NEW CLIENT QUESTIONNAIRE : Are You Asking the Right Questions?
In Interior Design the questions you ask at the first meeting, the first phone call or email are important for determining the possible success of your prospective client and project.
WHETHER YOU ARE PROVIDING SERVICE FOR A FULL HOME DESIGN OR A SINGLE ROOM DESIGN YOUR ONBOARDING TIME IS VALUABLE.
Questions You Should Ask Every Prospective Client.
Are you asking the right questions on your interior decorating Client Questionnaire? Do you even have a New Client questionnaire? Remember, the first conversations with a potential client are opportunities for you to interview them for compatibility, and see if there are any red flags before you invest too much of your time. You are interviewing them, while they interview you.
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How do you know you are on the same page? What questions should you ask to be able to close the sale successfully? it’s best to have a worksheet to help guide you through the process every time and hopefully avoid potential landmines!
BEFORE THE MEETING
Believe it or not, you can prepare beforehand for clients who don’t know exactly what they want. Prepare yourself and enter the client consultation meeting ready to guide clients through the process of choosing colors, styles, and floor plans. This will help you stay calm and organized even if you’re met with a blank stare.
THE DISCOVERY CALL
The initial discovery call for an interior designer is an opportunity to not only close the deal for the next sales meeting, the initial consult, but it also allows you to ask the right questions to help vet out the good fit client or the unrealistic one.
This call is your sales tool, and you will need a strategy if you want it to work.
Lots of time, people just want ideas and will take any free advice or ideas offered. It is your job to protect yourself, and focus the initial call as a discovery opportunity to give you a chance to know if this is going to be a good fit. Your time is valuable, make sure the project is realistic, and you aren’t just being used to offer ideas for free.
THE INITIAL CONSULTATION
A new client questionnaire is pretty much what it sounds like: a list of questions to help get to know a client's needs and expectations. It's similar to an intake survey you would fill out if you were visiting a doctor or personal coach for the first time, and these questions can help you define a potential client.
I you add to your process these questions for review and discussion, then you have a solid starting point for your projects. ( we have one that you can download right here, scroll down)
THE INITIAL DISCOVERY CALL: 5 Questions
The new client call: You should initiate a client discovery call before you drive to the site for the initial on-site consult. You need to assess the client, the budget, and the scope. I can’t tell you how many times I would drive to the consult, only to have wasted my time. Something I could have avoided had I asked the right questions.
Here are the Top 5 Questions To Ask On The Initial Call.
Tell me about your project.
THIS IS THE CONVERSATION Opener. You want to show that you will work closely with your client to determine what criteria will make the project a success. During this opening Talk about the feedback process and set expectations early on how you will work and provide solutions.
2. What is your budget?
Some people will answer right away. These are usually people who have been through the process before or are interviewing others and are realistic about their budget. In general, people are uncomfortable talking about what they are going to spend because they feel uncertain.
I just explain the need to know, is to offer up suggestions that will work for their project overall, but I do need a ballpark figure to know if they are being realistic. If their budget is unrealistic, then we need to know this and review it before we make the effort to travel to the site.
Sometimes potential clients just need to have an open conversation with a professional to help set up their expectations to match their dream vision. If you are unsure about the overall costs, then tell them you need more information to define their,must-haves, wants, and would like for the project.
3. How did you hear of me?
Take notes. Every call needs to be noted and dated. Who referred you to me? These are important notes for the project and a possible referral thank you. Was it from Google or a person? You will want to call and email your referral prospect and thank them for each and every referral. This will show them that you appreciate that they send you potential clients.
4. What are your home address, email, and best phone number?
If a client is out of your service area, then refer them to another designer in their area. I also use the address to assess the real estate value of the home. This will help you set a realistic budget for the project. For example, in my region, most kitchens cost apx 8% of the value of the home. If it is a 350K home then 25k is the average total spend on a kitchen, on a 1 million dollar home value, then typically 80k is to be expected. That is for everything inclusively. I will typically google the client and the address just to make sure this is a good fit and there are no red flags.
5. Will you have some images to share with me your vision?
People can use all the words in the world, but there is nothing like an image to portray style, mood, color choices, and client sophistication. Start with Pinterest, and ask them to invite you to a board they have or vice versa. If they do not use Pinterest, then request magazine images they like to be available when you meet. Visual aids help clients communicate what they are having trouble describing in words.
Make sure you also share your process and pricing and ask if there are any questions.
This is a business. Your fees should be reviewed and you should request a consultation fee to meet onsite as one of the first things to review.
You want to make sure they will pay for the consult before you get too involved in discussing the project. This is the professional in you. If this is a small project let them know it will be an hour consult, if it is larger then quote a 2-hour consult fee. It is at the second meeting that you can give them your overall project fee based on their needs and the overall budget, or by the room.
