She said what?!
Listening to what your clients think and why feedback is a goldmine for your interior design business.
Hello,
I whizzed around Design Week at the Design Centre Chelsea Harbour on Monday. It was very weird doing it alone! It reminded me why I always try and go with a gang of other interior designers.
I then headed to an evening event where it was the complete opposite - lots (and lots) of interior industry folk crammed into a room for the Aeven Collective launch.
I met a lovely interior designer who asked me whether I’d be open to supporting her (and her designer friends) on topics of common frustration for them.
Of course it was a yes - I live for this stuff!!
So, let me introduce you to a new offering. The Designer Clinic is a private 90-minute session for small groups of interior designers who want expert guidance on a specific business challenge.
I join your group to tackle a topic that matters most to you. It’s £280 for up to 8 designers. You pick the topic and you’ll get practical guidance and Q&A.
This is a perfect example of listening to what people need and developing something to support them. It’s so new there’s no landing page or link to purchase, so if it sounds of interest, just get in touch or email hello@interiordesigninsiders.com
Example topics
• Pricing your services with confidence
• Setting boundaries with clients and protecting your time
• Handling ‘client interference’ and keeping your project (and design) on track
If your group has another topic in mind, just ask.
Feedback
I’m pretty organised when it comes to event management, but somehow for the event I ran a few weeks ago I managed to miss organising some kind of feedback loop.
It was on my list of things to do and then somehow slipped through the net. At the end of the event I scrambled round and recorded voicenotes of people’s feedback - super helpful. Then the next morning I sent out a tiny survey with just 6 short questions.
The feedback has been immensely helpful and made me think about how often we check the pulse in our business.
It seems really obvious after an event - but do you gather feedback about your interior design business?
Why bother getting feedback?
It’s very easy to get set in your ways. The same services, the same process. But the construction industry evolves, and so do our clients’ needs. Getting feedback ensures that you are staying on top of how you are working, offering an excellent service and ensuring your clients have the very best experience.
All this means more referral and repeat business.
When is the best time to get feedback?
Strike whilst the iron is hot. The sooner after an event or project close the better. It’s when people are most motivated to respond and you’ll capture the really emotive feedback (which is gold).
If you manage longer running interior design projects it might be worth taking the pulse mid-way through the project as well as at the end.
Different ways to gather feedback
A short online survey (lots of free tools are available - I used Microsoft Forms).
Online platforms that gather testimonials such as Google reviews, LinkedIn or Houzz - send a direct link to make it as easy as possible.
Written testimonials via email
Request a voicenote or WhatsApp feedback
Record a short video
Conduct phone interviews with past clients
What should your feedback be asking?
If you truly want to improve your business, you need to be wary of asking leading questions.
A glowing testimonial is great for your website and social media, but if you’re only ever gathering feedback like “Lisa was so friendly and we loved working with her!” - your ego will be massaged but it doesn’t have much depth.
Think about what parts of your business you’d like to know more about. Is it the customer experience, your service offering, the costs involved, your process?
Try questions like:
What prompted you to get in touch with [Name of Business]?
How did you feel about your home before your renovation project?
How did you feel during the renovation process?
What has changed for you now that the project is complete?
What elements of working with [Name of Business] did you most enjoy?
Were there any points in the renovation process that you felt could have gone better?
How confident did you feel working with [Name of Business]?
Often the most useful feedback comes from asking how clients felt at different stages of working with you.
What can you do with the information?
First up, do NOT get hung-up on any feedback that you perceive to be ‘negative’. All feedback can be useful. Try to remain open minded and not be defensive. And don’t be afraid to go back and ask for clarification.
I know it’s difficult, but this is an opportunity to be curious and improve what you do which will only strengthen your business.
Just because you received feedback it doesn’t mean you are obliged to change anything. These are simply the opinions and experiences of people who have worked with you.
Consider the feedback as objectively as possible and then use your judgement to filter out which data can improve your services and how you work, and what you can ignore.
You needn’t overhaul your whole business model based on one comment. Look for themes and consistency in the feedback you’re receiving.
One comment saying your onboarding process was confusing - take it with a pinch of salt. Five comments - it’s time to make it simpler for your clients.
Capture any key sentiments for use as testimonials on your website and socials.
Try feeding a bunch of feedback (from lots of different clients) into an AI tool (like Google Gemini or Claude) and ask it to pull out key themes, often used words, and areas where you excel or need improvement.
Use the language of your ideal clients in your marketing material. This is GOLD! If one client is thinking it - so will more of your perfect clients.
Feedback can also highlight new services or offers your clients wish existed.
A resource that WILL be super helpful.
Without doubt the resource you need if you want to gather feedback, understand what to ask in a phone interview, or how to construct a survey is:
Do Penguins Eat Peaches by Katie Tucker. This book is designed for small businesses and steps you through everything you need to know about gathering customer feedback.
Whilst you’re at it - why not subscribe to Katie’s Substack - Jungle Juice?
LISA LOVES
The evening event I attended on Monday was the launch of Aeven Collective. This is an initiative started by Alex Dauley and Grant Pierrus. They’re calling it ‘A cultural and creative platform for the broad interior design industry.’
It’s free to join - check it out here: AEVEN | Join the Creative Interior Design Community
I can’t believe we are halfway through March. Thanks as always for reading, do get in touch if I can support you and your interior design business in anyway.
P.S. If you’ve got a small group of designer friends who regularly talk about the same business frustrations, a Designer Clinic might be for you. 90 mins, one topic, practical guidance, and plenty of Q&A. It’s £280 for up to 8 designers! Just reply if you’d like to know more.