I now know that conflict is just a part of running a business and having those trusted people like attorneys on my side makes me feel so much better each day, as I'm working with clients and setting those expectations. So fear of conflict should not hold you back from setting clear expectations.
Hello everybody. And welcome to another episode of the designer within I'm so happy to have you here. I love all the episodes and I love. All of the topics. But I really love this one too. So this one does not feel any different than the others, as far as the love that I have for it. But the topic is the importance of setting expectations. And I will tell you as an interior designer, setting clear and realistic expectations with our clients.
Is so crucial. To ensuring a successful working relationship and project outcome. And really honestly, no matter what type of business you're in setting clear and realistic expectations with your clients is so important. And if I could pinpoint one thing about my company and frankly, my personal interactions in life that has set me up for successful outcomes in so many different situations. I would have to say that setting expectations was probably number one. and as I looked into my own company in ways in which projects turned out well, and sometimes not so well, setting expectations was usually the culprit And of course, sometimes the hero.
so I decided to share with you some of my experience in the world of expectations, and I'm going to do it in a three-part series. Why three parts you might ask? Well, setting expectations hits home in several areas for anyone who works in or operates a business. So I wanted to dive deeper into specific categories of expectation setting for my own business.
And I know you too can find some parallels in what you do within your own company. And. In your own business, even if it's not interior design. Now the other part of this is these are going to be what I'm going to call buzzworthy bites, or simply put shorter episodes. Why do I have to give it a cute name? I have no idea, but I do.
so buzzworthy bites are what I'm calling these episodes, and these are just shorter episodes, but cause I know sometimes you need to just grab some info and run on with your day. But jammed packed with actionable tips and information. So I hope this little mini series that I'm doing meets your expectations.
and you can find some things to apply to your business because I really do feel that expectations in our business and in our lives is key to our success and great communication. first let's talk about what the three episodes in this series will be about. First episode today is going to be just my general advice about setting expectations in your business.
The fear we have sometimes of setting expectations and why we have that fear and the positive results of establishing clear expectations. in next week's episode, which continues this setting expectations, the series is going to focus on pricing because I feel pricing is one of those linchpins in the process of working with clients.
And this starts by the way, before a client signs and during the time that you present a proposal and an agreement and guidelines for working together, there's all kinds of things involved in that. So before we even get to the point of working together, there's all sorts of expectations around pricing and around how you operate your company that I want to discuss in its own episode.
Episode number three. in two weeks will be the timeframe and responsibilities episode of expectations. what is the realistic timeframe for your project, for any changes on the project for communication on the project who is handling, what aspects of the project who is responsible for procurement, for instance, site management, order issues, receiving all of those things.
What is the expectations that you are setting around the full responsibilities for the project that you are handling And possibly that you are managing and the timeframe for that Are we setting realistic expectations? And if so, how are we doing that? And what possibly are we doing wrong that we could do better?
Now jumping further into this first episode of expectation setting and why it is important. And my general advice about setting expectations. when you set expectations, you are eliminating so many variables. You are eliminating undefined outcomes. You are eliminating other parties, deciding what they feel the outcome should be. You are eliminating undefined deliverables, financially, timeframe, responsibilities, and in my industry, so many more things. And of course, as I said before, pricing is a big issue in our industry and is going to be a full topic of conversation in this series.
you were also adding so many positive parts to the project journey and to the outcome you're giving a clear definition. Of who, what, when, where. And sometimes even why you are going to have less stress and worry on your part on your team's part for vendors, for trades and for your clients.
And you're going to have more trust before, during, and after your project, which means for you as a business owner, more referrals and more work from that client because they are going to trust you and refer more people to you, and they will want to work with you again. inside. Many industries are what we call people pleasers.
Now not all people pleasing is bad, but that's a topic for an entirely other episode. But for this instance, we will discuss the negative components of people pleasing as related to setting expectations. And by the way, remember setting expectations is not a one time event. You have to continuously communicate with your client throughout a project to keep them informed and to address any changes or concerns right away, being transparent, being organized.
And proactive and communication will just further help you establish A positive and productive working relationship with your clients as they're interior designers. But first, why don't we set clear expectations? What is the holdup with setting those? because I'll tell you setting realistic expectations in business is crucial. For many reasons, realistic expectations are more achievable and attainable.
When goals are set within reach, it motivates you and your employees to work towards. Towards them with a sense of purpose and excitement and enthusiasm, also setting and meeting these realistic expectations, builds credibility and trust with customers and clients and other people involved in your company. It also demonstrates reliability and competence, which is so important for maintaining positive relationships.
Unrealistic expectations may lead to short term gains, but they can be detrimental to the longterm viability of your business. On the other hand, setting realistic expectations allows for this sort of sustainable growth and stability.
