How to Hire Me

Need me to help you find a solution to a challenge in your store, art studio, or show booth? 
Just ask me! Send me an email, and Let's Talk Shop@!

Here's a 'crash course' on how to do that quickly and effectively...
Send me an email that looks a lot like this: 


Hello, Debi, {greet me by name}

I'm Shell, owner of The SeaShell Boutique in Alki- www. shesellsseashells. com. {tell me who you are}. I found your blog through a search for retail designers. {tell me how you found me}

Debi, I REALLY need help with my retail store  - and am hoping you can assist me in finding solutions to a few problems. Specifically, I have floor plan 'issues': {state your case succinctly}There are too many hidden spots, no clear direction of where to go, and a cashwrap that seems to be hard to find. {give me some detailsI'd like to have you create a new floor plan that addresses those issues. {give me the final result you want from me}

So, I need to know if you are accepting new clients now, what your availability & fees are, if you can get this done in the time frame I have, and how the process works for you. {ask me what you want to know}

I have a limited budget for this (don't we all?!) which means I have just a few hundred bucks to spare - and I'd prefer not spending it all! My time frame for design & installation of the plan is two months, because I need to make changes before summer tourist season hits.  {be open about your situation}

But really, I want to know from you how to best utilize your services.
How much can I do to prepare so that your time is maximized for my benefit?
{ask me SMART questions}

Can you email me back this week (shellers@shesellsseashells .com) with the specifics of this? {give me your contact info and tell me what/when/how you want it}

Feel free to visit our web site at www. shesellsseashells .com {include store contact info}
and take a look at our slideshow - it shows the entire space. If there are other materials I can send you (photos, links, etc.) to help you review or prepare, please let me know. {send preliminary materials so I can see what I would be dealing with}

Thank you, Debi - I look forward to hearing back from you and hope to be able to start working with you very soon!

Shell
The SeaShell Boutique
Alki, Washington

What you'll get back from me in response is a prompt reply with the answers to all of your questions, along with information about how my design process unfolds on a project. I will attach a letter of intent to hire for you to sign, an invoice for a deposit on the work to be done, and a list of materials (like a sketch of Shell's store floorplan with measurements, etc.) and any questions I might have. When you sign and return that letter of intent, pay the deposit, and send me the materials I have asked for, I am off and running on your project. 

Which means that within ONE day, if my schedule allows, you can have me working on your challenges and finding creative, efficient solutions for you!

There is no Shell who sells sea shells in a boutique on Alki Point, Washington - to my knowledge, anyway. She's a fictional perfect 'inquiry' - an example of how to get to the heart of a matter fast. 

If the emails, phone messages, and comments sent to me came in that form, I'd be off and running on your business challenges before I even got back to you! A very efficient way for me to work.

Maybe it's just me.... but quick, efficient, and honest communication is GOLD to me. 
While I LOVE to talk, and can write an email that rivals 'War and Peace' in length, I don't enjoy endless communication. Especially when it comes to business. I need info! I need it now! Give it to me straight, honest, and open so I know what you want, and you'll get back from me a quick answer stating what I can do for you and where we go from there.

If you can be conscientious enough to respond to ME in a prompt and timely manner, you'll have a designer on your team in a flash. Not to mention that the longer you wait to sign up, the more your chances increase that my availability might change as others engage me to work for them.

When it comes to taking on new clients and projects, I am open about my availability - 
I won't accept a new project if I can't fit it into my schedule on your time frame, or if I think I'm just not the right person for it. If your budget seems really low, I'll ask you what the most important issues are so we can focus on that and cut my time involvement to the minimum. But I'll still try to help.

Because that's my goal: to HELP you. Let's Talk Shop@!



read all about my design services on my website

email me at debi.wardkennedy@gmail.com