Apparently, First name / or so it seems, my 10-year-old daughter is a master saleswoman.
Sheâs an avid readerâwith a goal of finishing 1,000 books this yearâand sheâll for sure hit it. Whenever a book sparks her curiosity, we head to the library so she can do âresearch,â which means grabbing 4-5 more books on the topic so she can read them alongside the original.
Her latest research project? Paris.đźđĽđ¨
After reading a book set in Paris, she decided she had to go someday. Suddenly, our house was filled with talk of Parisâwhen we could go, why we should go this year, and dramatic claims like, âItâs the only thing Iâve ever wanted!â
We explained that a trip to Paris is a big deal, not to mention the fact that my husband and I have never even been to Europe.
So, when we received a hand-drawn invitation to her âParis presentationâ scheduled for last Saturday night in our living room, Iâll admitâwe were a little exasperated.
More Paris talk?
Le sigh.
But let me tell you: if you had been at her presentation in our living room last Saturday night, youâd be booking tickets to Paris right now.
Hereâs what she did:
- She thoroughly researched Paris and everything we could do there.
- She presented pricing (flights and hotels) and how sheâd contribute: taking on more chores, tutoring her little sister, and selling more of her handmade cards.
- She cited her sources.
- She prepared prizes for usâyes, prizes!âjust for attending her presentation.
- And the clincher? She explained, one by one, why each of us would love Paris.
By the end, I was crying. (per usual ⌠my daughter's heart is just so pure.) And the next morning? My husband and I were looking at flights to Paris.
So, what does this have to do with you?
Everything.
My daughterâs âsales pitchâ worked because it hit all the right notes: she was prepared, clear, persuasive, and made the offer feel personal to each of us.
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Her research? It positioned her as the expert and highlighted her passion. As a designer, your âresearchâ is your understanding of a potential client's project and aligning it to your expertise and your process that gets results.
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Her deep dive into the pricing? It showed that she understood the investment we would make and took it seriously and she (in a sense) presented ways to keep the costs down. As a designer, being trusted with a client's largest asset is a serious deal. And you want them to know you will operate in their best interests. While my daughter gave ways she would contribute $$ to the trip, you might show clients how their investment will continue to have ROI long after your service has wrapped.
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Citing sources? She quoted authors throughout her presentation and it legitimized her claims and added an interesting angle AND depth to what she shared. As a designer, you can do this by showcasing client testimonials, quotes from builders and architects you've worked with, and features from the press.
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The prizes? It is ALWAYS a good idea to incentivize people to show up live and respond to your pitches. As a designer, it's important to find ways to surprise and delight your customers. Maybe you send a Loom video along with their proposal, maybe you schedule a proposal meeting, maybe you send a thank you card after the discovery call.
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The clincher? Her personalized âhere's why mom would love Parisâ and âhere's why Avery would love Parisâ part of the pitch? Seriously, gave me goosebumps. She made it personal. By highlighting what we would each love, we imagined ourselves doing those specific things in Paris which made us want Paris even more (she said I would love drinking coffee and reading my books and writing at an outdoor cafe in Paris). If we didn't go to Paris, I would lose that experience she painted for me. As a designer, you can do this by having a solid inquiry process and asking all the right questions to really understand your client's goals, Then, when you present the âsolutionâ, personalize it to them and their needs so they can really visualize themselves as a client.
Watching her in action was a proud mom moment, and I am definitely taking a page out of her book when it comes to the sales process.
So, if youâre not booking the clients you wantâor you feel like youâre doing allllllll the work but not seeing the resultsâit might be time to fine-tune your approach.
Thatâs where this weekâs blog posts come in:
xo
Katie
