Nothing like “Word-of-Mouth Advertising!”
Before Facebook and Internet, most small businesses were built on word-of-mouth advertising. Today, lightning fast social media can reach hundreds even thousands in an instant, and slick websites can tell your story with beautiful photos and articles. But it’s YOU that you’re marketing, and YOU that’s getting new business or not. You are your product, your service, your brand. You are the one who gets hired or fired, re-hired or referred.
They say “good news travels fast, but bad news travels faster,” “do a good job and she’ll tell a friend, do a bad job and she’ll tell 5 friends.” To me, a referral is the ultimate compliment. It means you not only like what I did for you, but also that you trust me to take care of your friend.
Today I got a call from a woman who needs some help with the daunting task of choosing paint colors for her open-floor-plan home. Her name is Jill. Jill was referred by her friend April, who was referred by her mother Lois, who was referred by her daughter-in-law Kate, who was referred by her mother Susan, who was referred by her friend Linda, who is my neighbor. I’ve helped all of these ladies decorate their homes. That’s 6 degrees of decorating referrals, a new milestone for me!
So, thank you for visiting my website and reading my blog, but unless you’re inclined to pick up the phone and call me to help you decorate your home, I still believe referrals are the best advertising. Maybe you’ll tell a friend?
Incandescent light bulbs: Good-bye old friend!
The days are numbered for incandescent light bulbs. You’ve probably heard that production of 40 and 60 watt light bulbs will cease this month to make way for the more energy efficient Halogen, CFL & LED bulbs. This news may not keep you awake at night, but personally, I’ve been a wreck… and have started stock-piling 60 watt-ers.
For the past few years, I advised my decorating clients that those “ugly new fangled light bulbs” were only for closets, upstairs hallways, and Vermonters… never for living rooms, dining rooms or God forbid bedrooms! I believed that the blue garish light they cast made every room look & feel like an OR. Now don’t worry Ms. Granola, I’m not totally environmentally irresponsible. I recycle, own a HE washer, (which I despise) always use re-usable grocery bags, (almost) never buy plastic water bottles, turn off the faucet when I brush my teeth, and on Saturdays (in summer) I walk to the farmers’ market (with my reusable bag) and buy locally grown vegetables… BONUS point: My husband drives a hybrid.
But maybe I’m old. (gasp!) Recently I asked my college age son what he thought of energy-efficient light bulbs and he shed some light on the subject for me. It seems that he and most of his generation have embraced energy-efficient light bulbs. He may have found my fierce attachment to 60-watt bulbs a little bit odd, and a lot old fashioned, but he gently placated me saying that the newer bulbs cast a warmer hue than the earlier versions, and they emit less energy-wasting heat, and last about 20 x longer than my beloved incandescents. He made me realize that if you’re someone who spends most of your days in an office, classroom, hospital, or other public space, you’re more accustom to fluorescent lights and probably aren’t as traumatized by the light bulb conversion as I am. But for me, someone who spends most of her time in HOMES, and whose job it is to make homes look beautiful and feel comfortable, this is a game changer.
So, I will attempt to get with the program. I’ll force myself to start using terms like lumens, brightness, and Kelvins instead of watts. I will stop sneaking 60 watt bulbs into my clients’ lamps and moving their CFL bulbs to their hall closet. I will accept that one day soon, incandescent bulbs will join the ranks of the Blackberry, Yellow Pages, land lines (with curly cords) and answering machines. They say we won’t even miss them, (which I don’t believe because I still love gas lamps.) But, I vow to rip off the light bulb Band-Aid! Just as soon as my stock pile is gone.
Luxurious Bathrooms
BATH LUXURIES
Instead of your run-of-the-mill “bathroom rug,” give your bath an unexpected touch of style and color by laying down a traditional rug. In a space where you start and end your day, a pretty rug in a calming palette of blues or grays is a soothing accent.
Bag the tag.
Admit it… because it’s happened to all of us. You buy a new sweater, put it on for the first time with your favorite jeans & boots, take a quick satisfied look in the mirror, and rush out the door (with a little swagger because you know you look good.) You arrive at the party/office/school feeling a little smug, when suddenly your friend/colleague/classmate walks up behind you and says, “new sweater?” And in that millisecond it hits you… YOU LEFT THE TAG ON IT! I’m pretty sure the unofficial term for that feeling is, “Fashion Buzz Kill.”
It’s the same with home fashions. Leaving the consumer tag on your new lamp, pillow, rug or extension cord is just as obvious… but don’t be ashamed… it happens to everyone! Removing the tag is a little detail that makes a big difference. Ask yourself this question, “what would I do if my home were going to be photographed today?” The answer is, “take a deep cleansing breath, then remove all the distractions that clutter your space.” Start with labels and tags.
So, the next time you make a purchase for your home, first be sure you love it for its form and function, (not just because it “matches.”) Second, read the tag with those “important consumer instructions.” They will warn you that plugging the lamp in while you’re in the bath tub could result in death or tossing a beaded silk pillow into the washer is a bad idea, and they’ll do it in at least two languages. Choose your language, commit these warnings to memory, and then commit to removing all the tags from your new item.
Now, for some good clean fun, walk around your home with a pair of scissors, and let me know how many tags you slice off!