Building Client Relationships

Very less people in a city like Nagpur understand the true profession of Interior Design. And even lesser people recognize the hard work, thought process and time put into creating a functionally and aesthetically complete space. Although you are the designer and you dream to create as beautifully as you can without any constraints and complications but the one who is going to pay the bills always has the final say – the CLIENT!

Every interior designer has to start tackling the client at some point of time and for that we need to understand the psychology of the client, his/her priorities and most importantly their tastes. We have to face a variety of clients, some dominating, some quite submissive, some highly superstitious while some extremely old fashioned. But each one of them wants one thing from you, the “best deal” that is a beautiful looking space designed in a reasonable amount of money and time! There is a psychological swampland that you must contend with each time you encounter a new client. Is it any wonder our job is a bit stressful? What’s the solution? How can you properly work with clients when they don’t understand your mission, when they don’t trust you and when their every instinct tells them to check behind you to make certain you have given them the “best deal”?

The key is a psychological shift in the way we view our clients. Firstly, don’t blame them for their perceptions and misunderstandings. That is not their problem, it’s ours. As a professional, it is our responsibility to make our mission understood and our value clear. That is the challenge in front of us. How do we do it? By putting ourselves in their mental shoes. Embrace your client’s ignorance as an opportunity. If you can make that shift, you move closer to the client and closer to earning the trust you deserve.

Your clients are almost certainly both excited and worried. Remember – they have decided to build a house or an office space for the first time in a lifetime or at the most second in these economic times. It’s more than a dream for them and you are a medium who can turn their dream into a reality. They are about to turn the process of planning over to you, along with several thousands or lacs of their hard earned money.  Isn’t it understandable that they have some concerns?

You must imagine yourself literally moving around to our client’s side of the table. You are not pushing concepts, designs or decorative products across the table to them. Instead, you are looking firstly at their needs and secondly at the concepts that best meet those needs. Then, together, you can arrive at the best possible combination which will form a satisfying design composition for the client. What you are selling is your ability to assist the client in making a perfect space with a functional and aesthetical compatibility. Your expertise is only important to the client so far as they benefit from the experience of working with you.

Most disagreements arise when buying the material part comes. You must have perfect understanding of a client’s choices and economical constraints while suggesting a commodity/material. Face it – nobody likes to be “sold” anything. People love to make smart buying decisions, however. If you can assist your clients to be smarter and better informed in their buying decisions and places to buy, the stronger the relationship you will form over the long term.

A satisfied client is what we want to achieve because he/she is not only a medium of earning money but also acts as a medium of advertisement for our growth in the field. Remember- word of mouth is the best and most efficient form of advertisement till date.

 A designer, no matter how talented, can’t always get the desired results because of the resistance or maybe a lack of understanding on the part of the client. However it’s the designer’s job to work as a guide, to bring out the best qualities and the best attitudes.