As explained in a previous post, we are offering a series on selling design services that we hope will enable you to increase client satisfaction, close more deals, and boost profits. As promised, we would like to reinforce and expand on our three quick sales tips for designers
Do NOT offer solutions prematurely – Until you know what your prospects think of as their individual pain points or needs, you do them and yourself a disservice by offering advice before they are ready to receive it.
Practice active listening for clues to closing – Far too many salespeople forget to listen. The most successful salespeople will tell you that every client they work with literally tells them how to close the deal, if only they listen actively.
It’s all about them – Got invoices to pay; inventory to get rid of; contractors to keep busy so you don’t lose them? So what! This is not about you and all they really want is find someone to hear them before offering any design advice. (They literally want you to shut up and listen to them.)
Since these are the absolute minimum required to successfully sell yourself as an interior designer, we will expand on them below.
Expanded Sales Tips for Interior Designers
Do not jump the gun – Known as “qualifying” among sales pros, asking questions and exchanging information about the wants and needs of your prospect is the first critical step in selling your services. Offering advice and/or suggestions before you know what they want is presumptuous in the extreme and, more often than not, self-defeating.
For example, imagine the response to a designer who walks into a potential client’s home and says something like, “Oh, that piece in the corner just doesn’t work at all. We will need to replace that right away.”
Now imagine what happens if the client were to say, “Oh, you mean that bureau that my grandmother loved and was left to me when she passed after a painful battle with cancer? The piece she begged me to keep as she lay dying?”
Might as well turn around and walk right out the house, huh?
Be the Designer You Would Want to Hire
Be curious, understanding, respectful, and responsive – There is obviously a better approach than the one taken by our designer with foot-in-mouth disease. Instead of jumping the gun on the bureau in question, imagine what might have happened had she said, “Tell me about that piece in the corner; it’s history and place in your life”.
The prospect’s answer would have provided an insightful look into the importance of the piece, as well as a peek at the homeowner’s personality. Doing so would have been a first important step in understanding the prospect and building a relationship – instead of angering them and leaving their home looking for another job.
In other words, since it can be difficult to overcome a prospects biases and preconceived notions, you should avoid going into that first interview with any of your own.
Turn the Law of Unintended Consequences in Your Favor
Offer solutions that benefit them (not you) – We call this “benefits-based selling” because it focuses on results that are advantageous to the client; individually and exclusively. Stated as simply as possible, the key to the long-term success of your design business will be found in a sincere commitment to improving the quality of life of your clients.
Of course, this can make your job a bit more difficult and challenging than if you were able to plug their home into some sort of template that spits out a new design. But, it will ensure more client satisfaction – and referrals. It will also make your work far more fulfilling.
It’s very important to recognize here that by focusing so strongly on your client’s needs, your own will be taken care of as a matter of course. In other words, there is a wonderful reward to a benefits-based sales approach – your business will naturally (and almost unfailingly) grow. (Think of it as the Law of Intended Consequences!)
By now it should be clear that your commitment to building and growing your design business must be mirrored by an equally strong commitment to satisfying the needs of every client you can. Without this, other “secrets” and “tips” for selling design services from the so-called experts will leave you, and your business, wanting.
Looking for more design sales tips, new design trends, new products, and ideas? Get in touch with TD Fall today.
In 
What is “Making a Sale”?The answer to this question includes a bit of human nature… A sale is made when the value exceeds the price paid. That’s it. There is nothing more to add, and it doesn’t get any deeper than that. The human nature side of this definition is – people LOVE getting a value and, if you're the one who provides that value – they’ll also love you!“Price is what you pay; value is what you get.” This quote is usually attributed to billionaire business magnate, investor, and philanthropist Warren Buffett; but, it didn’t end there. He added, “Whether we're talking about socks or stocks, I like buying quality merchandise when it is marked down."Even a world-famous billionaire, a man who can afford to buy anything, enjoys a good value!Every positive sale encounter eventually devolves to the relationship created between the salesperson and the prospect. A positive experience, that is, when a sale is made, is the result of a relationship that benefits both of you – and – as a professional, it is your responsibility to build that relationship.After all, the prospect has already done their part by coming to you (however that may have been done) and presenting you with the opportunity to make a sale, which leaves the next part of the encounter, building the relationship, in your hands.If you're uncomfortable with that responsibility, selling is not for you.Start by quickly building a rapport with your prospective clientFear is a component of nearly every sales encounter; where the prospect fears “being sold,” rather than finding a solution. While such fear may be irrational to the salesperson, it is very real to the prospect and must be dealt with quickly and effectively, yet with subtlety. A sincere, well-intentioned greeting will enable nervous and fearful prospects to relax, making them willing to listen, which will reduce their defenses against being “sold something,” and make them more open to making a purchase.Many salespeople have been trained to greet their prospective client in a highly standardized, “Hello my name is… What is yours… Shake hands fashion.” In contemporary sales, this can be a dangerous approach. Since it is highly likely your competition has been trained in this cookie-cutter-welcome fashion, greeting your prospects in this way could make them think you are, “Just like the last guy,” they spoke with. The last guy they didn’t buy from.While you must, of course, welcome your prospects to your encounter, quickly putting them at ease, you should do so in a way which sets you apart from your competition. Do your research and perform your due diligence on your competitors. Knowing the style and approach of your competition will go a long way toward helping you set yourself apart from them. For example, a mildly humorous greeting can do wonders to help your prospect relax.That being said, knowing something of your prospect’s needs, in advance, may be just as important. If, due to the nature of the sales encounter this is impossible, beginning a conversation and exchange of information will be critical to your success. If you are open and honest from the very beginning, your prospect will be more likely to follow your lead.Your body language will often telegraph your intentions, as will the body language of your prospective client. Avoid folded arms and crossed legs; maintain eye contact in an open and curious fashion; reflect an attitude of warmth and concern; be forthcoming and positive, and – most importantly – be genuine in your concern for your prospect’s welfare.Remember, many of these hints to your client are only grasped subconsciously – which means you need to be fully conscious of them at all times.Once you’ve built a rapport with your prospect, it’s time to get serious about building a relationship, which we will examine in more depth in future posts.Looking for more new design trends, tips, and ideas?