Some talented designers fail not because of a lack of talent, but because of their lack of ability to communicate and convince others of the value of their solutions.

Design is the fascinating process of blending art and function through a rather obscure process to create beautiful and practical spaces. Our job in design is to see things differently and to find unique and interesting ways to solve our clients' problems.

While studying design, we are not told the key to our success may be in our ability to explain our process and to sell our clients on our concepts. We are given the general impression that salesmanship is a crass business best left to those wearing loud plaids and hanging out in used car lots. However, after many years in the design profession, I have become convinced that the ability to sell your concept is not only necessary, but mandatory for success.

I have seen talented designers fail not because of a lack of talent, but because of their lack of ability to communicate and convince others of the value of their solutions. Convincing someone to take advice is a challenge for any successful professional, and our industry has underplayed the need for salesmanship. I would consider it refreshing if design programs would teach the fine art of sales along with design skills.

Many programs require verbal presentations, but very few explain how to best conquer the verbal skills required to sell a project. A perfect design solution cannot benefit a client if you fail to properly verbalize the vision you have for the final project. Our visions remain only visions if we cannot sell and persuade our clients to see the beauty and practicality of following our prescriptions.

Interior designers are challenged with creating solutions and thinking in such an unusual way that people are very willing to pay us to implement a process that the average client is unable to accomplish on his or her own. In other words, we are charged daily with creating visual solutions that are so unique that it is considered a "gift" and seems almost magical to clients.

Following through on the all details of something so mythical and creative is an art form all its own. Paying tribute to our creative juices while selling the reality of a project is a constant struggle that most of us spend a good part of our day trying to accomplish.

One of the most talented people I studied with in college was so unable to communicate in the business environment that she chose to leave the profession. Starting with her first job, she felt disappointed in the reality of the profession vs. what she had imagined it to be. The purity of her design, she felt, was compromised by the reality of budgets, deadlines and client demands. She felt exhausted by clients that required her constant reassurances that the project would be all they had imagined. It has made me wonder how many good designers have left the business because of their inability to connect with the client and provide a balance of design and reality.

Through mentoring younger designers, I have identified some of the keys to success in the selling of the design process. Likewise, many mentors have poured their expertise into my career, and here are a few lessons that have been won through experience:

· Know your prospective client - Before you even enter into a meeting, you need to know as much as you can about the client and project. Do your homework before the presentation.
· Listen first - The art of listening is probably the least-discussed part of the design process. Listening carefully and fully to concerns and desires is integral to success. Sometimes the smallest part of conversations with clients hold the crucial hints about their desires. Even old war stories they may tell of past projects can be a telling part of their history. Learning what has not worked for them in the past can be a great way to miss the pitfalls on the next project. Note-taking is also helpful and referring to them during the next presentation helps prove your listening skills.
· Introverts are not at a disadvantage - Many people make the mistake of thinking that only extroverts make good presentations or communicators. Many times the introvert has the ability to listen and read a client carefully while the extrovert can dominate the conversation and miss crucial points during a meeting. If you can ask smart questions and offer solutions, it does not matter if you are known as a people person. You can achieve success with clients if you solve their problems - no matter what your personality.
· Attitude is most important - No one enjoys a negative person, and your overall attitude cannot help but come through in your communications. If I had to give the No. 1 reason why a person does not remain part of our firm, it would be attitude. We have all heard the old cliche that one bad apple spoils the barrel. This seems especially pertinent to design teams. You must be willing to be a team player without a blame-game attitude.
As an old boss of mine used to say, no one wants a team member that throws you under the bus at the first sign of problems. You need to know that you are there to provide solutions to your clients, not point out every insurmountable problem.
· Relationships are key - A design assistant several years ago noted how much time is spent on personally catching up with our clients at each meeting. To her, it seemed like time not well spent for us to ask about new grandchildren and parents' health issues. But she came to understand how crucial those relationships were to our overall effectiveness when things became difficult. A personal relationship needs to be nurtured so you become more than just consultants when things do not go as planned.

These sales suggestions were learned the hard way; usually, by doing something improperly many times before it sunk into my hard head. When we stop learning, we will probably stop breathing. The interesting thing is that after all the hard-learned lessons, I am still looking forward to selling my solutions to my clients all day tomorrow - I must still be breathing.  F+I

Juliana M. Catlin, FASID, is founder and president of Catlin Interiors Inc. For more information, call 904-396-5522.