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As designers and creatives, we're not afraid of new tools.
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We're not afraid of learning new things.
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We're not afraid of trying something out that is going to help our industry.
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We're just afraid of being made irrelevant.
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That's the scary part, is when we think that we're not going to be needed anymore because we all want to be needed and we all have a business to run and we want to make sure that we are relevant.
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Hey y'all, you're listening he McClain Method Podcast, episode number 93.
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Welcome to the McClain Method, the podcast for interior designers who are ready to stop hiding and start shining.
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I'm your host, John McClain, designer, business mentor, author, and your branding bestie.
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This is not about paint colors or pendant lighting, it's about building a business that's both visible and profitable inside and out.
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From marketing and messaging to mindset, systems, and visibility, we cover the front stage and the backstage of your design business.
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Because your brilliance deserves the spotlight.
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And your business deserves to run like a dream behind the scenes.
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So if you're ready to be seen, get recognized, and get booked, it's time to let it shine.
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Welcome to the McClain Method .
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Hello, all of you fabulous design stars out there.
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I am very happy to be in your ears today if you're doing laundry, if you're at the gym, if you're taking a walk, pick up for your kids at school.
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However, you're listening today, I'm very grateful that you're here.
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Today's episode is going to be a little bit different, and I think you're going to like it.
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I'm going to give you a highlight of a presentation that I have created for the topic of AI.
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Now, AI, of course, is everywhere.
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You can turn on any podcast.
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You can log into your Instagram and it hits you right in the face.
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So I wanted to maybe calm your nerves a bit.
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I developed a longer program of this, and the presentation that I'm going to play for you today is excerpts from that presentation.
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So it's not the entire presentation, but it is the main important parts that I want you to hear.
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And I'm hoping that this will calm your nerves.
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It will show your superpowers and it will really bring you back to reality to show you that AI is here to help us.
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It is not here to replace us.
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I strongly, strongly believe that.
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Yes, we have to stay abreast of everything that's going on with it.
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But when we truly find the avenue and the lane with that personal touch to our clients and to our projects, that is where AI tends to start to fill in the blanks and we can truly shine as the leader in our company.
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And let me mention this too.
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If you're one of those people who is like, no, AI, I'm not gonna think about it, I'm not gonna worry about it, you're going to miss out.
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You're going to be that designer who is sitting in the slow lane when everyone else is driving fast.
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And I do not want that for you.
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If you are someone who has just kind of put it on the back burner and hasn't thought about AI and what it can do for your business, and even if it's just the smallest things, I want you to bring one small aspect of using artificial intelligence.
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It can be as simple as helping you write an email.
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I don't care.
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Just make sure that you do start to pay attention to AI.
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It is here, it is going to stay, much like the internet.
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And I will talk more about that in a minute.
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How I relate that to how the internet came into play in the past.
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But I want you to embrace it in whatever way feels most comfortable for you.
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All right, so sit back and enjoy this excerpt from my presentation about harnessing AI, how to make AI work for you in your business while you still remain the leader.
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AI is here, it's here to stay, and I'm going to give you some very practical ways to introduce AI to your business and to hopefully eliminate some of the timidness or scaredness or just anxiety that we have around AI and how we actually are better than AI.
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We're actually better than what it's producing.
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So I just wanted to give you some reminders of that.
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So let's jump in.
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So the goal today is to show you how to keep AI human, how to give AI a human advantage, but still use it for your business.
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I want to let it do the heavy lifting, but I want us to be behind the heavy lifting.
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We are the muscle, if you will, behind all of that.
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And I want to really refocus on your intellectual property, your creativity, the things that you have right here between your ears that is never ever replicable from an AI perspective.
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And only things that that really you can do through that human touch.
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Because AI is not replacing designers, it is just changing what we get paid for.
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So I'm gonna say that one more time so that it really sinks in.
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AI is not replacing designers, it is just changing what we get paid for.
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Okay.
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I hope that gives you some sort of place to start for what we're going to do today.
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Next, what you will resolve today, and I put resolve because I want to resolve some of these tensions that we have in and around AI.
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We're going to resolve the question is AI replacing you?
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Also, what AI can and cannot do because it is not a full capacity environment there.
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Also, does your business need to completely change because of AI?
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Huh?
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Some strategies that you can implement today.
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These are very important.
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I thought about these in detail and I'm excited to share them with you because I really want you to have some actionable takeaways from this and things that you can do.
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And then lastly, we're going to talk about why the interior design industry is actually the best industry to be in right now when it comes to AI.
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And that is not something that I say lightly.
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And I know you're hearing a lot of stuff from a lot of people, but I want to show you why we as designers and not just interior designers, but any creative industry, to be honest with you, because creativity is something that is not as easily replicated by AI.
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And there are ways that it is doing that, but I'm going to show you how to feel more confident in what we bring as creatives and designers and all of the facets of creativity that can never ever be replicated by an AI bot.
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Okay, let's go in.
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The fear.
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What is our fear?
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The fear is is AI coming for my job.
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That is the fear that we have.
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And it is a valid fear.
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I get why you might have that fear, but let's dive into that and figure out what's the cause of it and what we can do to combat it.
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Everyone is a little freaked out by AI.
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I know that.
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In our industry, designers particularly are afraid of AI taking away our business, maybe doing things faster, maybe doing things better.
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And it honestly reminds me of when the internet came into play and when people were afraid to jump on board with the internet and they felt that it was a fad.
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They thought that it could be dangerous, it will kill real businesses, people will never trust it, right?
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It was that whole thing about the internet that everyone was just so afraid of.
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This is very similar.
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Many people resisted it, and a lot of people made fun of it.
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And a lot of people were just like, okay, I'm gonna wait to see if this whole internet thing takes off.
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And guess what?
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It did.
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It really did take off, obviously.
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And what happened, right?
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The thing that happened was the people who were ready to lean into the internet and ready to embrace it and try out all of the different things that the internet could do.
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And it honestly, it sounds so strange to me now that I'm talking about the internet, but the internet really is in line with AI right now.
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And I'm wanting you to see those comparisons.
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But those that really did adapt to the internet and jump on board with it and figure it out, they started getting more clients, they started getting more business, they started reaching a completely broader audience, right?
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AI has the exact same pattern.
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It feels unknown, it is moving very, very fast.
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AI is like 10 days, everything changes.
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So it's always changing, always evolving, but it also threatens our comfort with AI.
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We feel a little threatened with it, and it is changing the rules as well of how we operate business.
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So it's going to, again, as I say, reward the early adapters, not just those who adopt to it.
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The pattern is the same, but the timeline is shorter.
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So I just wanted to remind you that AI is following the same pattern as the internet, but also those that will adapt to it will get rewarded.
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And those who don't and those who ignore it, unfortunately, will get punished because, as I said, the internet did not kill the design industry, it just killed designers who refuse to adapt to it.
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Next, is AI coming for my job?
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I want to kind of put some of these things to rest because I know we're concerned about this.
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As designers and creatives, we're not afraid of new tools, we're not afraid of learning new things, we're not afraid of trying something out that is going to help our industry.
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We're just afraid of being made irrelevant.
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That's the scary part, is when we think that we're not going to be needed anymore because we all want to be needed and we all have a business to run and we want to make sure that we are relevant.
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So I want you to embrace AI the same way that you're embracing a new tool in your business.
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Let's say when AutoCAD came into play, people were hand drafting and then AutoCAD came in and then they had to adapt to that.
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So keep that same mindset as you're discussing and thinking about different AI methods that you could bring into your business.
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Fear is a sign that the landscape is shifting, not that you're obsolete.
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Things are always changing.
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It's a changing world, right?
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Every day there's something new.
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So the fear of the unknown does not mean that we're going to be made obsolete.
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It is just meaning that there is new technology, there's new advancements.
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But we are not going to be obsolete.
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We are needed.
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And I'm going to show you some of the ways that we can definitely show our clients and the world that we are needed.
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You don't lose to AI.
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You lose to people who know how to use AI.
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You're going to lose to people who are using AI to do things behind the scenes in their business, to reply to emails, to do all those mundane things that we don't like to do.
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That is where you can use AI.
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And that is where also the people who are using AI for those regular everyday tasks in their business, those are the ones who are going to be head and neck and shoulders ahead of you because they're going to already have that inside of their business.
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So I don't want you to ignore AI, put your head in the sand, and just think that someone else is going to be the same place that you are.
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No, no, no.
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The people who are using AI are already ahead of those who are not.
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And I don't want you to be this late adapter who takes this on after everyone else is already miles down the track and they're racing ahead of you.
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So now is the time to bring AI into your business, even if it's just in small ways.
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AI can replace tasks, yes, but it cannot replace trust, taste, or intuition.
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It cannot.
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And that, my friend, is exactly what your clients are paying you for.
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What tasks can you send to AI?
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What are you doing in your business that you can send to AI?
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And here's how I come up with my list.
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In the past, I would make a list of things that I would give to a VA or I would give to someone on my team.
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But now there are so many AI opportunities out there that we can let AI take some of those things on.
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The way that I look at it is I base it on tasks that I don't want to do or tasks that I'm not good at.
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So think about the things that you're doing in your business right now that could be offloaded and uploaded and onboarded to AI that you don't like to do, and those things that are maybe not in your wheelhouse.
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And what's gonna happen is it's going to allow you to have more focus on your superpower, the things that you do enjoy to do.
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What can AI do, and what can't AI do?
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Because it is not bad.
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I'm not here to bash AI.
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It is a good thing to have AI, and it does have some good quality.
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So let's just test what it can and can't do.
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First of all, what AI can do?
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It is great at drafting some things, renderings.
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It is also good at mood board creation and some sourcing, right?
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So it is good at those things.
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It is also really, really good at writing emails, specs, proposals, marketing copy, and it is good at repeating patterns or processes with speed and no emotion.
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We tend to put emotion into our decisions.
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If a client is late on paying their invoice, we put emotion behind that and we're afraid to send that invoice out.
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If we upload that question into AI with our tone, with how we would answer that question generally, and then ask AI to come up with a firm but a professional answer, it will.
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And it will not tie an emotion to that.
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The way that it works is that it's going to give you an answer based upon what you need with no emotion.
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And I like that.
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And I love the fact too that it will help with processes.
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And a lot of us as creatives maybe not don't want to think about processes as much because it's not as sexy as design, but it is necessary.
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I use it a lot for agents.
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I have it replying in my email system now.
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It will reply as me.
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And I will tell you after I trained that agent to speak as I do, it has done a great, great job of answering emails for me.
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And it will put it in a draft folder, and then I can review that and make sure that everything's accurate.
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And I will say this 99.9% of the time, it is on the money with the facts and with how the response sounds like me.
