Words: Phillip Ozorio

I interpret growth as more sales. In a small business a couple of extra orders per annum could translate into 10 percent more business, and the difference between a mediocre year and a good year.

So how do you generate these extra sales without investing lots of money? If you have built up a database of key clients, then it’s a good idea to send them a quarterly news item which can be on new products or services.

You can divide your key clients into categories. For example,  an A List (those who bring business to you regularly) and a B List (no business so far,  but lots of potential). B listers could be interior designers, architects or property developers. The fun is in trying to convert B listers into A listers. 

It’s important to update your databases before mail outs by checking if contacts have moved companies. Who has replaced them, and where they have gone to? When sending out invites I think the ones who don’t/can’t attend are as important as the ones who do. There is a guilt thing about not attending (‘you missed a good party!’), so the invite itself is a huge connection.

I think another area to look at is the person-to-person contact driven by return to the office, events and a growing fatigue with purely digital connections like LinkedIn requests, which often feel impersonal.

Attending after work events can be tiring and it’s so easy to ‘duck out’. But, it’s like sales: the more enquiries you have the more business you should get – the more people you meet the more chance of a connection. 

As a result of the above, business cards are experiencing a massive resurgence. Far from being obsolete, they have evolved into “miniature works of art” that bridge the gap between physical and digital networking. 

Search interest for business cards hit a five-year high in late 2025. I dusted off my old business cards, and they still had a fax number on them! 

Modern business cards boast a 12% conversion rate, significantly higher than the 2.35% average for websites. I was even persuaded to get my face printed on the reverse side!

Two things came to mind with the business cards. The first was my good fortune to have a fairly unusual name. If you google Phillip Ozorio, I appear on the first 10 pages as I may be unique. My best friend Ros White is looking into buying a title such as ‘Lord’ which he hopes will get him upgraded on flights. This is going too far, but actors change their names, so why can’t we!? It’s a good way for you to stand out from the crowd.

Membership

The second thing that came to mind was the value of being a member of a professional organisation which can be added to the business card. I have always considered myself as an ‘Interior Designer specialising in kitchens’ rather than the ‘kitchen man’. Where does ‘the kitchen person’ rank in the hierarchy of Designers?

I have been a corporate member of the BIID for many years and attend functions and events. I also recently joined SBID and was fortunate to become an ‘Accredited Designer’.

These two organisations are right for us because together they cover most interior designers and interior architects. The annual fees are also reasonable compared to advertising. You can network interior designers in your catchment area, and if you are a corporate member, interior design members should favour your services.

These professional organisations have excellent person-to-person networking events, and opportunities for corporates to engage with designers and advance your own personal development by attending lectures.

There are many kitchen designers who return to part-time education to get a qualification. I also see some of the top kitchen furniture, appliance and worktop suppliers are members of these groups.

Hopefully, this topic has not been covered in the many different ways to achieve growth in this issue of kbbreview, and I wish you all good fortune in the sales to come!