How to Get A Design Client’s Budget (+ 5 Mistakes You’re Making)

Oct 2

When my friends and I entered our late 20’s and began making a little bit more money in our careers, I noticed a wave of lifestyle upgrades:

👉 One of my friends started carrying around designer bags.

👉 Another friend of mine made herself a standing nail appointment

And for me?

👉 I started shopping at Whole Foods 🤣

Don’t get me wrong, I appreciate a nice bag and manicure, but if I could only choose one of the above… I get most excited about organic produce and animal welfare rated meat 🤷‍♀️

And 7 years in, I may not know *exactly* what my receipts are going to be each trip to the grocery store, but based on our current finances, our values, and our goals, I know we’re good for it.

The thing is: the same holds true for your clients.

They may not know *exactly* how much their project will cost when they come your way, but they DO know...

Their finances
Their values
Their goals

And all 3 of these things? Are what make up an interior design budget.

Now does your client KNOW that these 3 things make up a budget?

Maybe, maybe not.

But with your expertise and experience, it’s up to you to guide them and get it out of them.

I see the same mistakes made over and over again when it comes to securing a client's budget, and I'm ready to call them out and help you fix them.

Which is why in this week's live, I’m spilling the 5 most common mistakes made when asking for your client’s budget.

And I'm giving away allll my secrets on how to get them to give you their budget, before you waste time on clients who aren't qualified to work with you.

So let's break that, right here, right now.

After today, no more client consults without knowing their budget first.

Got it?

Let’s dive in.

Mistake #1: Not asking for their budget

Yeah you would think this wouldn’t be happening, but with so many designers it is! You simply cannot wait for your client’s to bring up the budget first: it either won’t happen, or it will happen but after you’ve 1) Invested a lot of time with them, and 2) have gotten them to fall in love with you and you to them. Which really is uncomfortable for everyone. So stop putting this on them >> it’s on YOU.

Mistake #2: You’re not asking for it upfront.

I get that you’re avoiding coming off salesy, but there is nothing salesly about knowing how much money your clients have to work with and whether or not they are a viable client.

In the video I walk you through EXACTLY where and how to ask for the budget, but the first time takes place in the intake form, and the second time happens on the discovery call.

You should never, and I repeat NEVER, go on a client consultation unless you know that your client has the means to work with you.

I’m serious about that one.

Mistake #3: You’re expecting them to just know.

Make sure you re-read my intro to understand this one, but here’s my best way to explain it:

Client’s will be shy to tell you exactly how much they have to spend on a project, BUT…

—> They know their goals.

—> They know their finances.

—> They know their values.

And when you ask them about these 3 things, you should get a sense for how much they need to have minimally for this project to come to fruition.

It’s your responsibility to guide them.

Mistake #4: You’re accepting “I don’t know” as an answer.

It’s always going to be their first answer. Just start expecting it, but not accepting it.

When they say “I don’t know how much things cost” you then say,

“I totally appreciate that. Let me ask you a few more questions and that will give me a chance to give you an idea of where I think it will land minimally.”

Mistake #5: You’re afraid to tell them.

If you’re afraid to tell them the cost of what they want because you’re afraid of letting them down, you need to get over that.

Because the alternative is not telling them, and then they find out anyway.

After you have wasted both their and your precious time.

I have plenty of client’s who have enrolled in working with me to help them ditch the guilt they feel over letting undesirable client’s down, and to step into their power and confidence of running their business like a business owner.

If this is something you need to do, too, I’m here to help.

Until then - definitely watch my video above because I take a DEEP dive on all of the above and so much more.

Jeannie

Psst in this video I mention how crucial it is to have a great intake form. Because of that I made my Intake Form 25% off in my shop, this week only. If you're looking for the right words and questions to set boundaries in advance and gather your clients budget >>> get it while it's hot.

Psst psst…. if you really struggle to manage client expectations, gather budget, communicate boundaries, etc., TAP HERE to learn more about my VIP Days.

Jeannie Andresen