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So very, very cool way to do that.
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And the way that you can see this in reality is prompts, right?
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So you're going to use prompts to ask AI to give you an answer, and the answer is only as good as the prompt that you put into that.
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And I want you to be as descriptive as possible in your prompts.
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I don't want you to be vague.
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AI is not Google of the past.
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AI needs more information to give us a better answer.
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And you need to put very, very detailed things in there, which is going to take you a little more time.
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I'll say this like I am the worst at bringing in administrative assistance for my company.
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I don't know what it is.
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And the thing that I love about AI is now that I've used it for some of those things that my administrative assistant used to do, I don't need a physical administrative assistant anymore.
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I just don't.
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AI is doing those things and doing those around the clock for me without emotion.
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I had one administrative assistant who was watching Netflix on their phone while they were working, right?
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So AI is not doing that.
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AI is working for me all the time with no emotion attached to that, with no talk back to me if I asked it to do something.
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And it's quicker and faster and easier.
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So AI is great at those things.
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It can also take a Slack conversation, for instance, and turn it into an entire workflow.
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If you're working with your team remotely and you have everything inside of Slack and AI is following that with you, you can upload that into AI and it will create an entire process for you where all the things that you discuss inside of that will be used to create your process in something like Asana or ClickedUp or one of the other programs that you could use.
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So AI can be that quicker, faster, easier method of taking your thoughts and putting them into action.
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That's the thing that I really enjoy about it as well.
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It can also, of course, record meetings and transcribe those into notes and transcribe those into processes or create a to-do list or tasks that you have from that meeting.
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If you're going into a consultation and get permission, of course, from your client, you can record that conversation and then upload that into AI and have one of the AI machines turn that into an action list for you, a scope of work, whatever you're needing from that client.
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And you, of course, want to review that, but that time that it took you to do that is now cut in half, right?
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So that's some of the things that AI can do.
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What can't AI do?
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AI will never, for instance, read the hesitation on your client's face.
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It will never see what your client is showing you emotion-wise or body language, right?
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AI is not going to pick up on that.
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AI cannot navigate difficult conversations between spouses or vendors or tradespeople.
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It's not going to be able to give a solid answer to those.
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Of course, you can use it to say, here is what's happening.
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Here is what I would like to have the outcome be.
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What are some suggestions?
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But it is not going to be able to navigate those on the spot, especially if you are in front of these spouses that are arguing or a vendor or a tradesperson is on the job site.
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AI is not going to take responsibility when something goes wrong.
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It just doesn't care.
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Again, there is no emotion attached to that.
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It is not a person.
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It is up to us to take responsibility for those things.
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And that trust is built when we start to take that responsibility.
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AI cannot make judgment calls in real time with real consequences.
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So, for instance, if there's a plumbing stack that you find in a wall on a construction site, AI is not going to be your helpful friend to come in and say, okay, here's what we need to do right now because there is water everywhere or some sort of emergency, right?
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AI is not going to be the person or the thing, I should say, to help you do that.
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That is up to us as humans to take care of that.
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AI cannot create emotional safety or trust.
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Our clients, our vendors, our tradespeople, our team members, everyone associated with our companies look to us for emotional safety and trust.
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We give that to them through our actions, through our conversations, through the way that we interact with them all the time.
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AI is not going to be able to replace that.
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That is just not something that AI can do.
00:17:43.230 --> 00:17:52.990
Of course, it will give a canned answer if someone were to ask that question, but it is not going to be able to be the person to show empathy when that other person needs that.
00:17:52.990 --> 00:17:56.829
AI is just there to do those tasks that help us be better in our business.
00:17:56.829 --> 00:18:07.869
For instance, would a client be okay with a machine giving them a recommendation for a design change that's going to cost them $5,000 more and tell the client why they need that?
00:18:07.869 --> 00:18:08.910
No, probably not.
00:18:08.910 --> 00:18:09.789
We can do that.
00:18:09.789 --> 00:18:22.670
We can convince our clients the best solution for their homes or whatever thing that we're working on with them because we are human beings and we can pick up on their body language, on their face, on how they're reacting to things.
00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:27.150
AI can design a room, I want to remind you, it cannot design a feeling.
00:18:27.150 --> 00:18:31.150
And feelings are what people actually buy.
00:18:31.150 --> 00:18:33.789
As I said, this is an emotional decision.
00:18:33.789 --> 00:18:37.789
A lot of decisions that our clients make are based on emotion.
00:18:37.789 --> 00:18:41.390
And we need to be able to pick up on that through the smoke, through the fog.
00:18:41.390 --> 00:18:47.630
We need to scratch a little bit underneath the surface and see the problems that they're actually having in their home with their family.
00:18:47.630 --> 00:18:50.590
So maybe they want their family to all be together at dinner time.
00:18:50.590 --> 00:18:55.630
Maybe they want a larger space outdoor because they have entertainment purposes that they need.
00:18:55.630 --> 00:19:01.870
Whatever that is, we need to be the one to listen and pick up on those maybe not so subtle signals that they're sending.
00:19:01.870 --> 00:19:05.150
Sometimes they're hidden, but sometimes they're there right in front of us.
00:19:05.150 --> 00:19:07.549
And we need to be the one to grab that and move forward with it.
00:19:07.549 --> 00:19:12.110
One more reminder people don't pay for furniture, they pay for a transformation.
00:19:12.110 --> 00:19:13.549
I say this all the time.
00:19:13.549 --> 00:19:25.549
That feeling that they have when you have completed the design of their home, when they can walk into that home and love it.
00:19:25.549 --> 00:19:32.830
And you can do this through all the ways that we've discussed, but that transformation is truly the outcome.
00:19:32.830 --> 00:19:35.309
It's a reward for us because it's wonderful.
00:19:35.309 --> 00:19:42.430
And I had a client once, for instance, who was getting a little uneasy because the project was dragging on and she was excited in the beginning.
00:19:42.430 --> 00:19:46.590
But when that contractor started having lots of delays, this client became very upset.
00:19:46.590 --> 00:19:51.390
So we decided to create a mood board with every single finish, every single drawing.
00:19:51.390 --> 00:19:52.509
It was so lovely.
00:19:52.509 --> 00:19:58.269
And we put all the fabrics there with the information about them, where they were going to go in the rooms.
00:19:58.269 --> 00:20:01.549
And she was able to grab those and touch those and feel and see.
00:20:01.549 --> 00:20:09.470
And it calmed her on a daily basis and it let her know that we did care about her and that we were trying to find ways to show her that it's going to be okay.
00:20:09.470 --> 00:20:11.630
We just have to trust this process that we're in.
00:20:11.630 --> 00:20:12.750
AI couldn't have done that.
00:20:12.750 --> 00:20:19.150
AI would not have picked up on those signals that this client was upset and that we had to figure out a way to overcome that.
00:20:19.150 --> 00:20:21.069
That is not something that AI can do.
00:20:21.069 --> 00:20:25.069
That is something that we as human beings can do and that we did do for our clients.
00:20:25.069 --> 00:20:29.470
So I want you to think about ways where you can do the same things for your clients as well.
00:20:29.470 --> 00:20:37.390
Now is the time to set yourself apart and to show your clients why you are the creative person and the designer for them.
00:20:37.390 --> 00:20:42.750
Because here's the thing design is emotional work disguised as aesthetic work.
00:20:42.750 --> 00:20:50.830
The outcome, of course, is the aesthetics and all the things that we see visually, but it truly is an emotional job that we have.
00:20:50.830 --> 00:20:55.870
And the emotions that we tap into with our clients are the things that are going to be able to make that project.
00:20:55.870 --> 00:21:06.190
And part of the reason I say that designers are in the best possible place right now because of AI is because it is going to push away those people who only want fast and easy.
00:21:06.190 --> 00:21:11.630
And it's going to allow our luxury clients to see the value and working with someone one-on-one.
00:21:11.630 --> 00:21:13.309
So don't ever forget that.
00:21:13.309 --> 00:21:16.430
Here is where those irreplaceable values live.
00:21:16.430 --> 00:21:20.029
They live in interpretation, not imitation.
00:21:20.029 --> 00:21:24.350
You translate emotion into environment, right?
00:21:24.350 --> 00:21:25.230
That's what we do.
00:21:25.230 --> 00:21:32.509
I will say design is about, and probably any creative business, it's about 50% therapy and 50% delivery.
00:21:32.509 --> 00:21:37.390
50% is listening to the emotions, listening to those messy situations that happen.
00:21:37.390 --> 00:21:41.390
And then the other 50% is making sure that we deliver the product at the end of that.
00:21:41.390 --> 00:21:47.950
I want to remind you too that taste and instinct that come from lived experience is only something that we can have as humans.
00:21:47.950 --> 00:21:56.269
That is the courage to make a call when there is a problem, courage to figure out that solution that is needed right there on the spot.
00:21:56.269 --> 00:22:01.710
And then irreplaceable value also lives in trust, reassurance, and relationship capital.
00:22:01.710 --> 00:22:05.870
People don't hire pixels, they hire people that they trust.
00:22:05.870 --> 00:22:08.190
They hire the people, not a computer.
00:22:08.190 --> 00:22:17.870
So when they are hiring you, they are hiring you to give them the trust and the relationship capital and the reassurance that you are the right person to work with them.
00:22:17.870 --> 00:22:22.670
And that's going to be something that you give them instantly in certain ways when you meet them for the first time.
00:22:22.670 --> 00:22:27.870
But it is most definitely one of those things that you build upon as you get more comfortable with that client we have.
00:22:27.870 --> 00:22:31.069
How to be irreplaceable in an AI world, right?
00:22:31.069 --> 00:22:32.830
This is like kind of the million-dollar question.
00:22:32.830 --> 00:22:33.870
So let's talk about that.
00:22:33.870 --> 00:22:37.549
First of all, I want you to go deeper, not faster.
00:22:37.549 --> 00:22:40.910
Speed is exactly what AI was invented for.
00:22:40.910 --> 00:22:43.870
And depth discernment and direction is ours.
00:22:43.870 --> 00:22:45.630
That is something that only we can do.
00:22:45.630 --> 00:22:48.350
So it is not about going faster in those situations.
00:22:48.350 --> 00:22:53.549
It is about, again, listening, discerning between right and wrong, and figuring out a new direction to go.
00:22:53.549 --> 00:22:55.549
That is what we are here to do.
00:22:55.549 --> 00:22:57.630
And that is what AI cannot do.
00:22:57.630 --> 00:23:06.910
I'm going to give you that framework to really stand out against AI and to show AI that you really are the boss in everything to do with your company.
00:23:06.910 --> 00:23:12.430
If you want to be irreplaceable, you don't Don't get there by working faster.
