20 Jan 2011 08:33:29 +0000

The Dream Bench

A Business Builder for YOU!

Tonight I taught a to 11 enthusiastic homeowners. I taught it in the showroom at the Design Side. It was easy as the only person to arrange it with was…me!! Of the eleven homeowners, actively interested in updating their homes, TWO of them are now clients! It was easy and fun! As I was chatting with these two new client about their upcoming projects, it occurred to me that other designers (YOU!) may want this opportunity as well. If you’ve ever toyed with strutting your skills in front of a group of potential clients, but weren’t sure WHERE to hold the class, I would like to offer this to you:

Put together a class that is full of useful and fun information for your clients, hold it at the Design Side.! I can be there to help discuss furniture options, fabric information, construction, etc…

whatever fits YOUR unique business model.

I can sit back and pour coffee while YOU look like a design hero.

OR simply let you in at a convenient time and come back to lock up. Call it a girls night out, call it decor savvy…call it whatever gets YOU new clients.

We have lots of upholstery fabric, but I also have bins of assorted memo samples that your clients can play with and be inspired by. You can come early and prep the room with WHATEVER you want to promote. The space is there…waiting for you to use it.

While there, you can discuss the affordability of hiring YOU as the conduit to great products, at affordable pricing.

Need some help coming up with an outline?? I have been teaching classes for over seven years and know that you too can benefit from this format. Give me a call if you’d like to schedule a day or evening event OR just to discuss the best option utilizing YOUR strengths. In this economy, it’s important that we think outside our normal box when marketing to our clients!

Look at the colors!

pamsandall — Mon, 19 Jul 2010 18:41:39 +0000

Please email me with current project photos.

Retail….really???

pamsandall — Mon, 21 Dec 2009 06:36:52 +0000

Do your clients know how affordable custom upholstery is? Do you? I’m often struck as I visit area stores – Crate & Barrel, Pottery Barn, Z Gallery – by the limitations of buying retail. A serious lack of fabric choices, usually NO or only two options in wood tones and foam to suit? Get real! What if you could introduce your clients to the ease and affordability of custom upholstery AND save your customer money???

You may not realize it, but if you’ve ever had your client purchase their upholstered piece from one of the local retailers – perhaps on a shopping outing over the weekend?? – you’ll be happy to note that our pricing is quite favorable and the product superior and the manufacturing local! The choices you have for customization are extensive.

Residential or commercial grade foam
Down fill or wrap
Many wood color choices
Nailheads, fringe, contrasting piping or other trip options
Hide-a-beds in most frames
Limitless possibilities in sectionals
(just to name a few!)

The Dream Bench

pamsandall — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 19:40:50 +0000

We were excited to participate in the Street of Dreams for 2009. We put in our ‘Almost Slipper’ chair and built a custom bench to sit in the great room window.

The Kids Are Back in School…Are You Ready to Get Busy?

pamsandall — Wed, 02 Sep 2009 09:32:35 +0000

The last year has been a challenge for most designers, yet there are signs that the economy is re-charging. Here’s the new challenge, your client’s attitudes have changed…even the most affluent ones.

Design Success University created two amazing programs with 136 Marketing Strategies, 11 experts in marketing and public relations, 3 30-Day Marketing Plans and 11 weeks of Masterminding with non-competing colleagues to help you re-energize your business.

You’ll learn how to use and automate the latest social media tools, create passive income streams with your blog, create buzz with inexpensive and even free word of mouth strategies. You’ll hear from top experts such as Joel Comm, New York Times best-selling author about Twitter Power. Mari Smith, the Pied Piper of the Online World according to FastCompany.com, will talk about how to use Facebook to create profit for your business, Cathy Perkins, the WordPress wizard will share great blogging techniques to make money, and much more.

Our industry is notorious for being competitive. Many designers closely guard their secrets because they’re worried about losing business. Wouldn’t you just love to know how they’re charging for their services and what marketing techniques work best for them?

You’ll definitely want to check out DSU’s 11-Week Marketing Intensive and 11-Week Design Mastermind programs starting in September. You’ll learn new strategies, get support and feel positive about your future. You’ll learn out how to create passive income, and who wouldn’t want to earn money while you sleep?

Click here for more details – you’ll be glad you did!

August IDS Newsletter

pamsandall — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 07:36:17 +0000

Happy to add the current IDS Newsletter to The Design Side Blog.

IDS Newsletter

Dream Bench featured in Street of Dreams

pamsandall — Thu, 20 Aug 2009 04:02:09 +0000

Our Tracy Bench, customized to accomodate a spectacular view, was featured in the Street of Dreams this year.

Green Fabrics

pamsandall — Wed, 19 Aug 2009 22:21:24 +0000

About a month ago I received a Monday morning phone call from a designer on the hunt to build a ‘green’ sofa. On my search to facilitate this request, I’ve found all sorts of great things. A couple things we already are utilizing are the green practice of going local. Portland made furniture is the ultimate in sustainability for the Pacific Northwest – tremendous savings in getting the product in the hands of the consumer. Also, we are already using the most environmentally friendly glue available to the industry. We can use, at the request of the client and designer, a foam product that incorporates soy-based foam.

Finally, I now have Eco-Friendly fabrics available in the showroom.

The first line is brought to us by our own (local!) Hoch & Selby. This line is made from Organic and Recycled Cottons and manufactured here in the U. S. of A! The fabrics are mostly of neutral color base with intermixed colors in natural tones: soft greens, soft blues, Dijon and shades of coffee and dove gray. There are great textures and patterns, including a great herringbone that I really love. And while you might hesitate a moment on the durability of the all cotton fiber, these are tested to a 50,000 (and in one case 100,000) double rubs in the Wyzenbeek test. For a point of comparison, 15,000 double rubs is considered the minimum in the industry for residential wear.

The second line is coming to us from Greenhouse Fabrics. This is a very popular line for our east-coast colleagues. I discovered it at a market trip and am so happy to have found it. Especially now that I discover their contribution to ‘going green’. I have four fabric books from Greenhouse that feature warp fibers made of recycled polyester. As these fabrics are utilizing only one direction of the recycled fibers, there is a much larger array of colors and patterns. While the Hoch & Selby line has a more casual and/or contemporary feel, these fabrics will still appeal to the more traditional or color-loving customer.

I will have these in the showroom for you to view on Thursday. Look for the “Eco-Friendly” signage and labels.

See you at the factory!

Catalog Updates

pamsandall — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 07:12:39 +0000

I spent the better part of today creating catalog pages. Soon I’ll have these available for designers. They’re pretty complete and I think you’ll find them useful!

Please email me or post here, if you’d like me to send you them in .pdf format for you to print off from your own computer!

Showroom Additions

pamsandall — Mon, 13 Jul 2009 22:59:43 +0000

The newest item in the showroom is NOT another piece of furniture. Last week we added a computer and made the showroom WIFI. If you bring your laptop into the showroom you can access the internet via your computer OR you can use the computer located there. It’s connected to the printer, so if you see a style while working, feel free to print off a copy to take home. You can also use the scanner to make a copy of your fabric choices to share with your clients.

Also installed on the computer is Minutes Matter Studio. This is a great rendering software that I use to create renderings of rooms, windows and FURNITURE. Soon I will have it set up for you to open and instantly try a digital sofa with digital fabrics. Have a client afraid of a large scale print on a sofa? Render it for her so she can SEE the piece!

I’ll be happy to help with instruction if you need it. You can preview it, download it to your computer and try it for FREE for 30 days here!