DSA Newsletter - Fall 2015

CRISP LEAVES.......

Cooler temperatures and a kick in our step, fall is fast approaching.  Time to shake the beach sand out of our shoes and prepare for the soft brush of cashmere sweaters. Interior design starts to take an upward swing with clients focusing on family visits and the holidays to come.  Let's bring in the season with a slow gentle stroll.  As designers we have become accustomed to jumping at our clients' latest whim. In truth our clients look to us for comfort and style.  A smooth approach will please your client and instill confidence.  Some designers have mastered the "smooth operator" approach in front of clients only to run rabid when the client is not in their presence.  Let's take a new approach and nurture our inner artist.
Thanks for taking the time to check out our newsletter!
Here are a few helpful tips.
 
Enjoy!

My Story

Nationally Acclaimed Universal Design Living Laboratory

On June 13, 1998, my husband, Mark Leder, and I went for a bicycle ride on a rural wooded trail in Granville, OH. After riding for a few minutes, Mark thought he heard a gunshot and slowed down to investigate.  As he scanned the scene he saw a large tree falling. He shouted, "Stop!" But the warning was too late. Instantly, I was crushed by a 7,000 pound tree and paralyzed from the waist down.




Coming home from the hospital in a manual wheelchair after my spinal cord injury, I realized how my two-story home intensified my disability.  My husband and I knew that we had to sell our home and find something more suitable.
In September of 2004, we hired architect Patrick Manley to draw the house plans for our new home in Columbus, Ohio.  In January 2005, Mark and I were encouraged by our mastermind group to make our home a national demonstration home and garden, acquire corporate sponsors, and open it for tours to the public.

Mark and I bought an acre and a half lot in December of 2006 and continued with the planning. We hired interior designers Mary Jo Peterson and Anna Lyon. We broke ground on September 23, 2009 and moved into our home May 18, 2012.

The Universal Design Living Laboratory (www.udll.com) is the top rated universal design home in North America with three national universal design certifications:  Livable Design, ZeroStep and Life-Flex Home. The home received the LEED for Homes Silver certification, and a Gold rating on the ICC 700-2008 National Green Building.



Note: A virtual tour with a 360° panoramic view of each room of the Universal Design Living Laboratory is at: www.UDLL.com
 
Copyright by Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D. 2015
 
Byline: Rosemarie Rossetti, Ph.D., president of Rossetti Enterprises Inc. is an internationally known speaker, consultant, and author. To contact Rosemarie and learn about her speaking services, go to: www.RosemarieSpeaks.com  To learn about her home, the Universal Design Living Laboratory, go to: www.UDLL.com  Contact Rosemarie at: Rosemarie@UDLL.com

CONTINUING EDUCATION.

SHAPING THE FUTURE.

How important are Continuing Education Units (CEUs)? DSA has not forced them upon you and made them a requirement for membership in the past, so does this mean that they are meaningless?
The answer is NO.

As a professional who markets services to the public, you want to be in the KNOW and well versed on the current market trends as well as consumer safety and health regulations. The societies who do regulate CEUs suggest earning 10 CEUs every two years. This is not a difficult task with the availability of distance learning and webinars. If you want to be part of what's going on and stay relevant in today's market, it's crucial to be part of this culture.
 
There is a company that will help you register your CEUs and keep track of them. This company also provides an extensive list of CEUs available across the nation. We have provided a link to this site below.
At no cost to you, you can set up an account. So what is available after this process? Click on the event calendar tab at the top, choose distance learning and click search. Then you are on your way to discovering your personal path. If you find that you are interested in several of the topics, click and register with them so you will be included in future classes.
 
Education is the key to success!
https://www.idcec.org/Pages/Forms/Public/CERegistry/CERegistry.aspx
 
Follow the link and scroll to the bottom of the page. You will notice the following sentence;
If you DO NOT belong to ASID, IIDA or IDC, please register and create your account here.

Here is what the organization will do for you:
The IDCEC centralized continuing education registry gives you access to your personalized account which includes:


  • Reporting of IDCEC approved courses and conferences
  • Reporting of Non-IDCEC courses and conferences
  • Upload of back up documentation such as certificates of completion and validated conference cards
  • Printing your unofficial transcript of CEU activity
  • Ordering an official IDCEC transcript

Warm regards,
DSA staff
 
Fall Market
D&D Building, hats off to you !  For those of us who have to find balance in this thrilling creative ride, let us be conscious of our approach to design and enjoy the process.
http://ddbuilding.com/event/fall-market-2015/
 
HIGH POINT MARKET
FALL MARKET/ 2015  OCTOBER 17-22

http://www.highpointmarket.org/about-market/dates

Designer Tip: Beware of the Client !

THE MOST DANGEROUS KIND OF INTERIOR DESIGN CLIENT

Whether you're a full service interior designer, window treatment expert, or a workroom, there is one thing we all have in common:  we all work closely with clients and the very personal decisions they make about their homes.
Most of the times, these clients are warm, friendly, wonderful people that hire us for our expertise and talents.  But once in a while, we come across those tough people that get under our skin and make us crazy.  Sound familiar?

Here are the clients to watch out for.



  1. The Engineer - the one who questions every detail of the space plan, every stitch of the window treatment, and every minute element of your work.

  2. The Social Butterfly - the one who doesn't question or pay attention to anything, and then acts surprised at the final result

  3. The IN-Decision-maker - the one who needs to see just a few more options

  4. The Bully - the bully client can come in many forms. There is a mach clients who feel who feel that they are under threat because they are dealing with a subject that it out of their expertise, this client tries to compensate by being over-aggressive and showing off. Than there is the Attila who believes intimidation and threats are the way to get more out of people. Some clients who bully have poor social skills."It may also be that bullying clients have poor social skills, or that their behavior is making the statement that they are paying the bills, and it's a way of asserting their superiority. There's also the possibility that they might just want to get rid of you."

  5. The Shopper - she hired you, but then wants to shop around just to make sure she is getting the best deal

  6. Darth Vader - This is the most DANGEROUS kind of client of them all. She is the one who undermines your value, questions every single thing you do, and brings you down because she can't possibly fathom spending $3000 on two very wide valances. She starts comparing you to other workers in her house - 'how is it possible that the landscapers who are digging a 6' hole in her back yard and building a retaining wall are charging less than I do. Do I really think I work harder than they do?" How could I possibly charge that much if even her grandmother wouldn't think to do that and she sewed the wedding gown for the owner of Bloomies. She believes installing is a 20-minute process and why would it possibly take any longer than that. She wants to see the break-down of every charge on the estimate. She questions the yardage, because she sews and understands all about that. And if she were to do just a quick search on the internet, she would easily be able to find what she wants at fraction of the price. (you can tell, I speak from personal and very fresh experience).

It is customers like that who really bring you down because they make you question your self-worth.  They make you think about your whole life and "why are you in this business anyway?"  They make you unsure about your God-given gifts and talents.  They shatter your confidence.  They shake your faith in yourself.
 
Having coached countless interior designers, decorators, and window treatment specialists, I know that the issues of self worth are very common in this industry.  But true to any profession, self-worth is really THE only thing we truly have going for us.  When stripped of fancy cars, attitude, make-up and everything else that guards us, it is the self-worth that gives us the foundation to live on, to stand up strong, bring up our children, and ultimately deliver the best service to our clients.  And that's why this client is the most dangerous of them all.
 
Attribution Box
Vitalia (Vita) Vygovska is the award winning owner of Vitalia, Inc., an author, a window treatment expert, and a business coach to the design trade.   5 Proven Strategies to get more clients, make more money, and put your business on auto-pilot.  "The Business of Interior Design"