00:23:12.430 --> 00:23:14.670
You get there by going deeper, as I said.
00:23:14.670 --> 00:23:18.110
So do these four things to become untouchable.
00:23:18.110 --> 00:23:20.590
Own a clear design philosophy.
00:23:20.590 --> 00:23:22.830
This is not the time to be wishy-washy.
00:23:22.830 --> 00:23:26.110
This is not just the time to be very vague and what you can do.
00:23:26.110 --> 00:23:35.390
You need to finally, once and for all, sit down and figure out what your design philosophy is and what makes you different than all the other people out there.
00:23:35.390 --> 00:23:37.470
That you can never, never anymore.
00:23:37.470 --> 00:23:45.549
And I didn't want you to do this in the past either, but especially now, you cannot just say that you are an interior designer for families.
00:23:45.549 --> 00:23:46.830
That will get you nowhere.
00:23:46.830 --> 00:23:51.549
You need to be specific on what type of family, what their needs are, those pain points that they have.
00:23:51.549 --> 00:23:55.390
And then you need to know what you believe in and also what you refuse to do.
00:23:55.390 --> 00:23:58.590
Know the projects that do align with you and the ones that don't.
00:23:58.590 --> 00:24:02.110
Know the clients that do align with you and those that don't.
00:24:02.110 --> 00:24:05.549
Those are the things that are going to give you a distinct perspective.
00:24:05.549 --> 00:24:12.430
And the more you can be distinct and specific in your marketing and in your messaging, the more AI is going to pick up on that.
00:24:12.430 --> 00:24:16.190
And you're going to be able to be searched in AI searches because that's where we're going now.
00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:17.630
You need to start showing up in those.
00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:25.789
The way that you're going to do that is by having a very distinct message, a distinct philosophy, and also putting that out there as much as possible.
00:24:25.789 --> 00:24:32.110
Then all these AI engines are going to search you and they're going to see you're saying the same thing over and over.
00:24:32.110 --> 00:24:34.670
So that must mean that you have consistency in your business.
00:24:34.670 --> 00:24:40.590
And then it's going to start to pull you up when someone goes into Chat GPT and searches for an interior designer in their area, right?
00:24:40.590 --> 00:24:41.870
So that's really, really important.
00:24:41.870 --> 00:24:44.590
Another way to stand out is to elevate the client experience.
00:24:44.590 --> 00:24:52.430
This kind of goes without saying, but especially with luxury clients, emotional safety is the new form of luxury.
00:24:52.430 --> 00:25:00.910
You need to elevate that client experience and you need to really make them see that this one-on-one experience cannot be replicated from a bot.
00:25:00.910 --> 00:25:02.269
And it truly, truly can't.
00:25:02.269 --> 00:25:13.789
So this is again why I say that in the luxury market, those of you who want to hit luxury clients, and I'm pretty sure that's all of us, those luxury clients want to work with people who understand how to deal with luxury clients.
00:25:13.789 --> 00:25:24.350
They want to know that you know how to handle a problem, how to calmly fix an issue, how to give them the best options based upon your past experience, based upon what you've done as a designer.
00:25:24.350 --> 00:25:28.750
And you need to elevate that experience for them in all forms and facets.
00:25:28.750 --> 00:25:30.990
You need to develop a recognizable signature.
00:25:30.990 --> 00:25:37.549
So this is a point of view that AI cannot copy or spit out, kind of on the lines of that design philosophy.
00:25:37.549 --> 00:25:43.549
You need to develop a signature look or a lens or a recognizable point of view that is your standout feature.
00:25:43.549 --> 00:25:46.990
And then again, you need to put that out everywhere you go.
00:25:46.990 --> 00:25:49.549
That is going to set you apart from everyone else.
00:25:49.549 --> 00:25:53.789
Also, see AI as your assistant, not your replacement, right?
00:25:53.789 --> 00:25:55.069
That's exactly how I use it.
00:25:55.069 --> 00:25:56.990
AI is my unpaid intern.
00:25:56.990 --> 00:25:58.350
AI is my assistant.
00:25:58.350 --> 00:25:59.549
I use it for marketing.
00:25:59.549 --> 00:26:00.750
I use it for emails.
00:26:00.750 --> 00:26:03.870
I use it for helping me sort of brainstorm something, right?
00:26:03.870 --> 00:26:08.269
So AI is there as that assistant, but it is not a replacement for me.
00:26:08.269 --> 00:26:12.750
And you can offload all those tasks that you don't want to do and that you're not so great at.
00:26:12.750 --> 00:26:17.549
So use it as the intern, let it take the grunt work and let you take the glory.
00:26:17.549 --> 00:26:21.549
Now, more than ever, you cannot just call yourself a designer.
00:26:21.549 --> 00:26:22.110
You can't.
00:26:22.110 --> 00:26:24.590
It is boring, it is uneventful.
00:26:24.590 --> 00:26:27.470
You have to show that your stance is human.
00:26:27.470 --> 00:26:30.590
And this is a time to have a distinct perspective.
00:26:30.590 --> 00:26:32.990
The way to do that is to share your story.
00:26:32.990 --> 00:26:36.830
Share the story of how you started your business, share the story of your passion.
00:26:36.830 --> 00:26:48.830
Let clients know why you work in a certain type of designing and the things that people are going to want to be attracted to work with you more and to sign a deal and to say yes when you propose something to them.
00:26:48.830 --> 00:26:50.910
That is what a luxury client wants.
00:26:50.910 --> 00:26:54.910
You have to be human and you must have a stance that humanizes you.
00:26:54.910 --> 00:26:57.789
So some real world proof of all of this.
00:26:57.789 --> 00:27:00.190
Here's where humans beat AI instantly.
00:27:00.190 --> 00:27:02.590
If a client cries at an install, what do you do?
00:27:02.590 --> 00:27:04.029
That is something that only we can do.
00:27:04.029 --> 00:27:06.830
We can calm them down, we can help them out if something's late.
00:27:06.830 --> 00:27:09.710
The sofa arrives damaged before the reveal.
00:27:09.710 --> 00:27:11.309
Who decides plan B?
00:27:11.309 --> 00:27:11.950
That's us.
00:27:11.950 --> 00:27:16.350
AI is not the solution to those problems that happen that only a human can fix.
00:27:16.350 --> 00:27:20.990
Or let's say a husband demands a recliner and the other person in the relationship doesn't want one.
00:27:20.990 --> 00:27:22.509
Who negotiates that compromise?
00:27:22.509 --> 00:27:23.069
We do.
00:27:23.069 --> 00:27:23.870
Human beings do.
00:27:23.870 --> 00:27:25.549
Or a contractor is ghosting you.
00:27:25.549 --> 00:27:27.230
Who is salvaging that relationship?
00:27:27.230 --> 00:27:28.910
We have to be the one to reach out.
00:27:28.910 --> 00:27:37.150
Those are all just some ways that AI is not going to be able to solve a problem and where a human will beat AI instantly.
00:27:37.150 --> 00:27:44.029
That is what we do, and that is the work that gets you referrals because you did solve the problem for them and that project.
00:27:44.029 --> 00:27:48.110
It is not something that Chat GPT or Midjourney can take care of.
00:27:48.110 --> 00:27:53.230
AI does not know how to handle people, it just does not.
00:27:53.230 --> 00:27:58.350
AI only knows what to handle what you put into it based on what it's pulling from other resources.
00:27:58.350 --> 00:28:00.670
Why does this even matter?
00:28:00.670 --> 00:28:06.190
Why does all this matter when it comes to AI and especially right now in our business?
00:28:06.190 --> 00:28:10.350
This matters because trust is much more important than speed.
00:28:10.350 --> 00:28:20.110
Relationships are more important than renderings, relationships with the client, relationships with everyone associated with yourself on the job site, relationship with vendors.
00:28:20.110 --> 00:28:24.830
Those are always going to be more important than just something that an AI machine can give you.
00:28:24.830 --> 00:28:27.309
Confidence is also greater than capability.
00:28:27.309 --> 00:28:34.670
Confidence in you, confidence that you can take care of these problems for them, that you can give this client the dream home that they've always wanted.
00:28:34.670 --> 00:28:40.990
That is so much more important and more powerful than just the capability of AI to complete a task.
00:28:40.990 --> 00:28:49.230
For instance, we had a tradesperson one time and he was a woodworker, a very talented woodworker, and we needed him to fix something that really wasn't in his ballpark.
00:28:49.230 --> 00:28:50.590
He didn't even cause the problem, right?
00:28:50.590 --> 00:28:52.110
But it was the day before install.
00:28:52.110 --> 00:28:52.830
We were panicking.
00:28:52.830 --> 00:28:54.509
We had something we needed to have done.
00:28:54.509 --> 00:28:55.150
He did.
00:28:55.150 --> 00:29:03.950
He came in, he fixed that for us because of that relationship and because of that confidence that he had in us for giving him more business, for helping him out in the past.
00:29:03.950 --> 00:29:06.990
We've sort of scratched his back, he scratched ours scenario.
00:29:06.990 --> 00:29:11.230
And he came in and fixed that for us, even though, again, it wasn't in his scope of work.
00:29:11.230 --> 00:29:12.190
He took care of that.
00:29:12.190 --> 00:29:18.590
So those are things that only a human connection can solve and only a human connection can even request that the other person do.
00:29:18.590 --> 00:29:23.870
Just remember when you're thinking and comparing yourself to AI, there are ways that we are better than AI.
00:29:23.870 --> 00:29:31.789
I can't touch on all of them today, but we need to capitalize on those when it comes to nurturing those relationships and showing our clients that we are capable.
00:29:31.789 --> 00:29:35.069
First of all, you need to deliver when and how you say you will.
00:29:35.069 --> 00:29:38.190
You need to deliver what you say you're going to deliver, be transparent.
00:29:38.190 --> 00:29:41.309
Talk about your processes, talked about your policies, talked about your pricing.
00:29:41.309 --> 00:29:42.750
This is going to build that trust.
00:29:42.750 --> 00:29:45.069
Overcommunicate before they have to ask.
00:29:45.069 --> 00:29:48.830
Design custom pieces, things that AI is not going to be able to deliver.
00:29:48.830 --> 00:29:54.190
Again, those clients who want just a run-of-the-mill, copycat, mediocre design are going to use AI.
00:29:54.190 --> 00:29:54.750
And that's okay.
00:29:54.750 --> 00:29:55.470
Let them have it.
00:29:55.470 --> 00:30:05.150
That is going to give more room for us to target the clients who are looking for a luxury designer who can solve the problems for them with bespoke and unique products.
00:30:05.150 --> 00:30:10.590
That is where we can set ourselves apart from AI, is by designing something that truly is bespoke.
