The Tale of Two Designers (what happens when you choose the wrong design clients)
Two designers, Anna and Lisa, set up their interior design businesses at the same time.
From the beginning, their approaches to their businesses are quite different, leading them down two very different paths.
Here’s the tale of what happens when you choose to work with “budget” design clients…
Anna feels imposter syndrome and doubts her abilities. She decides to play it safe by targeting budget clients. She thinks pricing low will help her get more clients, build her portfolio and gain more experience.
Lisa, on the other hand, recognises the value of what she offers from day one. She wants to build a profitable business so aligns herself with clients who have the money to invest in her services. She also knows that bigger budgets will mean more interesting projects to work on.
After a few years in business Anna finds herself constantly haggling over her fees and negotiating with clients about what can be achieved for their budget.
Her days are draining as the clients are constantly changing their mind, procrastinating on decisions or looking around for ‘better deals’.
The projects she’s working on are boring and uncreative. Most can’t be photographed as the client has made so many changes along the way it no longer looks like her original design. So after a few years of work she barely has a portfolio to show off.
Lisa, on the other hand, spends her days working on creative projects. Her clients value her expertise, don’t question her decisions and have money to invest in quality design.
Although the clients can still be challenging, Lisa is well paid for her work and understands she is working on their largest asset - their home. She takes that responsibility seriously.
Her clients are busy professionals. They trust her with what they have engaged her to do and make decisions quickly.
She has had lots of projects photographed and has even won a few design awards.
Anna gets clients but she feels like she works way too hard for the small amount of money she makes and is creatively unsatisfied.
Lisa, on the other hand, has built a strong brand and reputation. Although she has less clients than Anna she knows that each client she takes on is a perfect fit for her business and they pay her well. Her business is very profitable.
Anna eventually gets burned out from too much work, not enough money and demanding clients. She decides to close down her business and go and work for someone else.
Lisa, on the other hand, continues to see a steady increase in revenue plus her strong brand attracts even better clients that bring her more demanding and creatively challenging projects to work on.
What to learn from this story…
It takes just as much work to find low paying clients as it does to attract and convert clients who have the money to spend on creatively rewarding projects.
Although it can be tempting to go for clients at the lower end of the market, these sorts of projects are rarely rewarding, they tend to pay poorly and you end up doing the same amount of work as you would for higher paying clients (just for less money!).
If you feel like you work too hard for the money you make, perhaps it’s because you are attracting the wrong type of client?
To upgrade the sorts of clients you are attracting you’ll need to take a multi faceted approach.
It will require:
✅ a repositioning of your brand
✅ improving your online presence
✅ building a stronger network (of partners that are already working with the clients you want to work with)
✅ showing you have the skills and expertise to deliver high end work
✅ getting testimonials and referrals from clients you’ve helped in the past
✅ levelling up your pricing strategy
✅ investing in your education
If you don’t feel comfortable working with higher end clients then ask yourself why that is. What needs to change and what do you need to improve?
Transitioning to a higher end market will likely require an investment of both your time and resources. But the pay off could be huge for your revenue (and your sanity!). So choose clients who value what you do and have money to pay for your expertise.
Interior design is inherently a high end service. Trying to attract ‘budget’ clients will eventually lead to burn out.
It’s just as hard do find ‘budget’ clients as it is to find high end clients. But the latter will lead to financial security and creative freedom.
The choice you make will determine the journey you go on....
Thanks for reading and catch you in my next post :)
Clare x
Dr Clare Le Roy
Courses and Templates for Designers and Architects
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