As a designer, you know that your work is important. You put a lot of time and effort into crafting each and every design, and you want your clients to be happy with the final product. But sometimes, clients can be difficult to please. They may not understand or appreciate your design choices, or they may ask for changes that you feel are unnecessary. How can you convince them to trust your judgement and accept your design? In this blog post, we will explore some tips and tricks that can help you win over your clients and get them on board with your vision!
#1 Listen to Feedback
First and foremost, remember that your client is the expert on their own business. They know their customers and their needs better than anyone, so it’s important to listen to their input. Take their feedback seriously and use it to inform your design choices.
#2 Show Examples
It can also be helpful to show them examples of similar businesses or websites that have used similar designs successfully. If they can see that other companies in their industry are using a certain type of design, it will help them feel more confident about your choices.
#3 Raise your points systematically
If you start shooting off all your points without explaining why you are stating them in the order you are speaking about them, chances are that you will confuse them rather than showing you know how to convince people. You are not having this discussion to create more confusion, you’re trying to lessen it and let everyone have clarity.
#4 Use facts and references to speak confidently
A lack of confidence will kill your ability to convince people and show your clients that not only do you don’t know how to win a design argument, you don’t know how to use design thinking. Having research at your disposal will help you be more confident when speaking about the design you created. You have to keep your mind on the facts and to keep your statements under control.
#5 Show them it’s not personal
When thinking about how to win design arguments, remember that your clients see the monetary gain you are getting and neither how you approached the project nor your history of professional work. Use examples from your past to explain how your approach worked for another client and what you altered to better fit the business goals of your current client. Speaking to them in terms of achieving what they desire will show them that you cared enough to keep their business goals in the forefront of your thoughts. It will be a great reminder to them that you have been professional in your work.
#6 Don’t think about winning.
The goal isn’t to win an argument for the sake of winning, it’s to satisfy the client in a way that protects their interests from their whims to grow business for the both of you. Listen actively to what they are saying because your business is a collaboration; it isn’t only about you. Then think about what they are saying after they are done saying it. Inform them what they are right about then ask them how, rather than why, your design doesn’t fit with what they are saying. This will lead to a far more structured discussion that allows you to see their point of view. A compromise, more often than not, ends up with both people as winners rather than as losers.
#7 Prove Your Reliability Online
The first point of contact between a potential client and you will be your website. This is where they’ll get their first impression about you and the level of quality you can deliver. You need to pay special attention to your online communication as this will help you stand out. Make sure you have a clear and well structured website with appealing elements like beautiful visualizations of your work, the description of your working process so they see that you are organized and your contact details.
You can also use the Facebook Messenger button on your site so they can start chatting with you very easily. Don’t forget to update your social media pages regularly with the latest interior design trends and projects you are working on.
#8 Display Your Clients Reviews
There is no better way to convince new clients and gain their trust like reviews. It is the words of your clients talking about the quality of your work, how easy it is to communicate with you and the uniqueness of your design ideas. You can make the most out of them by using them on your website of course but also post them on your social media. Social proof is the most efficient way to create trust in your interior designer skills. They play a big part in reassuring the client as they see from several people that you did a great job so you should encourage your clients to spread the word about your business.
#9 Listen Carefully to What the Clients Want to Meet Their Requirements
The discovery meeting will allow you to increase the trust level between you and the client. When you listen to them and show them that you understand their needs, they will feel reassured and will be confident that their ideas and your vision will lead to a beautiful project.
This meeting is key as it is from this moment that you will spend time, energy and effort working on the structure and layout of the new space. Then, you only have to draw the floor plan, furnish, decorate and create 3D visualizations. You’d better make sure that your work fits the clients requirements, don’t hesitate to ask questions to make sure all details are covered to avoid any misunderstandings later on.
#10 Come Prepared to the Meeting with Multiple Design Options
Once you have finalized your first design proposals, this is the time to showcase your work and convey your ideas for the project. You will have a better chance of getting hired if you present several unique design options to serve the same overall objective.
Once you’ve drawn the floor plan, you can easily change the wall colors, covering materials and furniture to help the clients understand your vision of their spaces and let them choose the end result they like the best.
Finally, don’t be afraid to explain your reasoning behind each design decision. If they understand why you made certain choices, they may be more likely to accept them. Just make sure not to come across rude.
Conclusion
So, you’ve designed a website or product and your client isn’t convinced that it’s the best thing since sliced bread? It can be tough to convince someone on something you put so much time and effort into, but don’t worry – we’re here to help. In this blog post, we outlined four tips for convincing your clients on your design. We also shared a few tricks that might come in handy when trying to sell them on your work. If you want to learn more about how to art direct and communicate with clients effectively, head over to Artmeet website. We have tons of resources that can help you take your career as a designer to the next level!