Building Client Relationships in Design

I started my career as a designer. Sometimes, it was frustrating when a client kept changing directions. Or adding one change after another. I know that feeling wasn't one-sided. It affected us both. The pressure is real when you're responsible for deliverables. It's tough to recognise the challenges others face. It's rarely just one party's fault—it's a shared issue. At the core, it's about communication. Here’s how we solve it now: - Define the scope clearly - Conduct a kick-off meeting for alignment - Establish communication channels and frequency - Educate clients about the process and expectations - Focus on desired outcomes and goals, not just tasks - Use project management tools for effective planning - Involve clients at every step for their insights - Communicate often and seek feedback early - Use prototyping tools to facilitate collaboration - Set limits on revisions and changes upfront - Clarify the effort needed for extra requests Ultimately, design is neither for the designer nor the client. It's crafted for the audience. It must resonate deeply, driving the audience's actions and fulfilling strategic marketing objectives. Designers, have you been in a tough situation recently? Would love to hear some stories. 🔁 Repost this to support designers.

I used to think my portfolio had to impress other designers. So I filled it with sleek mockups, polished animations, and endless case studies. It looked beautiful...But it didn’t land me clients. Why? Because clients don’t hire you for aesthetics. They hire you for outcomes. 🚫 Too many portfolios still look like it’s 2015: → Pretty mockups → Trendy layouts → 10-second Behance loops But here’s the hard truth: Clients don’t care how cool it looks. They care what it does. 💡 Ask yourself: → Does my portfolio solve real business problems? → Am I showing results or just visuals? → Is it written for clients or for other creatives? What actually works in 2025: ✅ Highlight before/after results (data if possible) ✅ Explain your thinking, not just your tools ✅ Tailor your portfolio to your ideal client, not your peers Because great design isn’t just about craft It’s about clarity, strategy, and trust. ✨ Your portfolio shouldn’t be a gallery. It should be a sales tool. One that shows the value you bring, not just the vibe. 💬 Got a portfolio tip that worked for you? Drop it in the comments, let’s help each other grow. 📌 Save this if you’re about to redesign yours. It’s not about looking good. It’s about landing the right kind of work.

Customers rarely remember the campaign that brought them into the store, but they often remember the person who made them want to return! Luxury brands invest heavily in campaigns, store design, events, technology, and visual presentation. All of this creates interest and brings customers through the door, but it does not automatically create loyalty. Loyalty is usually built during the human interaction that follows. The customer remembers the salesperson who listened before recommending a product, understood what mattered without making assumptions, and respected the difference between offering advice and applying pressure. They remember the person who was honest enough to say that a product was not right for them, even when selling it would have helped achieve the day's target. They also remember who followed up after the purchase, resolved a problem without passing responsibility to someone else, and recognized them when they returned without needing to be reminded of their importance; this is where luxury becomes personal. A beautiful store can impress a customer once, but a trusted relationship can bring that customer back for years. The challenge is that many businesses continue to treat experienced salespeople as a cost while spending considerably more trying to recreate customer loyalty through campaigns and systems. Technology can support clienteling, but it cannot replace genuine attention, sound judgment, or the trust created between two people. The strongest luxury retailers understand that the salesperson is not simply completing the final stage of the transaction. In many cases, that person becomes the part of the brand the customer remembers most. When customers return to your business, are they returning because of the brand, the product, or the person who served them? #LuxuryRetail #CustomerExperience #Clienteling #RetailLeadership

2 weeks ago, I called one of our longest-tenured sales reps about a deal. In general, I love the chance to phone Gainsters out of the blue and talk to them 1-1. And this teammate was someone with whom I had been in the trenches with for many years. Since I had him on the line, I asked him how he keeps on top of all of the products and roadmap in our portfolio right now. He said (paraphrasing): “That’s not how I approach my role. My first priority is to be there for the client. I’m not the expert on everything at Gainsight, but I’ll get them to the right person. I’ll always be there to listen to them and advocate for them. And they know that when they reach out, I’ll reply right away.” Don’t get me wrong. Sales reps like this one wouldn’t be successful without the support of technical specialists behind the scenes. And if we were still a point product startup, the customer would want the rep to know everything. But to expect a sales professional at a multi-hundred million dollar revenue company to know 5 distinct products in detail isn’t reasonable. I realize this is counter to the trend that many of us thought was inexorable a few years ago - Product-Led Growth. The thinking then was that relationship sellers would go away and that products would sell themselves. Of course, PLG has had a huge impact. Many of us start with dev tools like Cursor or devops products like Datadog in a self-service fashion. But I believe customers still value diligent and consultative account executives - particularly in categories where the product is a solution, versus a tool. Indeed, I think relationship selling will become MORE important in the era of AI and agents. Agentic businesses allow companies to finally sell solutions. Marketing technology companies can provide demand, not email engines. Recruiting software companies can offer candidates versus an “Applicant Tracking System.” And Gainsight can deliver retention-as-a-service. In a world where you are selling a solution, your company becomes more like a consulting firm. And in consulting, human skills are everything. The old aphorism is that “people buy from people that they like.” It's easy to think AI will make that adage seem anachronistic. But in some categories, buyers will value relationships more than ever.

