FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:

INTERIOR DESIGNER’S GUIDE TO CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

HOW MISCOMMUNICATION ERODES TRUST

WHY YOU SHOULD NEVER ASSUME YOUR CLIENT’S BUDGET

WHY YOU SHOULD GET EVERY AGREEMENT FROM YOUR CLIENT AND CONTRACTOR IN WRITING

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Today’s topic isn’t sexy, but it is so incredibly critical to the success of your project and, frankly, the success of your future projects, and that is communication. 

I think designers overlook this because they think they’re already great at communicating. This is what we do. We talk with our clients, share our designs, and explain our visions. Yes, yes, and yes. But what I want to drive home is the power communication has on a project, both for good and for bad. 

This is where I see a lot of projects fall apart because someone missed a detail, or didn’t follow up, or assumed everyone was on the same page. 

Miscommunication can be extremely subtle and often not intentional. But it can have an impact on everything. 

The cost of poor communication can be vast and run deep. This is something that you can focus on in the coming year so that you can prevent hidden costs, stress, anxiety, and all those other things that come along with miscommunication. 

Hidden costs in miscommunication

The hidden costs come in the form of financial costs, relationship costs, and emotional costs. 

Financial costs may seem the most obvious – we’ve all had a project where something got miscommunicated, and then suddenly, the budget is blown. For example, a contractor orders the wrong materials because your specifications weren’t clear. And now you’re stuck either resourcing or paying rush fees to get it fixed. So those are the hidden costs that you didn’t count on that will erode your profit. 

Or, sometimes a client will make a change while seeing something in progress while on the job site.  Those changes could have been avoided if your client had understood the plan up front.

These are very common issues that I see designers and myself fall into on job sites. And the costs in the beginning may seem minor. But they can quickly add up. So, what starts as a simple oversight or miscommunication can snowball into thousands of dollars of extra costs and possibly weeks of delays.

These costs often fall on us, the designers. Whether in the form of lost profit or in our time. 

Now, I am not saying that your projects will be completely issue-free, but there are so many issues that I hear designers share, and I’ve done in the past, that absolutely were avoidable. 

Beyond dollars

This goes beyond dollars and cents. It goes to the relationships that you are building and maintaining on these projects because miscommunication erodes that trust. 

Let’s say you caused an additional expense that the client is going to absorb. Well, that client is going to feel blindsided by the costs and/or maybe the delay and very well could lose confidence in your ability to manage the project well. 

And possibly worse, a contractor who doesn’t feel informed might stop consulting you altogether. And that leads to them making decisions that will possibly derail your design vision because they’re not gonna loop you in anymore. Right? That contractor’s reputation is tied to your abilities, whether that’s fair or not. And frankly, your reputation is tied to the contractor’s ability, fair or not, because you’re working as a team. 

So, over time, if you’re building a reputation of someone who’s hard to work with, or still learning, or ‘green’ within the industry partners that you’re trying to align with, it becomes extremely hard to secure new opportunities. And without industry partners, your marketing needs skyrocket. 

The emotional toll

The emotional toll is what I hear the most about. “I’m so insecure. I’m so mad at myself. I haven’t been sleeping.”  The stress and anxiety that these miscommunications cause for you as a designer is staggering, and it absolutely paralyzes you, which takes a toll on your mental health as well as your physical health. Because you are stuck constantly putting out fires caused by miscommunication. Then the frustration sets in. You’re overwhelmed and left wondering what the hell are you doing and why are you bothering to manage construction projects. None of that is good for your business at it absolutely is not good for your wellbeing. 

I don’t mean to doom and gloom this, but I wanted to get your attention because I know at some point so far, you’ve nodded at something I’ve said or recognized yourself in one of those scenarios. 

We have all done it. You are in a safe space. I can promise you that. The most important thing is to figure out where those breakdowns are happening so that you can avoid them. 

The mistake of assuming your client’s budget

Just because someone has a lot of money doesn’t mean they have any intention of spending it on a project. Or maybe what they think is a lot to spend on this project doesn’t even come close to what you know it will cost. So, the only way to avoid this miscommunication is to have a clear conversation about the budget. It has to be honest and upfront about the costs and your client’s priorities. Assuming they will spend what you know it will take, will get you into a world of problems. 

The worst of this mistake will be you wasting your time building out that budget, the scope of work, running those numbers, presenting it to the client, and them freaking out about the budget. Then you’re out of the job, and they aren’t pleased with your performance. By the way, this means they will tell their friends who may be on par with their wealth and willing to pay that kind of money, but they’re not likely going to say anything flattering about your abilities. 

So you see, one conversation with a current client can have a huge ripple effect that you won’t know about because you won’t get those calls. 

Or let’s say you do have the budget conversation and move forward, and the client loves it and says it verbally in the meeting. But later, when it’s being implemented, the client says, “Whoa, this isn’t what I expected.” And you’re left going; I showed you drawings and elevations. I don’t get it. And when they say, “I never agreed to that.” You’re like, “Am I losing my mind?” But it wasn’t in writing. You must follow up in writing with every client decision. Period. Hard stop. No exceptions. It’s accountability on both ends and a cover-your-ass document – God forbid you need it. 

This higher level of communication reduces the chances of things slipping through the cracks. It keeps everybody happier. It keeps everybody feeling involved and making decisions that everybody agrees with in the end. I’m gonna hammer home these kinds of mistakes impact your respect and your referrals. It is just that simple. Because when a contractor sees you coming in, organized, understanding the process, with clear communication and proactivity, they absolutely will want to work with you on their next job. Hell, they will tell their clients, “I will work with you if you bring Renee on board.” 

For every contractor you meet, whatever trade it is, you need to find their pain points and figure out how you can minimize or remove them. That’s what a team member does. That’s what a colleague does. Every single project that that contractor does is a potential client for you. It doesn’t mean you want them all, but wouldn’t you rather have the ability to turn them down than to be chasing them on your own?

If you are ready to take your communication to the next level, I recommend you check out my course, Interior Designer’s Guide TO CONSTRUCTION MANAGEMENT. Inside it, you will find more strategies along this line, tools, spreadsheets, templates, and downloads to elevate your communication systems.