Business Advice by Houzz
WANT TO ENSURE A STEADY FLOW OF CLIENTS? If you’re asking yourself that question and want to find ways to encourage a steady stream of clients then read on for some key recommendations from Houzz, the leading platform for home renovation and design, and their community of home professionals, to help you learn how to streamline your processes and stand out to the right clients.
Know your workflow
Be your best advocate
Businesses will often be going through the same steps or processes with every new client they take on, without even realising it. Take a moment to consider what your process is and then you’ll be able to focus on streamlining it. For example, are you replying to all inquiries with a similar email response? If so, set up an email template that you can have ready to fire off much more quickly and efficiently. Or, if you’re finding that you need the same information from potential clients, try jotting down a standard set of questions in your phone, so you can make sure you ask everything and get the answers that you need in that initial meeting.
We’ve all heard the saying ‘you’re only as good as your last job’, so ensuring that you are showcasing your most recent projects, is vital. Once a job is finished, make sure to ask the client for feedback and take photos, then post it to your website, Houzz profile and social platforms as self-promotion. Think of your most recent job as your CV for new jobs! Professional on Houzz, Brooke Copp-Barton of Home Interior Design always ensures her Houzz profile, is up to date with her latest projects, explaining that, “it’s a wonderful tool for showcasing your work and engaging with the design community and potential clients”
If you haven’t already, try creating a visual representation of your workflows, to help you track the different stages of each job and spot areas that can be streamlined.
Don’t drop off the radar When focused on a big project, it can be really easy to lose sight of everything else that is happening in the business, especially future jobs. Emails can quickly build up and not responding to enquiries quickly enough, can affect a potential customer’s perception of the company. In busy periods perhaps consider setting an automated email response, to ensure clients know their enquiry has been received and will be responded to. Even at your busiest times, maintaining a presence on social media can be an effective way to stay on a potential client’s radar, whether that’s a quick post on your blog or Twitter account, or even uploading a photo of your current project to Houzz.
76
Professional on Houzz, Amit Malhotra of Aflux Designs always makes sure to ask for feedback from clients. “Having nearly 30 five-star reviews has given us credibility. We want to push this credibility into other forms of social media and PR, but we always try to get feedback as soon as the job is finished. Also, we are not the kind of company that walks away the minute our job is finished. A lot of our clients become lifelong friends and they know they can call on us if they need any advice or an item to be fixed, as we always try to maintain a healthy relationship post completion.”
