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Have you ever felt like you’re leaving money on the table by undercharging for your design service while also feeling afraid to raise your prices? You’re definitely not alone!

I think pricing our services is one of the hardest things we do as business owners. Not only is it daunting to figure out where the fine line is between profitability and bleeding money, but our inner critiques can get loud in those moments demanding to know, “Just who do you think you are charging that much?!”

In light of all that, I get why interior designers are hesitant to act when business coaches and industry experts encourage them to raise their prices. Even when you know you’re underpriced, it’s not always as simple as just slapping a higher number on your services. 

Having been through raising prices with many of my interior designer clients (it’s all part of building a messaging strategy that supports their goals), I think it’s important to navigate this change in a way that makes it feel aligned for you in the value you deliver to your clients and in your mindset. Otherwise, you’ll struggle to present your new numbers confidently.   

So what goes into a good strategy for raising your rates? 

First and foremost, I like to check in with my client to see what they’re thinking and feeling. If I can see they’re struggling but a price increase is truly in order for their business, we talk through their mindset challenges. It’s often enough for them that I–as someone who knows their business and the design industry deeply–can objectively point to specifics about the amazing value they provide their clients and affirm they’re justified in charging higher rates.

If that doesn’t resolve their hesitancy,  you have to understand that the clients who got you here, may not get you there. When trying to reach the next level in your business, raising your prices probably means shifting to attract a different type of client (unless you know for sure your previous clients are growing with you and will be willing and able to pay your new rates).

As a brand strategist and copywriter for interior designers, I know that raising prices is about much more than just the money. It’s about delivering value, creating a luxury experience, and cultivating a trusting, fulfilling relationship between designer and client.

In order to successfully raise your rates, you need to make sure you’re delivering a premium client experience and top-quality designs, but you also need to use your brand messaging to position yourself as a high-end designer worthy of higher fees.

1. Start delivering a premium client experience

When you begin to move towards a higher level of clientele, (the level of clientele that’s able and willing to pay premium pricing) it becomes all about their experience. For these types of clients, it’s a priority to not only provide a smooth, stress-free experience for them, but to go above and beyond to fully handle every aspect of the project that they want you to, because these clients place a TON of value on this! 

They want their designer to be the person that stands in the gap for them; the person who will make sure their design project gets from A to Z, by managing all of the things that come up along the way. They want you to manage all of the aspects that they don’t want to, and they’re willing to pay you the big bucks to do it!

That’s because this level of clientele doesn’t want to sacrifice their lifestyle for an interior design project. This is more than just providing a white glove experience, or treating the client like a VIP. This type of client wants their designer to take ALL of the project stress COMPLETELY off their shoulders, so they don’t have to think about anything but enjoying their lives!       

For some clients, this means minimal involvement in the beginning, and then they want you to fully take the reins from there. Others will want you to run every major decision by them throughout the whole project, because a higher amount of involvement is enjoyable or even comforting to them. 

Whatever the case, it becomes your job to meet them where they’re at, and deliver whatever type of experience and relationship to their designer that they want. 

This requires you to cultivate an elevated level of empathy, intuition, and communication with your clients. (Don’t underestimate the value of these skills!!) That way you can ensure their experience working with you is enjoyable, highly catered to their needs, and luxuriously stress-free. 

2. Shift your competitive edge to providing excellent quality design and service, instead of the lowest price

As a designer, if your primary competitive edge is to have the cheapest prices around, then the only way to increase your revenue is to sell more and work more. (No thank you!!)  And if you’re nonstop hustling and stretching yourself too thin, you don’t have the time or bandwidth to deliver superb quality or a premium experience. 

And that’s not going to attract the luxury level of clientele that will pay higher rates!

As business owners, we’re always trying to work smarter, not harder, so you need a sustainable way of operating that allows your business to grow in revenue. Not to mention, you want to be known for delivering top-notch quality!

For a lot of designers this means taking on fewer, but better-aligned projects at a time, (especially if you don’t have a large team.) That way, you have the capacity to give more focus and attention to each client project, allowing for an excellent level of quality that you can charge higher prices for! 

