How to Ensure a Steady Flow of Clients
Streamline your business processes so you can spend more time securing potential work and clients
HouzzUK
31 January 2019
We're the happy Houzz UK Team and you'll see us around the site answering questions, commenting and posting discussions. Hope to see you around!
We're the happy Houzz UK Team and you'll see us around the site answering questions,... More
Whether you run a small business or you’re a sole trader, there was probably a time when you had a manageable amount of clients that you could pay attention to, while also pitching for new work. However, as a business develops and grows, managing this transition between existing client relationships and building new ones can be a challenge.
“Ensuring a steady workflow of clients is the holy grail,” says Brooke Copp-Barton of Home Interior Design. “So far, I’ve found that being selective on what jobs I take on allows me to have constant work.” Here, we ask other Houzz professionals to share their secrets to an efficient and professional client workflow, and how to ensure a consistent stream of work.
“Ensuring a steady workflow of clients is the holy grail,” says Brooke Copp-Barton of Home Interior Design. “So far, I’ve found that being selective on what jobs I take on allows me to have constant work.” Here, we ask other Houzz professionals to share their secrets to an efficient and professional client workflow, and how to ensure a consistent stream of work.
Identify a client workflow that works for you
By mapping the steps or processes you go through each time you take on a new client, you may be able to streamline the procedure to save valuable time. For example, if you answer every enquiry with a similar email response, set up a template so you can reply quicker and more efficiently. Or, if you like to conduct a brief interview with potential clients to understand their needs, have a standard set of questions ready, so you can fire them off quickly and get the exact answers you need.
Creating a visual workflow board will help you to track the stages of each job, whether you have any deadlines to meet, and which clients need to be chased.
Josh Delane of The Wood Works suggests you should “make sure you plan your pipeline effectively. We work on our standard conversion rate and, assuming we turn that percentage of leads into clients, we can forecast the result appropriately.”
Find out how Houzz Pro can help you manage leads and create templates
By mapping the steps or processes you go through each time you take on a new client, you may be able to streamline the procedure to save valuable time. For example, if you answer every enquiry with a similar email response, set up a template so you can reply quicker and more efficiently. Or, if you like to conduct a brief interview with potential clients to understand their needs, have a standard set of questions ready, so you can fire them off quickly and get the exact answers you need.
Creating a visual workflow board will help you to track the stages of each job, whether you have any deadlines to meet, and which clients need to be chased.
Josh Delane of The Wood Works suggests you should “make sure you plan your pipeline effectively. We work on our standard conversion rate and, assuming we turn that percentage of leads into clients, we can forecast the result appropriately.”
Find out how Houzz Pro can help you manage leads and create templates
Stick to strict processes to save time
Whether you track your client workflow manually or digitally, as long as you implement your chosen procedures at the initial enquiry stage, you’ll save yourself valuable time with a coherent plan of action. It’s also worth adhering to set deadlines, such as following up a client meeting with a call the next day.
For Vickie Nickolls of Interior Therapy, taking on a variety of different sized jobs allows her to juggle her time effectively. “Most projects work at different rates depending on what needs doing, so you can manage other jobs in-between others and plan around each project. Spacing out the start dates or fitting dates is key, so you can work on the different stages of design successfully alongside each other.”
Whether you track your client workflow manually or digitally, as long as you implement your chosen procedures at the initial enquiry stage, you’ll save yourself valuable time with a coherent plan of action. It’s also worth adhering to set deadlines, such as following up a client meeting with a call the next day.
For Vickie Nickolls of Interior Therapy, taking on a variety of different sized jobs allows her to juggle her time effectively. “Most projects work at different rates depending on what needs doing, so you can manage other jobs in-between others and plan around each project. Spacing out the start dates or fitting dates is key, so you can work on the different stages of design successfully alongside each other.”
Stay on a potential client’s radar
It’s extremely easy to get caught up in a big project and lose track of what else is happening with the business. For example, not responding to enquiries because you’re too busy could affect client retention. Consider using an automated email response system to show you’re interested in their enquiry and to ensure you stay on their radar. Then set up a tracker system so you can follow up enquires at a future date.
