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Hello, and welcome to episode 
149 of Design Curious Podcast. 

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I'm your host and mentor, 
Rebecca Ward. 

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Today on the podcast, we're 
continuing our series in the 

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Mindset Shift series. 
It'll be episode number 2. 

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And what we're talking about 
today is moving from trying to 

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impress your client during the 
first consultation and instead 

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trying to lead them through a 
conversation. 

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So we're going to demystify how 
that first client meeting goes 

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and give you power to show up as
the expert and shifting your 

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mindset. 
So you're moving from trying to 

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impress to being the expert. 
So we will get into that in just

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a little bit. 
But I want to remind you that I 

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have a online mentorship 
platform called My Design 

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Mentor. 
If you haven't heard about it, 

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it's for wherever you're at in 
your journey to become an 

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interior designer. 
Whether you're just thinking 

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about it and have lots of 
questions or if you've already 

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started and you're looking to 
maybe start your business or get

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your first clients, I'm there to
help you along the way. 

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So information for that is in 
the show notes. 

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Also check out the notes because
we have lots of great free 

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downloads for you, a quiz you 
can take and a lot of great fun 

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stuff. 
So check that out and let's get 

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into the episode you're. 
Now listening to design. 

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Curious. 
A place. 

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Where you creative one? 
Are here. 

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To learn about what it really is
like to be an interior designer.

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And I'm your host and mentor. 
Rebecca Ward. 

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If you're worried about how to 
succeed in a creative career. 

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If you're ready to learn your 
next steps to become an interior

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designer and if you want the 
satisfaction of doing something 

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you love. 
Every day. 

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You are in the right. 
Place grab a. 

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Coffee, a notebook, and let's 
dig into today's. 

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Episode OK, let's talk about 
that first consultation, that 

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first in person impression you 
have with your clients. 

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It can either establish your 
authority or maybe it's 

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accidentally undermining it. 
It's not just a meet and greet. 

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This is your chance to take the 
lead and set the tone for the 

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entire project. 
Last week we talked about 

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building a business that 
supports your life. 

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And this starts with how you 
show up from day one. 

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And so that begins with your 
first consultation. 

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So let's get into this mindset 
shift. 

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New designers often feel like 
they have to prove themselves. 

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They might over explain or worst
of all, over deliver and not 

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charge for all that they're 
offering. 

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A lot of times, and this is less
the case nowadays, but designers

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would do a free consultation. 
They all show up on site and the

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client is expecting them to give
them ideas for free and that is 

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your creativity. 
Your ideas is so valuable, you 

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can't just give that away for 
free, right? 

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So if you are willing to give it
away for free, then that means 

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maybe you're subtly sending 
messages to the client that you 

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don't value what you are 
offering. 

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But if you are charging for your
consultation, then you can feel 

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free to give them as much advice
and opinions as you have because

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you are starting the new project
and you want to start it off 

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right with an air of authority 
because that's what you are. 

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You're an expert and you're 
coming into this with fresh eyes

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and creative genius and you're 
going to transform their lives. 

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And that's what clients are 
looking for. 

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They're looking for a guide to 
help them through. 

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You're the Obi Wan Kenobi to 
Luke Skywalker. 

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You're not a peer or the best 
friend, OK? 

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You're not like going to be all 
tummy of them most of the time, 

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but that's not why you're there.
You're there to be the expert. 

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Now you do intend to build a 
long term relationship because a

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lot of the clients I have will 
be repeat clients and they'll 

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come back years later when they 
are ready for the next phase or 

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it's been 15 years and they need
to now update their bathroom 

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again. 
There's nothing wrong with 

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having a long term relationship 
and then you might get to know 

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that person really well, but 
you're really not there to be 

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their best friend because you're
charging them, right? 

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And even if you're working for 
your best friend, you should 

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still be charging that person. 
So let's talk about how your 

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confidence can equal clarity 
when you take the lead in the 

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consultation. 
You can actually put the client 

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at ease a lot of times, even if 
you've talked to them through 

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the discovery call about what to
expect at the consultation. 