It’s a “slow down to speed up” kind of thing. Take on less client projects per year, so you can knock those projects out of the park. (But make sure the projects you decide to take on are in alignment with your business growth goals!) In doing so, you’ll allow yourself the time and energy to deliver a luxury experience and top-notch quality that you can confidently charge a premium for.  

3. Use brand messaging that positions you as a high-end designer

In order to attract a luxury clientele, you need to position yourself as a high-end designer in all of your brand messaging. 

The copy on your website, emails, and social media should all reflect the premium experience you’re offering, and speak directly to the needs and desires of your upleveled ideal client. 

Recently, a design firm reached out to me because they noticed their website copy was no longer in alignment with where they were at. They had gone through a major period of growth, and had reached the next level of success in their business! (Cue the champagne!) 

But their brand messaging needed to catch up – It was still speaking to their previous type of client. So we created messaging that’s on par with the higher level of clientele and projects they’re now attracting. They even let go of their old tagline that they ADORED, because we knew it didn’t quite fit their new clients!

Now that their website copy speaks to their current ideal clients, they’re able to easily attract more and more of them. And their business will continue to soar to new heights!

After helping many designers with this process over the years, I’ve gleaned some valuable brand messaging tips to use when raising your rates. Here’s what NOT to do, and what to do instead.   

1. Don’t go after clients who just want showy results. Instead, be mindful to cater your messaging towards those who value your time, creativity, and talent, and are willing to pay more for it! 
2. Don’t make the mistake of talking about staying within the client’s budget or hint at saving them money. Instead, highlight the value you provide, especially how you make the process working together so simple and seamless for them!
3. Don’t use generic language that you think sounds high-end. Instead, draw them in emotionally with stories about what’s possible for their homes. Help them imagine what life will be like in the spaces you design for them!
4. Don’t stay attached to old messaging, as hard as that may be. Messaging that got you here, may not get you there, so be open-handed and ready to release anything that won’t work for achieving your new goals and pricing.
5. Don’t feel like you have to justify higher prices with larger scopes. Instead, think about your process and what you do for your clients beyond what’s obvious or expected. Then communicate how your clients will benefit from these things by highlighting them in your messaging.  

Successfully charging higher rates takes an upleveled mindset, followed by strategic action steps that get you there. We can’t do the same things we did to get here, and expect them to get us where we want to be next, right??  

If you’re ready to get your design business uplevel into motion, and don’t want to tackle the brand messaging part alone, I can help! It’s truly one of my favorite things to do!  

Contact me here to schedule a no-pressure chat, so we can discuss your business goals and dreams. I’d love to hear about where you’re wanting to go, and see if I may be of service in helping you get there via your messaging. 

Before starting Deb Mitchell Writing, I worked in-house for an amazing interior designer where I live. One of my most important roles was to take over their discovery calls. We joked that it was my job to help them decide who she would be ‘going to the prom’ with–and to ever-so-gently turn down the prospects who unfortunately weren’t a good fit. 

As silly as our analogy was, I found it helpful to think of this as a match-making process. After all, she and her design clients would be spending a lot of time together discussing very personal decisions about their homes and their project budgets. Going beyond aesthetics and budgets to consider things like personalities and communication styles was critical for ensuring everyone involved had a good experience. 

In order to help me process in real time whether each client and project was going to be a good fit or not so I could lead the conversation in the right direction, I created a checklist based on all the ‘boxes’ the designer wanted a client and project to check to be a good fit for her and her business goals.  

Coming up with checklist items

Ideally, we’d all love a business filled with only the most perfect-fit clients and projects. But in the real world, things aren’t always so black and white. Being intentional about deciding who we work with takes critical thinking and strategy (neither of which come easily when we’re speaking to a prospective client who says they want to hire us!). 

The key is to think it through ahead of time and capture it all in the form of an Ideal Clients & Projects Checklist you can have in front of you when you’re on that initial call. 

