Guaranteed Growth from Every Interior Design Project

Every project you complete is more than a finished interior. It is a growth engine for your entire design business when you know how to leverage it.

There are three specific ways to guarantee growth from every single project. Each one creates strategic tip points that stack in your favor and deliver more ideal clients, more great projects, and more profit at your bottom line.

Growth Strategy #1: Gather Social Proof from Every Project

When you are sending a client an email saying “we’d love to capture your testimonial” and then hoping for the best, it is probably not working. It has nothing to do with you.

Your clients are busy. We’re in the age of digital overwhelm. They don’t know what you want them to say.

You have two options. The first: when you are a wordsmith, craft a testimonial in your client’s voice and send it with an invitation for them to edit and approve. They may send it back with edits or no changes necessary.

The second option is to use a specialist who gathers testimonials on your behalf. A communication professional will have a short conversation with your client, capture their voice and their words, and massage them into a beautiful statement.

One extraordinary testimonial can be the tipping point to getting hired. That’s why this matters so much. When you want the best testimonials, GO HERE. 

Where to Use Your Testimonials

Don’t strand testimonials on a single page of your website. Weave them throughout your site. Include them in proposals, in your welcome kit, and in any collateral you create.

When you are capturing reviews on Google, Houzz, or Facebook, repurpose them everywhere. Those platforms are rented real estate. Always save testimonials into your own system in case a platform changes or removes your profile.

Create branded graphics in Canva to share testimonials on Instagram and Facebook. Don’t cram the entire testimonial into a single graphic; instead, share a single phrase or one-liner. One testimonial can turn into three to five posts.

Growth Strategy #2: Get Professional Photography from Every Project

Keep your portfolio updated. Every time you add a project, review what’s there. Is anything on your website ready to be archived or retired? Even the most timeless designs fall out of date eventually.

Less is more. Three to five great projects is stronger than twelve with a mixed range. When you want full-home projects, design your portfolio to show that. When you want room-by-room work, organize it into categories as simple as bedrooms, living rooms, kitchens, and baths.

Shoot for Publication, Not Social Media

Take before photos on every project. Take progress photos. Then have the afters professionally shot, and replicate the same angles as your before shots for powerful transformations.

Vet your photographers carefully. You want a photographer who specializes in interior design photography, not real estate. A real estate photographer captures the space. An interior design photographer captures the design, the furnishings, the vignettes, and the details.

Every project you photograph should be shot at a level that can be leveraged for publication. Today, publications rarely reshoot your project. You are expected to bring publication-quality images to them (and pay for the rights to have them published).

Build Relationships with Editors Before the Project Is Complete

All the editors of major and local lifestyle publications are on Instagram. Build the relationship before the project is finished. Share teaser images, a brief about the project, and some before-and-during shots.

They may be able to tell you now whether they’re interested, which saves you months of waiting. Review editorial calendars (available on their websites) to find your pitch opportunities. Every publication posts them online, showing what they’re planning to feature each month for the next twelve months.

Growth Strategy #3: Request Referrals to Grow Your Ideal Clientele

When the client is not ideal, think carefully before requesting referrals. Birds of a feather flock together. When you are not enjoying working with them, there is a strong likelihood you will not enjoy working with their peers, colleagues, friends, or family.

When they are ideal, stay in touch.

Create a Project Anniversary Celebration

Mark the anniversary of either the start or completion of the project. Every year on that date, send something to commemorate that date: a beautiful bouquet, a bottle of wine, a gift basket, or a logoed throw.

This day is unique between you and the client. It’s not a holiday, not a birthday, not a wedding anniversary. It’s your shared moment. Include a note of gratitude for the opportunity to work with them. Do this for every ideal client, every year.

How to Ask for Referrals the Right Way

Never say, “Do you know anybody who needs design?” That sounds desperate. Even when business feels slow, do not present yourself that way.

Instead, open with a compliment: “We’ve so enjoyed working with you. We have an opening for one project this quarter, and we’d love it to be a client a lot like you with a project a lot like yours.”

Get specific about the type of project. Reference their project directly. “When you have a friend or colleague who has mentioned wanting to do a remodel like the kitchen we created together, we would love to be put in touch.”

Always mention that you have limited openings. “We have room for one project” or “the next time we have availability, we’d love to work with a client a lot like you.” Scarcity is real, and it matters.

Make Referring Easy

Provide a short email they can forward on your behalf. Not your full bio, something short and inviting with your contact info, website, and Instagram so the prospect can check out your work immediately.

Consider a beautiful postcard with a couple of images and a testimonial, small enough to keep in a purse and hand out. Make the act of referring effortless.

Always Thank and Reward Referrals

Your clients are not looking for cash or a commission. A bottle of wine, a beautiful bouquet, a gift basket. For a larger referral, a dinner at their favorite restaurant or a weekend at a luxury bed and breakfast.

Be appropriate to the size of the referral, but always acknowledge it. Your clients are often several tax brackets above you. They’re referring you because they genuinely enjoyed the experience. Honor that.

Every Project Is a Growth Engine

Gather social proof. Get publication-ready photography. Request referrals from ideal clients. These three strategies turn every completed project into a launchpad for the next one.

Ask yourself at the start of each project: how can I leverage this opportunity to deliver the highest and best of my talent in a way that garners more ideal clients, more great projects, and more profit?

When you are not asking that question, rethink the projects you are taking on.

Ready to Build a Design Business That Grows from Every Project?

Schedule your complimentary Design Business Assessment. In a confidential zoom consultation, we’ll review your business, identify your biggest growth opportunities, and provide a clear path forward.

Book your complimentary assessment at melissagalt.com/dba

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Listen to this episode on Design Business Freedom™ Podcast – Episode 191

Available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Audacy, Deezer, Podchaser, and Everand.