“Do you hate money?” That was my question for a client recently, after she repeatedly procrastinated marketing her business (and billing for time—but that is a story for another column). If you find yourself doing the same, this advice is for you.

Defining Sales
According to Investopedia, a sale is “a transaction between two or more parties that involves the exchange of tangible or intangible goods, services or other assets for money.”

If you deliver a great result or service, you are exchanging value for money. The more value you provide, the more money you can and should earn.

The word sales has undeservedly earned an ugly reputation. Unfortunately, many designers are so afraid of being “salesy” that they won’t talk about what they do other than saying they’re an interior designer.

But simply saying you’re an interior designer doesn’t help someone know why they should choose you over one of your competitors. Instead, that proclivity to hold back limits your opportunities to guide potential clients.

Defining Marketing
In the words of digital marketing consultant Azeem Ahmad, marketing is “the method in which your brand or company reaches out to your prospective customers to inform them about a product or service that can genuinely benefit them in their day-to-day lives.”

If you market well—meaning that you communicate clearly about what you do and whom you help—then “selling” should almost be unnecessary. Your work that is displayed on your website and social media should make the first step of the sales process easy: getting a prospect to reach out to you.

The second step is to qualify the client. When they call you, you must decide if they are right for you: It’s a two-way street. Many designers get nervous during this deliberative phase and assume that the prospective client has 100 percent of the control. They don’t. You get to decide if they’re a fit for you before they decide if you’re the right designer for them. That simple shift in mindset can change future conversations.

Build Relationships
If you don’t want to feel like you’re selling, then try building relationships instead. Offer help to the people you encounter, and before long you’ll get referrals without much effort at all.

One of my favorite books is The Go-Giver by Bob Burg and John David Mann. Spend a quiet afternoon with a cup of tea or coffee and read this book. You’ll love the simple insights about relationship building and why it’s so important in your life and business.

And remember: Your greatest marketing weapon is an amazing client experience. You want your clients to rave about your work and your services. When you master your client experience, marketing will be effortless—without that “salesy” feeling.

For insights and analysis on how designers across the country run their firms, download the 2023 Interior Design Business Survey report, presented by Pearl Collective, Interior Talent and Business of Home.

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Gail Doby is co-founder of Pearl Collective (formerly Gail Doby Coaching & Consulting), an interior design business consultancy that helps designers, architects and other creatives increase their profitability. Doby ran her own design firm in Denver for nearly 20 years and has a degree in finance and banking. Since 2008, she has been helping designers scale their businesses profitably and reach financial freedom. As a coach, mentor and business transformation specialist, she shares innovative ways to overcome the roadblocks, challenges and detours creative entrepreneurs face. She is also the bestselling author of Business Breakthrough: Your Creative Value Blueprint to Get Paid What You’re Worth. Her goal is to empower design industry clients to differentiate themselves, drive measurable results, achieve business projections, and create personal satisfaction through game-changing strategies and business practices.