In the case of the designer I worked for, we knew there were some items (boxes) that absolutely had to be in place (checked) in order for us to even consider the project. From there, we treated other boxes on a sliding scale, allowing us the flexibility to decide on a case-by-case basis when a project made sense for our purposes. 

For example, say a project was in an inconvenient location. If it was definitely going to give the designer great photography for her portfolio and/or a potential press feature, we might decide to do it anyway–especially if the press was local or regional so it would get her in front of more of her ideal clients.

Or if the scope of a project was smaller than she preferred but the budget was generous for the spaces involved and the client had amazing taste, it might be a ‘yes’ in the name of creative fulfillment.

The dartboard analogy

Of course, we all want to work with clients and projects who “check all the boxes.” But realistically speaking, that’s pretty rare. 

I like to think about ideal clients like a target on a dartboard. The clients and projects who check all the boxes are at the bullseye in the very center. They’re the smallest group. We aim for them in our messaging and marketing knowing that we’ll also land many (if not most) of our clients from the larger area just outside of the bullseye. These are the clients and projects that check most of the boxes, including our non-negotiables. For me, that means no newbies–they have to already have worked with a number of paying design clients–and if we’re doing their website copy, they have to give me the freedom to work with ALL the copy, not just their bio and service descriptions (btw, this is because I can’t get them the results they want otherwise).

If you get your messaging right and do a good job evaluating the checklist items on your discovery calls, you’ll cut way down on having to deal with bad clients. If one sneaks in, as they sometimes do, be sure to take the time to evaluate what you missed in the initial inquiry and conversations, then add that to your checklist so you’ll be sure to look out for it going forward. An experience with a client who was brand spanking new to the design industry is what led me to add the ‘no newbies’ item to my list. She simply didn’t know what she didn’t know yet and I realized I wasn’t comfortable having new designers invest with me to commit to messaging during a season of their business that’s inevitably steeped in rapid evolution and pivoting.  

That said, one last thing about that dartboard of clients and projects: When we start our businesses, we work with just about anyone and everyone who’s willing to hire us. Think of this group as being represented by the third and largest circle on the board. They may check the boxes of being nice and great to work with but don’t get stuck in the trap of holding your business back in order to serve them. They helped get you where you are now, but they’re far away from your target and they won’t get you to the next level of growth you’re reaching for. If they ask, tell them about your new pricing and services. If they’ve grown with you, great! If not, they’ll understand and be happy for you and your growth. If they’re not happy for you, did you really want to work with them anyway?!

Implementing the checklist method in your design business

What I love about this method is that unlike an ideal client profile or avatar, it not only takes the characteristics of right-fit clients (and projects) deeper than mere demographics, but it also makes it super clear and easy to spot good fits and bad fits in real-life situations.  

It also makes it possible to weigh and measure each situation based on what’s happening in the business at the moment vs. what our larger goals are. As you probably already know, these often compete with each other. It can get tricky when we’re presented with a project that’s great for the moment but may undermine us in the long run (think: a small project with a controlling client in a zip code you’ve been trying to break into when your goal is to focus on larger projects with clients who trust you fully). 

I’ve implemented this practice in my business, with an Ideal Client & Project Checklist of my own that guides me in making great matches every time. 

And now that I’ve realized how many of my clients struggle at every stage of business with deciding when to say ‘yes’ and when to say ‘no’ to clients and projects that come their way, I’ve started including this in their Brand Messaging, as well.  

To get started, grab a free copy of my Ideal Client & Project Checklist template by filling out this form and personalize it for your needs!

At the end of the day, as business owners, the reason we shouldn’t work with certain clients isn’t because we simply don’t like them. It’s because they’re looking for something that we’re not best at giving them, be that a project experience we don’t provide, a service we don’t offer, or a result that we know we’re not best at creating. 

And while you may feel pressure to say YES to every prospect who comes your way and is willing to pay you, working with misaligned clients is just setting yourself (and the client) up for an unsuccessful experience. 

For this reason, I advise all my clients to make an “ideal client checklist”. And if we work together, creating your Ideal Client & Project Checklist is included as part of my Brand Messaging services. 

