When it comes to offering E-Design in your business, you can’t compete on price. You can’t be profitable if you try to compete with the agency model of E-Design who offers cheap room “design” for as low as $99.00

WHAT YOU CAN COMPETE ON: 

Instead, you compete on these 3 things: 

1. YOU – There is no other designer out there that has the special design talent that only you have. Whether it’s your genius use of color, your ability to tell an amazing texture story, or your expert skill at incorporating one-of-a-kind vintage and antique pieces.  What is unique about you and your design?
2. THE EXPERIENCE – You must offer your clients a white-glove experience. Successful (and profitable) E-Design experiences begin with setting clear expectations for your clients, then surpassing them. 
3. GREAT COMMUNICATION – Set yourself apart by offering a high-touch communication path from beginning to end. Your clients should know from the very beginning how to communicate with you, when the built-in meetings (i.e. touchpoints) will occur, and how to access you when they have questions or inevitable hiccups. 

If you are going to offer (and successfully sell) premium E-Design services, you need to have these 3 things in order…

Your:

1. Pitch – How you’re going to sell it 
2. Process – How you’re going to deliver it 
3. Price – How you’re going to charge for it 

My recommendation is to get out a pen & paper or fresh google doc and write out your decisions to these 3 key components. 

PITCH

Your Pitch is your Unique Value Proposition. What is the ONE thing you have that no one else has? Why would Mrs. Smith hire you over the girl next door? Why would she pay you $1000’s to design one room when she could go to the web and get a whole room for $99? 

The answer is simple.

They are paying for YOU. And you are worth Every. 👏Damn.👏 Penny. 👏

I already think you are special, but I need you to tell me why. So what makes you special? Go ahead…brag a little. Spend some time thinking about what sets you/your brand apart from your competitors. EVERY brand has this. You are a brand and need to be able to talk about how you are special. This exercise is for your whole brand, not just about E-Design specifically, and you’ll need this when you’re selling any service. 

PROCESS

What does your E-Design Process look like? How does it compare to your other services? How does it compare to the agency-model of E-Design?  Write this out in excruciating detail (for yourself) from beginning to end. Look at your process through the eyes of your client.

What will they want? What can you give them that they don’t expect? What questions will they have? How can you answer them before they even think to ask them? How many touchpoints will you have? What problems will they naturally encounter and how can you help them avoid them? What are some extra touches you can sprinkle in that surprises and delights your client? Get creative! 

If you can create a streamlined, fun, engaging process for your client that is EASY FOR THEM, you will have a client for life. 

PRICE

Based on your Process, you’ll develop your pricing strategy. Here are some questions you’ll want to decide on: 

• Flat-fee or hourly? 
• Do you offer tiered pricing (i.e. good, better, best)? 
• Do you offer any add-on services? 

There is no perfect way to develop your pricing. Flat-Fee may be better for one designer, where hourly is preferred for someone else. The biggest problem is underestimating your time or discounting your services. Calculate your time (based on the room type), figure out your fixed costs, and determine your pricing structure. 

So how do you make E-Design work?

“Quite simply – You do not compete on price.”

WHAT YOU DO COMPETE ON: 

Instead, you compete on these 3 things: 

1. YOU – There is no other designer out there that has the special design talent that only you have. Whether it’s your genius use of color, your breathtaking ability to tell an amazing texture story, or your expert skill at incorporating one-of-a-kind vintage and antique pieces. 
2. THE EXPERIENCE – You must offer your clients a white-glove experience. Successful (and profitable) E-Design experiences begin with setting clear expectations for your clients, then surpassing them, I call this surprise and delight your way to success.
3. GREAT COMMUNICATION – Set yourself apart by offering a high-touch communication path from beginning to end. Your clients should know from the very beginning how to communicate with you, when the built-in meetings (i.e. touchpoints) will occur, and how to access you when they have questions or inevitable hiccups. 

THE RESULTS:

The result of incorporating these 3 things are: 

1. Higher-end clients who are happily willing to pay the price you set for your design expertise.
2. Clients who are actually able to complete the E-Design Process so they feel accomplished and proud (and you have photo-worthy rooms).
3. Clients whose experience with you creates rave reviews for you and your work. They will tell all their friends and they will come back to you for years to come.

I’d love to know if you are offering E-Design and how it works for you. I work with many designers who run very successful E-Design businesses – it is possible to make money from this service offering and have a successful business model.