Self-Starter

Although Shelly McMahan is an artist, she knows almost as much about selling as many seasoned sales reps. Her business, Smart Design, Inc., is taking off not only because of her talent as an artist, but also because of her sales and marketing savvy.

Before she started Smart Design five years ago, McMahan worked at the Pentagon as a graphic designer for Air Force Graphics. While there, McMahan became curious about some unused equipment under a tarp. People steered her away saying it was just a piece of antiquated machinery. Being persistent and inquisitive, McMahan decided to take matters into her own hands to learn more about the equipment. When she discovered that it was a Computer Numerically Controlled (CNC) router – a machine that is capable of cutting complex two- and three-dimensional shapes at high speeds – she contacted Craig Tyrrell of Tyrrell Tech to teach her how to use it.

Soon after learning how to use the CNC router, Tyrrell and McMahan’s brother convinced her to open her own business, so she gave herself time to learn all the diverse skills she would need to create products, market and sell her products, and run the company. Her biggest fears: administrative work and selling. To learn the ropes, McMahan called upon friends, family, and acquaintances.

McMahan’s diligence paid off – after years of juggling three jobs (including her full-time job at the Pentagon) while gaining experience with the router and other sculpting methods – she opened the doors to Smart Design, Inc., a unique dimensional design fabrication firm near Washington, D.C., that creates dimensional signs, trade show exhibits, museum exhibits, and commercial interiors. Though McMahan worked many long hours to achieve her business goals, she credits Tyrrell, who sells the equipment that she uses in her work, as instrumental in helping her open her business.

“As a small business owner himself, Craig was able to guide me through the process of getting started and selling my work,” she says. “He is one of the best salesmen I’ve ever met. In the beginning, I couldn’t afford to buy a CNC router for my business, so he allowed me to use his in exchange for helping him with jobs. While working together, we discovered that we have the same sales philosophy; we focus on providing the best customer service.”

Things are working out well for McMahan. After only a year on her own, she was asked to bid on and won the Pentagon’s 9/11 memorial project. The catch: the entire project had to be completed in five weeks. McMahan took on the project with vigor and ended up finishing the project in 18 days. Meanwhile, the Pentagon decided that it also wanted a hallway exhibit to recognize 50 years of service for the Department of Defense. The already sleep- deprived McMahan took on that project, too, completing 18 printed and acrylic enclosed panels in another five weeks. The result: a breathtaking memorial and tons of new business for Smart Design.

“The customer knew how ridiculous the deadlines were for the 9/11 project, but they asked me to do it, I told them I would do it, and I did it,” she says. “I understood the importance and the timeliness of these projects. I believe that it is very important to treat people the way that I would want to be treated.”

That belief, along with quality work, won her many new projects beyond the Pentagon including projects for Washington area Channel 7, News Channel 8, the Fairfax (VA) Water Authority, and the International Spy Museum in Washington, D.C.

Hunting for Treasure

McMahan comes prepared when she visits prospects, always bringing a list of questions in the form of a checklist. From jotting down the initial meeting date to checking off suggested follow-up actions (estimate needed, design needed, extra interview needed, etc.), it helps her cover all her bases. These questions not only assist McMahan in getting an accurate description of what the customer is looking for, but also often result in further business from prospects.

“When I started working in this field, I didn’t know much about it so I always try to put myself in that position again when I visit with a new customer,” McMahan explains. “I find that bringing a lot of samples with me helps the customer visualize what I’m talking about even though I kind of look like a pack mule when I visit my customers – but it pays off. Samples really help people visualize the technique and what it entails. I’m educating them on the whole process and people appreciate that I take the time to explain things to them. Plus, by asking all the questions, it usually sparks an interest in additional signage or something that is needed that they hadn’t even thought of yet.”

After she gets the job and begins the design process, McMahan continues to keep in touch with customers by sending them digital images of every step.

“When someone’s paying you $10,000 for a sign, they tend to be pretty interested in seeing how it’s fabricated and how the work is progressing,” she says.

These progress reports accomplish more than just fueling interest; they also help to keep clients’ patience levels in check.

“You can’t just make the sale and walk away,” she explains. “Some designs can take up to eight weeks because of the hand work involved. When you show customers the progress of the design, they tend to be a little more patient.”

Although first an artist, McMahan admits that she is evolving into even more of a salesperson than she ever thought she would. Apart from selling her own creations, she now spends about 30 percent of her time selling three-dimensional software and CNC routers. The software company recently asked her to represent them at a major trade show.

“I’m even selling to my competitors and they’re buying,” she says. “After giving a demo of the software, I had five companies wanting to order it.”

Sales aside, McMahan said that she would love to venture into commercial interior design in the future. And to do that McMahan has been creating samples to show prospects. She cold calls prospects and uses her samples and enthusiasm to drum up business in these areas. Although she is wearing many hats, her first priority is to please customers.

“I feel that, far more important than any sale that I make, is my ability to meet customers’ needs and to establish long-term relationships that will keep customers coming back again and again,” McMahan explains. “It’s more than just giving a sales presentation and writing up the order; it’s correctly identifying customers’ needs and matching them to a product that we offer. I can then show them what THEY want and need and how they can have it.”

Those are smart words from Smart Design.