Once you have a list of what’s important to you in a client and a project, it serves as a boundary to help you stick to your goals. It keeps what you’re trying to build for your business at the forefront of your mind as you vet your prospects.  

You need to align in more ways than simply an agreement to a transaction. A well-thought out checklist is about setting yourself (and your client) up for the best possible experience, creating a business you truly love full of fulfillment and joy, and avoiding people and projects that could cause miserable setbacks and stress!

Are you settling for clients and projects that aren’t best for you simply because you haven’t thought about what you really want and need? 

You may make money that way initially, but it’ll end up costing you in the end. You’re allowed to want more. And quite frankly, you deserve more! 

(The exception to this is early on in your business or any time you find yourself really needing to bring in some money. In those cases, I recommend compromising on aesthetics over working with a client who doesn’t value you and/or who’s going to make your life miserable! In other words, even if a project isn’t aesthetically fabulous as long as you’ll be paid fairly, go ahead and take it but don’t have it photographed.)

How to craft your ideal client & project checklist 

If you want to Get In The Room™ with amazing clients who’ll help you create a joyful, profitable interior design business you love, your ideal client checklist needs to include more than just the obvious (that they have the budget to work with you and that they want to hire you).

After all, making a bad match at the start makes for a bumpy road ahead with some very uncomfortable conversations with your client along the way at best and an unsuccessful project that leaves everyone involved unhappy at worst. 

Avoid all of that and lay the foundation for an enjoyable, successful, and profitable project, by making sure your checklist puts other key aspects of a healthy working partnership front and center, as well.  

To do that, first get clear on what your business needs and wants are right now and in the near future.

Ask yourself:

• What do you need most right now from your business?
• What are your business goals for the next 3-5 years?
• What type of clients and projects will help you meet those goals? 
• What kinds of clients and projects do you need to start taking, stop taking, and/or continue taking in order for you to advance to the next level in your business? 
• What types of clients leave you feeling drained? 
• What types of clients light you up and inspire you?
• What types of clients tend to give you the best feedback about your design work and processes (NOT about saving them money or ‘going the extra mile’ for them)? 

Getting really intentional about your goals, and how you want work to feel, is an essential part to creating an ideal client checklist that moves your business in the direction you want it to go. How amazing is it that we have the power to mold our businesses into whatever we want it to be?! 

Don’t forget to factor in your personal life.

I’m serious about this. Most entrepreneurs don’t take into account what’s happening in their lives outside of work when they set goals for their businesses. But personal demands on our time and energy can greatly affect what we can realistically give to our businesses. 

For example, if you’re raising young kiddos you may have less capacity for design projects than if your kids are older and more self-sufficient. There are many clever ways to package and price your services to support your needs while helping you achieve your business goals.

Your personality is also something to consider. If you tend to be more introverted, for instance, you can put processes in place that cut down on the time you need to interact with clients, vendors, etc. to protect your energy. 

Create your own checklist

Every designer’s checklist is going to be a little different; your ideal client checklist will depend on your personality, your business goals, what affects you emotionally in your work, and how you work with people. 

That being said, here’s a general template to get you started:

• Matching energy levels  (Do you prefer high energy or super chill vibes?)

• Similar communication style (Is it buttoned up and professional, or warm and casual?)
• Aligned values (like caring about investing in sustainable products vs. that not being a priority)
• Potential to give you great photography

An ideal client and project checklist acts as a touchstone for you as a designer. It’s something you and your team can use to vet prospects and–most importantly–keep you laser focused on saying ‘yes’ to the types of clients and projects that are best for your business and thinking twice about all the rest.

Putting my own ideal client checklist in place is the best thing I’ve ever done in terms of assessing if prospects are a good fit or not! I’ve learned you have to get really clear on exactly what it is that you want, in order to take intentional steps towards it. 

Pumped up to create your checklist, but don’t want to go it alone?

When we work together to create your brand messaging, helping you create your Ideal Client Checklist is part of the process! We’ll customize one that’s individual to you and your business. 

The first step to working with me is my Message Level Up service. 

Contact me for a free discovery call or send me an email to see if we’d be a good fit!