Dear Dakota Series | How to Educate Clients on When They Should Hire a Designer?
Updated June 2023
DESIGNER SUBMITTED QUESTION
“How do you address the question, ‘When should I start hiring an interior designer?’ We are having an issue with potential clients booking us the same month they’d like their project completed. We would benefit from some language that addresses this on social media or our website.”
First up: congrats to this designer for being booked out and knowing when they can start new projects. That is great! Many designers will either turn clients away or they’ll continue starting new projects even though they’re at their maximum capacity full. Neither is ideal!
I wrote an entire post about how to put clients on a waitlist which you can read here. My philosophy is NOT to turn them away; book them in for a discovery call, go through your process, send them a proposal, and then get them signed, paid, and locked in for a future start date. Read this post about how to create a client waitlist.
As frustrating as it might be at times, and as easy as it is to say “Ugh, another red flag client” it often comes down to the client simply not knowing how long a project takes. As the expert, it is your job to educate potential clients about the experience of working with an interior designer and all that goes into the process (this also in turn helps when you send over your design fee because they’ll be like, “Yeah, this fee makes sense because of all that you’ll be doing for my project.”).
People who have not worked with a designer (and even those who have) may see the process in very simplistic terms - having never given much thought to it, or basing their expectations on what they see on HGTV (which couldn’t be further from the truth!). And maybe their previous design experience was working with a designer whose process is completely different from yours, so once again, it comes down to you educating them on your proven process for seamlessly taking a client from A to Z.
Potential clients certainly won’t know the intricacies of your specific design process - such as documenting client expectations, preparing a comprehensive budget, meeting with trades to discuss possibilities, creating floor plans to set the function for the space, developing the design, sourcing and procuring furniture and materials, managing project activities, and all the rest of it!
Designers not only provide fabulous design solutions for their clients but also are responsible for guiding them (and supporting them) through the oftentimes long and stressful process. Designers wear many hats (and hats off to YOU for doing it so well!).
01 | How to Let Prospects Know How Long a Project Takes
To help educate potential clients on what they can expect related to the project timeline, I have the following suggestions:
Add an FAQ page to your website that answers evergreen questions. Meaning, these are questions people will have at any time related to working with an interior designer and they will always serve your business! Bonus points if these questions are optimized for search engines and if you do entire blog posts on them!
In your investment guide, be sure to answer timing questions and paint a picture of your process in understandable terms. This is all part of communicating your value, and the value of the services you provide. Need an investment guide? Check ours out here.
On your website contact form, add the question: "What is your timeline for getting started? Please note, we typically book projects 6-8 weeks in advance." Read more tips on fixing your contact form here.
When you respond to their initial inquiry BEFORE booking a call with them, let them know you are starting new projects in [Month] and if that works for their timeline, you'd be happy to schedule a Discovery Call to talk more. Read about the #1 inquiry mistake to avoid here.
When marketing your services on social media, be sure to call out your availability in your posts. "If you're looking for help with a project this year, be sure to reach out now because our schedule is filling up fast." OR "We're currently booking new full service projects for [November]; if you know you need help, reach out today so we can send over more details!"
Detail your process on your website services page (in a client-friendly way-no jargon!) so potential clients can see all that goes into a design project and how an interior design project will fit into their daily lives.
02 | Timing FAQs to Include in your Marketing
Include specific FAQS on your website and investment guide that answer:
“When should I hire an interior designer?"
"How long will the design process take?"
“Who should I hire first: builder, architect, or interior designer?”
When answering these questions include language like "We typically book x-x weeks out. If you're looking to start a project soon, please reach out today." AND "Our design process takes x-x weeks and orders can take anywhere from xx-xx weeks, or longer...."
Again, it all comes down to clients not knowing how long things take so don’t turn them away from the start (unless they’re saying, “I need to have this room done by Christmas because I’m hosting family” and the date of their email is October 1st. Then of course you know you won’t be able to meet their needs).
We recommend letting the client know what is a realistic timeline for their project and if they’re okay with that, then you get them booked in for a service and they wait until it’s officially time to start. Be sure to read all about how to create a client waitlist experience.
By letting them know when you can start, you'll set their expectations, and they’ll have time to fully prepare for their project. They’ll also have time to flush out their wants and needs in their own mind, fine-tune their budget, and share about their upcoming experience with their friends (woo hoo!).
Once again, it is never a prospect’s fault if they have unrealistic expectations as long as you have set them up front. Taking time now to implement these tips will go a long way toward alleviating the issue of clients waiting until the 11th hour to engage you and then expecting an unreal completion date!
And PRO TIP: We have designers who are booked a YEAR out, and clients are still signing contracts and putting down payments to hold their start date. It’s all about letting people know so they can start planning now!
If you have any questions about building out your waitlist or figuring out when you actually can start new projects, let us know!
Looking for more? Keep reading:
