How to Build Year-end Momentum and Profit for Your Interior Design Business

I read a great book in June that said that your revenue and profits are a lagging indicator of the quality and quantity of your relationships. Boom! That one statement was worth reading the entire book.

How well are you doing on a scale of 1 – 10 for relationship building? Be honest with yourself. Your numbers are the symptom of the problem.

Every relationship is important, yet some are more important than others. Your relationship with your current and past clients is the fastest way you can get more business. What are you doing to nurture those relationships? Are you keeping in touch frequently and more than just for job reasons?

What about past clients? Do you have a nurturing program to keep them informed? Do you have a monthly newsletter that you send either physically or digitally?

What about your referral partners? Are you constantly seeking to build relationships with the top advisors who serve prospects you prefer to work with?

Here are seven tips to transform your results:

1. Start a 12-touch program prospects, clients and referral partners. Plan this in advance and have an intern, virtual assistant or junior designer manage the process.
2. Invest in lots of cards – thank you, sympathy, congratulations, birthday, anniversary, new house, etc. Have note cards printed with your branding and carry them in your car with stamps and a pen. Literally write a thank you note after you meet someone new. Add their name to your database immediately (delegate), and follow up frequently with offers of connections for them.
3. Ask your current clients about other projects they’ve considered and make an offer for a new service. (50% is the typical close rate)
4. Contact your past clients to “check in” and see how they are doing. Let them know you’re doing a short survey to improve your services, and would like their feedback. Ask for a testimonial if you haven’t gotten one from them in the past, and of course, ask for referrals if they are happy and not interested in a new project. It’s a perfect time to remind them that they can get projects done by the holidays if you start now. Give them an incentive to do so. (33% is typical close rate)
5. Have a “Client Appreciation” party and have them invite a friend they think might be interested in your services. Create a memorable event, and even invite a local celebrity. It can be less expensive than you think.
6. Make a list of the most connected and influential advisors in your city, and reach out to them to meet. Ask them if you could get their advice about how they grew their businesses so successfully. Keep the interview short. Find out what their biggest challenge is in their business and ask how you would know someone who would be an ideal client for them. Always send a thank you note. Maintain your contacts frequently.
7. High visibility creates implied credibility. Get published frequently in magazines and newspapers, get interviewed on TV or radio, send out press releases online and offline, get involved in one major charity that you are interested in, and speak locally and nationally. You can even write an eBook that you can publish on Amazon.

What’s your favorite way to build your business?

Gail Doby, ASID is an author, speaker, writer, interior designer, and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University, your shortcut to a more profitable and passion-filled design business. Click here for your complimentary copy of the Interior Design Fee and Salary Survey eBook. ($79 Value) You’ll also receive our complimentary weekly newsletter, New IDEAS.

5 Biggest Mistakes Interior Designers Make With Clients

Here are a few of the mistakes some designers make...

1. Not setting expectations well. We all hate negative surprises and the worst ones are the ones that cost money and time. From the beginning of your relationship with the client, you need to establish a range for your budget. Clients have no idea how much things cost, so you should have examples of what a typical window treatment, room furnishing budget or renovation cost would be based on either the photos in your portfolio. Give them a range and then you’ll be able to read their reaction. If their eyes flutter and they don’t look at you directly, they are very uncomfortable.

2. Not asking enough questions and truly understanding what the client’s motivations and priorities are. Never assume. Always feedback what you hear your client say to be sure you understand what they really want.

3. Not communicating quickly when there are problems with the project, products or schedule. You should start the beginning of your client relationship by asking how they want to hear the good news and the bad news. Ask if they prefer a phone call, email or a meeting in person. First, be sure you have three solutions…decide which is the best solution and then either discuss it in person (very important for dominant CEO types) or by email or phone.

4. Not taking care of every last detail. At the end of the job, it is easy to get bored and disinterested and not want to finish the last few details, but those details are the ones that determine whether you will have a raving fan or a raving…..you know what I mean. Those extra details and a nice thank you gift and note at the end can mean the difference between more work and referrals or them telling 10 people how badly you handled their project. The little things matter the most.

5. Not asking for testimonials! This is one of the best tips I can share with you. Ask for testimonials early and throughout your relationship with your clients. It actually reinforces the reason why they made such a good decision to hire you. Help them with the testimonials by writing what you want them to say…you remember the compliments they’ve given you, so just write it out for them and ask them to tweak it, put it on their own stationery and that you will pick it up on a particular date and then bring a small token gift. Your clients want to help you, too.

Bonus tip - Job appreciation…any time you make an installation or deliver a product, be sure to admire the beautiful result with the client. This is really not as self-serving as it sounds. Clients need reassurance that they made the right decision. They are very insecure with designers, and this is a great technique that I learned from one of my teachers years ago. It works like a charm because your clients look to you for your approval, so share it liberally, but honestly.

Gail Doby, ASID, is co-founder and Chief Vision Officer of Design Success University. Gail is an Interior Design Business Success Mentor to thousands of interior designers globally. DSU’s Business Mastery Membership and classes include Value Based Fees and Marketing Intensives. Click here to get your complimentary copy of DSU’s Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook and IDEAS newsletter subscription filled with inspiration, business tips and time-saving resources.