Department Store Buyer Becomes Interior Designer

A man contacted me about promoting his commercialbulk mail permit from a local post office. They were
interior design firm that he was starting. At that time healso sent via email.A few weeks later after sending
was working as a department store buyer where heout the solicitation letter and reprints, a lawyer who
was very bored in his job. He was interested in makingrepresented a men's suit designer company
a career change to interior designing. He had no formalresponded to our ads. I prepared for my client a four
training but had educated himself in interior design andcolor brochure, a PowerPoint presentation, and a script
had worked on some very small showroom and officeto follow during his presentation. My client was up
design projects in an assisting role.After meeting withagainst 3 other firms competing for the contract. My
him and learning his goals, I did some research intoclient was rewarded the contract. The contract was
office and showroom designs, and the correlationsfor 1.5 million for a showroom on a very fashionable
between new designs and increased business. IManhattan street.Five months after getting the
discovered that office interior designing was a lot morecontract to design this showroom my client completed
plentiful but more competitive. The larger design firmsthe project. The showroom turned out to be a huge
concentrated on the office designing market. I decidesuccess for the men's suit designer company. The
for my client that it would be best if he wouldcompany even recommended my client to an
concentrate his efforts on the showroom designaccessory manufacture and design company that the
market which was less competitive and easier tosuit company was doing business with.With the
break into.I helped my client create a web site thatpermission of the men's suit designer company I
would express his unique approach to designingarranged for several stories about their work to be
showrooms. The web site allowed clients to requestpublished. I made changes on their web site to include
information on the different types and styles ofthe success that my client had with the suit design
showroom designs that my client has to offer. Therecompany's show room design. I also included it in the
would be articles and links to articles that would be ofnext company newsletter that was going to be
interest and help prospective clients with what type ofpublished. I repeated the process with the mailing list
showroom design would be best for their business.both of them (conventional mail and e-mail) promoting
The web site would provide examples of otherthe success of my clients work. As a result, my client
projects that were successfully done.I wrote articlesgot three additional clothing design companies each of
on the positive correlation between new designs andwhom required large showrooms and officesThe
increased business and distributed them on the internetsuccess of the first contract allowed my client to
were clients would be looking for information. I includedbreak into a new market segment which is designing
links in the articles back to my client's web site. Ioffices, which is the largest and most profitable in the
created a newsletter for my client that containedinterior design business. Here is where my client
helpful information to prospects by explaining severaldecided to expand his business; and in order to do this
different ways of how new showroom designs canhe must hire others who have the skills to execute the
increase business. The newsletter contained links toappropriate tasks at hand.William Dupree is the owner
my clients' web site as well as links to articles andof I.M.P.S. (Interactive Marketing & Promotional Solutions
sources of information that would be of assistance toInc.) ( a sole proprietorship marketing firm located in
any potential prospects.I created a print ad for theNew York City that specializes in developing
New York Real Estate Journal and wrote an articleinteractive marketing strategies for small businesses.
under my clients' by-lines that appeared with the ad.Prior to founding I.M.P.S. in 2005, Mr. Dupree was a
After the article and ad appeared, I ordered reprints,senior partner at E.D.L. Marketing for twelve years.
wrote a solicitation letter, and bought a list ofBefore joining E.D.L. he worked for Diamond Marketing
approximately 500 real estate lawyers (newGroup where he performed personal sales strategies,
showroom tenants typically have their lawyersproduct planning, event planning, and created interactive
negotiate their leases). The solicitation letters gave mymarketing strategies for an assortment of small
clients web site address and where to find hisbusinesses.
newsletter. The solicitation letters were mailed with a