00:30:10.590 --> 00:30:16.430
And it doesn't have to be a custom piece of furniture, it just has to be a customized, bespoke idea out of your head.
00:30:16.430 --> 00:30:18.269
It could be the furniture arrangement in the room.
00:30:18.269 --> 00:30:20.990
It could be a fireplace design that no one's ever thought of before.
00:30:20.990 --> 00:30:22.830
Those are things that only we can do.
00:30:22.830 --> 00:30:27.150
And AI is not the machine to lean on when it comes to bespoke design.
00:30:27.150 --> 00:30:28.990
Custom is the new credibility, as I said.
00:30:28.990 --> 00:30:33.230
When you are creating things that are custom, it does give you more credibility with your clients.
00:30:33.230 --> 00:30:35.230
Make them feel seen, not like a process.
00:30:35.230 --> 00:30:36.670
Let them know that you value them.
00:30:36.670 --> 00:30:38.269
Let them know that you appreciate them.
00:30:38.269 --> 00:30:43.069
Let them know that you hear them and you can say to them, I hear exactly what you're saying.
00:30:43.069 --> 00:30:44.670
Let me just make sure that I'm getting it correct.
00:30:44.670 --> 00:30:52.430
So when you start to repeat that back to your clients and show them that you are listening, that you're actively listening, that is not a process that AI can do.
00:30:52.430 --> 00:30:54.350
That is not just a systematic thing.
00:30:54.350 --> 00:30:57.630
That is something that only a human being can do with another human being.
00:30:57.630 --> 00:31:00.509
Personal attention is now a differentiator, not an add-on.
00:31:00.509 --> 00:31:12.269
What if you had like two or three projects that you really devoted yourself to and that you really devoted yourself to creating something super special and different from everyone else, something that AI cannot spit out?
00:31:12.269 --> 00:31:18.190
That is something that a luxury client wants, and that is something that a luxury client will pay you for.
00:31:18.190 --> 00:31:22.190
I want to remind you, clients don't stay loyal to the fastest designer.
00:31:22.190 --> 00:31:24.830
They stay loyal to the one that they trust.
00:31:24.830 --> 00:31:26.110
Are you hearing a theme here?
00:31:26.110 --> 00:31:27.630
It is built around trust.
00:31:27.630 --> 00:31:32.029
Trust is real listening, it's verbal and nonverbal communication.
00:31:32.029 --> 00:31:44.670
It is empathy, sharing stories of your past projects, of your life, of things that you've seen that relate to what this client's project is having in front of them right now is only going to make them trust you more.
00:31:44.670 --> 00:31:50.190
And then once they trust you, that's going to start to build loyalty from them for referrals and for future projects.
00:31:50.190 --> 00:31:59.470
Think about ways that you can build that loyalty through your own past and through stories of your past and through things that you've experienced that that client can relate to.
00:31:59.470 --> 00:32:02.110
That is going to get trust going faster than anything else.
00:32:02.110 --> 00:32:05.710
Let's wrap all this up with a plan for you, a three-step plan, very simple.
00:32:05.710 --> 00:32:11.069
And it's going to take all the things that we talked about today and sort of break them down into an easy to understand format.
00:32:11.069 --> 00:32:12.509
Here is your three-step plan.
00:32:12.509 --> 00:32:13.870
Keep the humanity.
00:32:13.870 --> 00:32:17.150
AI is going to make design faster than ever.
00:32:17.150 --> 00:32:19.950
It's going to make generic design even more generic.
00:32:19.950 --> 00:32:27.230
It's going to make the simplest things look even more generic because there's going to be just this regurgitation of the same designs over and over and over.
00:32:27.230 --> 00:32:30.509
Anything that we do above that is going to make us stand out.
00:32:30.509 --> 00:32:34.269
And it's going to make also good enough even more available to the masses.
00:32:34.269 --> 00:32:39.870
So this like just good enough is going to be this mass-produced thing because that is what AI can produce.
00:32:39.870 --> 00:32:43.710
It has always been about the things that cannot be automated.
00:32:43.710 --> 00:32:54.509
And these are things like discernment, originality, as we've talked about, emotional intelligence, taste, access, restraint, judgment on these situations that pop up.
00:32:54.509 --> 00:32:56.350
Leadership is a key one.
00:32:56.350 --> 00:32:57.710
And mostly trust.
00:32:57.710 --> 00:32:59.150
Trust is the bitty there.
00:32:59.150 --> 00:33:03.069
AI may replace the parts of design that were never really ours anyway.
00:33:03.069 --> 00:33:10.590
The more AI floods the world with quick standard rooms, the more valuable truly design becomes.
00:33:10.590 --> 00:33:13.630
In other words, AI does not eliminate luxury.
00:33:13.630 --> 00:33:15.789
It amplifies the need for it.
00:33:15.789 --> 00:33:24.670
AI does not eliminate luxury, it shows people how much more they need luxury because everything that AI is spitting out is looking the same.
00:33:24.670 --> 00:33:27.870
And that is where we have that differentiating factor.
00:33:27.870 --> 00:33:41.630
Your job is not to compete with AI, your job is to rise above that and to show the world that you have so much more to offer than AI does when it comes to those special things that only a human being can do.
00:33:41.630 --> 00:33:46.670
And that is why I want you to own the role that only a human being can play.
00:33:46.670 --> 00:33:48.350
I want to leave you with this.
00:33:48.350 --> 00:33:54.830
The future belongs to the humans who use AI without ever becoming AI.
00:33:54.830 --> 00:34:01.710
AI can spit out a room in seconds, but only a human can shape the life that is inside of that room.
00:34:01.710 --> 00:34:06.029
And that is why luxury is never, ever, ever threatened.
00:34:06.029 --> 00:34:06.750
Because why?
00:34:06.750 --> 00:34:09.469
Luxury is never a standard.
00:34:09.469 --> 00:34:14.349
And that is why we are going to win when it comes to adapting to AI.
00:34:14.349 --> 00:34:15.869
I hope this has been helpful for you.
00:34:15.869 --> 00:34:18.989
I hope that it has helped you to not be so concerned with AI.
00:34:18.989 --> 00:34:19.869
Yes, it's here.
00:34:19.869 --> 00:34:21.230
Yes, we must adapt to it.
00:34:21.230 --> 00:34:24.110
And yes, we must bring it into our business in certain aspects.
00:34:24.110 --> 00:34:25.309
And I want you to do that.
00:34:25.309 --> 00:34:34.269
But I never ever want you to forget what you bring to the table as a designer, as a human being, as a creative, someone with amazing intellectual property.
00:34:34.269 --> 00:34:36.110
Those are only things that you can have.
00:34:36.110 --> 00:34:41.230
And I hope that you will start to remember that more and start to incorporate that into your business as well.
00:34:41.230 --> 00:34:43.869
I have a free download for you, a link for you to grab.
00:34:43.869 --> 00:34:50.349
That will give you 25 prompts that I've created that will help you to overcome obstacles like communicating with clients in difficult situations.
00:34:50.349 --> 00:34:56.989
As I said, marketing, different aspects of your business, lots of different things that I've sort of felt were important on a daily basis.
00:34:56.989 --> 00:35:02.269
And you'd want to do this by putting in a prompt that will deliver something that is in your voice.
00:35:02.269 --> 00:35:04.750
So I want you to do that and keep these handy.
00:35:04.750 --> 00:35:09.869
Use one right away so that you can get a feel for what it is giving you as an answer.
00:35:09.869 --> 00:35:12.670
And then reply back, let it know if it was right or wrong.
00:35:12.670 --> 00:35:18.109
Give it some feedback because once you start to give it feedback, that's when it's going to start to feel like you and the answers.
00:35:18.109 --> 00:35:19.469
So thank you for being here today.
00:35:19.469 --> 00:35:21.629
And I would love to see you in some of my other programs.
00:35:21.629 --> 00:35:25.710
So head to McLeanMethod.com and you can find all the ways to work with me there.
00:35:25.710 --> 00:35:29.469
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the McClain Method podcast.
00:35:29.469 --> 00:35:38.989
I'm so grateful you made it all the way to the end because that tells me that you're ready to do the work that truly transforms your brand, your business, and your life.
00:35:38.989 --> 00:35:53.230
If you want more tools, trainings, and behind the scenes looks at what I'm building next, head over McClainMethod.com and don't forget to follow along on Instagram at the mcclainmethod for even more drops of brilliance.
00:35:53.230 --> 00:35:56.269
And remember, my friend, your brilliance is your brand.
00:35:56.269 --> 00:35:58.189
Don't dim it, design it.
00:35:58.189 --> 00:35:59.469
I'll see you next time.
00:00:00.160 --> 00:00:04.160
As designers and creatives, we're not afraid of new tools.
00:00:04.160 --> 00:00:05.679
We're not afraid of learning new things.
00:00:05.679 --> 00:00:09.839
We're not afraid of trying something out that is going to help our industry.
00:00:09.839 --> 00:00:13.039
We're just afraid of being made irrelevant.
00:00:13.039 --> 00:00:22.239
That's the scary part, is when we think that we're not going to be needed anymore because we all want to be needed and we all have a business to run and we want to make sure that we are relevant.
00:00:22.239 --> 00:00:26.640
Hey y'all, you're listening he McClain Method Podcast, episode number 93.
00:00:26.640 --> 00:00:34.560
Welcome to the McClain Method, the podcast for interior designers who are ready to stop hiding and start shining.
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I'm your host, John McClain, designer, business mentor, author, and your branding bestie.
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This is not about paint colors or pendant lighting, it's about building a business that's both visible and profitable inside and out.
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From marketing and messaging to mindset, systems, and visibility, we cover the front stage and the backstage of your design business.
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Because your brilliance deserves the spotlight.
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And your business deserves to run like a dream behind the scenes.
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So if you're ready to be seen, get recognized, and get booked, it's time to let it shine.
00:01:09.840 --> 00:01:10.560
Welcome to the McClain Method .
00:01:12.239 --> 00:01:17.280
Hello, all of you fabulous design stars out there.
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I am very happy to be in your ears today if you're doing laundry, if you're at the gym, if you're taking a walk, pick up for your kids at school.
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However, you're listening today, I'm very grateful that you're here.
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Today's episode is going to be a little bit different, and I think you're going to like it.
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I'm going to give you a highlight of a presentation that I have created for the topic of AI.
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Now, AI, of course, is everywhere.
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You can turn on any podcast.
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You can log into your Instagram and it hits you right in the face.
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So I wanted to maybe calm your nerves a bit.
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I developed a longer program of this, and the presentation that I'm going to play for you today is excerpts from that presentation.
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So it's not the entire presentation, but it is the main important parts that I want you to hear.
