Are you constantly complaining about cheap clients? Unrealistic budgets? Clients who want to use your services but don’t want to pay you?
This is a common complaint…
I regularly hear about designers who are shrinking to fit small budgets and the demanding clients they end up working for – it breaks my heart!
Tell me, are you giving more and more, and getting less and less back? If so, this is a problem that can be solved and the solution starts with YOU!
You must first have a clear understanding of the value you bring to a design job and the results the client gets by hiring you. This will help you say no to a client’s unreasonable requests and respond by making them an offer of what you can do in order to get better jobs and bigger fees!
So here are a few tips to help you get started:
- Budget on the FlyUse the “budget on the fly” process to immediately determine a potential clients real budget and then decide if this is the client for you or not. Trust me: it’s perfectly fine to tell a client who wants to buy an $899.00 sofa that you cannot help them!If you not familiar with “Budget on the Fly” CLICK HERE It is my signature process for qualifying a client and getting a real budget in just minutes on the first appointment.
- Raise Your Minimum FeeDon’t sell your time by the hour, and certainly not at an hour at a time. Create an entry-level design package fee that represents 3-4 hours of your time, and then explain what you can realistically complete in that time. And when ready, move your old clients up to the new rates as well.
- Time To UpgradeBecome familiar with the better quality, higher-end materials, furniture and fabrics that you’ve wanted to use instead of what you have been using. Start designing with those higher-end products since it’s always easier to sell whatever you’re excited about!
- Connections, Connections, ConnectionsGet out of your office and start networking with people who are connected to your target clients! Maybe it’s a nonprofit event, fundraiser, mixer… just get out there. You’ll be amazed at how quickly you connect with your target clients!
And help make your professional circles bigger by talking with confidence and enthusiasm about who you are and what you do <See last blog >.
Taking these few steps will help you leap into the life you’ve wanted!
