5 Ways to Attract the Clients and Projects You Want
Zero in on your ideal client profile and showcase the types of projects you want
As a design or remodeling pro, you reach a point where you know which types of projects and clients energize and inspire you and will lead to a successful outcome for all parties. If you’re lucky (and strategic), eventually all your projects and clients fall into this bucket.
We recently spoke with pros about how they attract their ideal clients and projects and how that’s led to higher job satisfaction, consistent quality work and client contentment, and a more successful business. Read on to find out what they said, and then please share your own thoughts in the Comments.
We recently spoke with pros about how they attract their ideal clients and projects and how that’s led to higher job satisfaction, consistent quality work and client contentment, and a more successful business. Read on to find out what they said, and then please share your own thoughts in the Comments.
2. Showcase the Type of Work You Want to Do
Photos of completed work are important selling points for prospective clients. A strong portfolio can paint a picture of the quality of your work, as well as the project types you can (and want to) do.
For Glaister, that means making sure the top of her Houzz profile always features her firm’s most recently completed high-end projects. “I try to place the projects so that there is a good mix of styles and colors,” she says. This will appeal to the varying tastes of potential clients in her region, and it showcases her range as a designer.
Photo quality is key to attracting the luxury clients Glaister prefers. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to have professional images,” she says. “If you don’t have images that show what you can do, people aren’t going to believe you…. Any successful business proposition invests where it counts. And in our profession it’s photography.”
Photography also plays a big role for Bearded Builders. “Every time we finish a project we evaluate the uniqueness of the project and decide if it is worth spending the money for professional photography,” Price says. “All of our newest projects are uploaded to our Houzz profile and moved to the top of our projects page in order to keep our profile new and fresh. We make sure we have a good mix of styles and spaces so as to appeal to a variety of clients.”
Colin Flavin of Flavin Architects has carved a niche in the Boston area by pretty much exclusively designing what he calls “natural modern” custom homes. He largely attributes this success to a decision he made early in his firm’s presence online and on Houzz. “I thought, ‘Since this is the only type of work I want to do, what a perfect time to only put up work we aspire to do,’ ” he says. “It turned out to be a really great move. As it all took off, our brand kept getting stronger. It would not get diluted with other work.”
Find out how to attract luxury clients
Photos of completed work are important selling points for prospective clients. A strong portfolio can paint a picture of the quality of your work, as well as the project types you can (and want to) do.
For Glaister, that means making sure the top of her Houzz profile always features her firm’s most recently completed high-end projects. “I try to place the projects so that there is a good mix of styles and colors,” she says. This will appeal to the varying tastes of potential clients in her region, and it showcases her range as a designer.
Photo quality is key to attracting the luxury clients Glaister prefers. “I can’t stress enough how important it is to have professional images,” she says. “If you don’t have images that show what you can do, people aren’t going to believe you…. Any successful business proposition invests where it counts. And in our profession it’s photography.”
Photography also plays a big role for Bearded Builders. “Every time we finish a project we evaluate the uniqueness of the project and decide if it is worth spending the money for professional photography,” Price says. “All of our newest projects are uploaded to our Houzz profile and moved to the top of our projects page in order to keep our profile new and fresh. We make sure we have a good mix of styles and spaces so as to appeal to a variety of clients.”
Colin Flavin of Flavin Architects has carved a niche in the Boston area by pretty much exclusively designing what he calls “natural modern” custom homes. He largely attributes this success to a decision he made early in his firm’s presence online and on Houzz. “I thought, ‘Since this is the only type of work I want to do, what a perfect time to only put up work we aspire to do,’ ” he says. “It turned out to be a really great move. As it all took off, our brand kept getting stronger. It would not get diluted with other work.”
Find out how to attract luxury clients
3. Win Over Potential Clients With Your Brand
It’s important to remember that potential clients don’t look at just the photos — they’re evaluating the total package. “Everything you put into the world about you and about your work has to be on brand,” Glaister says. “You need to clearly communicate who you are with the images you place on your Houzz profile and the language you use and the tone with which you write about your projects.”