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And I'm hoping that this will calm your nerves.
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It will show your superpowers and it will really bring you back to reality to show you that AI is here to help us.
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It is not here to replace us.
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I strongly, strongly believe that.
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Yes, we have to stay abreast of everything that's going on with it.
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But when we truly find the avenue and the lane with that personal touch to our clients and to our projects, that is where AI tends to start to fill in the blanks and we can truly shine as the leader in our company.
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And let me mention this too.
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If you're one of those people who is like, no, AI, I'm not gonna think about it, I'm not gonna worry about it, you're going to miss out.
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You're going to be that designer who is sitting in the slow lane when everyone else is driving fast.
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And I do not want that for you.
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If you are someone who has just kind of put it on the back burner and hasn't thought about AI and what it can do for your business, and even if it's just the smallest things, I want you to bring one small aspect of using artificial intelligence.
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It can be as simple as helping you write an email.
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I don't care.
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Just make sure that you do start to pay attention to AI.
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It is here, it is going to stay, much like the internet.
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And I will talk more about that in a minute.
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How I relate that to how the internet came into play in the past.
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But I want you to embrace it in whatever way feels most comfortable for you.
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All right, so sit back and enjoy this excerpt from my presentation about harnessing AI, how to make AI work for you in your business while you still remain the leader.
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AI is here, it's here to stay, and I'm going to give you some very practical ways to introduce AI to your business and to hopefully eliminate some of the timidness or scaredness or just anxiety that we have around AI and how we actually are better than AI.
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We're actually better than what it's producing.
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So I just wanted to give you some reminders of that.
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So let's jump in.
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So the goal today is to show you how to keep AI human, how to give AI a human advantage, but still use it for your business.
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I want to let it do the heavy lifting, but I want us to be behind the heavy lifting.
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We are the muscle, if you will, behind all of that.
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And I want to really refocus on your intellectual property, your creativity, the things that you have right here between your ears that is never ever replicable from an AI perspective.
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And only things that that really you can do through that human touch.
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Because AI is not replacing designers, it is just changing what we get paid for.
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So I'm gonna say that one more time so that it really sinks in.
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AI is not replacing designers, it is just changing what we get paid for.
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Okay.
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I hope that gives you some sort of place to start for what we're going to do today.
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Next, what you will resolve today, and I put resolve because I want to resolve some of these tensions that we have in and around AI.
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We're going to resolve the question is AI replacing you?
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Also, what AI can and cannot do because it is not a full capacity environment there.
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Also, does your business need to completely change because of AI?
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Huh?
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Some strategies that you can implement today.
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These are very important.
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I thought about these in detail and I'm excited to share them with you because I really want you to have some actionable takeaways from this and things that you can do.
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And then lastly, we're going to talk about why the interior design industry is actually the best industry to be in right now when it comes to AI.
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And that is not something that I say lightly.
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And I know you're hearing a lot of stuff from a lot of people, but I want to show you why we as designers and not just interior designers, but any creative industry, to be honest with you, because creativity is something that is not as easily replicated by AI.
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And there are ways that it is doing that, but I'm going to show you how to feel more confident in what we bring as creatives and designers and all of the facets of creativity that can never ever be replicated by an AI bot.
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Okay, let's go in.
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The fear.
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What is our fear?
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The fear is is AI coming for my job.
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That is the fear that we have.
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And it is a valid fear.
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I get why you might have that fear, but let's dive into that and figure out what's the cause of it and what we can do to combat it.
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Everyone is a little freaked out by AI.
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I know that.
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In our industry, designers particularly are afraid of AI taking away our business, maybe doing things faster, maybe doing things better.
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And it honestly reminds me of when the internet came into play and when people were afraid to jump on board with the internet and they felt that it was a fad.
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They thought that it could be dangerous, it will kill real businesses, people will never trust it, right?
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It was that whole thing about the internet that everyone was just so afraid of.
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This is very similar.
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Many people resisted it, and a lot of people made fun of it.
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And a lot of people were just like, okay, I'm gonna wait to see if this whole internet thing takes off.
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And guess what?
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It did.
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It really did take off, obviously.
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And what happened, right?
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The thing that happened was the people who were ready to lean into the internet and ready to embrace it and try out all of the different things that the internet could do.
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And it honestly, it sounds so strange to me now that I'm talking about the internet, but the internet really is in line with AI right now.
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And I'm wanting you to see those comparisons.
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But those that really did adapt to the internet and jump on board with it and figure it out, they started getting more clients, they started getting more business, they started reaching a completely broader audience, right?
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AI has the exact same pattern.
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It feels unknown, it is moving very, very fast.
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AI is like 10 days, everything changes.
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So it's always changing, always evolving, but it also threatens our comfort with AI.
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We feel a little threatened with it, and it is changing the rules as well of how we operate business.
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So it's going to, again, as I say, reward the early adapters, not just those who adopt to it.
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The pattern is the same, but the timeline is shorter.
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So I just wanted to remind you that AI is following the same pattern as the internet, but also those that will adapt to it will get rewarded.
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And those who don't and those who ignore it, unfortunately, will get punished because, as I said, the internet did not kill the design industry, it just killed designers who refuse to adapt to it.
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Next, is AI coming for my job?
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I want to kind of put some of these things to rest because I know we're concerned about this.
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As designers and creatives, we're not afraid of new tools, we're not afraid of learning new things, we're not afraid of trying something out that is going to help our industry.
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We're just afraid of being made irrelevant.
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That's the scary part, is when we think that we're not going to be needed anymore because we all want to be needed and we all have a business to run and we want to make sure that we are relevant.
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So I want you to embrace AI the same way that you're embracing a new tool in your business.
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Let's say when AutoCAD came into play, people were hand drafting and then AutoCAD came in and then they had to adapt to that.
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So keep that same mindset as you're discussing and thinking about different AI methods that you could bring into your business.
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Fear is a sign that the landscape is shifting, not that you're obsolete.
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Things are always changing.
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It's a changing world, right?
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Every day there's something new.
00:10:12.430 --> 00:10:18.030
So the fear of the unknown does not mean that we're going to be made obsolete.
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It is just meaning that there is new technology, there's new advancements.
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But we are not going to be obsolete.
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We are needed.
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And I'm going to show you some of the ways that we can definitely show our clients and the world that we are needed.
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You don't lose to AI.
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You lose to people who know how to use AI.
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You're going to lose to people who are using AI to do things behind the scenes in their business, to reply to emails, to do all those mundane things that we don't like to do.
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That is where you can use AI.
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And that is where also the people who are using AI for those regular everyday tasks in their business, those are the ones who are going to be head and neck and shoulders ahead of you because they're going to already have that inside of their business.
00:11:01.230 --> 00:11:07.550
So I don't want you to ignore AI, put your head in the sand, and just think that someone else is going to be the same place that you are.
00:11:07.550 --> 00:11:08.350
No, no, no.
00:11:08.350 --> 00:11:12.190
The people who are using AI are already ahead of those who are not.
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And I don't want you to be this late adapter who takes this on after everyone else is already miles down the track and they're racing ahead of you.
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So now is the time to bring AI into your business, even if it's just in small ways.
00:11:25.790 --> 00:11:33.550
AI can replace tasks, yes, but it cannot replace trust, taste, or intuition.
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It cannot.
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And that, my friend, is exactly what your clients are paying you for.
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What tasks can you send to AI?
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What are you doing in your business that you can send to AI?
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And here's how I come up with my list.
00:11:46.670 --> 00:11:51.710
In the past, I would make a list of things that I would give to a VA or I would give to someone on my team.
00:11:51.710 --> 00:11:57.230
But now there are so many AI opportunities out there that we can let AI take some of those things on.
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The way that I look at it is I base it on tasks that I don't want to do or tasks that I'm not good at.
00:12:02.750 --> 00:12:14.670
So think about the things that you're doing in your business right now that could be offloaded and uploaded and onboarded to AI that you don't like to do, and those things that are maybe not in your wheelhouse.
00:12:14.670 --> 00:12:20.990
And what's gonna happen is it's going to allow you to have more focus on your superpower, the things that you do enjoy to do.
00:12:20.990 --> 00:12:24.270
What can AI do, and what can't AI do?
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Because it is not bad.
00:12:25.790 --> 00:12:27.470
I'm not here to bash AI.
00:12:27.470 --> 00:12:30.990
It is a good thing to have AI, and it does have some good quality.
00:12:30.990 --> 00:12:33.150
So let's just test what it can and can't do.
00:12:33.150 --> 00:12:36.030
First of all, what AI can do?
00:12:36.030 --> 00:12:40.509
It is great at drafting some things, renderings.
00:12:40.509 --> 00:12:44.590
It is also good at mood board creation and some sourcing, right?
00:12:44.590 --> 00:12:46.430
So it is good at those things.
00:12:46.430 --> 00:12:56.830
It is also really, really good at writing emails, specs, proposals, marketing copy, and it is good at repeating patterns or processes with speed and no emotion.
00:12:56.830 --> 00:12:59.470
We tend to put emotion into our decisions.
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If a client is late on paying their invoice, we put emotion behind that and we're afraid to send that invoice out.
00:13:05.310 --> 00:13:16.990
If we upload that question into AI with our tone, with how we would answer that question generally, and then ask AI to come up with a firm but a professional answer, it will.
00:13:16.990 --> 00:13:19.150
And it will not tie an emotion to that.
00:13:19.150 --> 00:13:23.870
The way that it works is that it's going to give you an answer based upon what you need with no emotion.
00:13:23.870 --> 00:13:24.430
And I like that.
00:13:24.430 --> 00:13:28.190
And I love the fact too that it will help with processes.
00:13:28.190 --> 00:13:35.310
And a lot of us as creatives maybe not don't want to think about processes as much because it's not as sexy as design, but it is necessary.
00:13:35.310 --> 00:13:36.990
I use it a lot for agents.
00:13:36.990 --> 00:13:38.990
I have it replying in my email system now.
00:13:38.990 --> 00:13:40.509
It will reply as me.
00:13:40.509 --> 00:13:48.030
And I will tell you after I trained that agent to speak as I do, it has done a great, great job of answering emails for me.
00:13:48.030 --> 00:13:52.590
And it will put it in a draft folder, and then I can review that and make sure that everything's accurate.
00:13:52.590 --> 00:13:59.950
And I will say this 99.9% of the time, it is on the money with the facts and with how the response sounds like me.
00:13:59.950 --> 00:14:01.629
So very, very cool way to do that.
00:14:01.629 --> 00:14:05.070
And the way that you can see this in reality is prompts, right?
00:14:05.070 --> 00:14:11.310
So you're going to use prompts to ask AI to give you an answer, and the answer is only as good as the prompt that you put into that.
