Client Qualifying – The Pitfalls and Impact of Infinite Online Information

As designers and furnishing suppliers, it’s important to know what clients and prospects have in mind for the spaces in which they live. This can be done through the time-honored selling process known as client qualifying; essentially, asking insightful questions and actively listening to their answers.

Beyond this though, and perhaps more importantly, discovering what they’re being told about the interior design process is just as critical. Consider for a moment the seemingly infinite amount of information from countless sources available with a just few strokes or swipes of a keyboard or screen. After performing their “due diligence” with online “research”, your prospects can come to you with just enough knowledge to make them dangerous – to themselves and you.

We discussed a potential example of this in a previous post on the ethics of Designer Product Markups and whether increased transparency in the industry will end the practice and force interior designers to charge only for their time.

Qualifying a Knowledgeable Prospect

While far too many designers loathe the sales process, and yes, that includes client qualifying, unless one is willing to hire a sales professional or team to handle it, it simply can’t be avoided. This is where knowing what they know, and where they learned it, can help you close the sale on design projects and/or luxury furnishing sales.

First, getting to know the best sources of “inside knowledge” that are available to potential consumers can be beneficial. There are just so many online consumer-oriented sites like Houzz.com, HGTV.com, and HouseBeautiful.com it can be hard to grasp where they get their information. Then too, they can just as easily access that are more targeted to the industry, like BusinessOfHome.com or “insider” info sites like BuzzFeed.com.

So, how does the sharp designer or furnishings dealer overcome this potentially disruptive trend of consumers who want to be “in the know” about how designers work and by their products?

By doing their own research and being ready to answer the qualifying questions prospects will have for them!

Impress and Protect Your Own Interests

Here, the quote that is commonly attributed to Sir Francis Bacon, “Knowledge is power”, rings especially true because your greater grasp of the industry and luxury furnishings will not only impress, it will also protect – you and your ability to work with them.

For example, these three consumer-oriented tips from Houzz.com recently caught our eye. And, while they may seem elementary to design and furnishing professionals, they may seem true insider tips to consumers. Possessing and sharing such “insider” knowledge with your prospects could go a long way toward locking down your next design project deal.

1. Specify a Purpose for Your Spaces – Understand what you’re looking to establish with your space and its functionality. “Your professional team is there to offer solutions you might not have thought of, so take advantage of that,” advises Ft. Collins, CO designer Amy Laner. “Keep an open mind and be open to their suggestions – you want to do your due diligence so you don’t regret anything.”

2. Determine Costs Before You Begin – Establishing a price range is imperative, so contact a few local contractors to understand exactly what things will cost. “Get a cost estimate or two; they should include pricing on permitting,” Laner says. “The more information you begin with, the easier it will be to make informed decisions on how to create the space you want.”

3. Personalize Your Home – Your home should reflect your personality, so use furniture, decor, or details that have meaning to you and your family. “Add what will make you happy in your own space,” Laner says.

Again, these tips will seem elementary to a well-trained, knowledgeable, and experienced professional interior designer. Yet, to the uninitiated homeowner who’s considering a remodel, these concepts may appear unique and invaluable. Knowing things like this in advance could be the difference between merely submitting a quote and contract and landing the job.

It’s important to keep in mind just how personal our industry can be. With that in mind, it’s impossible to “know too much”; too much about other designer’s services in your area, too much about furnishings that are currently available, too much about what your prospects may know and need (which can be very different things!).

Want to know more? Ted remains available for business and sales consulting to interior designers and luxury furnishing dealers, whether local or virtually in distant markets. With more than 25 years of experience in the industry, he’s pretty much seen it all, from the basics of client qualifying to overcoming the challenges of scarcity and lead time issues we’re currently experiencing. Feel free to… Get in touch with TD Fall today.