One of the biggest challenges for most designers is keeping up with all of the moving parts of the business, and often, client service is an afterthought.

This is extremely challenging if you work alone because you are responsible for every single detail in your business including sales, marketing, designing, coordinating, accounting, filing, communicating, opening the mail, managing your time, expediting, meeting with clients, subs and vendors, researching, shopping, drawing, etc. Are you tired just thinking about it?

What happens for most of us is that we either work ridiculous hours, or we let some things fall through the cracks. What does that do for your brand and your reputation? It can easily destroy all of the hard work you’ve invested into your business if your clients or vendors know that you don’t follow up on details.

One of the most important parts of client service is finding out what your clients want, how they want it and then giving it to them. How would your clients rate you? Have you asked them?

If you haven’t asked your clients, this could be one of the best ways to get back in touch with clients that are taking a break or haven’t done anything with you for awhile, and it could actually help you build your relationship and lead to more business. If you’re not that busy right now, this could be the most important thing you can do to get your clients working with you again.

Here are a few questions to think about and ask your clients (don’t forget to ask your subs and vendors, too. They are really clients, too.)

• How would you rate my client service?
• How well do I communicate with you?
• How would you like to see either one improve?
• How would you rate my dependability?
• How would you rate my integrity?
• How would you rate my communication skills?
• What do you like best about my services?
• What do you like least about my services?
• On a scale of 1–10 with 10 being the highest, how likely would you be to recommend me to your friends?

The last question is from an interview with Shep Hyken, author of The Amazement Revolution—Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer and Employee Experience. Shep says that if your rating is 8 or below, the next question should be, “How can I get that to a 9 or 10?” If you are in the middle of the range, something needs to change immediately.

If you have the courage to call your clients and schedule one-on-one appointments to review this, you will be amazed at what it will do for your business.

Think about adding one client call to your list every single day to schedule a conversation.

—Gail Doby, ASID is co-founder of Design Success University, your shortcut to a more profitable and passion-filled design business. We’d love to hear your thoughts. If you like this post, please share it with your friends. Click here to download your free copy of the 2010 – 2011 Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook.

One of the biggest challenges for most designers is keeping up with all of the moving parts of the business, and often, client service is an afterthought.

This is extremely challenging if you work alone because you are responsible for every single detail in your business, including sales, marketing, designing, coordinating, accounting, filing, communicating, opening the mail, managing your time, expediting, meeting with clients, subs and vendors, researching, shopping, drawing, etc. Are you tired just thinking about it?

What happens for most of us is that we either work ridiculous hours, or we let some things fall through the cracks. What does that do for your brand and your reputation? It can easily destroy all of the hard work you’ve invested into your business if your clients or vendors know that you don’t follow up on details.

One of the most important parts of client service is finding out what your clients want, how they want it and then giving it to them. How would your clients rate you? Have you asked them?

If you haven’t asked your clients, this could be one of the best ways to get back in touch with clients that are taking a break or haven’t done anything with you for awhile, and it could actually help you build your relationship and lead to more business. If you’re not that busy right now, this could be the most important thing you can do to get your clients working with you again.

Here are a few questions to think about and ask your clients (don’t forget to ask your subs and vendors, too. They are really clients, too.)

•  How would you rate my client service?

•  How well do I communicate with you?

•  How would you like to see either one improve?

•  How would you rate my dependability?

•  How would you rate my integrity?

•  How would you rate my communication skills?

•  What do you like best about my services?

•  What do you like least about my services?

•  On a scale of 1 to 10 with 10 being the highest, how likely would you be to recommend me to your friends?

The last question is from an interview with Shep Hyken, author of The Amazement Revolution—Seven Customer Service Strategies to Create an Amazing Customer and Employee Experience. Shep says that if your rating is 8 or below, the next question should be, “How can I get that to a 9 or 10?” If you are in the middle of the range, something needs to change immediately.

If you have the courage to call your clients and schedule one-on-one appointments to review this, you will be amazed at what it will do for your business.

Think about adding one client call to your list every single day to schedule a conversation.

—Gail Doby, ASID is co-founder of Design Success University, your shortcut to a more profitable and passion-filled design business. We’d love to hear your thoughts.  If you like this post, please share it with your friends.  Click here to download your free copy of the 2010 – 2011 Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook.

If you’ve ever been frustrated with your prospects or clients because you feel as if you’re being treated like a design slave, you’re not alone.

What’s the real problem? It’s your perspective.

What do I mean by that?

I hear many designer complain (and I’ve done it myself) that the clients don’t understand how hard they work and that they are actually underpaid.

Here is what is happening. You’re thinking about what you want and expect instead of what your client wants and expects.

It’s common to think about what we want out of a transaction with a client especially when business is slow and we need a project. However, that is the wrong approach if you want to build a sustainable business.

Our clients come to us wanting a result. They really don’t care about the process until they are in the middle of a complete gut and remodel, and then they want the subcontractors and mess out of their homes as quickly as possible.

Unless your client has experienced a remodeling project before, they are totally unprepared for the upheaval and emotional trauma. When they started the project, they really weren’t thinking about the painful process, they were focused on how exciting it would be to have a brand new gourmet kitchen or fabulous spa bath.