Unrealistic expectations can also create undue pressure and stress on your employees and yourself leading to burnout and decreased morale Does that sound like something that might have happened to some you? To me it has
realistic expectations provide a more accurate framework for decision-making. They allow you to assess your progress objectively because you've set realistic expectations and it allows you to adjust those as needed. You can change your strategies to stay on track.
Unrealistic expectations are more likely to lead to disappointment if they cannot be met. This disappointment can have a negative impact on the team and your organization as a whole realistic expectations. However, lead to more accurate promises to your customers and clients.
They ensure that products or services are delivered as expected. And this only enhances your client's satisfaction and also reduces the likelihood of complaints or negative feedback online or to other people. By setting and meeting realistic expectations. All the time, or as consistently as you can, a business can gain a big competitive advantage over competitors who may over promise yet under deliver. I hate over promising and under delivering. The challenge of setting expectations is also something that I want to address because setting clear expectations can be challenging for a lot of reasons. And these challenges may stem from different fears and concerns, And they might just be the way that you've always operated personally and in business, but I've compiled some common fears that might prevent people from setting clear expectations. First of all fear of conflict, some of you might avoid setting clear expectations for fear that it could lead to conflict or disagreements with others.
You may prefer to maintain harmony and avoid potential confrontations. And if we're honest, most of us hate confrontation. We build it up in our mind to something much bigger than it actually is that mountain out of a molehill thing. And I used to be very afraid of even discussing confrontational ideas or potential confrontational moments.
Even to the point of being fearful of discussing potential lawsuits or utilizing attorneys in my company. But I can tell you, I do not do that any more. I now know that conflict is just a part of running a business and having those trusted people like attorneys on my side makes me feel so much better each day, as I'm working with clients and setting those expectations. So fear of conflict should not hold you back from setting clear expectations.
Maybe you have a fear of disappointment. Maybe you hesitate to set clear expectations because you are afraid of disappointing others or being disappointed in yourself. If the expectations are met, how about fear of accountability? When clear expectations are set, there is a higher level of accountability.
You're having to reach this new level of expectations. and some of us might be afraid of being accountable for our actions or for the outcomes. What about fear of failure? Right? Setting clear expectations implies a standard for success. And some of us may avoid this to shield ourselves from the fear of failure or not meeting those standards.
What about fear of rejection? You might avoid setting clear expectations because you fear that others might reject you or criticize you. If the expectations seem too demanding or unrealistic. for instance, the fear of a client not signing or approving. I see it all the time with contractors who are afraid that they might lose a project so they bid low on a project or they underestimate their allowances for products on their project and they get the project and then suddenly they have lots of change orders and the prices increased for the clients.
they get the job but they did not set clear expectations and realistic expectations for their own clients. And then they end up disappointing their clients. It's because they're having to raise the prices or do lots of change orders later. I don't agree with that.
Fear of change is another one Fear of change, can prevent us from communicating our expectations clearly as well. fear of being perceived as controlling. Which could strain relationships.
Fear of commitment, clear expectations, create a sense of commitment to a goal or a task. Some of us might fear committing to something because it feels overwhelming or daunting.
Setting clear expectations can also perhaps make you feel vulnerable because you are being very clear. And very explicit about what you're asking for and what the outcome is going to be. But overcoming these fears and learning to communicate clear expectations effectively is crucial for fostering healthy relationships, enhancing your productivity and achieving success in all parts of life. now that we've talked about the fear of setting expectations and maybe why we choose to shy away from doing so, let's talk about the basics of setting expectations.
Before we dive into some specifics of our industry. The list I'm about to share with you also could apply to any business or just to life in general,
first of all specific when you're setting expectations, avoid vague language and provide really precise details about what you expect. Ambiguous statements can lead to misunderstandings and misinterpretations.
Communicate clearly and directly use straightforward language, avoid jargon or complex terms that could be confusing. simply put clearly state what you need or what you want. Next be realistic set expectations that are achievable. And within the realm of possibility setting, unrealistic goals can lead to frustration and disappointment. I don't care how excited you are or how exciting the outcome could be. If it is unrealistic, it is not going to make you look good In any setting. Ensure mutual understanding. I want you to encourage feedback and questions to confirm that everybody involved understands the expectations, have them sign off on it. Just make sure that the person that you're speaking with understands. What you were speaking to them about because misunderstandings can be avoided simply just by an open dialogue and an open conversation.
Establish a timeline. We're going to talk more about this on the upcoming episode, but define reasonable timeline for achieving the expectations, prioritize. If you have multiple expectations, rank them in the order of importance. This helps others understand what matters most and where to focus their efforts. So if you have a team of people, if you have vendors around you.
ranked the expectations in the level of importance so that everybody is on the same page with what needs to be accomplished and when that needs to be accomplished. And whenever possible, put your expectations in writing. I am a firm believer in this. This provides our reference point and reduces the likelihood of forgetting something or misremembering details. my husband works in human resources. And one of the things that he's taught me is always document, document, document, document conversations, document client meetings, document expectations, document before, during and after. So please document whenever possible, your expectations.