00:14:11.310 --> 00:14:14.350
And I want you to be as descriptive as possible in your prompts.
00:14:14.350 --> 00:14:15.470
I don't want you to be vague.
00:14:15.470 --> 00:14:17.629
AI is not Google of the past.
00:14:17.629 --> 00:14:20.350
AI needs more information to give us a better answer.
00:14:20.350 --> 00:14:24.590
And you need to put very, very detailed things in there, which is going to take you a little more time.
00:14:24.590 --> 00:14:29.629
I'll say this like I am the worst at bringing in administrative assistance for my company.
00:14:29.629 --> 00:14:30.910
I don't know what it is.
00:14:30.910 --> 00:14:40.270
And the thing that I love about AI is now that I've used it for some of those things that my administrative assistant used to do, I don't need a physical administrative assistant anymore.
00:14:40.270 --> 00:14:40.750
I just don't.
00:14:40.750 --> 00:14:45.230
AI is doing those things and doing those around the clock for me without emotion.
00:14:45.230 --> 00:14:49.790
I had one administrative assistant who was watching Netflix on their phone while they were working, right?
00:14:49.790 --> 00:14:50.990
So AI is not doing that.
00:14:50.990 --> 00:14:57.629
AI is working for me all the time with no emotion attached to that, with no talk back to me if I asked it to do something.
00:14:57.629 --> 00:14:59.390
And it's quicker and faster and easier.
00:14:59.390 --> 00:15:01.310
So AI is great at those things.
00:15:01.310 --> 00:15:05.870
It can also take a Slack conversation, for instance, and turn it into an entire workflow.
00:15:05.870 --> 00:15:24.270
If you're working with your team remotely and you have everything inside of Slack and AI is following that with you, you can upload that into AI and it will create an entire process for you where all the things that you discuss inside of that will be used to create your process in something like Asana or ClickedUp or one of the other programs that you could use.
00:15:24.270 --> 00:15:31.070
So AI can be that quicker, faster, easier method of taking your thoughts and putting them into action.
00:15:31.070 --> 00:15:33.390
That's the thing that I really enjoy about it as well.
00:15:33.390 --> 00:15:42.830
It can also, of course, record meetings and transcribe those into notes and transcribe those into processes or create a to-do list or tasks that you have from that meeting.
00:15:42.830 --> 00:15:56.830
If you're going into a consultation and get permission, of course, from your client, you can record that conversation and then upload that into AI and have one of the AI machines turn that into an action list for you, a scope of work, whatever you're needing from that client.
00:15:56.830 --> 00:16:02.110
And you, of course, want to review that, but that time that it took you to do that is now cut in half, right?
00:16:02.110 --> 00:16:04.190
So that's some of the things that AI can do.
00:16:04.190 --> 00:16:05.710
What can't AI do?
00:16:05.710 --> 00:16:09.550
AI will never, for instance, read the hesitation on your client's face.
00:16:09.550 --> 00:16:14.509
It will never see what your client is showing you emotion-wise or body language, right?
00:16:14.509 --> 00:16:16.350
AI is not going to pick up on that.
00:16:16.350 --> 00:16:22.270
AI cannot navigate difficult conversations between spouses or vendors or tradespeople.
00:16:22.270 --> 00:16:25.629
It's not going to be able to give a solid answer to those.
00:16:25.629 --> 00:16:28.110
Of course, you can use it to say, here is what's happening.
00:16:28.110 --> 00:16:30.830
Here is what I would like to have the outcome be.
00:16:30.830 --> 00:16:32.350
What are some suggestions?
00:16:32.350 --> 00:16:42.509
But it is not going to be able to navigate those on the spot, especially if you are in front of these spouses that are arguing or a vendor or a tradesperson is on the job site.
00:16:42.509 --> 00:16:45.150
AI is not going to take responsibility when something goes wrong.
00:16:45.150 --> 00:16:45.950
It just doesn't care.
00:16:45.950 --> 00:16:48.030
Again, there is no emotion attached to that.
00:16:48.030 --> 00:16:49.070
It is not a person.
00:16:49.070 --> 00:16:51.870
It is up to us to take responsibility for those things.
00:16:51.870 --> 00:16:55.150
And that trust is built when we start to take that responsibility.
00:16:55.150 --> 00:16:59.070
AI cannot make judgment calls in real time with real consequences.
00:16:59.070 --> 00:17:11.069
So, for instance, if there's a plumbing stack that you find in a wall on a construction site, AI is not going to be your helpful friend to come in and say, okay, here's what we need to do right now because there is water everywhere or some sort of emergency, right?
00:17:11.069 --> 00:17:15.150
AI is not going to be the person or the thing, I should say, to help you do that.
00:17:15.150 --> 00:17:17.549
That is up to us as humans to take care of that.
00:17:17.549 --> 00:17:20.509
AI cannot create emotional safety or trust.
00:17:20.509 --> 00:17:30.029
Our clients, our vendors, our tradespeople, our team members, everyone associated with our companies look to us for emotional safety and trust.
00:17:30.029 --> 00:17:38.029
We give that to them through our actions, through our conversations, through the way that we interact with them all the time.
00:17:38.029 --> 00:17:40.829
AI is not going to be able to replace that.
00:17:40.829 --> 00:17:43.230
That is just not something that AI can do.
00:17:43.230 --> 00:17:52.990
Of course, it will give a canned answer if someone were to ask that question, but it is not going to be able to be the person to show empathy when that other person needs that.
00:17:52.990 --> 00:17:56.829
AI is just there to do those tasks that help us be better in our business.
00:17:56.829 --> 00:18:07.869
For instance, would a client be okay with a machine giving them a recommendation for a design change that's going to cost them $5,000 more and tell the client why they need that?
00:18:07.869 --> 00:18:08.910
No, probably not.
00:18:08.910 --> 00:18:09.789
We can do that.
00:18:09.789 --> 00:18:22.670
We can convince our clients the best solution for their homes or whatever thing that we're working on with them because we are human beings and we can pick up on their body language, on their face, on how they're reacting to things.
00:18:22.670 --> 00:18:27.150
AI can design a room, I want to remind you, it cannot design a feeling.
00:18:27.150 --> 00:18:31.150
And feelings are what people actually buy.
00:18:31.150 --> 00:18:33.789
As I said, this is an emotional decision.
00:18:33.789 --> 00:18:37.789
A lot of decisions that our clients make are based on emotion.
00:18:37.789 --> 00:18:41.390
And we need to be able to pick up on that through the smoke, through the fog.
00:18:41.390 --> 00:18:47.630
We need to scratch a little bit underneath the surface and see the problems that they're actually having in their home with their family.
00:18:47.630 --> 00:18:50.590
So maybe they want their family to all be together at dinner time.
00:18:50.590 --> 00:18:55.630
Maybe they want a larger space outdoor because they have entertainment purposes that they need.
00:18:55.630 --> 00:19:01.870
Whatever that is, we need to be the one to listen and pick up on those maybe not so subtle signals that they're sending.
00:19:01.870 --> 00:19:05.150
Sometimes they're hidden, but sometimes they're there right in front of us.
00:19:05.150 --> 00:19:07.549
And we need to be the one to grab that and move forward with it.
00:19:07.549 --> 00:19:12.110
One more reminder people don't pay for furniture, they pay for a transformation.
00:19:12.110 --> 00:19:13.549
I say this all the time.
00:19:13.549 --> 00:19:25.549
That feeling that they have when you have completed the design of their home, when they can walk into that home and love it.
00:19:25.549 --> 00:19:32.830
And you can do this through all the ways that we've discussed, but that transformation is truly the outcome.
00:19:32.830 --> 00:19:35.309
It's a reward for us because it's wonderful.
00:19:35.309 --> 00:19:42.430
And I had a client once, for instance, who was getting a little uneasy because the project was dragging on and she was excited in the beginning.
00:19:42.430 --> 00:19:46.590
But when that contractor started having lots of delays, this client became very upset.
00:19:46.590 --> 00:19:51.390
So we decided to create a mood board with every single finish, every single drawing.
00:19:51.390 --> 00:19:52.509
It was so lovely.
00:19:52.509 --> 00:19:58.269
And we put all the fabrics there with the information about them, where they were going to go in the rooms.
00:19:58.269 --> 00:20:01.549
And she was able to grab those and touch those and feel and see.
00:20:01.549 --> 00:20:09.470
And it calmed her on a daily basis and it let her know that we did care about her and that we were trying to find ways to show her that it's going to be okay.
00:20:09.470 --> 00:20:11.630
We just have to trust this process that we're in.
00:20:11.630 --> 00:20:12.750
AI couldn't have done that.
00:20:12.750 --> 00:20:19.150
AI would not have picked up on those signals that this client was upset and that we had to figure out a way to overcome that.
00:20:19.150 --> 00:20:21.069
That is not something that AI can do.
00:20:21.069 --> 00:20:25.069
That is something that we as human beings can do and that we did do for our clients.
00:20:25.069 --> 00:20:29.470
So I want you to think about ways where you can do the same things for your clients as well.
00:20:29.470 --> 00:20:37.390
Now is the time to set yourself apart and to show your clients why you are the creative person and the designer for them.
00:20:37.390 --> 00:20:42.750
Because here's the thing design is emotional work disguised as aesthetic work.
00:20:42.750 --> 00:20:50.830
The outcome, of course, is the aesthetics and all the things that we see visually, but it truly is an emotional job that we have.
00:20:50.830 --> 00:20:55.870
And the emotions that we tap into with our clients are the things that are going to be able to make that project.
00:20:55.870 --> 00:21:06.190
And part of the reason I say that designers are in the best possible place right now because of AI is because it is going to push away those people who only want fast and easy.
00:21:06.190 --> 00:21:11.630
And it's going to allow our luxury clients to see the value and working with someone one-on-one.
00:21:11.630 --> 00:21:13.309
So don't ever forget that.
00:21:13.309 --> 00:21:16.430
Here is where those irreplaceable values live.
00:21:16.430 --> 00:21:20.029
They live in interpretation, not imitation.
00:21:20.029 --> 00:21:24.350
You translate emotion into environment, right?
00:21:24.350 --> 00:21:25.230
That's what we do.
00:21:25.230 --> 00:21:32.509
I will say design is about, and probably any creative business, it's about 50% therapy and 50% delivery.
00:21:32.509 --> 00:21:37.390
50% is listening to the emotions, listening to those messy situations that happen.
00:21:37.390 --> 00:21:41.390
And then the other 50% is making sure that we deliver the product at the end of that.
00:21:41.390 --> 00:21:47.950
I want to remind you too that taste and instinct that come from lived experience is only something that we can have as humans.