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A lot of clients when I show up 
there a little bit nervous, 

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they'll say sorry for all the 
mess. 

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You know, my house doesn't look 
great or you know that. 

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And I'm always like, well, 
that's the whole point why I'm 

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here, you know, but like, don't 
judge me because I have messed, 

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you know, whatever kids, 
etcetera, etcetera. 

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So I have to put them at ease 
first of all for that. 

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And then they'll say like, I 
have never done this before. 

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I've never worked with a 
designer before. 

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And what I feel puts the client 
at ease very quickly as I tell 

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them that like, well, why don't 
we walk through the house? 

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You tell me your pain points, 
what you love about your house 

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and what you don't like and 
what's not working for you. 

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Basically why you've called me 
to be here. 

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And so that allows them to start
to walk through a very familiar 

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place and talk about things 
they're very familiar with and 

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very comfortable. 
So it sets them at ease. 

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And meanwhile I'm listening. 
I'm listening and I've already 

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though by putting that down, 
I've already guided them into 

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how we're running this process 
and it's just a really great way

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to start that conversation with 
your client. 

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So you're not there to walk in 
and say, oh wow, you know, this 

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mirror has to go. 
It's obvious that is doesn't fit

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this room when maybe that was 
their grandmother's mirror. 

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And that's the one thing in the 
room that has to stay. 

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And so if you've already 
insulted it, that's not a great 

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way to start out, right? 
So your job is to listen, but 

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also to be the guide. 
And so they might ask questions 

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along the way as you're walking 
through. 

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And you might not have a 
solution for that, but you might

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be able to tell them like, yeah,
that's obviously a pain point 

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for you when we're going to work
on that and workshop a solution 

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for you. 
Just oozing with confidence all 

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the way through. 
So let's talk a little more 

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about that confidence. 
So you're going to start with 

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your professional but friendly 
tone. 

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So like, here's what to expect 
for today and you'll share the 

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process. 
So what you're going to say, 

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you're going to walk through the
house and then we'll sit down 

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and kind of talk about how we 
typically work and then the 

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budget and cost for everything. 
And so you're setting a 

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structure and this is a process 
that's going to be easy for you 

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to say at that consultation 
because this is a process that 

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you are going to do every single
consultation. 

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Doesn't matter what it is, if 
it's a whole house remodel, if 

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it's a whole house furnishing, 
if it's a one room furnishing, 

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if you're just there for a color
consultation, you'll take the 

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client through the same process 
every time. 

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You're going to feel so 
confident because of that 

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because it's just a habit and it
builds trust and it creates 

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structure around that 
consultation. 

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And everybody loves it when they
can relax into something when 

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structure has been put in place.
So you can ask a strong 

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open-ended questions like what's
working, what isn't, How do you 

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want to feel in this space? 
What's your timeline and level 

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of urgency? 
And then you reiterate back to 

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them what you've heard. 
You can say what I'm hearing is 

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that there's not enough seating 
in this room when you entertain 

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and they can then clarify. 
Or you can say what I'm hearing 

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is that you really don't love 
warm colors and be like, Oh 

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yeah, I hate orange and blue is 
my favorite, etcetera. 

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So then after you've done your 
walkthrough, you can set the 

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expectations by going through 
your process of a typical 

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project. 
Talk about timelines that would 

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be expected for this type of a 
project. 

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You can talk about your fees and
what you typically charge for 

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this type of project, what they 
can expect. 

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And so if you're doing like how 
I do hourly and bill them 

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monthly and I tell them, you 
know, it's really good. 

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I've heard recently like talk 
about money quickly and often. 

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So bring it up quickly in the 
conversation. 

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So definitely talk about their 
budget and everything at that 

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first consultation and then let 
them know that you'll be in 

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communication with them 
throughout the project. 

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One of my policies is to e-mail 
the client every Friday and let 

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them know what's going on with 
the project. 

