“I’m an interior designer in a small town and have been doing it for two years now, and I cannot get a client to buy into the furniture and styling phase of my design process. They either say ‘I already have everything from our current home’ or ‘I can do that myself later, we ran out of money.’ I really want to start building a high-end portfolio, but I can’t do that if clients won’t let me install and style. What am I doing wrong? HELP!!”

If you’re struggling to  get clients to invest in furnishings and styling, there’s a deeper issue at play. Inside, I’m sharing what’s actually going on and how to fix it. 

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Many designers offer consultation services, and they are a great way to offer value to a wider range of clients on a smaller scale. Now, let me clarify what I mean by consultation services. There are two instances when a design may have a consultation with a client. Read the blog to find out more.

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We received a great question from an interior designer. 

“When a potential client is working with a builder or GC, how can I compete for that project if the GC offers design services through their company?”

Many larger home-building companies DO employ an interior designer so they can provide design services directly to their home-building clients. Whether it’s for a new build or a remodel, having access to an in-house designer through the builder CAN be a great convenience for clients. 

But typically, the in-house designer's services extend only to items that are part of the build: flooring, paint, light fixtures, cabinets, hardware, plumbing fixtures, etc. By employing an in-house designer, a builder can ensure timely selections and procurement for the items that need to be installed during the build. However, in some rarer cases, these in-house designers may also offer services to assist homeowners in selecting furniture, window treatments, wall coverings, and decorative accessories—the items added to the home after construction is complete. 

In either case, but particularly the latter one, it may be difficult for an independent interior designer to compete for that client’s business. But, it just may be the case that a home-building or home-remodeling client can get a wider and more complete range of design services if they hire their own interior designer rather than work with the GC’s in-house designer. And, an independent interior designer may be better positioned to provide greater scrutiny, oversight, and personal attention to the client’s project than one aligned with the builder. 

But how can an interior designer communicate those benefits to the client?

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The client experience is something we all think about. How to elevate it so clients feel genuinely cared for without driving ourselves crazy trying to please everyone.

The answer? It’s in your processes.

That’s exactly what I talked about with LuAnn Nigara on A Well-Designed Business, and I’m so honored that this episode was just named one of her Best!

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