How to Make More as a Designer?
The average Interior Design Salary is $49 810 per year according to the United States Department of Labour. This is roughly $24 an hour. There are many salaries, but New York, Rhode Island, and District of Columbia rank among the highest-paid states for this job.
As with any other job, a salary for an interior designer depends on many factors, such as education, experience, and talent. How can interior designers who own their own business make more in this industry, if we leave aside these criteria?
This post will cover key points that will help you increase your revenue and bring more customers.
Subscribe to the 2020 Blog
Interior designer salaries – How to make more and close more sales
Market yourself Better
Marketing yourself is one of the most important things you can do to attract more clients and earn more money. If you aren’t actively marketing your brand and website, clients won’t come knocking on your door. Marketing is key to helping you get your business noticed and make more money as an interior designer.
Negotiating with Suppliers
You might be able to negotiate a discount for a vendor or supplier that you frequent. Although it won’t be a significant discount, you will get “dealer pricing”.
You can negotiate an annual rebate that is based on certain sales if your supplier is sceptical. Your supplier will feel reassured knowing that they will continue to be your suppliers for at least one year. You can then sell the products to customers at the regular prices and you keep the difference.
Specialising in Kitchens & Baths
You can make a lot of money as an interior designer by focusing on kitchen and bath design. Your relationship with suppliers Interior Design Salary is crucial as this is where clients spend the most money on kitchen and bathroom cabinets, countertops, sinks, tiles, and tile.
You can negotiate a deal with suppliers to get a discount on your products. This will allow you to take a percentage of the sales profit. The cut in the case of bath and kitchen products can be substantial.
Customer Relationships
Once your project is completed, it’s always a good feeling to have a satisfied customer. However, you shouldn’t say goodbye to your happy client by simply shaking hands. You can follow up with them by sending them an email a few weeks or months later asking how things are going and if they are still happy with the results.
It’s important to keep in touch with satisfied customers so that they don’t forget you when their friend needs your help. They won’t forget about you if they have other projects. While we don’t recommend that you stalk your clients, a follow up email or a holiday greeting card might be enough.
Add-on sales Interior Design Salary
You can add custom storage units to any kitchen, bathroom or bedroom design. You can create a pantry to fit the client’s needs or a walk-in wardrobe for the bedroom you are working on.
It’s okay to ask your client if they are interested in additional storage. If your client answers yes, you will make more on your sale. And if they answer no, there is no change. The closet add-on for 2020 allows you to create closets and organise your home.
Logging your hours
You should log any extra time you spend on a project that involves back-and-forth email exchanges and phone calls with contractors and suppliers. All time you spend working for your client should be invoiced. Even if you only spend 10 minutes here or there, it could mean that you are missing out on a lot if you add up all those hours at the end.
You have two options: you can log each time you work on a client project or you can establish a fixed rate that you will put in writing as part of your initial agreement. You are entitled to the money as long as you inform the Interior Design Salary client. Your hourly wage of $120 is equivalent to 20 minutes spent on the phone on Tuesday with a supplier, 10 minutes answering questions about the project on Wednesday and 10 minutes talking with your client on Thursday. That amounts to $80 in billable hours.
Charges for Consultations Interior Design Salary
Start your career as an interior designer by offering free consultations to clients. If you have a few projects under your belt, it is time to give up the freebies.
Initial consultations usually last around an hour. If done at the client’s home, it is likely they are trying to get some free advice. Why not charge for the consultation if you take the time to visit your client’s home and give them advice on their project? If you insist on free consultations, limit them to 30 minutes. Instead, meet at a coffee shop.
Modifying your sales pitch Interior Design Salary
You can learn new sales techniques if you have trouble closing sales. Also, evaluate your sales process to determine what is working and make adjustments. Are your clients understanding your vision? Are your clients understanding what you are trying to convey?
Proper communication and professional 3D renderings created with a design software can help you close the sale. You can close an Interior Design Salary sale if the client is able to clearly see what their space will look like and you have explained what they need and what you can do within their budget.