There are always challenges when we're working with clients. Things can go sideways SO easily! We're dealing with different personalities, people's money, and their most personal spaces, so emotions are already high. But there are ways that YOU can bypass unnecessary drama. Because let's be honest, sometimes the challenges that come up are things WE could have avoided. Yikes. It isn't fun to realize that we're playing a part in creating issues with our clients, but there are DEFINITELY things we can do to be sure our clients are happy with us and our services! So here are 4 mistakes you should definitely try to avoid!

1. You Aren't Listening

We KNOW this is a biggie, but sometimes we just forget to really and truly listen. We're excited about the project and what we can do. We want to create something spectacular that will help us draw in even more clients. And then we forget that this is much more than just a pretty design for the clients. You need to listen with your ears AND your eyes, too! What do I mean by that?? Well sometimes they may not want to hurt your feelings or be too aggressive, so they may not say what they want to. But their body language will ALWAYS tell you what they are really thinking. That includes crossing their arms, leaning away from you, looking at the floor - you know the signs. So be sure you are paying attention!

2. You Aren't Communicating

We get so busy and caught up in everything we have to accomplish every single day that sometimes good communication can slip through the cracks! You want to be sure that you are sending a weekly update email to every single client, so they really feel like they know what's happening with their project at any given moment. But you also want to call them when issues come up, and be ready with smart solutions. And...you want to communicate if there are ANY changes in their project at all. Don't let things go too long without alerting your clients - that will tear down any trust you've built with them. Really, over-communicating is almost impossible. They are making a big investment with you for their homes and they deserve to know what is happening with their project.

3. You Are Over-Promising and Under-Delivering

No one MEANS to do this! It can just get away from you. Maybe you took on more clients than you should have. Or you could have gotten into the weeds and didn't know how to get yourself out. But you have to remember that you cannot oversell yourself and your services to get the client to sign with you, only to let things fall apart because you didn't have enough bandwidth to actually make it happen! Have your systems in place, as well as a great support team, and be sure you can actually deliver what you say you will!

4. You Aren't Being Consistent

Are you delivering the SAME customer service to every single client, no matter how big or how small the project? EVERY client should have a consistent experience with you and your company. They need to feel like they are the most important client you have, no matter what. And you need to stick to your client touchpoints and procedures so that every job gets the same level of detail and care. The ONLY way to do that is to have a system for every single task and to have a great project management system. If you don't, click here to learn more about my Return on Interiors offerings.

One fabulous way to be sure you're keeping your clients organized and up to date is with a client binder. If you aren't offering that, just click here to download my FREE guide and template to Organize Your Client Binder!