00:21:47.950 --> 00:21:56.269
That is the courage to make a call when there is a problem, courage to figure out that solution that is needed right there on the spot.
00:21:56.269 --> 00:22:01.710
And then irreplaceable value also lives in trust, reassurance, and relationship capital.
00:22:01.710 --> 00:22:05.870
People don't hire pixels, they hire people that they trust.
00:22:05.870 --> 00:22:08.190
They hire the people, not a computer.
00:22:08.190 --> 00:22:17.870
So when they are hiring you, they are hiring you to give them the trust and the relationship capital and the reassurance that you are the right person to work with them.
00:22:17.870 --> 00:22:22.670
And that's going to be something that you give them instantly in certain ways when you meet them for the first time.
00:22:22.670 --> 00:22:27.870
But it is most definitely one of those things that you build upon as you get more comfortable with that client we have.
00:22:27.870 --> 00:22:31.069
How to be irreplaceable in an AI world, right?
00:22:31.069 --> 00:22:32.830
This is like kind of the million-dollar question.
00:22:32.830 --> 00:22:33.870
So let's talk about that.
00:22:33.870 --> 00:22:37.549
First of all, I want you to go deeper, not faster.
00:22:37.549 --> 00:22:40.910
Speed is exactly what AI was invented for.
00:22:40.910 --> 00:22:43.870
And depth discernment and direction is ours.
00:22:43.870 --> 00:22:45.630
That is something that only we can do.
00:22:45.630 --> 00:22:48.350
So it is not about going faster in those situations.
00:22:48.350 --> 00:22:53.549
It is about, again, listening, discerning between right and wrong, and figuring out a new direction to go.
00:22:53.549 --> 00:22:55.549
That is what we are here to do.
00:22:55.549 --> 00:22:57.630
And that is what AI cannot do.
00:22:57.630 --> 00:23:06.910
I'm going to give you that framework to really stand out against AI and to show AI that you really are the boss in everything to do with your company.
00:23:06.910 --> 00:23:12.430
If you want to be irreplaceable, you don't Don't get there by working faster.
00:23:12.430 --> 00:23:14.670
You get there by going deeper, as I said.
00:23:14.670 --> 00:23:18.110
So do these four things to become untouchable.
00:23:18.110 --> 00:23:20.590
Own a clear design philosophy.
00:23:20.590 --> 00:23:22.830
This is not the time to be wishy-washy.
00:23:22.830 --> 00:23:26.110
This is not just the time to be very vague and what you can do.
00:23:26.110 --> 00:23:35.390
You need to finally, once and for all, sit down and figure out what your design philosophy is and what makes you different than all the other people out there.
00:23:35.390 --> 00:23:37.470
That you can never, never anymore.
00:23:37.470 --> 00:23:45.549
And I didn't want you to do this in the past either, but especially now, you cannot just say that you are an interior designer for families.
00:23:45.549 --> 00:23:46.830
That will get you nowhere.
00:23:46.830 --> 00:23:51.549
You need to be specific on what type of family, what their needs are, those pain points that they have.
00:23:51.549 --> 00:23:55.390
And then you need to know what you believe in and also what you refuse to do.
00:23:55.390 --> 00:23:58.590
Know the projects that do align with you and the ones that don't.
00:23:58.590 --> 00:24:02.110
Know the clients that do align with you and those that don't.
00:24:02.110 --> 00:24:05.549
Those are the things that are going to give you a distinct perspective.
00:24:05.549 --> 00:24:12.430
And the more you can be distinct and specific in your marketing and in your messaging, the more AI is going to pick up on that.
00:24:12.430 --> 00:24:16.190
And you're going to be able to be searched in AI searches because that's where we're going now.
00:24:16.190 --> 00:24:17.630
You need to start showing up in those.
00:24:17.630 --> 00:24:25.789
The way that you're going to do that is by having a very distinct message, a distinct philosophy, and also putting that out there as much as possible.
00:24:25.789 --> 00:24:32.110
Then all these AI engines are going to search you and they're going to see you're saying the same thing over and over.
00:24:32.110 --> 00:24:34.670
So that must mean that you have consistency in your business.
00:24:34.670 --> 00:24:40.590
And then it's going to start to pull you up when someone goes into Chat GPT and searches for an interior designer in their area, right?
00:24:40.590 --> 00:24:41.870
So that's really, really important.
00:24:41.870 --> 00:24:44.590
Another way to stand out is to elevate the client experience.
00:24:44.590 --> 00:24:52.430
This kind of goes without saying, but especially with luxury clients, emotional safety is the new form of luxury.
00:24:52.430 --> 00:25:00.910
You need to elevate that client experience and you need to really make them see that this one-on-one experience cannot be replicated from a bot.
00:25:00.910 --> 00:25:02.269
And it truly, truly can't.
00:25:02.269 --> 00:25:13.789
So this is again why I say that in the luxury market, those of you who want to hit luxury clients, and I'm pretty sure that's all of us, those luxury clients want to work with people who understand how to deal with luxury clients.
00:25:13.789 --> 00:25:24.350
They want to know that you know how to handle a problem, how to calmly fix an issue, how to give them the best options based upon your past experience, based upon what you've done as a designer.
00:25:24.350 --> 00:25:28.750
And you need to elevate that experience for them in all forms and facets.
00:25:28.750 --> 00:25:30.990
You need to develop a recognizable signature.
00:25:30.990 --> 00:25:37.549
So this is a point of view that AI cannot copy or spit out, kind of on the lines of that design philosophy.
00:25:37.549 --> 00:25:43.549
You need to develop a signature look or a lens or a recognizable point of view that is your standout feature.
00:25:43.549 --> 00:25:46.990
And then again, you need to put that out everywhere you go.
00:25:46.990 --> 00:25:49.549
That is going to set you apart from everyone else.
00:25:49.549 --> 00:25:53.789
Also, see AI as your assistant, not your replacement, right?
00:25:53.789 --> 00:25:55.069
That's exactly how I use it.
00:25:55.069 --> 00:25:56.990
AI is my unpaid intern.
00:25:56.990 --> 00:25:58.350
AI is my assistant.
00:25:58.350 --> 00:25:59.549
I use it for marketing.
00:25:59.549 --> 00:26:00.750
I use it for emails.
00:26:00.750 --> 00:26:03.870
I use it for helping me sort of brainstorm something, right?
00:26:03.870 --> 00:26:08.269
So AI is there as that assistant, but it is not a replacement for me.
00:26:08.269 --> 00:26:12.750
And you can offload all those tasks that you don't want to do and that you're not so great at.
00:26:12.750 --> 00:26:17.549
So use it as the intern, let it take the grunt work and let you take the glory.
00:26:17.549 --> 00:26:21.549
Now, more than ever, you cannot just call yourself a designer.
00:26:21.549 --> 00:26:22.110
You can't.
00:26:22.110 --> 00:26:24.590
It is boring, it is uneventful.
00:26:24.590 --> 00:26:27.470
You have to show that your stance is human.
00:26:27.470 --> 00:26:30.590
And this is a time to have a distinct perspective.
00:26:30.590 --> 00:26:32.990
The way to do that is to share your story.
00:26:32.990 --> 00:26:36.830
Share the story of how you started your business, share the story of your passion.
00:26:36.830 --> 00:26:48.830
Let clients know why you work in a certain type of designing and the things that people are going to want to be attracted to work with you more and to sign a deal and to say yes when you propose something to them.
00:26:48.830 --> 00:26:50.910
That is what a luxury client wants.
00:26:50.910 --> 00:26:54.910
You have to be human and you must have a stance that humanizes you.
00:26:54.910 --> 00:26:57.789
So some real world proof of all of this.
00:26:57.789 --> 00:27:00.190
Here's where humans beat AI instantly.
00:27:00.190 --> 00:27:02.590
If a client cries at an install, what do you do?
00:27:02.590 --> 00:27:04.029
That is something that only we can do.
00:27:04.029 --> 00:27:06.830
We can calm them down, we can help them out if something's late.
00:27:06.830 --> 00:27:09.710
The sofa arrives damaged before the reveal.
00:27:09.710 --> 00:27:11.309
Who decides plan B?
00:27:11.309 --> 00:27:11.950
That's us.
00:27:11.950 --> 00:27:16.350
AI is not the solution to those problems that happen that only a human can fix.
00:27:16.350 --> 00:27:20.990
Or let's say a husband demands a recliner and the other person in the relationship doesn't want one.
00:27:20.990 --> 00:27:22.509
Who negotiates that compromise?
00:27:22.509 --> 00:27:23.069
We do.
00:27:23.069 --> 00:27:23.870
Human beings do.
00:27:23.870 --> 00:27:25.549
Or a contractor is ghosting you.
00:27:25.549 --> 00:27:27.230
Who is salvaging that relationship?
00:27:27.230 --> 00:27:28.910
We have to be the one to reach out.
00:27:28.910 --> 00:27:37.150
Those are all just some ways that AI is not going to be able to solve a problem and where a human will beat AI instantly.
00:27:37.150 --> 00:27:44.029
That is what we do, and that is the work that gets you referrals because you did solve the problem for them and that project.
00:27:44.029 --> 00:27:48.110
It is not something that Chat GPT or Midjourney can take care of.
00:27:48.110 --> 00:27:53.230
AI does not know how to handle people, it just does not.
00:27:53.230 --> 00:27:58.350
AI only knows what to handle what you put into it based on what it's pulling from other resources.
00:27:58.350 --> 00:28:00.670
Why does this even matter?
00:28:00.670 --> 00:28:06.190
Why does all this matter when it comes to AI and especially right now in our business?
00:28:06.190 --> 00:28:10.350
This matters because trust is much more important than speed.
00:28:10.350 --> 00:28:20.110
Relationships are more important than renderings, relationships with the client, relationships with everyone associated with yourself on the job site, relationship with vendors.
00:28:20.110 --> 00:28:24.830
Those are always going to be more important than just something that an AI machine can give you.
00:28:24.830 --> 00:28:27.309
Confidence is also greater than capability.
00:28:27.309 --> 00:28:34.670
Confidence in you, confidence that you can take care of these problems for them, that you can give this client the dream home that they've always wanted.
00:28:34.670 --> 00:28:40.990
That is so much more important and more powerful than just the capability of AI to complete a task.
00:28:40.990 --> 00:28:49.230
For instance, we had a tradesperson one time and he was a woodworker, a very talented woodworker, and we needed him to fix something that really wasn't in his ballpark.
00:28:49.230 --> 00:28:50.590
He didn't even cause the problem, right?
00:28:50.590 --> 00:28:52.110
But it was the day before install.
00:28:52.110 --> 00:28:52.830
We were panicking.
00:28:52.830 --> 00:28:54.509
We had something we needed to have done.