Glaister makes her personality a key part of her brand, which has helped her to attract clients she’ll work well with. “Everything I put on my profile is personal,” she says. “The way that I like to work is woven into the story and shows that I value the family and what we put into the house as a solution. That is just me, and that works for me.”
The team at Bearded Builders follows a similar model, sharing on all its marketing channels the company’s values and what clients can expect during the remodeling process. “We even try to be vulnerable and transparent about the ugly side of remodeling. We want people to get to know us so they know who and what they are getting when they hire us,” Price says. “The brand we have created hopefully reflects our values and company culture, which should attract people who believe in the same things.”
Flavin Architects adds visual treats to its website and Houzz profile, including freehand, artistic design sketches, to reinforce its natural modern brand and to set it apart from other firms. “It’s a handmade quality. It’s approachable for people. It’s becoming a much rarer skill,” Flavin says. “The key is to attract work from clients who have bought into your vision. They naturally are going to allow you to lead the design process.”
For Flavin, attracting the right clients through a strong brand has brought not only a steady stream of leads, but also greater job satisfaction and a more rewarding career. “It sounds so obvious, but we spend so much of a career building a reputation,” he says. “There’s nothing more pleasing than having someone ask for one of your houses. To have that recognition by potential clients.”
It’s important to remember that potential clients don’t look at just the photos — they’re evaluating the total package. “Everything you put into the world about you and about your work has to be on brand,” Glaister says. “You need to clearly communicate who you are with the images you place on your Houzz profile and the language you use and the tone with which you write about your projects.”
Glaister makes her personality a key part of her brand, which has helped her to attract clients she’ll work well with. “Everything I put on my profile is personal,” she says. “The way that I like to work is woven into the story and shows that I value the family and what we put into the house as a solution. That is just me, and that works for me.”
The team at Bearded Builders follows a similar model, sharing on all its marketing channels the company’s values and what clients can expect during the remodeling process. “We even try to be vulnerable and transparent about the ugly side of remodeling. We want people to get to know us so they know who and what they are getting when they hire us,” Price says. “The brand we have created hopefully reflects our values and company culture, which should attract people who believe in the same things.”
Flavin Architects adds visual treats to its website and Houzz profile, including freehand, artistic design sketches, to reinforce its natural modern brand and to set it apart from other firms. “It’s a handmade quality. It’s approachable for people. It’s becoming a much rarer skill,” Flavin says. “The key is to attract work from clients who have bought into your vision. They naturally are going to allow you to lead the design process.”
For Flavin, attracting the right clients through a strong brand has brought not only a steady stream of leads, but also greater job satisfaction and a more rewarding career. “It sounds so obvious, but we spend so much of a career building a reputation,” he says. “There’s nothing more pleasing than having someone ask for one of your houses. To have that recognition by potential clients.”
4. Make Yourself Visible Online and Off
It’s also key to make yourself easy to find online by the clients you want to attract. “We’ve really focused on our keywords, thinking that would be important for search results,” Flavin says. His firm adds keywords to its photos on Houzz related to the style and project types it specializes in, as well as the terms target homeowners will search for. For example, when potential clients in Boston “search online or search on Houzz for ‘modern’ or ‘natural modern,’ Flavin Architects comes up,” Flavin says.
Glaister takes this process one step further: She checks in with her Houzz Pro Client Success Manager when she uploads new projects to make sure she’s using appropriate keywords and descriptions so homeowners looking for inspiration and a designer will find her profile and her work. “They have the analytics right there. There is a science behind it you can access,” she says.
The team at Bearded Builders casts a wide net, both online and in real life, to get in front of its ideal clients. “We participate in a local Fourth of July parade in a neighborhood where we get a lot of work. If [people in that neighborhood] haven’t seen our trucks yet or if they haven’t heard about us from their neighbors, they will know about us now,” Price says. “Part of what sets us apart from other companies is our company culture and fun personalities. Sometimes it’s hard to get that from the internet, so doing fun things in the community is a fun way to introduce ourselves.”
