my discovery calls needed to work hardeR
At the beginning of the year, I was reviewing all the inquiries I received in the last quarter of 2024, and I was noticing a trend in the types of personalities the clients had. Mainly that a majority of my inquiries (some of which made it to be projects), are filled with clients who didn’t fully trust me and the design process.
They’ve been making some of my projects tough to work on, or just a little more painful each step that I’m not excited about the work. I know that some of this is normal from time to time in the design world. Some clients are just not a great personality fit, or they lose their marbles and just get mean, or they’re perfectly fine but just not exciting to work with. I just want to draw more attention to the clients that may not be the best fit for me early in the process.
So I’m looking critically at where my messaging isn’t translating. Maybe it’s my investment guide, maybe it’s my website – maybe it’s me! So while I’ve been updating pricing and rates in some of my marketing materials and on my website, I also started to look closer at the intake form on my website.
Potential clients fill out this form to book my Discovery Calls (which I do on Zoom), and it sends them my Investment Guide to review before we meet. My goal was to use one really thoughtful question to understand potential clients better, and hopefully what they’re going to be like in a working relationship. So what is this magic question?
What is your ideal level of involvement in the design process?
Yup, I’m letting the clients tell me what they think their ideal level of involvement is in the design process. And I tried to keep it easy with a scale of 1-5: 1 is “I’ll do all the work for the designer’s opinion/advice”, and 5 is “the designer will bring everything for the client’s review/approval”. It’s been fascinating so far to see what clients select, and then they can compare that to the services I share in my investment guide.
My little experiment is far from over, but the last month has been helpful. So far, the clients who select 1 or 2 on the scale seem to be those who would do well with consultations. And the ones who select 4 or 5 tend to be those who are considering full-service design options. I’ll keep you posted on how this continues to help me evolve my inquiry process, but it’s been a fun way to start different conversations with potential clients.
Fizzles & Sizzles
Rebecca's Fizzle
Shaun's Fizzle
Sourcing outdoor furniture nearly broke me this month. I was hoping for pieces that felt as layered and intentional as the interiors, but everything was either soulless, gray, bulky, or all of the above. After hours of scouring vendors, we’re doing COM on a few items because these spaces deserve to be fun.
One of my remodeling projects wrapped up, and I put together a gift basket for my clients. I really enjoyed working on this project, and I truly loved the clients as people. They adopted a baby during the project, we shared so many laughs (and tears, too). It’s hard to say goodbye, but I’m so happy for the memories they’ll make in their home.
Rebecca's Sizzle
Shaun's Sizzle
Between Haven Workshop, a San Francisco show house tour with my designer buds, and a major photo shoot, May brought a lot of sizzle. But seeing photos come to fruition on one of my favorite-ever projects might win. Can’t wait to share more.
I joined some local designer friends at the Pasadena Showcase House and it was such a gorgeous day. It left my mind swimming with inspiration!
