10 Essential Tips for Working

With Clients

Create a great customer

experience at every stage of
the project
Introduction
Delivering great work is only half of the equation when it comes to leaving
homeowners happy.

Good customer service is one of the most important things homeowners

look for when making a hiring decision. It’s also one of the things they
remember most after the project is done and they’re writing a review.

What kind of experience are you giving your clients? Are they wowed by
your prompt and friendly responses to their questions? Do you receive
lots of great referrals?

“If you have good customer service, clients in turn will pass your name on
to their neighbors and the people they know moving into a community,”
says Paul Cole of Cole Design Studio, Inc.

In this guide, pros provide their best practices for creating a great
customer experience at every stage of the job.

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Handling Inquiries

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 LTB Designs

The power of responsiveness

Today’s clients know what they want and they want it now. With the
Internet at their fingertips, they can quickly access a nearly infinite
number of ideas, products and even pros. If they don’t get a response
from one professional, they may already be calling another. How can
you continue to win clients in this new era of doing business?

Responding promptly to voicemails, emails and messages on Houzz

will increase the likelihood of winning the job.

“I respond to inquiries as fast as humanly possible,” Tamara Akers of

LTB Designs says. “I make it a priority and never leave them hanging
even if it means I have to work extra. We’re crazy busy, but you have
to make time for these new clients because that’s what keeps the
business going.”

Increase Your Odds

100
Responding to a potential
client interested in hiring
you within 5 minutes
increases your chances
of contacting them by 100
times versus responding
after 30 minutes.
48
The average time (in minutes)
it takes small businesses
to respond to an interested
client. Set yourself apart and
impress eager homeowners
by being more responsive.
SMS
Pro+ pros now receive SMS
alerts when a homeowner
submits an inquiry via
project match, so you can
be responsive even on the
road. Ask your account
manager how to set it up.

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 Martha O’Hara Interiors

Answer calls professionally

Every time the phone rings, it could be a chance to impress a potential
client. Answering professionally will ensure you make a good first
impression and set you on the best path to win the business. No caller
should ever have to ask if they’ve reached the right person or business.

Here are few ways you can answer the phone to start impressing clients
from the beginning:

“Thank you for calling Jane Doe Construction. This is Jane, How
may I help you?”

“Good afternoon, This is Jane Doe Construction, Jane speaking.

How can I help you?

“Hello! This is Jane with Jane Doe Construction. How can I help you?”

Create your own version and make sure it’s a reflection of you and your
brand. Be sure to include some variation of these three elements:

• A greeting
• Your name
• The name of your company

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 Tina Mellino- ZIA INTERIORS

Track leads
One of the most important questions to ask a potential client is how
they found your business. The answer to this question will help you not
only track which leads are coming from which advertising channels, but
also understand how familiar they are with your work. If they came from
Houzz, chances are they have read your reviews and seen your projects.

“I begin my screening process by asking how they found me,” Tina

Mellino of Zia Interiors in Phoenix, Arizona. “Were they referred to me, or
did they see a project somewhere online? Often times they have seen
my work on Houzz and called me. I ask because I want to know what
advertising method is working best and keep a log of how clients found
me. It also gives me an idea of the demographics of the project if they
are a referral client.”

Pro Tip: Call Tracking

With Pro+, pros can use Call Tracking to determine which homeowners called you from
Houzz and log missed calls so you have a chance to call them back. Call Tracking calls stay
recorded on your profile so you can reference at any time.

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 Sneller Custom Homes and Remodeling, LLC

Ask the right questions

Taking the time to ask questions and understand a potential client’s
goals makes them feel valued, allowing you to build rapport. In addition,
you’ll get a better idea of the project scope, budget and timeline to de-
termine if it’s a good job for your business.

“When potential clients call in, I have a list of questios I ask them,” says
Jenny Sneller of Sneller Custom Homes. “We want to know if they’re go-
ing to be the right fit otherwise it’s a waste of everyone’s time. One of the
big things we ask is where they are located. There are certain neighbor-
hoods where we’ll take almost any job because we want to grow in that
area of town, while other areas that are further out might be a stretch.”

Pro Tip: Cheat Sheet

Be prepared to screen new leads by having a list of questions in front of you every time you
answer a call. For a free downloadable call script with essential questions to ask potential clients,
click here.

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 System Pavers

Schedule a call
If a homeowner reaches out via email, text or through Houzz always get
more information by phone. Even if the project doesn’t sound like a great
fit initially, schedule a call and ask questions to find out what the potential
client’s goals really are. You may have a solution the homeowner never
considered.

“We respond to every message on Houzz and ask for a contact number.
Even if the client initially asks for something we don’t do, we’ll try and
contact them over the phone,” says Morgan Tedford of System Pavers.
“If we can get them over the phone and start asking questions to better
understand what they need, they may realize they want something
different than they initially did.”