Be open to negotiation this, to be hard for some of us, because in situations where expectations involve multiple parties, it could be hard to be open to negotiation, I encourage you to at least listen and find that common ground that everyone can agree on.
Encouraging ownership. I love this one. I encourage it within my own firm, but when appropriate and when you can allow people to take ownership of their roles and responsibilities, empowering them.
To also contribute their ideas and take initiative. I always hire people much smarter than I am, and I work with people much more intelligent than me. So I encourage them always to contribute their ideas and to add to the foundation that I have laid
and that will encourage their ownership in the outcome. Monitor progress. I want you to keep track of progress and offer feedback along the way. Regular check-ins can help address challenges early on and ensure that everybody is aligning with those expectations.
Of course, this podcast is directed it to interior designers and creatives, but I'm hoping you all have seen that setting expectations does not fall into one category or one industry. However, that being said, I do want to touch on some of these specific categories where setting expectations are important in the interior design industry and in lots of creative industry.
first of all, the discovery call and the initial consultation. With the client. I want you to listen actively to what their needs are, what their preferences are and the goals for their project.
Take note of their investment preferences as well, a timeline, if they've mentioned it and any specific requirements that they have in mind. So use your discovery call and the initial consultation as fact, finding so that you can set clear expectations later on.
Again, this will be our full episode on all of this next week. clearly define the scope of work for the project, including very specific details of what rooms and spaces that you will be working on with your client. Outline what services you will provide such as space planning or concept development, materials, selection, procurement, project, fulfillment, project management, whatever you're doing, outline that, and also discuss what is not included into your services to avoid any misunderstandings later on.
investment discussions. We're going to talk about that in a future episode, but be open and transparent about your investment expectations, discuss all the costs involved, including your fees, potential material costs, and any additional expenses inform your client about the possibility of unforeseen expenses that may arise during the project.
So in other words, give yourself a contingency amount on top of the approved investment. Timeline and deadlines again, another episode upcoming set, a realistic timeline for your project, including milestones and deadlines. This is so, so important. If you use a task management system like Asana, it can help you but be sure to consider any external factors that also might impact the timeline.
Such as availability of contractors. A lot of us are having that issue now, or material delivery timeframes, and never make guarantees that you cannot fulfill. communication frequency. I want you to establish how often you will communicate with your client during the project.
Regular updates are essential To keep the client informed about progress and to address any concerns promptly. It will also document issues that arise if you should ever need to provide such documentation. So we provide a weekly update to our clients And then that weekly update gives us a written documentation of everything that occurred during that week. Design preferences and approvals, discuss the design process and how you will present design concepts to the client. What is your method of presentation? Clarify how many revisions are included in your design presentation and your services overall and how you charge for any additional changes that the client might request.
collaboration and decision-making explain the importance of collaboration and decision-making during the project, the client's involvement. in making choices regarding design is crucial to ensure their. Satisfaction with the final outcome. It's their house, not yours. I love the word partnership when working with clients and I use that term a lot, and I think that falls right in line with this collaboration and decision-making topic that we're discussing.
make it clear how you will handle changes or unexpected issues that may arise during the project and address the possibility of additional cost or additional timeline adjustments for the significant changes and let the client know exactly how you will invoice them for that. If you will be invoicing them.
Next legal agreements. Of course, you've heard my first episode, my horrible, horrible situation where I did not have a written. Contract. I want you to have a written contract that outlines all of the discussed expectations. The more, the better I feel I'm not an attorney, but I do want you to have a written contract. And I want you to speak to your attorney about what you should include in there, but I feel you should include a scope of work, your fees, your payment schedule, and the responsibilities of both parties at minimum.
a contract helps to make sure that you both are protected. And I let my clients know that that this agreement is not just to protect me only. It is to protect both of us and to ensure that everybody is on the same page. And lastly, follow up after any important discussion. I want you to send a summary email that outlines the key points of your discussion.
Anything that you discussed that's important. Anything that could change the course of the project or any sort of issues that arise or anything at all that you feel is important to the final outcome of the project? document that in an email or in a client portal or whatever situation you have to document that. this will serve as a reference point for both you and the client to refer back to. so there is our first episode on setting expectations and the importance of setting those.
Setting realistic expectations in business is essential. For maintaining your credibility for managing all of your resources effectively for fostering a positive work environment, and really just ensuring that you have sustainable growth for your company. It helps your business stay grounded when looking for meaningful and achievable goals. And really the goal is to lead to overall success and longevity. this first episode on the importance of setting expectations, sets the groundwork for what we're going to work on in the upcoming episodes. Our next episode is going to dive deep into setting expectations around pricing. And we're going to start from your very first point of communication with your client.
And then our third part in our series on setting expectations It's going to revolve around timeframes and responsibilities. So set those expectations and achieve those goals. And I'll see you on the next episode, my friend.