It’s also key to make yourself easy to find online by the clients you want to attract. “We’ve really focused on our keywords, thinking that would be important for search results,” Flavin says. His firm adds keywords to its photos on Houzz related to the style and project types it specializes in, as well as the terms target homeowners will search for. For example, when potential clients in Boston “search online or search on Houzz for ‘modern’ or ‘natural modern,’ Flavin Architects comes up,” Flavin says.
Glaister takes this process one step further: She checks in with her Houzz Pro Client Success Manager when she uploads new projects to make sure she’s using appropriate keywords and descriptions so homeowners looking for inspiration and a designer will find her profile and her work. “They have the analytics right there. There is a science behind it you can access,” she says.
The team at Bearded Builders casts a wide net, both online and in real life, to get in front of its ideal clients. “We participate in a local Fourth of July parade in a neighborhood where we get a lot of work. If [people in that neighborhood] haven’t seen our trucks yet or if they haven’t heard about us from their neighbors, they will know about us now,” Price says. “Part of what sets us apart from other companies is our company culture and fun personalities. Sometimes it’s hard to get that from the internet, so doing fun things in the community is a fun way to introduce ourselves.”
5. Use Other Qualifying Criteria
In addition to their marketing efforts, the pros we spoke with rely on other filters and preliminary vetting practices to ensure they attract clients and projects they want.
Landscape designer Catherine Bosler of Bosler Earth Design in Los Angeles asks potential clients to do a little homework before the first meeting. “Before we visit the site, we ask them to send us photos of the property. We ask them for their address and what the desire [for the project] is,” she says. “If they cannot take the time to send the photo and the address, that speaks that it might not be a good fit.”
Glaister likes to handle all of her firm’s initial phone calls with potential clients herself to get a feel for the homeowner and the project. “If they balk at the fee for the initial consultation or they don’t want to wait a month, then that’s a red flag right away. I don’t think that comes across in an email,” she says.
This story was first published in 2021.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in pro-to-pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
In addition to their marketing efforts, the pros we spoke with rely on other filters and preliminary vetting practices to ensure they attract clients and projects they want.
Landscape designer Catherine Bosler of Bosler Earth Design in Los Angeles asks potential clients to do a little homework before the first meeting. “Before we visit the site, we ask them to send us photos of the property. We ask them for their address and what the desire [for the project] is,” she says. “If they cannot take the time to send the photo and the address, that speaks that it might not be a good fit.”
Glaister likes to handle all of her firm’s initial phone calls with potential clients herself to get a feel for the homeowner and the project. “If they balk at the fee for the initial consultation or they don’t want to wait a month, then that’s a red flag right away. I don’t think that comes across in an email,” she says.
This story was first published in 2021.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in pro-to-pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
Knowing which types of jobs and clients you’d prefer to take on is the first step. “At first I didn’t know” who would be an ideal client, designer Wendy Glaister says. “When everyone is starting off, they don’t know. That’s the great thing about Houzz. You can work for lots of different types of people. As you grow in your professional experience as a designer, you also grow as a human. You start to learn what types of people give you energy and get you excited and what types of people don’t.”
Glaister pays attention to how a project and the clients make her feel. “If you can’t be excited and energized by the project and the people, you will not serve them well and they will not be happy,” she says. “I have one four-star review on Houzz and it drives me nuts. [One of the clients] and I never really clicked. I didn’t want to work for them, and I did it because I care about [the other client]. In the end, the transformation was amazing. [The client] gave me a four-star review. I knew better and I worked with them anyway. It was a really good lesson.”
Identifying its ideal customer has helped the team at Bearded Builders in Baltimore better screen prospects as well as target marketing efforts to attract that client profile. “Once you figure that out, that is what you start sharing and advertising,” says Janet Price, head of marketing and communications at the firm.
You can more easily stay on top of your project leads and keep communication organized through Houzz Pro, business management software built specifically for design and remodeling pros.
How to Choose Your Ideal Clients