What You Need to Know Before Taking Your First Interior Design Client

You can be good at design & still not be ready for a client or real projects...the space between “I know what looks good” and "I can actually 'build' it" or “I can guide someone through a real design project” is a space you can learn.

You don't need to know everything before you begin but...you need to understand what you are responsible for once someone is paying you, trusting your advice & spending real money based on your decisions. You also need to know this part of design for your own sake, or you'll end up running around like a very frazzled chicken without a head.

We all love the pretty part of design, the mood boards, fabrics, end result...but you can't click your ruby shoes together & expect that you & the client will open your eyes & poof - wow.

So let's walk through some of the more technical process steps together here. (This is the light overview - we go much more in depth in the course.)

1. SCOPE: Know what you are actually agreeing to do

Before you price anything, you need to know what the client thinks they are hiring you for, & exactly what little & big things they think they can expect along the way for the price they paid.

Are you choosing finishes?

Creating a furniture plan?

Sourcing products?

Handling purchasing?

Talking to contractors?

Managing deliveries?

Reviewing drawings?

Answering questions during construction?

How many site visits?

How often will you be expected to update the client?

Those are very different levels of work.

A vague scope creates vague expectations...and vague expectations usually create extra unpaid work & a very tense client/designer relationship that is very unlikely to lead to referrals or repeat jobs.

You do not need a 20-page legal document to understand this but you need to be able to clearly communicate your scope. You set your boundaries & you set your clients expectations. In the consult, and ALWAYS in writing in email & yes, in your contract. (I give you my contract in the Course FYI)

Some examples:

“This is what we include in our services for this scope.”

“This is what is not a part of our services or this scope of work.”

“This is what happens if the project grows outside of the agreed upon scope.”

That clarity protects you AND the client.

2. PROCESS: Know how the project will actually happen

A real project is the process of many many small steps & generally one similar schedule of events. Some things included in the process usually:

Consult.

Design Direction.

Changes.

Approvals.

Measure.

Plan.

Select.

Price.

Approve.

Order.

Track.

Install.

Before taking a client, you should understand the basic order those decisions happen in. (The Complete Blueprint - my companies 37 page Policy & Procedure document walks you through every single bit of these steps & everyone's roles & rules for them from the team, templates & all - its in Tools for $199 but Main Course participants get 50% off - it takes years to figure out the process - this can save you a lot of time & you may find that head start to be a life saver - especially if you want to start taking serious clients fast.)

For example, you obviously don't want to start ordering furniture before you have confirmed the layout & never assume something is approved because the client said “I love it” in a text.

And you definitely do not want to discover halfway through a project that the budget cannot support the design you have been building....yikes.

Professional design needs to happen in the right order.

3. BUDGET: Know where the money is going

You do not have to become an accountant, but you DO need to understand the money moving through your project. You need to be responsible tracking it, & sometimes spending it properly. You DEFINITELY need a good accountant with experience in interior design specifically - happy to give you my accountants info! Just email hello@degreelessdesign.com & ask me. Loved him here.

Especially important when you purchase & need to be set up legally in each state for purchasing.

At minimum, you should know:

• the client’s overall budget

• what parts of that budget are for product

• what parts are for labor

• what you are charging for your own work

• who is purchasing what

• what has been approved

• what has actually been paid for

  
  

And don't forget to leave budget for taxes & shipping/delivery/install & contingency (just in case money - we always kept 20%)

AND...for your markup when relevant...we go wayyyyyy more into how to set up purchasing & make huge profits potentially in the Course. Too much to get into here.

4. DOCUMENTATION: Know how you will document decisions

A client choosing something is not the same thing as you having a usable record of that decision.

What was selected?

Which finish?

What size?

How many?

From which vendor?

At what cost?

Was it approved?

Was it ordered?

Where is the tracking information?

Professional designers need a system for this - It can be simple. It just cannot live across 47 text messages, screenshots, emails & tabs in your browser. I've heard there are some great software programs for this...I never liked any when I was actively designing, I preferred spreadsheets (You can use mine if you want in the Tools section) but it's entirely possible that as of writing this now years later, those programs are better, or there are more....or you will like what I didn't!

5. POLICY: Know what you will do when something goes wrong

Something usually will :)

An item will be delayed.

A fabric will be discontinued.

A contractor will ask a question you were not expecting.

A client will change their mind.

A delivery will arrive damaged.

It's just part of the job...professional skill is knowing how to respond. And to do that properly requires a system in place. (Hence the Complete Blueprint & an absolute requirement that you have a company Policy & Procedure document of your own, whether or not you use mine as a head start is irrelevant. You need one babes.)

6. SUPPORT: Know when you need help

Being client-ready does not mean pretending you know everything- in fact, you are more professional not less when you admit knowing when something is outside your lane.

You may need:

• a contractor

• an architect

• an engineer

• an accountant

• an attorney

• a more experienced designer

• a vendor rep who knows the product better than you do

You are allowed & encouraged to say:

“Let me confirm that before I answer.”

And those pro's I just listed, find the right ones & build a relationship with them - they can become your BEST business partners & cheerleaders.

So...when are you “ready”?

Not when you know everything.

The goal is not perfection- the goal is being prepared enough that the client is not paying for you to figure out the entire profession from scratch on their project.

You may have enough now to start practicing design & getting clients or applying for the right job.

If you want to be sure you know the right things & have more bases covered... see what is included in the Degree-less Design Course.

Xx

Shira