00:28:54.509 --> 00:28:55.150
He did.
00:28:55.150 --> 00:29:03.950
He came in, he fixed that for us because of that relationship and because of that confidence that he had in us for giving him more business, for helping him out in the past.
00:29:03.950 --> 00:29:06.990
We've sort of scratched his back, he scratched ours scenario.
00:29:06.990 --> 00:29:11.230
And he came in and fixed that for us, even though, again, it wasn't in his scope of work.
00:29:11.230 --> 00:29:12.190
He took care of that.
00:29:12.190 --> 00:29:18.590
So those are things that only a human connection can solve and only a human connection can even request that the other person do.
00:29:18.590 --> 00:29:23.870
Just remember when you're thinking and comparing yourself to AI, there are ways that we are better than AI.
00:29:23.870 --> 00:29:31.789
I can't touch on all of them today, but we need to capitalize on those when it comes to nurturing those relationships and showing our clients that we are capable.
00:29:31.789 --> 00:29:35.069
First of all, you need to deliver when and how you say you will.
00:29:35.069 --> 00:29:38.190
You need to deliver what you say you're going to deliver, be transparent.
00:29:38.190 --> 00:29:41.309
Talk about your processes, talked about your policies, talked about your pricing.
00:29:41.309 --> 00:29:42.750
This is going to build that trust.
00:29:42.750 --> 00:29:45.069
Overcommunicate before they have to ask.
00:29:45.069 --> 00:29:48.830
Design custom pieces, things that AI is not going to be able to deliver.
00:29:48.830 --> 00:29:54.190
Again, those clients who want just a run-of-the-mill, copycat, mediocre design are going to use AI.
00:29:54.190 --> 00:29:54.750
And that's okay.
00:29:54.750 --> 00:29:55.470
Let them have it.
00:29:55.470 --> 00:30:05.150
That is going to give more room for us to target the clients who are looking for a luxury designer who can solve the problems for them with bespoke and unique products.
00:30:05.150 --> 00:30:10.590
That is where we can set ourselves apart from AI, is by designing something that truly is bespoke.
00:30:10.590 --> 00:30:16.430
And it doesn't have to be a custom piece of furniture, it just has to be a customized, bespoke idea out of your head.
00:30:16.430 --> 00:30:18.269
It could be the furniture arrangement in the room.
00:30:18.269 --> 00:30:20.990
It could be a fireplace design that no one's ever thought of before.
00:30:20.990 --> 00:30:22.830
Those are things that only we can do.
00:30:22.830 --> 00:30:27.150
And AI is not the machine to lean on when it comes to bespoke design.
00:30:27.150 --> 00:30:28.990
Custom is the new credibility, as I said.
00:30:28.990 --> 00:30:33.230
When you are creating things that are custom, it does give you more credibility with your clients.
00:30:33.230 --> 00:30:35.230
Make them feel seen, not like a process.
00:30:35.230 --> 00:30:36.670
Let them know that you value them.
00:30:36.670 --> 00:30:38.269
Let them know that you appreciate them.
00:30:38.269 --> 00:30:43.069
Let them know that you hear them and you can say to them, I hear exactly what you're saying.
00:30:43.069 --> 00:30:44.670
Let me just make sure that I'm getting it correct.
00:30:44.670 --> 00:30:52.430
So when you start to repeat that back to your clients and show them that you are listening, that you're actively listening, that is not a process that AI can do.
00:30:52.430 --> 00:30:54.350
That is not just a systematic thing.
00:30:54.350 --> 00:30:57.630
That is something that only a human being can do with another human being.
00:30:57.630 --> 00:31:00.509
Personal attention is now a differentiator, not an add-on.
00:31:00.509 --> 00:31:12.269
What if you had like two or three projects that you really devoted yourself to and that you really devoted yourself to creating something super special and different from everyone else, something that AI cannot spit out?
00:31:12.269 --> 00:31:18.190
That is something that a luxury client wants, and that is something that a luxury client will pay you for.
00:31:18.190 --> 00:31:22.190
I want to remind you, clients don't stay loyal to the fastest designer.
00:31:22.190 --> 00:31:24.830
They stay loyal to the one that they trust.
00:31:24.830 --> 00:31:26.110
Are you hearing a theme here?
00:31:26.110 --> 00:31:27.630
It is built around trust.
00:31:27.630 --> 00:31:32.029
Trust is real listening, it's verbal and nonverbal communication.
00:31:32.029 --> 00:31:44.670
It is empathy, sharing stories of your past projects, of your life, of things that you've seen that relate to what this client's project is having in front of them right now is only going to make them trust you more.
00:31:44.670 --> 00:31:50.190
And then once they trust you, that's going to start to build loyalty from them for referrals and for future projects.
00:31:50.190 --> 00:31:59.470
Think about ways that you can build that loyalty through your own past and through stories of your past and through things that you've experienced that that client can relate to.
00:31:59.470 --> 00:32:02.110
That is going to get trust going faster than anything else.
00:32:02.110 --> 00:32:05.710
Let's wrap all this up with a plan for you, a three-step plan, very simple.
00:32:05.710 --> 00:32:11.069
And it's going to take all the things that we talked about today and sort of break them down into an easy to understand format.
00:32:11.069 --> 00:32:12.509
Here is your three-step plan.
00:32:12.509 --> 00:32:13.870
Keep the humanity.
00:32:13.870 --> 00:32:17.150
AI is going to make design faster than ever.
00:32:17.150 --> 00:32:19.950
It's going to make generic design even more generic.
00:32:19.950 --> 00:32:27.230
It's going to make the simplest things look even more generic because there's going to be just this regurgitation of the same designs over and over and over.
00:32:27.230 --> 00:32:30.509
Anything that we do above that is going to make us stand out.
00:32:30.509 --> 00:32:34.269
And it's going to make also good enough even more available to the masses.
00:32:34.269 --> 00:32:39.870
So this like just good enough is going to be this mass-produced thing because that is what AI can produce.
00:32:39.870 --> 00:32:43.710
It has always been about the things that cannot be automated.
00:32:43.710 --> 00:32:54.509
And these are things like discernment, originality, as we've talked about, emotional intelligence, taste, access, restraint, judgment on these situations that pop up.
00:32:54.509 --> 00:32:56.350
Leadership is a key one.
00:32:56.350 --> 00:32:57.710
And mostly trust.
00:32:57.710 --> 00:32:59.150
Trust is the bitty there.
00:32:59.150 --> 00:33:03.069
AI may replace the parts of design that were never really ours anyway.
00:33:03.069 --> 00:33:10.590
The more AI floods the world with quick standard rooms, the more valuable truly design becomes.
00:33:10.590 --> 00:33:13.630
In other words, AI does not eliminate luxury.
00:33:13.630 --> 00:33:15.789
It amplifies the need for it.
00:33:15.789 --> 00:33:24.670
AI does not eliminate luxury, it shows people how much more they need luxury because everything that AI is spitting out is looking the same.
00:33:24.670 --> 00:33:27.870
And that is where we have that differentiating factor.
00:33:27.870 --> 00:33:41.630
Your job is not to compete with AI, your job is to rise above that and to show the world that you have so much more to offer than AI does when it comes to those special things that only a human being can do.
00:33:41.630 --> 00:33:46.670
And that is why I want you to own the role that only a human being can play.
00:33:46.670 --> 00:33:48.350
I want to leave you with this.
00:33:48.350 --> 00:33:54.830
The future belongs to the humans who use AI without ever becoming AI.
00:33:54.830 --> 00:34:01.710
AI can spit out a room in seconds, but only a human can shape the life that is inside of that room.
00:34:01.710 --> 00:34:06.029
And that is why luxury is never, ever, ever threatened.
00:34:06.029 --> 00:34:06.750
Because why?
00:34:06.750 --> 00:34:09.469
Luxury is never a standard.
00:34:09.469 --> 00:34:14.349
And that is why we are going to win when it comes to adapting to AI.
00:34:14.349 --> 00:34:15.869
I hope this has been helpful for you.
00:34:15.869 --> 00:34:18.989
I hope that it has helped you to not be so concerned with AI.
00:34:18.989 --> 00:34:19.869
Yes, it's here.
00:34:19.869 --> 00:34:21.230
Yes, we must adapt to it.
00:34:21.230 --> 00:34:24.110
And yes, we must bring it into our business in certain aspects.
00:34:24.110 --> 00:34:25.309
And I want you to do that.
00:34:25.309 --> 00:34:34.269
But I never ever want you to forget what you bring to the table as a designer, as a human being, as a creative, someone with amazing intellectual property.
00:34:34.269 --> 00:34:36.110
Those are only things that you can have.
00:34:36.110 --> 00:34:41.230
And I hope that you will start to remember that more and start to incorporate that into your business as well.
00:34:41.230 --> 00:34:43.869
I have a free download for you, a link for you to grab.
00:34:43.869 --> 00:34:50.349
That will give you 25 prompts that I've created that will help you to overcome obstacles like communicating with clients in difficult situations.
00:34:50.349 --> 00:34:56.989
As I said, marketing, different aspects of your business, lots of different things that I've sort of felt were important on a daily basis.
00:34:56.989 --> 00:35:02.269
And you'd want to do this by putting in a prompt that will deliver something that is in your voice.
00:35:02.269 --> 00:35:04.750
So I want you to do that and keep these handy.
00:35:04.750 --> 00:35:09.869
Use one right away so that you can get a feel for what it is giving you as an answer.
00:35:09.869 --> 00:35:12.670
And then reply back, let it know if it was right or wrong.
00:35:12.670 --> 00:35:18.109
Give it some feedback because once you start to give it feedback, that's when it's going to start to feel like you and the answers.
00:35:18.109 --> 00:35:19.469
So thank you for being here today.
00:35:19.469 --> 00:35:21.629
And I would love to see you in some of my other programs.
00:35:21.629 --> 00:35:25.710
So head to McLeanMethod.com and you can find all the ways to work with me there.
00:35:25.710 --> 00:35:29.469
Thanks for tuning in to this episode of the McClain Method podcast.
00:35:29.469 --> 00:35:38.989
I'm so grateful you made it all the way to the end because that tells me that you're ready to do the work that truly transforms your brand, your business, and your life.
00:35:38.989 --> 00:35:53.230
If you want more tools, trainings, and behind the scenes looks at what I'm building next, head over McClainMethod.com and don't forget to follow along on Instagram at the mcclainmethod for even more drops of brilliance.
00:35:53.230 --> 00:35:56.269
And remember, my friend, your brilliance is your brand.
00:35:56.269 --> 00:35:58.189
Don't dim it, design it.
00:35:58.189 --> 00:35:59.469
I'll see you next time.
