How To Deal With Constantly Having to Give Your Clients Bad News
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Where do I even start? I actually don’t think I have to go into detail about how being an interior designer in these uncertain times can cause immense anxiety. Delays are making most interior designer’s lives a little tougher than they need to be…
Are you struggling with this? Do you feel like you just can’t even give your clients good news because things are so chaotic?
While I don’t have all these answers to something so stressful, here are a few things to focus on moving forward that will hopefully make your life at least a little bit easier.
Set the correct expectations. Make sure your clients know exactly what they are getting themselves into. Present this with the most positive attitude you possibly can, and let them know this is a universal issue. Let them know how you are currently handling delays when they happen. Under-promise and over-deliver. Be as realistic with them as you possibly can. They will appreciate your transparency!
Contract. Be prepared and have something about delays in your contract. How they are likely to occur and anything else they can expect.
Pad your hours. If you are working hourly (or flat rate) make sure to add a little padding to account for all of the extra time you will be spending handling delays. Let them know that you are doing this, or at the very least, add it to your contract so there are no surprises.
Frequent updates. Update your clients at least once a week, even if there are no changes. This will keep them from feeling left-out and like their project is at a standstill. Make sure they know that they are still a priority, even when a project is put on hold due to delays.
Be open and have a positive attitude. Don’t let your clients see you sweat. You are a professional and you are good at what you do. No little delays can get you down...right? This is not forever. Eventually things will return to normal, or the new normal at least.
Don’t fret. Most clients are going to completely understand, especially if you set the correct expectations. If you have one or two that get impatient, sit them down and have a heart to heart. They will understand that you are doing your very best, and you will go to bat for them if necessary.
Pay attention. If your client is showing you red flag after red flag, or are not responding well to your warning of delays…..bye! They gotta go….
I hope this was helpful for you. Moral of the story, breathe. Breathe, breathe….and breathe some more.
We are all gonna get through this.
If there is anything we can do to make this time easier for you, please don’t hesitate to reach out to us.
XX, Danae