How to Sell the Design Dream

Too often, we forget that the materials and elements of design are intensely sensory experiences and can be used to our advantage when presenting to potential clients. Taking a new client from a prospect to a VIP is a process of courtship and the romance and wooing that needs to take place for your client to feel comfortable enough to trust your process. And to navigate that courtship dance most successfully, you need to learn how to use the right language to paint a picture of the transformation you’re going to deliver for them.

No More Brown Walls

When you use detailed, sensory language throughout your presentation, your clients will start to feel tingling in their fingertips knowing they can actually picture your ideas. You elevate the entire experience to a place where the client can not only embrace your vision but invest in it and buzz about it. Use adjectives and adverbs to create that sensory experience; make colors delicious by choosing richly descriptive shade names that reflect your client’s surroundings and interests. Rather than describing the wall color as a shade of brown, you are drenching the walls in a rich mocha. Dress the ceiling in a perfect plum or swirl the walls in a classic cabernet. Entice your clients into your vision–don’t leave out the details but instead, embellish them.

Exploring Luxury Goods and Value 

Diving deeper into the world of luxury goods will help you to better describe these sensory features that you are presenting to your clients. If you haven’t already done so, start familiarizing yourself with luxury brands and building relationships with fellow providers of luxury goods. Take a day and find a luxury goods location near you where you can try on a $50,000 watch or slip on $2,000 shoes. I want you to have these experiences where you can look at the craftsmanship that goes into them. It is next to impossible to sell what you don’t understand. By immersing yourself in luxury, you can create a more compelling picture for your clients, incorporating your findings into your language and descriptions. 

If you want to learn more about The Affluent Creative, check out www.melissagalt.com/ac029