For example,
I like to work on a fee that is based on the scope of the project to be revealed at the initial meeting. I know that from historical data, this fee is roughly 10% of the overall project budget. So I will usually bill hourly with a running total each month in advance. I keep track of our time per each phase as we move through the project timeline.
This Initial Screening Call call can be the beginning of a great project and client. My goal is for you to ask the right questions to close the deal and for the best possible start.
THE ONSITE MEETING
I use this series of questions noted above on the first screening call and an additional set of queries during my initial on-site consultation.
My “Client Questionnaire” helps to keep the conversation going, but it also allows me to ask important questions for developing the project proposal and allows my client to share their vision with me constructively.
Download our (FREE) guide on the TOP 5 QUALIFYING QUESTIONS TO ASK on your INITIAL CALL, AND our top 10 questions to ask at the initial CONSULTATION.
These are 10 questions you need to ask to help get your proposals in line with the ask.
You can review these either in person during your first meeting or on the phone depending on how the lead came into your office. I never ask my clients to fill out a questionnaire, I practice these questions to memory, I may have an outline on my pad to ask the right questions, and the difficult ones.
THE INITIAL HOME CONSULTATION: 10 Questions You Need on Your Interior Design Questionnaire
***Note*** As noted above, I do not send a client questionnaire to the client. I do not ask them to visit my site to fill one out. Most people/professionals are busy and don’t want to answer your questions, it’s just more work for them to do. Your goal is to make the process easy and enjoyable. note* This is how I work. Other designers may be happy using these forms in a variety of ways.
These questions are for you to cover while meeting during your initial consultations. My clients are busy, and they are hiring me to make it easier. Memorize your questions, and appear interested in your client and who they are, and take notes. but do not give them more work, and do not read off a paper! Look like you know your business.
Your interior design questionnaire should:
Allow your professionalism to shine. When you have a process in place your clients know what to expect and so do you. Communication and getting everything laid out, to begin with, saves you time and creates trust within your clients. It sets the tone for the rest of the project.
Help you prepare for your meeting
Help you know what type of client you are dealing with and if you and those clients might work well together.
Help you learn more about your client’s lifestyle and preferences.
Help you navigate the first meeting and ask questions are friendly, yet clear and concise.
Take Control Of the Process
REASONS WHY YOU NEED A QUESTIONNAIRE
Your first meeting is very important. You are bonding with the client and ensuring that you can bring their vision to fruition. You should have these 10 questions as the foundation of this meeting to ensure a positive outcome and to present your professional nature.
As a skilled designer, you will ask a full range of questions to get a sense of the project and the tasks involved. You want to start off successfully and show that you are the professional and you are interested in them and their desires.
Maintain some control, be the boss, and show you are in charge of their project from the get-go. Armed with a list of necessary questions to cover also allows you to potentially see if there are any red flags in advance.
A new client questionnaire is pretty much what it sounds like: a list of questions to help get to know a client's needs and expectations. It's similar to an intake survey you would fill out if you were visiting a doctor or personal coach for the first time, and they can help you define a potential client.
Add to your process the list of important questions to cover on a New Client Call and you have a solid starting point for most projects.
The new client call and client questionnaire for the initial meeting are important tools for a variety of reasons.
BONUS BUSINESS TIPS :
*Now if you are charging for the initial consult, good job. Charge your fee, walk in the door and speak freely and give good value to that time. If you are not charging, then make this a 30 min meet + greet. This meeting is to review your procedures and costs only, make sure its a good fit for them and you, I do not give out design ideas. I won’t lie, this is a tricky issue and you need to decide what works for you, but please, protect yourself.
*Bring a copy of your Contract: You can also bring a contract along to review and demonstrate how you are pricing yourself. (do not leave this document with anyone)
*If the only thing you get is this GUIDE, you will always start your projects on the right foot, and present yourself as an organized and knowledgeable professional with important questions to gather information.
These questions are to help you spot potential red flags early on. If your phone call didn’t feel like the best prospect, and they are not interested in paying a consult fee, then make this first meeting at your office to allow them to meet you and ask questions. Don’t have an office? Then meet at a local showroom, or cafe to review how you work, and collect the fee before you visit them at their home.
Use our ONBOARDING CLIENT QUESTIONNAIRE. Using this questionnaire will not only save you time but it will also allow the client to see how organized you are and prepare them for what is to come next. Use this template for your meetings, and ask your clients the right questions.
Getting your systems in place is something that will help your business grow. I have recently been developing my systems and setting my business procedures in place for better streamlining and for best results. I am here to help you do the same thing for your business.
New Client Questions to help you close the deal.
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NEW CLIENT QUESTIONNAIRE; ARE YOU ASKING THE RIGHT QUESTIONS?