Social media is a simple, effective and super-quick way of retaining a presence, even at your busiest times. A quick post on your blog, Instagram or Twitter account about your latest project, or even a photo of a desk swamped with samples, will keep clients interested and intrigued, as well as reminding them of how busy you are!
Copp-Barton always ensures her website social channels, especially Houzz, are up to date with her latest projects. “It’s a wonderful tool for showcasing your work and engaging with the design community and potential clients,” she says.
Lior Brosh, of Brosh Architects, also sees social media as an important time-saving tool. “We live in the golden era of social media where we can be seen and heard for free or at very little cost. It’s very important to be active on social media and various professional platforms in order to get noticed.”
It’s extremely easy to get caught up in a big project and lose track of what else is happening with the business. For example, not responding to enquiries because you’re too busy could affect client retention. Consider using an automated email response system to show you’re interested in their enquiry and to ensure you stay on their radar. Then set up a tracker system so you can follow up enquires at a future date.
Social media is a simple, effective and super-quick way of retaining a presence, even at your busiest times. A quick post on your blog, Instagram or Twitter account about your latest project, or even a photo of a desk swamped with samples, will keep clients interested and intrigued, as well as reminding them of how busy you are!
Copp-Barton always ensures her website social channels, especially Houzz, are up to date with her latest projects. “It’s a wonderful tool for showcasing your work and engaging with the design community and potential clients,” she says.
Lior Brosh, of Brosh Architects, also sees social media as an important time-saving tool. “We live in the golden era of social media where we can be seen and heard for free or at very little cost. It’s very important to be active on social media and various professional platforms in order to get noticed.”
Continue to self-promote
As the saying goes, ‘you’re only as good as your last job’, so showcasing recent work is crucial. As soon as a job is complete, ask the happy client for feedback and then post it on your website and social platforms for self-promotion. Consider your latest projects, like your portfolio or CV – potential clients are always going to want to see what you’ve just completed.
Amit Malhotra of Aflux Designs always asks for feedback and to be recommended. “Having nearly 30 five-star reviews has given us credibility. We want to push this credibility into other forms of social media and PR, but we always try to get feedback as soon as the job is finished. Also, we are not the kind of company that walks away the minute our job is finished. A lot of our clients become lifelong friends and they know they can call on us if they need any advice or an item to be fixed, as we always try to maintain a healthy relationship post completion.”
Copp-Barton also believes that word of mouth leads to more work. “Recommendations are hugely effective – once you have some great projects under your belt, it is important to obtain testimonials from past clients and raise your profile though local channels.”
Tell us…
Do you have any pearls of wisdom on ensuring a steady workflow? Share your ideas in the Comments.
This story was written by the Houzz Industry Marketing team.
As the saying goes, ‘you’re only as good as your last job’, so showcasing recent work is crucial. As soon as a job is complete, ask the happy client for feedback and then post it on your website and social platforms for self-promotion. Consider your latest projects, like your portfolio or CV – potential clients are always going to want to see what you’ve just completed.
Amit Malhotra of Aflux Designs always asks for feedback and to be recommended. “Having nearly 30 five-star reviews has given us credibility. We want to push this credibility into other forms of social media and PR, but we always try to get feedback as soon as the job is finished. Also, we are not the kind of company that walks away the minute our job is finished. A lot of our clients become lifelong friends and they know they can call on us if they need any advice or an item to be fixed, as we always try to maintain a healthy relationship post completion.”
Copp-Barton also believes that word of mouth leads to more work. “Recommendations are hugely effective – once you have some great projects under your belt, it is important to obtain testimonials from past clients and raise your profile though local channels.”
Tell us…
Do you have any pearls of wisdom on ensuring a steady workflow? Share your ideas in the Comments.
This story was written by the Houzz Industry Marketing team.
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Keep on top of marketing, especially when you are busy. Manage time. Always plan the next day before you close the office. I Spend up to 4 hours a week programming work in. I use 3 project planners; weekly, 3 weekly and 12 weekly. The weekly plan is in sharper focus whereas the 12 weekly is more informative and takes into account longer projects and more distant goals. Planning this way ensures you know how much work you have on and helps avoids taking on too much. It also provides a red flag when you need to start taking on more. I am never afraid to tell potential clients I cannot start for 6-8 weeks after an instruction if I am really busy.
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