🏅 𝟓 𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐋𝐮𝐱𝐮𝐫𝐲 𝐜𝐥𝐢𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐞𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐬 Want to elevate your clienteling game as a Luxury sales associate? Here’s your chance. 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟏: 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐚 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐝𝐞𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐥 𝐚𝐛𝐨𝐮𝐭 𝐞𝐚𝐜𝐡 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫 Today, find out one personal detail from each customer you serve. No CRM form basics allowed. It has to be something truly personal. Like their next holiday destination, favorite hobby, or pet’s name. Knowing these details will help you personalize your future clienteling follow-ups. 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟐: 𝐒𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐥 𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮 𝐧𝐨𝐭𝐞𝐬 Send thank you messages to ALL the customers you served yesterday. Make them memorable. Showing your appreciation will leave a lasting impression. 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟑: 𝐂𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐮𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐩𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬’ 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐚𝐜𝐭 𝐢𝐧𝐟𝐨 Don’t let a single store visitor leave without giving their contact details. Sure, it’s easier to get customer data when they make a purchase. But the challenge today is to get contact details from those who don’t buy. This helps you start building a relationship and hopefully convert them later. 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟒: 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭 𝐰𝐢𝐭𝐡 𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐞 𝐜𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐫𝐬 Pick 2 customers from your database who you haven’t heard from in a while. Check their profiles and create a personalized message to send them. Regular contact helps keep relationships strong over time. 𝐃𝐚𝐲 𝟓: 𝐏𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐢𝐧 𝐚𝐝𝐯𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐞 For each customer you serve today, set a reminder for the next time you need to contact them. For example, if someone buys a gift, set a reminder to follow up and check how the gift was received. The key to effective clienteling is relevant contact. 𝐑𝐞𝐚𝐝 𝐭𝐨 𝐭𝐚𝐤𝐞 𝐨𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐥𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐞❓ ************ Discovering me for the first time? 👋 I'm Ines and I help Luxury brands deliver best-in-class clienteling experiences that turn customers into ambassadors. Follow me for more insights!

🌳 Why Stakeholders Resist Your UX Work, And How To Fix It (https://lnkd.in/eG_6nDVe), with useful pointers for designers to reduce resistance, deal with non-actionable feedback and prepare for successful outcome by the end of that big meeting. Often people don’t resist your design — they protect their interests. If you can show how your design adds value while protecting their interests, that’s a safe strategy to bring them on your side. And nothing diffuses resistance better than that. So these days, I try to get at least some sense of commitment before I design a single pixel on the screen — and most certainly before I walk into that big meeting to present any of our design work. I always try to avoid big revelations or big surprising announcements in that big meeting. It starts with the very first, initial interview with stakeholders. In fact, that's one of those meetings that I pay utmost attention to and usually ask for permission to record. Simply because from past experiences, I know that I will have missed specific areas that were briefly mentioned but never properly discussed. This is a template I'm using for the initial stakeholder interview: --- Dear Ms. Krajewski, As a UX lead on the project, my team and I are currently in the process of discovery. As we start our work, we’d like to better understand your pain points, expectations and success criteria. 1. Describe the purpose of the project in your own words. 2. Describe where this project fits in your daily work. 3. What’s the most important thing for us to get right? 4. How would you characterize the target audience? 5. If you could ask users one thing, what would it be? 6. What does success look like for you and your team? 7. What challenges are top priorities for you/your team? 8. How would you describe success criteria for this project? 9. What constraints or frequent issues should we know about? 10. What is your ideal level of engagement in the project? 11. What is your preferred communication method? 12. Anything else that’s really important for me to know? --- This is by no means a comprehensive or absolutely necessary list of questions to ask, but it does highlight some critical areas that then guide the conversation in the right direction. When you listen carefully to things said and things not said, and then run stakeholder interviews in the same format a few times, trends start emerging. That's something we need to watch out for. More details in the article below ↓ https://lnkd.in/eG_6nDVe I hope you will find it helpful for your work. 🙏🏽 And I would love to hear your experiences and your strategy of engaging with stakeholders in your organization in the comments! #ux #design

Your portfolio is overrated. I know that sounds bold. But it’s true. Designers obsess over it: ↳ Pixel-perfect mockups ↳ Behance case studies ↳ Fonts, layouts, fancy scroll effects But clients aren’t looking at your work the way you think. They’re not zooming into your grid or analysing your white space. They’re thinking: ↳ Can this person solve my problem? ↳ Do they understand my business? ↳ Will they make this easier or harder for me? Your portfolio might open the door. But it’s your thinking that gets you hired. If you really want to stand out, focus on: ↳ Explaining your process clearly ↳ Showing how you think, not just what you made ↳ Building trust before the project even starts ↳ Asking better questions, not just showing better visuals The truth is, you don’t need 20 case studies. You need 2 or 3 strong ones—and the ability to speak about them with confidence. Because clients don’t just want pretty. They want purpose. And that lives in your brain, not your portfolio. #CreativeBusiness #DesignThinking #DesignAdvice #BuildTrustNotJustPretty #PortfolioAdvice #DesignMindset #ClientAttraction

