According to a recent article at HGTV.com, there are several common home design mistakes that DIY homeowners make. For today’s designer business building tip, we would like to highlight some of the most challenging situations you may see when you’re approached by one of the do-it-yourself types of client. (Or, would that be former do-it-yourselfer?)While you have to admire their conviction and determination, their lack of design experience and training often takes the DIY designer to a place they would rather not be. As a talented interior designer, when you see obvious design mistakes, you know it’s not your place to make negative judgments about their choices. Instead, your job is to offer design solutions they will enjoy.When the TV Dominates Living Room DesignPerhaps the most common design mistakes from DIY homeowners is this one: designing a room around the television while allowing the TV to dominate the space. While understandable to some extent, since this is where many families gather, it can leave guests wanting.
Despite a lovely, comfortable living room design, the TV dominates this space to the point of distraction. This will force guests to focus on electronics rather than their hosts, and vice versa. When you see a room like this, your challenge will be to keep the focus where it belongs, with a living room design that emphasizes people; both guests and hosts.When Style Trumps ComfortFor the uninitiated, the style will often take precedence over comfort – and even utility. When a sharp designer is confronted with a situation like this, stylish alternatives will come quickly to mind.
Regardless this dining room may look to your client, or you, the purpose of the chairs is to be sat on, hopefully in comfort to make the dining experience pleasant (at a minimum). Choosing dining chairs based solely on a trendy style, rather than comfort, is a definite DIY design mistake. As a designer, your challenge would be to maintain the look and feel of this space, while dramatically increasing the comfort of the diners.Choosing Inappropriate Design ThemesConsistent design themes make a strong impression and increase comfort in a space. However, decorating too much in the same print can be overwhelming and tacky.
A home's decor needs to be authentic and provide a sense of where you are, as well as who you are – as a homeowner and as an interior designer. Bringing order to chaotic or inappropriate design themes is a challenge you will likely see fairly often. Be ready!Unbalanced Furniture PlacementFinding balance in design choices can be difficult, especially for the DIY homeowner. For example, a sofa with mass cries out for smaller surrounding pieces to compliment it.
Some people don't have an eye for furniture arrangements, and cannot balance a room. Shifting the pieces in this room to make the space more dynamic would be challenging, so replacing some for them may be necessary. If the furniture has sentimental value to your client, it can always be used in another room, as long as it adds balance to the new space.Cluttered Spaces DominateWhether you find a cluttered kitchen or disarranged family room, cluttered spaces dominate many homes. Although many homeowners deny caring, claiming they’re “not trying to impress anyone,” clutter adds stress and discomfort to any home.
Helping your clients reduce clutter throughout their home will enable them to enjoy the space and feel more relaxed. It may also increase the value of their home, which is also a good thing. As we’ve said so many time here, the kitchen is truly the heart of most homes and the hub of family activity, but all this activity can cramp your kitchen's style. Piles of dirty dishes and countertops crowded with small appliances aren't appealing.Are you looking for more business building tips for your design business, new home design trends, designer marketing tips, and product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.
Business Building Tip: What your clients don’t know can hurt them – and you!
Small business owners of all types spend a great deal of time on lead generation and client acquisition. This makes sense because virtually every “marketing expert” on the planet claims this is the best (or only) way to build a business. But, as an interior designer, you have a valuable business building resource you may be ignoring – your current clients.
In a recent article at MultiBriefs.com, an online source for targeted, industry-specific news briefs, author Fred Berns makes a strong case for the value of building lasting relationships with existing clients. When you realize that satisfied clients have other needs that you can satisfy, the next logical step is to make yourself available to do so.
According to Berns, “Your current clients are your best ones. They’re the ones who know, trust and value you. They’re the ones most likely to refer you. And they’re the ones as interested in forging lasting partnerships as you are. Perhaps more so."
“They’re looking for a professional they know and trust to handle their future challenges. They know it is less time-consuming and expensive to develop a lasting relationship with a single firm. It’s in their best interest, as well as yours, to develop long-term relationships.”
When you think about it even briefly, this makes a great deal of sense. After all, if landing new design clients is difficult for you, imagine how difficult it might be for a homeowner or business owner to find a designer they can trust and whose vision corresponds with theirs.
Keeping Clients Interested in Your Design Services
When it comes to keeping existing clients interested in your interior design services, Berns offers a simple tip: use the “What about…” question. “No question leads to more sales than one with those two words,” he writes.
For example:
- “What about your kitchen?”
- “What about your vacation home?
- “What about new furniture for the regional offices, too?”
- “What about having us redesign all your hotel lobbies?”
While many clients will need additional services beyond a single project, very few will know the full range of design services you have to offer – unless you tell them.
In fact, they may have no idea that there is further work to be done. They are not the expert here, you are. It’s not their responsibility to know what you can do for them, it’s your responsibility to let them know.
According to Berns, current clients are the greatest asset you possess for building your design business and a hugely valuable resource for boosting your bottom line:
“A repeat customer spends an average of 67% more than a new one. The long-term value of each client is over 100 times the value of a single transaction. The cost of retaining an existing client is a mere 20% of what it costs to attract a new one.”
Also, “…the average company has a 1 in 14 chance of doing business with a prospect, but a 1 in 4 chance of working more with a customer.”
With numbers like these, it’s obvious that what your clients don’t about you know can hurt them – and you!
Looking for more business building tips for your design business, new home design trends, designer marketing tips, and product ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.