How well do you prepare your clients for the reality before your project begins? Do you offer solutions to the negative experiences that are inherent to the project? What do I mean by this? Provide alternatives and options that minimize their pain:

• If you are a kitchen designer and you work with the same contractor over and over, can you design a temporary kitchen that can be set up in a basement or garage?
• Could you work with a personal chef to provide custom prepared meals prior to a major renovation that could be warmed up quickly?
• Do you have a fast-track process to minimize the down-time for your projects?
• Can you arrange a schedule that corresponds with their summer travel?
• Do you wait to start the demolition after all of the materials are on site?
• Do you coach your general contractor and subcontractors about best practices and concerns of your clients?
• Do you prepare your clients for potential challenges so they aren’t surprised? Do you have a list of these you discuss prior to project commencement?
• Can you arrange discount gift certificates with local restaurants to help them through the down-time?
• Can you work out a special rate with a local hotel for your clients during the “peak pain periods?”
• If you’re creating as spa bath for a client, how about providing an in-home massage gift certificate for the after reveal?

Designers also complain about clients not sharing their budgets. Do you have a scripted process for walking them through the budget conversation? This is one of the most sensitive discussions you can have with your clients and it is best to prepare them by showing them typical price ranges for kitchens or baths based on size and quality of materials.

Bottom line, your job is to educate your clients about the price, process, products and pains that are common to each project and uncover their concerns. You’ll have happier clients and better referrals when you carefully prepare your clients based on what is important to them.

Find out your client’s hot buttons and prepare your team to handle the potential problems that might arise. For example, I had one client who HATED dust. I didn’t know about this prior to one remodeling project, and before the husband returned from a trip, the wife was extremely agitated because she knew her husband would go ballistic.

I called a concierge friend and hired a cleaning crew of 10 people (20,000-sq.-ft. house) to come in at 3 in the afternoon and completely clean every square inch of the house before the husband arrived. When the husband purchased another house two doors down from their mansion for a conference center, I knew it was critical to budget for cleaning every week.

—Gail Doby, ASID, is the cofounder of Design Success University, your shortcut to a more profitable and passion-filled design business.

Find out how your fees and income compare to your colleagues. Download Design Success University’s latest Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook ($79 Value). Then, if you’re ready to build a more profitable and enjoyable business, please join us for a complimentary webinar ($97 Value) that has helped thousands of interior designers globally…New How To Avoid Interior Design Fee Fiascos…And Attract Your Ideal Client. Once you download the eBook, you’ll receive an invitation to the next webinar.

I just received an email from one of my coaching clients who told me he lost a job to another designer, and not just any designer, a kitchen and bath specialist.

If you’ve questioned your choice of professions in the last few years with the change in the economy, you’re not alone. However, you have a better opportunity than 80% of the other design industry professionals because you are a specialist.

Think about your doctor, do you pay more to go to a specialist or a general practitioner? I went to the www.StudentDoc.com website and the average family practitioner earns an average of $204,000 (high of $299,000) compared to a neurosurgeon who earns $541,000 (high of $936,000). That’s a 265% premium for the extra education and specialization.

I know you’re not a doctor, but compared to interior design generalists, your income is higher according to salary figures for your profession. Be sure to download our Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook just published January 4, 2011. Based on those figures, your opportunity to make a healthy income is much greater than interior designers.

Also, the trends for 2011 show an increase in remodeling interest and activity especially with tax credits in your specialty area as shown in this graphic from NAHB:

The news is significantly better for you than last year, so how do you capitalize on that trend?

I’ll share five favorite tips:

1. Joint ventures with an interior design generalist. Interior designers who aren’t CKDs or CBDs, but want projects that include kitchens and baths may welcome a joint venture so they can still get a job and do the parts they love.

2. Specialize even more. Think about the outdoor kitchen opportunities. People love to enjoy their outside space, so think about a marketing campaign around that specialty because it’s not nearly as stressful or expensive as a full kitchen remodel. Or, how about a campaign for Father’s Day to upgrade the garage with cabinets and organization. You can offer a gift certificate for wives to give this as a gift…and the husband just might be grateful enough to give his wife a master bath or kitchen renovation.

3. Direct mail campaign. You can create a great campaign around the growing trends. Affluent clients are starting to spend again, so develop a program with postcards, a special report about kitchen and bath trends that they can download when they opt-in on your blog or website. Then subscribe them to an email newsletter full of tips and stories. You do have one, don’t you?

4. Public relations. Approach your local radio or TV stations about an idea for a story. A press pitch should have a “hook,” so talk about the trends and perhaps you can land an interview. Be sure to add to your marketing materials and website, “As seen/heard on…”

5. Referral program. This is the perfect time of year to create a complete referral program. One for your referral partners like vendors, community leaders, business people and interior designers. Develop a second one for your current clients, and another one for your past clients.

January is the perfect time to re-energize your marketing efforts. Please post comments about your favorite marketing strategy during the last few years. Let’s help our industry shine in 2011.

—Gail Doby, ASID is the cofounder and chief vision officer for Design Success University, Your Shortcut for a More Profitable and Passion-Filled Design Business. Download your complimentary copy of the Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook for more great ideas to increase your profits in 2011.