A positive client experience is more than just delivering a beautifully decorated room. Here's my 3-step method to ensuring I HIT the target with clients every time. It involves Hear, Invest and Timeline.
HEAR
I must HEAR the main things the client wants me to ingest. Everyone's got their one or two issues that are vital. Understanding those select issues is crucial.
I begin all my projects with an in-person, on site visit. The most important thing I can do at this visit is listen and make sure I ask the right questions. Every customer comes to me with different needs...and I HEAR them.
One person might want me to hear how important their office is to them. It's the only room they can call theirs and they want a leather sofa, a tv and a masculine vibe. Someone else may want me to hear how important the dining room is. After all, they host Thanksgiving for 45 every year now that their mom has passed. They want the room to be centered around entertaining. Another client may want me to hear that they are moving to their forever home in three years. Spending money on this house now just isn't practical. Yet they want this residence to be homey in the meantime. What can be done?
Whatever they need me to HEAR, I make sure I do.
INVESTMENT
No one likes to talk money. Not the client. Not the designer. When I first began in interior design, I would ask my clients about their budget on the room or project. They would inevitably stare at me with a deer-in-the-headlights-look. Who could blame them? That's a hard task. The client hadn't thought about it. They aren't shopping for furnishings and decor every day, so they
weren't entirely sure what things cost. Furthermore, they weren't sure what my designs entailed. They preferred to see my designs first then they would respond if those items were worthy of budgetary consideration. That's not a terrible way of going about it, but I have refined my processes since those days.
Not having a budget is like asking me to hit the target, while blindfolding me. It's not practical. Now, with customer help, I come up with a budget room by room and thus, construct an overall budget. Or, conversely, we start from the top down, with an overall budget, and break that number down room by room. After all, clients generally want to invest more in the living room or primary bedroom than they do in a guest room. Some rooms deserve more moolah and attention than others.
TIMELINE
Once I know what the client especially wants to convey, and I know the investment with which they are comfortable, all that's left is timeline. It is customary for furnishings to take 8-10 weeks to arrive. Beyond 10 weeks is considered a long wait time. Less than 2 weeks is considered a short wait time.
Most people don't consider that furniture stores will only make one delivery to your house. Therefore, even if most of your order is in stock, they will not deliver until ALL of your furniture is ready for delivery. Some people may need their furniture pronto. Obviously, knowing that upfront is key. If you need furniture now, there are places to go to ensure that can happen. No one wants to wait, but you need to consider all the pros and cons. A furniture piece might be higher quality and priced more reasonably, but you have to wait 2 weeks longer for it. The timeline is going to vary based on the customer's needs and overall goals.
By considering what the client wants me to Hear, Invest and the Timeline, I can HIT the target with accuracy.
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