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So just assure them that they 
won't need to keep checking in 

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with you, that you'll keep them 
updated on anything that is 

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going on in the project and what
you might want to do. 

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And here's a great tip is to 
have a branded consultation 

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guide or outline to help you 
stay on track while you're at 

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the consultation. 
But also it's something that you

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could leave with them. 
Maybe it's something like a 

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welcome guide that goes over the
process that you have explained 

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to them and talks about typical 
timelines and budgets and 

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everything like that and what 
it's like to work with your 

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company. 
So what are some things that you

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might want to avoid or maybe 
common pitfalls for a designer 

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at this consultation? 
Well, you don't want to over 

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explain your pricing or process,
so I said that you want to talk 

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about money quickly and then 
often, but in an assuring way, 

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not in an apologetic way. 
So maybe you're going to tell 

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them that for redesigning this 
room it's going to be $20,000. 

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Often times after you give them 
a number, you need to be quiet 

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about it and not keep explaining
like, well, it's because it 

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takes me this little amount of 
time and I've been at school for

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this long and so I think I 
deserve to blah, blah, blah. 

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You don't have to make those 
qualifications to the client. 

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Tell them the number and then be
quiet about it or move on to the

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next part of the process. 
So don't over explain your 

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pricing and don't over explain 
the process so much that they 

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get lost in the weeds. 
And all of that detail is not 

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necessary at that initial 
consultation unless they ask for

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it, but it's unlikely. 
You also don't want to fall into

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people pleasing at this 
consultation. 

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So don't say yes to unrealistic 
request something that's outside

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of your expertise. 
You can tell them that you might

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think about adding that on as a 
phase, but that you haven't 

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approached that before in your 
career and this would be a new 

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venture. 
So you need time to consider how

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to add that request on to what 
they're asking for. 

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So don't feel like you 
immediately have to say yes. 

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If they said I want to do the 
outside backyard as well, can 

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you do that for me? 
Well, maybe you've never done 

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landscape design. 
Maybe you know nothing about 

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plants and you probably 
shouldn't be doing that anyway. 

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You can tell them that yes, I 
can do the furnishings for 

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outside. 
I haven't done an outside 

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kitchen before. 
So maybe let's partner with a 

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landscape designer to design 
this together so you don't have 

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to say yes to every request that
they have at the consultation. 

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So that don't do that. 
We've talked about not working 

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for free. 
Don't give away everything until

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they've hired you. 
So you're not going to be doing 

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any drawings for them or 
anything like that until they 

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actually have signed the 
contract. 

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And then don't ask open-ended 
questions, I guess, or weak 

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styled questions for the client.
Leaves them in too much of A 

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Gray area instead of giving 
clarity. 

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So don't say something like what
kind of design style do you 

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like. 
Instead say, here's 5 different 

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styles. 
Do you find one that you're 

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drawn to more than the other? 
Because they might not know what

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design style they like. 
They don't know the word to put 

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to it. 
It's a discovery process that 

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you do together and you're going
to guide them through that 

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instead of expecting them to 
have those types of answers 

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where it really falls in line 
with your expertise. 

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So the consultation isn't a 
project, it's a gateway to the 

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project. 
So keep that in mind. 

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And then how do we position 
ourselves as the authority or 

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the expert in a subtle way? 
So your language matters instead

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of I think say based on my 
experience, it's really great to

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say experience has shown me that
this is the best way to do it. 

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Or based on my experience, a 
typical bathroom remodels 

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$50,000, you can't do it for 5. 
Instead of saying, I think that 

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your budget is not big enough 
because you want to keep hinting

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to them that you have experience
and even if you are green, that 

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you have learned from gleaning 
from other people, from other 

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colleagues. 
You might have heard someone say

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that the bathroom costs 50,000 
starting in your area. 

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Someone says they want to do it 
for five. 

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You can say, based on my 
knowledge about this, I don't 

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think that your budget would be 
sufficient. 

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There are ways to frame it. 
It'll take practice. 