I’ve done 350+ discovery calls in the past 3 years and closed 7+ figures in contract value. I always structure my 1st call in the same 5-step format: Great sales is nothing more than a structured approach to help prospects make a decision. It shows them that I’m understanding and have their best interest at heart. I consider sales to be part of the service. It’s consulting. Here's how my discovery calls look: 𝟭. 𝗚𝗲𝘁 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗶𝗿 𝗦𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘆 I want to find out as much as possible about them. My goal is to understand their journey & personality, and also make them feel heard & understood off the bat. They talk, I shut up. If they jump straight into business, I gently steer them back. ___ 𝟮. 𝗔𝗻𝗮𝗹𝘆𝘇𝗲 𝗙𝗶𝘁 Next, I dive into their business model, bottlenecks, and top goals: • Who’s your ICP? • What do you offer? • What’s your marketing status quo? • etc. I figure out if a collaboration makes sense and whether they need our help or something else entirely—like coaching, a new tool, a different vendor, or just advice on improving their current setup. ___ 𝟯. 𝗜𝗻𝘁𝗿𝗼𝗱𝘂𝗰𝗲 𝗠𝘆𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳 I recap what they’ve shared and then introduce myself. Here, I try to mirror how they shared their story: • what topics did they focus on? • how far back did they go? • what did they highlight? At the same time, I look for similarities between us to create relatability. Then at the end, I explain what I do on a high level. ___ 𝟰. 𝗞𝗲𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝘀𝗲𝘀 & 𝗥𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗕𝘂𝗱𝗴𝗲𝘁 𝗥𝗮𝗻𝗴𝗲 From there, I introduce the 3 key theses they need to believe for us to work together. • Thesis 1: The decisions we make are influenced by the people we trust and the content we consume. • Thesis 2: Content helps build relationships & trust at scale. • Thesis 3: Content is an infinite game If they're not aligned with this thesis, it usually indicates we're not a fit. At the same time, I also discuss the rough budget range to make sure we're on the same page about expectations early on. ___ 5. 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗡𝗲𝘅𝘁 𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗽 If it feels like a fit, I lock in a follow-up call right then. I never leave this for later—it just adds uncertainty and hassle. If it’s not a fit, I still try to offer value—maybe I send some free resources or give advice. ___ 𝗕𝗲𝘀𝘁 𝗣𝗿𝗮𝗰𝘁𝗶𝗰𝗲𝘀 𝗜 𝗙𝗼𝗹𝗹𝗼𝘄: • I call out any elephants in the room. • I recap what they say to confirm my understanding and give them a chance to add details. • This also helps me process what they’ve shared. • I always leave room for their questions. • Their needs are #1 priority. #b2bsales #founderledsales #consultativesales

🛋️✨ "You are not a Designer if you think researching is about scrolling Pinterest." As an Interior Designer, this is something I deeply believe and have learned through both experience and education. I created this quote not to dismiss inspiration platforms, but to spark a conversation about the true meaning of design research. Pinterest and similar platforms are undeniably useful for collecting visual references and staying updated with current trends. They offer a starting point, not a solution. But when we treat scrolling as “research,” we limit our designs to surface-level aesthetics and risk creating work that lacks depth, purpose, and originality. 💡 True research in interior design is investigative, layered, and context-specific. It’s about: Understanding how people live, move, and feel within a space. Studying cultural contexts and how traditions influence spatial needs. Exploring material properties, light behavior, acoustic performance, ergonomics, sustainability, and more. Engaging with psychology, history, and sometimes even sociology or anthropology to inform how a space functions. Asking critical questions: Why this material? Why this layout? Who is this space for? In other words, interior design is not just decoration it’s spatial storytelling grounded in empathy and research. Designers who rely solely on visual trends often end up creating beautiful spaces that fail to function, lack identity, or don’t respond to the users’ needs. On the other hand, a well-researched space carries meaning, evokes the right emotions, and supports the way people interact with their environment. So, this post is not an attack it’s a reminder, especially to students and young professionals entering the field: 💬 If you want to stand out as a designer, go beyond trends. Ask questions. Observe. Experiment. Reflect. ✍️ By Lulu Jayaweera #InteriorDesign #DesignResearch #CreativeThinking #DesignEducation #DesignPhilosophy #BeyondPinterest #InteriorArchitecture #EmpatheticDesign #UserCenteredDesign #DesignWithPurpose

Most architects never make it into the boardroom. Here's what the top 1% do to shape C-suite decisions—without waiting for an invite ↓ 1. Speak the language of business, not tech Focus on Outcomes, ROI, and Strategic Impact 2. Build a network of allies across departments Cultivate relationships with key influencers 3. Proactively identify and solve business problems Don't wait for assignments > Create Value 4. Develop a reputation as a trusted advisor Be the go-to person for strategic insights 5. Master the art of executive communication Concise, clear, and compelling presentations 6. Align architecture initiatives with company goals Show how your work drives business objectives 7. Quantify the impact of architectural decisions Use data to demonstrate tangible benefits The key is to position yourself as a strategic partner, not just a technical expert. Elevate your influence by consistently delivering business value.