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Welcome to The DTS Files for Interior Designers

The DTS Files is a premium content hub for interior designers who want to grow their businesses with expert-backed strategies, real-world consulting insights, and proven frameworks.

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ACTIONABLE BUSINESS STRATEGIES

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MEMBERS-ONLY ARTICLES PUBLISHED WEEKLY

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PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT INSIGHTS & ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS

| ACTIONABLE BUSINESS STRATEGIES I MEMBERS-ONLY ARTICLES PUBLISHED WEEKLY | PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT INSIGHTS & ADVICE FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan

Elevate your Interior Design Client Experience Process: Nail Your Sales Calls

One of the benefits of having a streamlined client experience process for your interior design business is that it will help you to feel confident during sales calls so you can book more dream clients. In this post, I’m going to share tips for how to structure your sales calls with potential interior design clients.

Join The DTS Files for my advice and insights.

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How to Qualify your Interior Design Leads (and screen out the tire kickers)

Stop Wasting Sales Calls on Potential Clients Who Expect Free Advice

Ever hopped on a call, only to realize the potential client thought it was a free consult or assumed they could start the project immediately?

One of the biggest mistakes designers make is jumping on calls too soon—before setting clear expectations. The result? Wasted time, price shoppers, and frustrating conversations that don’t lead to bookings.

In this post, I’ll share:

  • The key mistake costing you time and leads

  • How to filter out the wrong clients before the call

  • The simple fix that turns sales calls into booked projects

Join The DTS Files to read the full post and start talking only to ready-to-book dream clients.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan
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Organize Your Interior Design Client Experience Workflow: Your Services and Pricing Guide

Still Wasting Time on Unqualified Leads? Here’s How to Fix It Fast.

You wouldn’t walk into a luxury store without knowing the price tag, so why should potential clients expect anything different when inquiring about your services?

Yet, so many business owners waste hours every week on calls with leads who can’t afford them, aren’t ready to invest, or—worst of all—just want to “pick their brain.” The fix? A polished, professional Investment Guide that does the heavy lifting for you.

In this post, I’ll walk you through exactly how to craft a high-converting Investment Guide that streamlines your inquiry process, protects your time, and makes it easy for dream clients to say YES. Want to see the step-by-step breakdown? Join The DTS Files to access the full post.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE Katie McFarlan

Organize Your Interior Design Client Experience Workflow: The Inquiry Phase

Your Client Experience Starts Before They Even Hire You—Are You Losing Leads Without Realizing It?

“It’s not worth doing if it’s not worth doing well.” That’s been my mantra for as long as I can remember, and it’s exactlywhy I help my clients refine their interior design businesses to run smoothly, efficiently, and profitably.

Because here’s the truth: If your process leaves potential clients confused, frustrated, or unsure of what to do next, they’ll focus more on their uncertainty than the results they could be getting from working with you. And when that happens? You risk losing the very people you worked so hard to attract.

Your client experience starts the second someone reaches out—not after they sign a contract. If you don’t have clear, seamless workflows in place, you’re making it harder (and less appealing) for clients to move forward with you. But with just a few simple tweaks, you can set expectations, establish trust, and position yourself as the obvious choice—before you even hop on a discovery call.

I’m walking you through the exact steps to create a client experience that makes your business feel polished, effortless, and high-end—starting with the very first inquiry. Want to get it right? Join The DTS Files to access the full post.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan

Organize your Interior Design Business with Asana and Google Drive

There are a million tools and methods available for organizing your interior design business—and, in our 1:1 consulting and software implementation services, we’ve helped interior designers set up many of them. What I’ve learned through my years of operations consulting and owning two businesses is that it doesn’t matter what tools you use or how robust they are.

What matters is if you are using them consistently (and properly).

As a team, our favorite business management tools for interior designers are Asana, Google Drive, HoneyBook, Flodesk, Loom, and Zapier.

✏️ Want to see how Asana can streamline your interior design business? Grab our complimentary Asana Blueprint for Interior Designers here.

If you’re looking for my favorite software to manage your product library and sales, that’s a separate conversation.

When interior designers come to me and say they are using any of these tools, my team and I jump for joy because I know there are SO many ways they can integrate these tools to elevate and streamline their client-facing and behind-the-scenes operations.

When I had my wedding design and planning business, I used my website and blog, a reputable directory site, and client and vendor referrals to grow my business. My biggest focus back then was sharing valuable resources on my blog (I posted a new blog every.single.morning), serving my clients well, consistently asking for testimonials, and sending handwritten letters to every client and vendor I worked with (I even sent cards to the parents of the couples I worked with).

Back then, Asana and Google Drive literally didn’t even exist yet!

😱😱😱

So, how did I run a multi-state business with multiple high-touch service offerings in the luxury market?

Paper checklists.

I had a multi-page checklist for each service I offered for each new client. This checklist was printed out and then went into the top of each client binder, and I would work through that list and check things off as I went for each project.

Once the wedding or event was over, it didn’t stop there. I had about twenty items on my post-wedding checklist, and I never missed a thing.

I also kept a communication log to document who I spoke to or met with and what we discussed. This allowed me to remember all the to-dos and details for various clients.

