Do you Struggle Running your Interior Design Business? 5 Tips to Level Up Your Brand

1.       Get Clarity on Your Vision

When you first decided to start your interior design business what was your big vision and goals? Maybe you hadn’t really defined it back then or maybe it has changed over time. It’s ok, now is the perfect time to redefine your vision and focus on it. Growing your business with clear intentions and a vivid vision will allow you to really step in your genius zone and to make sure you are continually walking in the direction of your dreams.

Yes, your vision may change over time as life can be unpredictable and that’s ok too. Stay open to new opportunities while staying true to your vision and purpose. Give the proper time, effort and focus for your vision to really blossom.

Once you have a clear vision of how you would like your dream business to look like add in short-term and long-term goals to make your intentions accessible.

Take a moment to do this exercise: grab a pen and paper, take a few deep breath and start answering this question: where will you be in 5 years, what does your office look like, who are you working with, which area of town are you most in, what are people saying about your business?

Don’t be afraid to go into details and feel free to repeat this exercise multiple times. Make sure you are in an environment that will welcome all your dreams and ideas. Go for a walk outside and sit at your favorite park before starting writing for example.  

Once you have a clear vision, write down step by step goals that will make you attain your bigger vision.

2.       Define Your brand

Defining your brand and what your company stands for is really important and will help you to connect on a deeper level with your potential customers.

Hiring an interior design isn’t a decision we take every day. Customers will want to make sure that your brand and what you stand for aligns with their ideas and values, that your designs are creative and matches their personality.

Helping to get the information that your potential customers will be interested in knowing about you is an important step. Have that information easily accessible online and in-person and make sure that everything that you are giving out and sharing with the world, everything that is talking about you and your business reflects the brand that you purposefully built.

Have you ever been confronted with two very similar offers but you can’t quite explain why you would much rather choose one over the other? It is like you are energetically attracted to one a lot more. That is the magic of branding.

The branding of a product or service will really help customers to make a decision that will not be based on pricing or on the product itself but on the universe and added value that this product or service is bringing into their life.

Once you define your brand make sure that all your communication is aligned and your messages truly represent your brand.

Your website, social media but also your office, business cards, the way you present yourself will be in alignment with the image you are intentionally creating. This integrity in all aspects of your communication will make you look authentic to the eyes of your customers and they will feel closer to you and will trust you more.

3.       You Are an Expert

You have the experience, you have talent, you have a unique look at things. Now is the time to share your expertise with the world but in particular with your niche.

Don’t try to please everyone. Finding your niche is really important in order to stand out. Don’t say yes to every project. Stand in your vision and be specific. Take the time to really understand your niche – what are their concerns, fears, and desires? Spend time with your ideal customers so you can offer them services that will really resonate with them.

Share your story and present yourself as an expert in your niche industry. Give the opportunity to people to get to know you better and to rely on your advice. Share your expertise on your own communication channels such as your website and social media but also partner with other external sources. Talk to magazines, editors, business owners. Keep your network active. Be seen and heard where your niche is and remember that word of mouth is one of your most powerful tools.

Your experience and your uniqueness make you an expert. Don’t be afraid to be very specific about the things you know and to go deep into details. Don’t feel like you need to stay broad to please everyone.

4.       Earn What You Are Worth Of

The way you will brand yourself will have a direct effect on how much you will be able to charge for your services. Billing a client and presenting estimates can be challenging yet a very determining step for your relationship with your customers.

Since there is no standard formula, you have the freedom to make your own numbers. When billing, take into consideration everything that goes into your work - your experience, your research and all the time you are investing in the project from the start.

Believe in your worth and stand in it from the beginning. Don’t try to hide any cost that might come later. Own your rates and be upfront about them. There is nothing coming in between you and the rates you really want to charge except your own limiting believes.

Sometimes we convince ourselves we really want something so we work hard toward that goal but it just isn’t working out. One of the reasons behind failure to reach that goal is that you have unconscious fears and believes that are sabotaging your success. Take a moment to really understand your relationship with money and what it truly means for you to charge the price you want to charge. Think of everything that may come in the way, believes or fears that you may not actually want to charge this price; common beliefs would be “I’m not good enough to charge that much money, I would have to work too hard to make that amount of money, I would lose my values if I start earning that much money, etc.” Being conscious of those limited believes and fears is essential to really step in your worth. Acknowledge that those beliefs are in you and take the decision to move past them and to step in your actual worth.

When presenting an offer to your customers, always keep your customers and the benefits that you are bringing to them in the middle of the conversation. Make sure they feel listened to and cared for.

A more practical step now is to always be ready to make a down payment once they first say yes so the commitment is being official. Have the legal documents prepared and ready to be signed and a quick and efficient way to collect payment.

5.       Create connections and long-term relationships

Creating deep and long-lasting relationships will really help you to build your interior business – with customers and contractors. As an interior designer, you will be in constant contact with people. Make sure to leave a lasting good impression that represents your true essence.

Be thoughtful and unique. Stand out by giving thank you notes to your customer, for example. Take the time to really invest in those relationships - not only that will make your work more enjoyable but it will also allow you to be top of mind if they need you on other projects or if they want to refer you to someone else.

Even when you have a lot of projects going on at the moment, take the time to grow your network. Don’t believe that because you are busy now this isn’t the right time to invest in your marketing. When you are feeling confident this is the perfect time to welcome more abundance and think about future projects and build your network.

Ready to level up your interior design business? Let’s connect. We are here to support you and help grow your brand and achieve your goals. Click here to schedule a Complimentary Brand Consultation.