Getting Clients

Once you've completed your six years of study and work experience and passed the professional examination, you're officially a registered interior designer. Congratulations! But don't relax yet. You've got more to worry about than which Motorola leather cases are going to look good with your power suit when you go to the client meeting. You have to get some clients first. Luckily, our series of articles on the subject should point you in the right direction. If you follow our advice, you should be doing steady business in no time.

Getting clients may seem like a trivial step, considering how many people are falling all over each other trying to sign up for home makeovers with Debbie Travis, but without the advantage of a cable television program and a line of decorating products with your face on them, you'll find it a little harder to get noticed. Self promotion and advertising is key here, since interior design is a business where, most of the time, the clients find you, instead of the other way around. We'll tell you the best ways to attract positive notice, from which business card printing services to use to how to write a radio ad for a visual business.

The property owners on TV are usually a little nervous about letting the designers have their way with their home, even when they've seen them do fabulous designs on a weekly basis. As a new and untested designer, just imagine how much harder you'll have to work to earn their confidence. After all, they've just shelled out thousands of dollars for one of those new condos in Brampton, and you're asking them not only to trust you with the future of their home but also to pay you for the privilege of doing so! It's understandable that they'd be a little hesitant about it, so one of the things we'll cover is projecting the right attitude to put them at ease.

Once you've impressed them with your professional attitude, you'll need to get the client on board with your designs. Some clients have had in mind exactly what they want to do ever since they first laid eyes on the sign that said: Milton Ontario house for sale. Others are more willing to let you take the reins. Whatever type of client you end up with, you'll still need to show them that you're able to create something that's worth taking a chance on. And with no previous design experience under your belt, you'll need a stellar portfolio. We can show you how to make it.

We'll cover all these subjects and much more in our how-to guide for getting clients, but all the advice in the world isn't going to help you land the contract for remodeling that series of Port Credit homes if you don't have the ability to carry through with your promises. For that, you'll need the proper training and a specialized skill set for dealing with clients on the job, both of which we can help you with on this site.