Careers in interior design require people skills, creativity, and a knowledge of all the options that can apply to homes you’re tasked with improving. You’ll know that some of your clients will have a strong idea of what they’re after in their remodeling project, while others will be open to your own ideas. To make your business truly successful, you want to leave as many of your clients as possible dazzled with your efforts and happy to endure your services. This short guide will help you position yourself as a successful interior designer with several wonderful projects behind you.
Presentation
To encourage would-be clients to work with you and to draw in new business by sharing images online, it’s important that you have a way to present your ideas and your successful projects to clients. This requires two things: you should take before and after photos of every project you work on and ensure that new clients are aware of your plans before you set about altering their home interiors.
The former will require high-quality camera equipment that’s designed to capture rooms in homes with a wide-angle lens. You should, of course, ask for the permission of your clients before taking these images and sharing them on your website. Secondly, you should work with software for remodels when you’re in the ideas stage of a new project so that you can show clients a mock-up of the kind of interior you’ll be looking to create for them.
Relationships
An interior designer is not a builder or a laborer. You’re involved in the design, the creativity, and the instructions for builders, which means that you should form brilliant relationships not only with your clients but also with tradespeople in your area. This includes those who you will regularly turn to because you trust them to deliver on your projects and materials wholesalers that you can rely on to deliver on time and to budget.
In order to form strong relationships with these key personnel in your value chain, you’ll want to begin taking numbers from the very start of your career. Ensure those you work with are well paid and treated well throughout their jobs so that they’ll always be happy to take a call from you for a new project. Interior designers are the people that bring the vision together into practical work, and the workers you use are an important part of that picture.
Marketing
Interior design is something of a niche area of expertise. That means that your details and your experience will pass largely by word-of-mouth rather than you putting up paid advertisements online. Not every homeowner is looking to remodel their interior, so you’re looking to be introduced to those who are considering making a change in their homes.
In order to maximize your chances of generating more work, you should populate your website with images of your past projects and of the kinds of styles and materials that you feel best represent your approach to interior design. Your website should itself be well designed, perhaps by a website expert rather than by yourself, so that your taste and aptitude are shown off from the get-go. Finally, use SEO keywords to ensure you’re locatable when those in your local area search for your services online.
Feedback and Listening
You might have grand ideas for every interior that you visit, but the truth is that the client is king. You cannot take a flight of fancy, adding complex elements to the interior of a home, without the sign-off of the clients that you’re working with. Furthermore, you should always ask for feedback on your ideas and your designs to date. You’re looking to arrive on the same page as your clients as soon as possible so that you both have confidence in the project.
All this means listening to your clients as carefully as possible. Those who wish to give you free rein on what their new interior will look like will nonetheless be looking to approve certain ideas of yours. You’ll also use pictures of other homes you’ve worked on or images that are readily available online to give your clients some idea of the different options they can choose from on each project. Their feedback on those photos will guide your work and ensure that you delight every client with a new interior design that they love.
Changing household interiors is one of the most satisfying jobs out there. Knowing how to make your approach successful will ensure you can continue following your passion long into the future.
