Hi Hi Hi wonderful people. It’s so good to be back with you again. I have to tell you this week has been filled with sooooo much, but that wasn’t going to stop me from getting to the goods of what I want to share with you this week: discovery. Once you’ve selected a few designers you want to contact for your next project, you want to set up a discovery meeting. For those of you who are familiar with legal proceedings, this isn’t the same as the exhaustive list of questions and deliverables you need to provide for a court case. So take heart in knowing that isn’t where your project starts. You may have seen this advertised with some designers as a discovery call. They are the same thing, but I want to expand the definition a bit. Let’s take a look at how it works.

Discovery in interior design is typically a quick, informal meeting for a designer- or a representative from a design studio/firm- and a potential client to get to know each other, establish a relationship, and discuss some general information about the project. While they can be conducted over one 15-30min phone call, sometimes the discovery process can extend beyond that. Here’s what I mean: many an entrepreneur will tell you the trick to converting leads to prospective clients is building relationships. That means that it can take multiple conversations for that to happen. Discovery for a designer could include 2 or 3 coffee trips, maybe even grabbing dinner or cocktails or meeting at a kids sports game. That’s especially true if you are working with someone on a non-residential project like a restaurant or office building. How many meetings and how long the process takes are dependent on you, the potential client, and the designer.

Now, these conversations should be free to you. If charges are coming into play, you’ve reached a different step of the design process, and may want to evaluate if you’re ready to move forward or not. The point is to gauge how you’ll work together during this process. You can kind of think of it as an informal interview: “Does the designer have the kind of experience and knowledge I’m looking for? Do I feel comfortable with this designer so far?” Have you seen The King and I? It’s just like that. “Getting to know you. Getting to know all about you. Getting to like you. Getting to hope you like me.”

So what types of things should you say during this process? It’s simple, speak as if you’re meeting someone new for the first time and talk about who you are, your family, what you do, how taking on the project is making you feel. If it helps, you can even address it like a networking event. Remember, it’s meant to be low stress and informal. As long as you’re presenting yourself honestly to the designer, this will create a great starting point in communication. What you don’t want to do during this process is grill the designer about every project they’ve worked or try to get the designer to give you solutions to your design problems.

For designers, this process is just as important to them as it is to you. They want to get to know you as a client, see if you’re initial expectations align with their work and determine if the project you are proposing is something they are going to take on. They don’t bill for this part of the project because no work is being proposed yet, and they can take these small moments to build relationships and pursue the opportunities that work best for them. Now, don’t let this part scare you. It is a reality and I want you to know that it’s there. Every designer you reach out to is not going to take on your project, with varying reasons as to why. Don’t let this stop you! You want a designer to be honest with you up front, and what is a no today could be a yes tomorrow.

Now here’s why you, the potential client, don’t want to go into a discovery meeting looking for all the answers to your design problems or grilling the designer about their work. First things first, designers are not billing for this meeting, as it’s meant as a way for both of you to get to know each other a little better. The moment you start expecting the designer to tell you if you should keep the wall to your kitchen or knock it out and put in an island, you are asking for the designer’s knowledge and expertise. That’s added value, which translates to added cost. In addition, excessively questioning a designer about every project and client relationship may have you come off as someone who won’t be trusting of the designer or the process down the line. We don’t want either of those things to happen, so let’s keep things friendly, simple and open. You’d be surprised how well things may turn out if you do.

Well ladies and gents, that’s all I have for you today. Stay tuned for more on the design process, and ways you can make things work a little smoother for you. Until next time. Byeeeee!