“You can make a living and have clients who respect, honor, and value you – if you do it yourself,” said Seldon. “When your pricing goes higher, you go to higher clients.”
Santos advised designers to understand the factors that will motivate clients to pay more. “People are willing to pay for an experience,” he said. “Our end goal is not to leave you with a room, but with a dive into your own personality, and an experience that continues. We want our clients to be engaged and have a partnership. When it works, designers last longer than husbands, sometimes.”
The panel resonated with many High Point Market attendees. “Kimberley [Seldon] spoke my language,” said Mary Milburn of IonDesign, LLC. “I love her business model and agree – we don’t have to be ashamed of making money.”
Melissa Maltba, owner of MBM Designs, said that she has seen firsthand how the industry has changed. “I’ve been in this business for over 25 years, and have seen it morph into something totally unrecognizable,” she said, adding that the panel was a great resource to see how designers can evolve and grow in the face of new challenges.
Each High Point Market offers countless opportunities to learn the techniques that have worked for some of our industry’s most successful people. As you make your Market plan, head over to our Events section to discover our latest lineup of leaders and topics. Spring Market seminars are generally posted by mid February, and Fall Market seminars by mid August.