This meant all of my business management documents were created in Microsoft Office (Google Drive wasn’t a thing yet!) and then printed on paper. Even when it was busy wedding season and I was working with brides in multiple states, this system worked well because I consistently used it with every project.

While it matters what software you use based on your specific needs, it matters more that you use your software consistently and to the fullest.

🔑 Read the rest inside The DTS Files — my members-only collection of advanced strategies, industry insights, and behind-the-scenes advice for running a profitable, elevated design firm.

💌 Not quite ready to become a member? Join The Weekly Install® and get my best insights and strategies for free delivered straight to your inbox every Friday. Sign up here.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan

How to Create a Five Star Client Experience for Your Interior Design Business

Imagine this: You finally book an appointment at a high-end salon, expecting a seamless, luxury experience. Instead, from the moment you walk in, it’s a series of awkward missteps, confusion, and missed opportunities that leave you feeling anything but pampered.

I recently had this exact experience—and trust me, it was bad. But here’s the thing: it didn’t have to be. With just onesimple email and one internal process tweak, this salon could have turned a forgettable (and frustrating) visit into an experience worth raving about.

If you offer any kind of premium service, you need to read this. I’m breaking down the 10 biggest mistakes this salon made—mistakes that could be costing you repeat business—and how to fix them with a streamlined, high-touch client experience.

Join The DTS Files to unlock the full post and learn how to create a client experience so good, people can’t wait to book with you again.

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MARKETING Katie McFarlan MARKETING Katie McFarlan

How to Come Up with Blog Content Topics and Newsletter Ideas For Your Interior Design Business

You’ve got the email signup box on your website. You’re collecting addresses. But then… crickets. What do you actually send to these people?

If you’ve ever stared at a blank screen wondering what your audience wants to hear from you, you’re not alone. The good news? You don’t have to pull ideas out of thin air. In fact, your best newsletter content is already hiding in plain sight—right inside your discovery calls.

I’m breaking down my simple (yet highly effective) strategy for writing emails your audience actually wants to read—plus, how my clients and I get 60%+ open rates when the industry average is only 18-20%. If you want your emails to stand out in a crowded inbox and help you book more projects, this is a must-read.

Join The DTS Files to unlock the full post and start sending newsletters that work for your business at scale.

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CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan CLIENT EXPERIENCE, SYSTEMS & OPS Katie McFarlan
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How to Protect Your Interior Design Business During a Slowdown

In my last post, I talked about some things you could take control of right now to optimize your client experience and business during a pandemic.

I felt like I still had so much to say, so here is part two of things you can be doing RIGHT NOW in your business.

Join The DTS Files to find out the FOUR things I recommend doing during a slow time or when there is a crisis (like Covid).

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ACCESS A PRIVATE LIBRARY OF EXPERT ADVICE for INTERIOR DESIGNERS

My strategies have shaped the way thousands of interior designers and luxury service providers do business.

Inside The DTS Files, you’re getting the original insights straight from the source. Tested, refined, and backed by my experience working with 100+ design firms.

And because this is a members-only space, I can go deeper than ever before, sharing the real strategies that help designers build profitable, sustainable businesses with confidence.

HEAR FROM SOME OF OUR MEMBERS:

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PRICING PLAYBOOK for INTERIOR DESIGNERS

The Complete Guide to Pricing Your Design Services

Grab my pricing playbook, The Complete Guide to Pricing your Interior Design Services, to learn:

  • the six most common pricing models for designers

  • who each one is best for, and

  • how to know if your pricing model is broken

NEED BUSINESS SUPPORT ASAP?

SHOP TEMPLATES

Plug-and-play templates, questionnaires, processes, and guides for interior designers who want to stop reinventing the wheel with every new project.

The Design Library helps you streamline client communication, set clear expectations, and protect your time—so you can spend less time in your inbox and more time designing. Inside, you’ll find:

✔ Professionally written client emails and marketing guides for every step of the process.
✔ SOPs to standardize service delivery and create a seamless, high-end experience.
✔ Contract templates with sample scopes to protect you, your team, and your clients.

What took me years to refine can be in your inbox in minutes.

Katie McFarlan Dakota Design Company Premium Client Process templates for Interior Designers

*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, strategists.

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SHOP WORKSHOPS & TRAININGS

Learn from me and my team (comprised of industry experts and educators) all the things they don’t teach in design school. And we know because two of the women on my team went to interior design school and are professors!

After consulting with and doing hands-on implementation for over 100 interior design business owners, I’ve seen what works (and doesn’t) across every business model imaginable. We are familiar with various software types, team structures of 1 to 20, and the challenges that are coming, whether you’re on your way to your first $100,000 or already making multiple millions.

On-demand and live step-by-step trainings for your busy schedule.

Katie McFarlan Dakota Design Company Premium Client Process templates for Interior Designers

*for interior designers only, not interior design business coaches, consultants, mentors, or strategists.

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COMPLIMENTARY QUIZ FOR INTERIOR DESIGNERS

You don’t need to overhaul everything. You just need to fix the right thing.

This 2-minute quiz will help you identify what’s holding you back and how to fix it.

JOIN 16,000 DESIGNERS EVERY FRIDAY

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Proven strategies and tools to streamline and elevate your interior design business.