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Maybe you could practice on a 
friend or a family member. 

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But you can also use a 
collaborative phrase to build 

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confidence. 
Say something like what I 

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recommend for your goals is 
because you can always get, I 

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mean, that's why you're there to
Give your opinion and your 

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recommendation. 
So you can always turn it around

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to like your recommendation is 
something that's going to suit 

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what their goal is for that 
project. 

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Bring your energy as the leader 
in the conversation. 

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Be warm, but clear clarity is 
key for the consultation. 

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You want them to have confidence
through that clarity and then 

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let them see you as the solution
to their overwhelm. 

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Often times at a consultation, 
the client said, well, I went to

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five different tile stores. 
I, I just couldn't decide 

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anything. 
I was overwhelmed. 

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And so that's why I decided to 
call you. 

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And that's great. 
So you can tell them that like I

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deal with tile all the time. 
So it's, you know, I'm just 

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going to show you a few of the 
best options and then you don't 

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have to even think about the 
other tile that's in the room. 

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So that's another way to show 
them that you are the guide, you

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are the expert. 
So how are you feeling about 

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that initial consultation? 
Just in summary, I want you to 

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review how you flow with a 
consultation. 

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Make sure you're driving it. 
Even if you're listening most of

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the time that you're still 
asking them and prompting them 

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to the next step in that process
of the consultation. 

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Is there any part that's making 
you feel unsure about the 

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consultation? 
Then maybe it's time to regroup,

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maybe ask a friend, maybe get in
my design mentor. 

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We can workshop your 
consultations and see how you 

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can maybe maybe you're not 
converting from your initial 

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consultation into the project, 
so we can talk about how to 

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tweak your consultation to make 
sure that the clients are ready 

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to sign and ready to go and 
excited about hiring you as 

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their designer. 
As we're in this Mindset shift 

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series, I want you to choose 
one. 

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Think about maybe a new question
to ask yourself or a phrase that

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you need to stop saying to 
yourself or a way to better set 

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expectations for your clients. 
Think of a new question to ask 

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your client, maybe a better 
phrase of that question and and 

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better way to to prompt the 
client for better responses. 

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Or maybe you can get a phrase 
that you need to. 

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There's maybe there's a phrase 
that you need to stop saying. 

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Oftentimes it's the word just in
front of whatever you're going 

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to describe yourself as. 
But yeah, there's many phrases 

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that we might put ourselves down
and maybe counteract the fact 

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that we are there as the expert 
and you're just putting yourself

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down and not trusting in your 
own value. 

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And then maybe there's a way to 
better set expectations for your

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clients going into that 
consultation so they can 

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convert. 
So a lot of things to think 

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about that initial consultation,
it's a really important step in 

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the process. 
If this goes well, if your 

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consultation goes well, then 
that is a great indicator for 

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the rest of the project. 
So let's get this one aligned 

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and have you thinking positively
and correctly for this mindset. 

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So hopefully you found that 
helpful to create a mindset 

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shift and I hope you are 
enjoying this series. 

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If this episode gave you some 
new ideas for how to confidently

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lead your consultations, share 
it with another designer or tag 

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00:18:02,920 --> 00:18:05,920
me with your favorite take away 
from the episode. 

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Don't miss the next episode 
where we talk about becoming 

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ACEO of your business and not 
just the creative. 

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So that will be in episode 151 
next week. 

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We're going to have a great 
interview. 

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So until then, stay creative. 
Thanks for listening if you 

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00:18:24,640 --> 00:18:25,600
love. 
This episode. 

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00:18:25,840 --> 00:18:27,440
Please leave a rating and a 
review. 

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00:18:27,680 --> 00:18:31,320
This helps me reach other. 
Curious creatives like you if 

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00:18:31,320 --> 00:18:33,840
you have a topic request. 
Or would like to contact me? 

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00:18:34,200 --> 00:18:39,120
Simply head over to my website, 
awardesigncom or e-mail me. 

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At Podcast at. 
Awardesigncom.