161: Deborah Flate I Sales Strategies for Designers

Today, we welcome Deborah Flate, founder of Dialogue Consulting. Deborah is the voice of sales techniques and strategies that inspire the sales teams of some of our favorite design brands and showrooms in the industry. In this episode, Deborah shares some of her core sales principles with us because, at the end of the day, your design business is a sales organization, too. We dive deep into selling with confidence, what questions to ask, what information to listen for, and how to leverage showrooms and sales reps to support your sales process.

Tune in to learn how to master the art of selling in your design business!

 

Show Highlights:

• Deborah’s background and her transition from interior design to sales

• Deborah’s business model and training she provides to design brands, showrooms, and the design community

• The importance of sales techniques and mindset for designers, even though many may not see themselves as salespeople

• The questions designers should ask their clients to understand their needs and priorities

• The role of showrooms and sales reps in supporting the sales processes of designers and how to leverage their product knowledge and expertise

• The importance for designers to develop strong product knowledge and utilize the resources and information provided by sales teams

• Advice for designers on prioritizing their resources and product lines 

 

Notable Quotes:

• “You can be the most talented designer, the most talented person in the world, but if you don’t know how to sell and the techniques of how to sell, it’s going to be really hard for you to succeed.” - Deborah Flate.
• “We are all salespeople, whether we want to think so or not. Convincing a person to go to a movie is selling them. Convincing them the color you want to paint your home is selling them.” - Deborah Flate.
• “Design business owners need to embrace the fact that their business is also a sales organization. You need to incorporate that into it because it is a really big part of the picture.” - Rick.

 

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Supporting Resources:

Dialogue Consulting Website - https://dialogue-consulting.com/

Dialogue Consulting on Instagram - https://www.instagram.com/dialogueconsulting

Deborah Flate on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/in/deborahflate/

 

Books Mentioned:

Leveling Up with GUSTO by Debora Flate: amazon.com/Leveling-GUSTO

 To Sell is Human by Daniel H. Pink: amazon.com/Sell-Human-Surprising-Moving-Others

 

Sponsor Links: 

Daniel House Club: https://danielhouse.club/

High Point Furniture Market: https://www.highpointmarket.org/registerDBSG