As an interior designer, you started your business to design—not to focus on marketing and sales. But when you decide to go out on your own, sales and marketing are CRITICAL if you want to book clients.

I've talked to a lot of interior designers, and I know most of them don’t enjoy having sales conversations. They get nervous. They trip over their words. And next thing you know, they’re discounting their services, throwing in extras for free, and practically handing over the keys to a new car while they’re at it.

But here’s something I believe so firmly in (I mean, I built my entire business on it, so obviously, I believe in this):

If you have a solid client experience process in place, you shouldn’t have to "sell" at all.

Yes, you read that right. When your process is seamless, proactive, and aligned with your ideal client’s needs, people should be 90% pre-sold before you even get to the dreaded "selling" phase.

*Now, I’m not saying you don’t have to market. You do. You should always be marketing. But I’m saying you won’t have to SELL.

Remember sales and marketing are two different things.

Let’s break this down.

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Just about every interior designer I work with says the same thing:

They want bigger and better projects.

Why? Because bigger and better projects mean they can take on fewer clients while charging more for each one.

Win-win. The designer isn’t spread so thin, and they can focus on delivering a high-touch, elevated experience for the projects in their pipeline. Plus, larger projects often yield more opportunities for professional photography—and when you have more rooms to showcase, editors are more likely to feature your work in a home tour.

This kind of exposure creates a snowball effect: more traffic, more inquiries, more press, and ultimately, more opportunities.

So, I get it—landing bigger and better projects is the ultimate flex.

But for many designers, it’s just not happening. Instead, they’re stuck attracting bad-fit clients and projects that don’t align with their goals.

So, what gives?

After working with interior designers for over eight years (from those just starting out to those generating multiple millions in revenue annually) and running my own luxury wedding and event planning company, I’ve learned a lot about what attracts luxury clients—and what sends them running the other way.

Before we dive in, keep this in mind:

I’m talking about attracting luxury clients, NOT booking them.

If you can’t seem to get luxury clients to even reach out to you, chances are, one or more of the eleven reasons below are to blame:

If 2025 is the year you plan to take your interior design business to the next level, I’d bet marketing is top of mind. I know it always is for me.

Because marketing is a topic we’re asked about almost as much as pricing, I’ve rounded up my best blog posts with specific advice to help interior designers go into 2025 with all their i’s dotted and t’s crossed.

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Here’s the thing: business operations is my specialty, but marketing is my passion. It’s where creativity meets strategy, and when you get it right, the results can be game-changing.

Each of the articles below is packed with detailed steps and insights. I’m sharing them in order of how you should implement them so you have your own handy “Marketing Playbook” for the new year.

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2025 will be a milestone year for me, God willing, because it is the year I will turn the same age my dad was when he lost his very short battle with cancer. 

He died when I was 17, and back then, 44 seemed SO old. My dad owned a popular restaurant and catering business and a beautiful home, had five kids, was happily married to my mom, and was a powerful, charismatic presence. 

Now, as I approach the same age, I realize just how young he was and how his life was really just beginning. 

Losing him at such a young age has given me a unique perspective on how precious my time is and has majorly impacted my priorities. It is also why I spend time every Friday reflecting on how I spend my time every single week. 

As I plan for 2025, I reviewed all my notes over the past year and noticed some consistent themes of things I didn’t enjoy or realizations I had that I ignored for MONTHS. 

And this is NOT the year for me to hold onto anything that does not serve me. 

So, in honor of my dad, one of my all-time favorite humans in the entire world and the person who has had the most significant impact on who I am today, here are the 11 things I’m saying BYEEEEE to in 2025. (in no particular order) …

In 2024, my team and I wrote 49 original blog posts for interior designers (this one makes it 50). That’s a big dip from 2023, when we wrote 90 original posts (based on our own experience!!). What can I say? We love nothing more than sharing insights to help interior designers improve their business operations and client experience.

While we didn’t write as many blog posts this year, we introduced plenty of new ways to help interior designers through our trainings in The Workroom. This year’s highlights included:

• Beyond Retail: Increase Revenue + Profits by Selling Wholesale Furnishings

• Elevate Your Design Presentation live training 

• Mastering Asana for Interior Designers

• Permits to Punchlists: Essential Construction Training, Management, & Pricing Tips for Interior Designers 

And I can’t forget to mention the three cohorts of our signature program, The Designed to Scale® Method. What an honor to help so many designers through my tried & true framework. 

If you haven’t had a chance to dive into those resources linked above, I highly recommend checking them out. In the meantime, don’t miss our 10 most popular blog posts of 2024. These are the posts that resonated most with our community of interior designers—each one thoughtfully crafted, 100% human-written, with no shortcuts or AI assistance here.

And, of course, a huge thank you for being here, reading my blog, The Weekly Install®, The Design Brief™, and my Instagram posts. 

YOU fuel everything we do.

Alright, let’s count down the top 10 posts of the year.

For most interior designers we talk to, referrals are the number one source of new business.

What could be better? People who know and like your business tell their friends and colleagues (who are likely similar to them) about your interior design business and then your pipeline fills with ideal clients. 

According to a Nielsen report, 92% of consumers trust recommendations from friends and family more than all other forms of marketing. And, referral customers are 50% more likely to make a purchase than non-referral customers (McKinsey & Company). 

Unlike other marketing strategies, it doesn’t cost anything to ask existing customers for a reference. To be honest, it’s probably the lowest hanging fruit in your entire business. 

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