In a service based industry like Interior Design, it’s important to have a process to take those inquiry calls in a way that highlights you and your business in the best way. In this blog post, I go over the 5 essentials to having a great discovery call process that will leave you feeling more in control and empowered as the business owner.
1. Survey
Every new client coming to your business should fill out a survey. This covers a few essential things: they can get a sneak peek into what it’s like to work with you (if you ask the right questions), you get to collect a ton of valuable information, and it allows you to make a more informed decision about the potential client. You want to have your survey robust enough that it takes someone serious about hiring you to take the time to fill it in, but not so long that it frustrates and annoys potential clients. Make sure to ask for contact information, budget, project information and if they have any specific questions/concerns they want to discuss during the discovery call
2. Bookings
You should never take discovery calls on the fly! If you’re on a job site or running from meeting to meeting, your mind is probably not in the right place to take a discovery call. This means you are not showcasing yourself as a calm, cool, and collected designer, and more likely you are coming off as frazzled, unorganized, and easily accessible (which isn’t always a good thing). By having people book a call with you, you’re showing that your time is valuable and your clients don’t have free access to you. This also means you can take your discovery calls at the best time for YOU so you can make a killer first impression. Take your calls in a quiet place where you can focus and take notes.
3. Prepare
Prepare for your call by reading over the survey answers and reviewing the project scope along with your own schedule. Do you have time for the size of project the client has? Do you have other discovery calls booked that you would want to turn into projects more than this one? Prepare your brain before the call so you can speak with confidence about their project.
4. Take Notes
It’s important to take notes during the call so you can look back at them later. Taking notes also solidifies things in your mind better than just listening. If you notice any potential red flags that could prevent this relationships from being it’s best, make note of those too. No one has to see these notes except you so be honest!
5. Never Say Yes
I believe it’s important to never say yes right away to a client. This is for a number of reasons. It’s a good idea to let your mind settle and determine if this client and project is a good fit for you. It also gives you a bit of time to figure out your schedule (especially if you have multiple discovery calls happening close together). It is a lot easier to reject a potential client than a client whose project has started and turned out to be a nightmare.
You can say something like “I will discuss your project further with my team to determine how it can best fit into our schedule and then get back to you by DATE” or “Let me review my project schedule to determine if we can fit you into our schedule and I will get back to you by DATE”
It is important that you follow up, even if you don’t want to move forward with the project. Always follow up with each new potential client until you have a firm yes or no in place.
Did anything in this list surprise you? What steps are you going to implement right away? Let me know in the comments!
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