When a famous, free agent pitcher moved to Boston to join the Red Sox, he and his wife bought a home that needed to be completely redecorated. Mrs. Pitcher called a well-known furniture and design store for professional guidance – she didn’t stop to consider it was lunchtime. As the phone rang, two interior designers worked away at their sandwiches while my friend – the third interior designer – stopped lunching and picked up the phone. By the next day, she’d secured a six figure order and a host of recommendations and referrals to the other players’ wives, who also needed six figures of redecoration for their multi-million dollar homes.
In an industry struggling to survive the real estate crash, as interior designers and decorators lament the lack of value placed on their expertise, as sales people complain about the lack of advertising and lead generation support, it seems the least one could do is put down the sandwich and pick up the phone when it rings. You never know who may be calling or to where it may lead.
