Dear ,

Guangzhou Design Week Preview! As you read this I am navigating my way through an adventure of three cities in just six days half way around the world. I'm presenting the Top Western Design Trends to architects, developers, designers and homeowners in China. There is a new upper class that is looking beyond their borders for design inspiration and lifestyle. Opportunities abound!

Asian influence is everywhere! We all know the world is shrinking, borders are blurring, and we enjoy the privilege of global influence in all aspects of design. The biggest contributors to hot and now are China, Russia, India, Morocco and Africa. The Asian aesthetic in particular brings a timeless geometry to spaces bringing order to chaos and edgy to what otherwise might be dull. From Oscar De La Renta to Raymond Waites and Thomas O'Brian the effects of thousands of years of design history are front and center today.

Where do your influences come from? I have to say it was funny when the Chinese interviewed me for a feature in Modern Decoration Home. They had researched me well (I am an online presence!) And they questioned why I wore Chinese clothes (my jacket in many pictures has a Chinese collar), why my cats are named Yin and Yang, and why my interiors seemed to have a Chinese influence (this still confuses me as I don't see it, but they did!) I'd have to say mine comes from a love of good tailoring (the jacket), a constant search for balance (the Yin and the Yang of life), and a delight in an interior that has geometry as a grounding force. Where do your influences come from? How can you share them for greater success?

Prospering by Design, YOURS!

Melissa Galt
The Six Figure Design Professional
Your Interior Design Business Systems Specialist
Devoted to Your Design Business Success

"Anything of value in life only multiplies when it is given."

~ Deepak Chopra
Bestselling Author & Transformational Leader

LinkedIn, Making Success Connections That Count!

Many of you are on LinkedIn but haven't really gotten the return you deserve. Join me at 8pm EST, Tuesday, April 21st on the free WEBINAR. LinkedIn is a veritable gold mine of top drawer contacts and connections just waiting to be mined. I'll share the nuts and bolts as well as:

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/709733153

And a lot more! Be sure to register for this free training, the REPLAY, MY NOTES, and a Q&A session will be available following for $47. The WEBINAR is FREE! As always I offer a guarantee on all content! If you aren't 100% satisfied you get a full refund. I'm here to contribute to your success.

https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/709733153

Walk Your Talk to Capture Clients!

Are you a living successful example of what your product or service delivers? That's a big question isn't it? When you aren't, can you really and truly expect your client's to buy from you? Let's take a look at this, when you are a design professional your home needs to be a reflection of your talent. It needs to represent your style, your abilities, and the benefits of good design. Too often we neglect ourselves and our environments and wonder why we are having difficulty both attracting prospects and converting them into ideal clients. If you aren't your own client first then take yourself on.

For over a decade I taught busy professionals and homeowners about decorating through the local university. Each class, usually 20-30 people, had an invitation to visit my home for a class gathering; often these would be back to back three nights in one week when I had that many classes in session. Many participants were amazed that I'd open my home to relative strangers. To me it was essential to show them that I walked my talk. My home was (and still is) a living example of my design education, experience, and philosophy. It put into tangible visual format what I'd been teaching and sharing. It also allowed them a more personal (if not intimate) look at my life, who I am, and what I'm about. Inevitably I garnered clients from each class. These people often became good friends and proved to be ideal clients because they understood my talent and passion completely. I let them see all of it.

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Where to Find What to Say!

I find that frequently professionals who have climbed aboard the social network speed train get stuck in knowing what to say. The beauty is that it isn't in knowing what to say but where to find it! You don't have to create all your own content you can share what is out there, what's hot, what's now, and what's relevant. There are some great resources to do this easily and simply.

When you are looking for the more serious content, valuable news bits, trend pieces, and global aggregators then you'll want to check these out:

www.alltop.com A "digital magazine rack" of the Internet which aims to help you find articles in categories of interest to you. The categories are as diverse as Health, Photography, France, Hockey, Fashion, Journalism, and Personal Finance. There's something for everyone.

www.mashable.com With more than 5 million monthly page views, Mashable is the world's largest blog focused exclusively on social networks.

www.techcrunch.com TechCrunch is a blog about Web 2.0 products & companies, many of the posts written by Michael Arrington

www.digg.com Digg is a website made for people to discover and share content from anywhere on the Internet, by submitting links and stories, and voting and commenting on submitted links and stories.

www.cnn.com Global news source.

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The True Measure of Success

To be able to carry money without spending it;

To be able to bear an injustice without retaliating;

To be able to do one's duty when critical eyes watch;

To be able to keep at a job until it is finished;

To be able to do the work and let others receive the recognition;

To be able to accept criticism without letting it whip you;

To like those who push you down;

To love when hate is all about you;

To follow God when others put detour signs in your path;

To have peace of heart and mind because you have given your best;

This is the true measure of success.

~ Anonymous

Melissa Galt, The Six Figure Interior Design Professional, specializes in interior design business systems for success. As a successful independent interior designer for over 15 years, Melissa knows the design business inside out. Now, she presents unique workshops providing design professionals, at every level of their career growth, with simple, proven systems for achievement.

Melissa shows designers, decorators, and home fashion experts how they can boost their business, put more profit in their pocket, and enjoy the life they design. Find total freedom in your business to embrace the lifestyle you want most. Get the tools and techniques, not just the strategies, for winning lead generation, masterful marketing, priceless PR, sales secrets to optimize every project, and fruitful follow up for a lifetime of raving fans.