As you might remember (or not, if you are like me, were sometimes I feel this is one of those skills that I learned at school , don't know how and don't know when, I just did) as designers we always start by identifying the needs of our users and from there we Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype and Test our new inventions.

This article also brought back a lot of memories, since this is exactly what made me think about the need to create a space for designers to learn about business on our own terms. To learn business from the point of view of a designer.

When I went to school there was no class called Design Thinking, we learned to think like designers by listening to instructors, by learning the process of conceptualizing a design and by repetition.

We repeated a process over and over, until it was embedded in our minds, we were told to think from a different point of view; from the point of view of the user and the need that we were fulfilling. For that, we had to research and think outside the box, and that pushed us to find innovating solutions to everyday problems.

This is how my journey in sales started. I was hired by a Herman Miller dealership to be the liaison with Architects and Designers since I could speak their language, meaning “design language”. After a few months I was asked to be part of the sales team, a new project was coming, where designers were involved and that presented a good opportunity for me. The only problem was that I had no idea about sales, and I really didn't know where to start. So after timidly accepting this new challenge, my brain went into Designer mode. 

Problem: I need to learn to sell as soon as possible, and I don't know where to start. 

First thing I thought about was, let’s do some field research (just like in a project), so I asked around, to see how people had learned how to sell, but most of the people I interviewed told me it was something you learned with time, and that either you had it in you or not. That was kind of concerning, so I went back to the drawing board, and I figured there should be a list of steps or a process I can follow, at least something that does not involve a magic spell or a skill some people have, and some don't, because, what if I was not born with it?

So, I finally found “The book”. An amazing read from Roger Fisher and William Ury called “Getting to Yes. Negotiating agreement without giving in” And as I started reading it I realized that there are many things that were familiar to me, and that I have learned, to be quite frank, by osmosis at design school, as most of you will agree, our days as design students in class was a mix of sleep deprivation and creative mind explosions, so that makes those days kind of blurry. 

I realized that by using my design thinking skills I was able to sell. Basically, started the conversation by asking the customer what they needed and then, after doing some research I will arrive at the product that better fulfilled that need. Later on, I could see that my success in sales was intimately connected to my ability to satisfy a need or to solve a problem and not to sell. I know it sounds strange but when you concentrate on your client and their need; the sale happens almost naturally.

So, designers! Take the myth away from sales and start applying your design thinking skills to achieve successful negotiations. And by negotiations, I mean, at home with your partner or your kids, at school with your teacher and peers, at work with your boss and your colleagues or at your company to sell products and services. The possibilities are endless!

To learn more about business and negotiation, follow me on Instagram and Facebook, or go to my website www.thebusinesssideofdesign.com

See you there!

Let me tell you more about this space. This space was designed for you! the designer that came out of school and it is starting to find their way into the business side of the trade, for the designer who has decided to start a company and does not know where to start, for the entrepreneur designer that built a startup and wants to grow or for the business person in you that wants to learn more about the lingo and the different tools that will help you advance further in your career.

As a designer I know how it feels not knowing what you need to know about business, or where to find this information; because I have been there, not knowing where to start. So I decided to create this space to help you go through this process together so you don't have to do it alone, and so you can learn from my successes and why not also from my mistakes.

If you think about it,  when we are at school we are taught how to design, and how to do research, how to ideate and how to create concepts. We learn how to articulate our designs and to bring our ideas to life! Just like magic! But we learn very little about the business side of design.

Here we will talk about..

1. Real life case scenarios and the different strategies that were used to approach them effectively and efficiently.

2. Solutions that worked and ideas that had great intentions but did not work very well, so you learn what to do and what not to do.

3. The best books to read to grow your negotiation skills, to develop your management capabilities, to build high- performing teams and to learn different steps to follow for you to be able to build your Startup. If one day you feel like you want to take your freelancing to the next level.

4. Important topics, like; business, motivation and soft skill lessons, because they all go together; achieving a good balance between the three will make you successful in your career!

Every post will be packed with takeaways and tips that you can put in practice right away, and that will make a difference in your life.

So I hope by now you are as excited as I am to start this journey together!

In all fairness this brings me to my happy place!  Where I get to share with you what I know about business from a designer point of view. Because let's face it we think differently, we see the world in a different way.

Welcome to this amazing business design studio! Thank you for being here!

See you next month!

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