We’ve all been there before. You spend a lot of time with a prospective client and just know you’re the right interior designer for them, but then they say, “I want to think about it.” Your heart sinks and you wonder what went wrong. You were so sure you were a good fit.

Why did they say that? Listen up, because this is really important. They want to think about it because you didn’t give them a good way to place a value on the benefits of your services. In other words, they don’t know why they should hire you. They’re confused. Always remember this: “The confused buyer says no.”

Think about the times you were in the market to buy something and you didn’t. If you were not clear about why you should buy something—what will it do for you? How will it solve your problem?—Then you won’t buy. You’ll do nothing.

It’s no different with your prospective clients. You need to maximize the value they see in your services so not only do they select you over other designers, but they pay more for your services, too. You’ll hear me say this a lot because it’s so important: “The more value your client sees in your solution, the more they’ll pay for it—period.”

So strive to build as much value as possible in your client’s eyes. One way to do this is to show how you can solve their problem better than anyone else. What do you do that will help your client achieve their goal better/faster/more easily than anyone else? The more you articulate this, the more value you’re building in your client’s eyes. And when you build value, instead of hearing, “I want to think about it,” you’ll hear, “When can we start?”

Want to learn more? If you missed last week’s groundbreaking complimentary training, you still have a chance to listen to the recording full of immediately applicable tools to transform your ability to close design clients now! Click here to sign up now.

I show interior designers how to take charge of their clients and make more money without being sales-y.

Read what fellow designers around the world are saying…

“…I have completely revamped our Sales/Proposal process and incorporated many of Maria’s techniques. Right out of the gate I am 5 for 5 in terms of closing my last five proposals, which is amazing! These processes work!” – Jamie H-B

“Because of a few simple strategies Maria taught me about being authentic and building rapport, I’ve since built my business on referrals vs. paying for advertising.” – Heather D.

“I was able to win back a client I had lost because of one simple step from your program.” – Jenn G.

“I got exactly what I needed and everything that was missing from my school experience.” – Sarah B.

“Your design solution was the most amazing formula I have ever heard!” – Mary

—Maria Bayer is Design Success University‘s Authentic Sales Coach.

Your success in business depends on your ability to answer this question:

“How are you different from other designers?”

You may hear it often from your prospective clients. If your response sounds something like, “I do kitchen design and bath design and …” then keep reading.

One of the biggest reasons that clients use price to select a designer is because you haven’t given them any other way to tell the difference between what you do and what your competitors do. They need to know what you uniquely provide that others don’t. Most importantly, they need to know how you can solve their problem better than anyone else.

How do you get the words to describe your unique value? Ask your best clients! They know better than anyone what makes you different, especially if they chose you over other designers. Once you know your unique value, you’ll not only stand out, but your Ideal Client will know that you’re the right designer for them!

Ask your best clients this question: “What were the key reasons you initially chose me as your designer vs all of the others you met?” and they’ll give you the exact words to describe what makes you stand out.

Want to learn more? Register for a complimentary 3-part series, “Three Secrets to Closing Higher Paying Clients Who Love Working With You.”

—Maria Bayer is Authentic Sales Coach for Design Success University. Her sales career started with a whimper before she learned the real secrets to selling without being sales-y. Bayer became a multimillion dollar salesperson and is known for her natural way of leading her clients to a close without being pushy. She created a sales program just for interior designers that is receiving rave reviews, and most importantly, the designers are making more money and enjoying how easy it is to close business.

When you give once, the client always asks for more…

There’s a little known secret in business that people don’t often talk about. I suspect it’s because when it happens, people think it’s an anomaly, rather than the great secret that it is. What is it?

Before I tell you what it is, let me share a scenario that might sound familiar in your business. You have a prospective client who asks for something different from what you normally do. It could be changes to your contract or payment terms; giving them design ideas before hiring you; or the biggie—discounts to your normal fees.

Now you, the professional who wants to provide a superior service experience to your clients, reluctantly agrees to their request. Then something funny happens. They ask for something else. Maybe you agree again, even more reluctantly, thinking that you just need to do this last thing and then they’ll sign.

Except it doesn’t happen. Or they do sign but they turn into this monster client who bears no resemblance to the sweet person you met in your initial meeting.

Why? Because you didn’t establish boundaries from the beginning. Just like personal relationships, if you’re not firm about what you will and won’t accept from the beginning, your client will take advantage of you.

One of my clients experienced a similar situation but handled it differently and accidentally discovered this little-known secret. She was having one of those days where she just wasn’t going to take any “you-know-what” from people and when her prospective client asked her if she could discount her fees, my client simply said “No.”

Guess what happened? Her client said OK and hired her.

My client discovered that when she is firm about her “deal-breakers,” her clients sense her confidence and professionalism, and respect her more. They test the boundaries, and when they accept them, they become great clients.

Your clients look to you to be the expert, to lead the way; it’s not the other way around.  If you don’t, they lose respect for you. When you lead with confidence, your clients will stop pushing you to do things you don’t want to do, and they’ll end up happier because of it.

To learn more, register for a complimentary three-part series, “Three Secrets to Closing Higher Paying Clients Who Love Working With You,” at http://www.interiordesignersgethired.com/welcome/

—Maria Bayer, the Authentic Sales Coach for Design Success University, shows interior designers how to take charge of their clients and make more money without being “sales-y.”

Do you know your close ratio? It’s the percentage of prospects you close every month, and the higher it is, the more money you’ll make—and this part is important—without having to spend any extra time or money. Furthermore, because there are only so many hours in the day to interview prospective clients while serving your current clients, the more effective you are at qualifying and closing prospective clients, the more money you’ll make. That’s called leverage.

For example, if you close one out of every 10 prospects, then your close ratio is 10 percent—not bad in today’s economy. But think of the amount of time and energy it takes to speak with those 10 people. Which would you rather do: attract 10 more prospects every month and have to speak with 20 different people per month, just to close one additional client? Or would you rather learn how to close two or three clients out of 10, so that you’re making two to three times as much money without having to spend any more time?

The first step in closing a prospective client is effectively qualifying them—quickly determining whether they are a serious buyer and your Ideal Client. If they’re your Ideal Client but not serious, smart business owners move on.

If they’re serious but not your Ideal Client, then my $1 million tip is to refer them to a designer who can help them. This will pay off in spades—in referrals from the prospect as well as the designer. Wouldn’t you like to make money on the prospects you don’t close? This is one of the best ways to do that.

If they’re serious and your Ideal Client, then the more quickly you can close them, the more clients you can serve, and the more money you’ll make. That’s leverage.

I’ll teach you how to close more clients in our groundbreaking series which your fellow designers have been raving about. When you download our complimentary 2012 Interior Design Fee & Salary Survey eBook ($179 Value), we will keep you posted about the next free call.

—Maria Bayer, Authentic Sales Sales Coach for Design Success University, has sold millions of dollars of products and services, and she teaches designers and small business owners how to do the same without feeling “sales-y.”