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Navigating the
In-Person Meeting

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 Purple Cherry Architects

Clear up communication
Good communication is critical for client satisfaction. For homeowners
who are unfamiliar with home remodeling projects, articulating their
vision can be a challenge. They may think they want a farmhouse
look, but they might actually want something more craftsman. Many
homeowners aren’t necessarily familiar with the exact terms pros use.
Using Houzz Ideabooks as a collaboration tool can help overcome
that obstacle and ensure all parties are on the same page.

“We have every potential client start with an Ideabook and have them
add us as a collaborator so we get email notifications when they
add new photos,” says Cathy Cherry of Purple Cherry Architects. “It
lets us look at certain design elements they’re interested in and find
a theme. A lot of times they don’t really understand specific design
terms, so we can avoid interpreting or guessing what they want.”

For a tutorial on how to use Ideabooks to collaborate with clients,

click here.

Pro Tip: Get Some Skin in the Game

Taking time to start an Ideabook with a potential client makes them feel invested in working
with you. Another way to get skin in the game: “When they come to our showroom, we take
the time to show them around, introduce them to the team, and allow them to open and
play with the cabinets,” Jennifer Howard of JWH Design and Cabinetry says. “We give them a
goody bag, a nice canvas bag with some publications in it and our design agreement.”

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 Rockwood Cabinetry

Give some space

Winning the job feels good, but giving homeowners ample time to
make their decision allows them to be comfortable and confident in
their decision without feeling rushed; even if that means letting them
go home to think about it or shop around.

“We don’t push the sale. We always allow adequate time for every
customer so no one feels rushed,” says Brian Berg of Rockwood
Cabinetry. “We try to provide a really good experience and give
them our full attention. You can’t rush people if you want them to
spend their money.”

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On the Job

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 Frankie Castro of Square Footage, Inc

Keep communication lines open

A good customer experience should continue even after
you’ve closed the deal. Sending regular updates and keeping
communication lines open will help avoid miscommunication and
ensure the project goes well.

“We keep an ongoing dialogue with all of our clients during their
design, renovation, and all the way up to the final days of their
project,” says Frankie Castro of Square Footage, Inc. “Further, we
schedule regular site visits at the client’s homes, and have our
renovation team take pictures of the site every night, which ensures
that both the design and renovation aspects of the project are up to
our standards of quality. We are constantly communicating with our
clients and making sure that they are completely satisfied.”

Pro Tip: Go Old Fashioned

Communicating over the phone on a regular basis will help everyone stay on the same page,
especially when it comes to important conversations about project scope or making design
decisions. “Too much gets lost in the interpretation with texting,” says Annie Santulli of Annie
Santulli Designs. “It’s one thing if you’re texting about a time or place to meet, but otherwise
you need to speak the old fashioned way. Every so often it is important to have a conversation
on the telephone to let the client hear how excited you are about their project.” Send a follow
up email after the phone call to confirm everything you discussed.

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 Frankie Castro of Square Footage, Inc

Listen and validate

There are bound to be bumps in the road on any project. When
dealing with an unhappy client, taking the time to understand their
concerns and finding a solution can get the job back on track.

“Listen and be empathetic,” says interior designer Mary Miller. “I

always validate the client’s comments and criticisms so they feel
heard. I feel this opens a dialogue where they will maintain trust in
your abilities.”

If you have the ability to fix the problem, do everything in your

power to make the correction in a timely manner. They will
appreciate you making the extra effort to take care of them.

“The most important thing to do when things don’t go as planned

(and this is construction, so things do happen!) is to address
whatever it is quickly,” says Susan Klimala of The Kitchen Studio of
Glen Elyn. “The solution needs to be top priority to get the job back
on track. Communicate the problem to the client, along with the
plan of action and the anticipated timing. The most difficult issues
are those that are no one’s fault. I always have a conversation with
my clients prior to the job even starting and explain that having a
small contingency fund will make these events way less stressful
and the project way more enjoyable.”

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 Sabrina Alfin Interiors

Leave on a good note

Send clients off with a thank you note, customer satisfaction survey
or small gift to show you value their experience even once the
project is complete.

“If I photograph a project, I usually have a lovely professionally-

designed flower arrangement made in a vase to go with the look of
the rooms being photographed,” says Sabrina Alfin of Sabrina Alfin
Interiors. “I leave the arrangement and vase for the homeowner as a
thank you gift.”

Wrap up meetings are another great opportunity to say ‘thanks’.

“At the end of a project, we have a meeting with the client to make
sure they’re satisfied with the way the project turned out,” says Iris
Davis-Quick of CG&S Design-Build. “We make a postcard that they
can keep to thank them and we put a before and after photo on it.
It’s a cute, little sentimental thing that they get really excited about.
It reminds them of what their home looked like before and they can
see the difference side by side.”

Be sure to upload before and after photos on Houzz so they can

access them at anytime and share with their friends.

Pro Tip: We’re Here to Help!

Pro+ can give you the tools to respond to inquiries faster and track them as they come in through Houzz.
Learn more at houzz.com/proplus.

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