How to Get Along With Every Client (Even When You're Not So Sure)
By Jay Johnson
We like to think of our interior design business as being the equivalent of traveling first class on an airline. Our clients are paying for first class—and, boy do they expect first-class treatment every day!
If you want to bemoan your fate and whimper about clients who are nasty, aggressive, and temperamental, just count to ten, look in the mirror, and face reality.
Fact 1: We're in difficult economic times. If you're upset by how clients treat you, look at the half-full glass and take a gratitude break. Be happy you have clients at all; perhaps a time will come when they'll be scarcer. Think, "These are the good, old days," and savor the moment.
Fact 2: Clients who want high-end interiors need high-end service. If you're not providing strong support and snap-to-it attention, then you're not towing the mark. If you’re not providing first-class amenities when clients want first class, they'll switch airlines.
Fact 3: The interior design industry relies on catering to the needs of Type-A, obsessive-compulsive clients. They demand perfection, want to get their way, and be in control. Most easy-going and mellow people won't be decorating. Your potential client pool is made up of high-enders who will always make your life...interesting.
Fact 4: Designers make money by selling things to clients. So try selling civility to them, too. Start from Day 1, and nurture your professional relationships.
Facts 1 through 3 boiled down to "get over it, that's the way life is." But Fact 4 is your ray of hope, sunshine breaking through dark storm clouds. Here's what we recommend as the way to handle your toughest clients.
Step 1: The most important thing to establish early on with a client is your territory. Define what you mean by "professional space" and set up good boundaries. How you manage clients' expectations will set the tenor for the rest of your project. Act meek and mild and you’ll be steamrolled.
Irwin Weiner tells new clients that if his phone rings during a meeting, he'll check his caller ID. "I only take calls from my office, and we have a policy that they'll only call me with an emergency. But I won't take another client’s call during your time with me. If you have an emergency, I encourage you to contact my office directly and speak with my staff. They know how to always reach me—but it's my policy not to take other clients' calls when I'm on someone else’s job." That helps set a respectful tone for future meetings—as in clients will be more prone to respect your time with them.
Step 2: Be consistent with your clients. If you start taking your clients' phone calls or answering emails when you're at home and/or during the weekend, then you're stuck in that pattern. If you suddenly stop taking these communications, they’ll feel you're "demoting" them from first class to coach. If you don't mind being on call 24/7, then make that your policy and encourage clients to reach out to you. But if you’d like a life, draw good boundaries and stick with them.
Step 3: Never allow your clients to walk all over you. We’ve had clients yell and scream at us. We look at the client like she's just sprouted a jellyfish on the side of her head, and then we say in the softest voice possible, "I do not get spoken to like that." If they persist being uncivil towards us, we add, "That's rude," and we start to walk away. It actually works like a charm to lower your voice—never go up to their decibel level—and stand up for yourself.
Here’s why this works. Most people have high opinions of themselves. Most clients believe they're your best and nicest client. No one thinks their behavior is terrible, so to quietly tell them they're being rude usually comes across like an amazing ah-ha (or "Oops!") moment. This usually leads to an on-the-spot or day-after apology.
Step 4: Realize that clients can have bad days. Irwin once had a usually good-as-gold client yell at him over the phone. It wasn't like her, but Irwin responded, "by politely and quietly, giving her attentive service." The next day she called to apologize, explaining that her mother had just arrived on their doorstep unannounced. (That would be challenging for anyone!) Show good grace, civility, calm, and compassion towards others. Balance stressful situations with good management, and be inwardly grateful for the opportunity to provide top-notch service to your "interesting" clients.
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In November 2006, Manhattan-based blogger Jay Johnson and his partner Irwin Weiner, ASID applied the popularity of watching videos on the Internet to the house-and-garden arena. The idea for Design2Share was born. On D2S, they share their insight, tips, and strong opinions about how people design and decorate their homes, entertaining over 300,000 visitors a year; their syndicated original videos had over 22 million video views in 2010.
