Photo Credit: @rubencustomsawmill

Building Relationships with Designers

Hey, this is Steve Larosiliere from Woodpreneur Life. Today we’re going to talk about getting relationships with designers. Designers are the holy grail for you to grow your business. If you’re a furniture maker making tables on your own, you want to be able to work with a designer.

Good Old Instagram

Here’s the sort of super down and dirty, high-level way to get in touch with a designer, one is good old Instagram. You know, search hashtag designers, your state designers, your city designer. Like, NY designers, NY architects, and NY interior designers. Or NC for North Carolina, NC designers, NC architects, NC interior designers. Literally, all you have to do is just follow every single one of them and then like their content and engage with them. Do that for one or two weeks, and focus on 10 to 20 of them only. 

Especially if they’re in your area, as you are making your products and services, tag them. I would do that for one or two weeks, and then tag them in your posts. Then hit them with the DM and say, “Hey, I love your work. Let’s talk about how we can collaborate to get some raw, local, sustainably harvested wood for your clients and your projects. Do you have 15 minutes, so I can walk you through my process of how it works?” 

That’s literally it. If you get one of those designers, they can provide you with enough work for a year or two, and if you have multiple designers, that’s even better. I actually was talking to a coaching client and they were telling me about a relationship that they had and they had built this custom table and the table was so good, I thought that it could be a potential line. Then you can go to a designer and just say, “Hey, I have an exclusive line just with you.” You can add value to them if you tell them when you have a particular species. Tell them, “Hey, I if you show me a design, I can mock it up and I can do it for you.” 

Photo Credit: @rubencustomsawmill

Add Value to Strengthen Relationships

Really it’s about branding, community, and sales. If you are able to brand yourself amazingly well, tell great stories, and build a community of designers and architects and woodworkers and people that know you and that could potentially buy from you, add value to them. Get them introductions, if you’re having an open house, invite them and their clients. And then just put out offers like, “Hey, I’m doing this. Tell me how I can serve you, tell me how I can help because I really would love to get my wood products your customer’s homes.” Your customer can be part of the whole process. 

It’s about adding value. The first way to look for it is through social media, you can prospect through Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and also LinkedIn. Don’t forget about LinkedIn. If you want more of this content, join the Facebook group!

Thanks for reading, and I’ll see you next time!