The Tribune

DESIGNER 101

By Teri M. Bethel

Most of us are conditioned to believe that hard work is the key to surviving the week. If we do not sweat, make up our faces or run around like a lost chicken day after day, we do not feel as though we have put in a good day's work.

Fortunately, we can jump off that wild merry-go-round and pace ourselves for working to have better success and enjoying the process.

Working Smart

A key component in working smart is to be organised. Have a plan and make an attempt to stick to it. Before the end of the day, make a list of the things you need to get done the next and following days. The Pareto principle is not a new concept but it is certainly a wise one. A simplified way to interpret it is to focus your efforts on the most important tasks you need to accomplish; this generally falls under the 20 per cent category. When you take care of the 20 per cent, the remaining 80 per cent generally takes care of itself.

Management by Crisis

Do not wait until you have to manage by crisis; this is a turn off to your staff and customers. Some people seem to get a rush of excitement when they are under the gun to produce. They wait to the last minute to work on something that could have been done a long time ago. The outcome is stress and inferior results which leads to a poor reputation and loss of clientele.

The remedy for the dilemma is proper planning. In some instances people rush out of habit and lack discipline; other times it is a lack of manpower or operating resources. In any case, the client is interested in the bottom line; sad stories and excuses are no longer acceptable.

Keeping Existing Customers

It is far easier to keep an existing customer if your products and services are good. Successful business people know that it is also cheaper to continue selling products to the existing customer rather than having to launch a marketing campaign to attract new prospects.

So it just makes sense to treat your customers well by offering great products with the best possible attitude. The 'take it or leave it' attitude should be a thing of the past. Buyers are becoming wiser and are choosing who they spend their hard earned money with.

With the economy in the state that it is in, we can certainly do our part making our work more enjoyable, productive and financially successful by working smart.

Teri M. Bethel is a surface designer who specialises in teaching textured painting. Teri has been involved in manufacturing painted garments, handbags and souvenirs for over two decades. She is the designer of Teri Monique Handbags and author of several texture painting books. Visit Teri at www.PaintWithTexture.com Tel: 242-676-4474.