IMPORTANT TOPICS TO DISCUSS
1. You're going to want to draw out a quick sketch of any rooms you are going to work on to give your client an idea of what the game plan is. Let them know, once you get back to the office, that you will draw out a finalized plan to send to them to review and approve or request changes. By doing a mock-up sketch at the meeting, you can get a better understanding of where your client wants any furniture or accent pieces to go. Some clients may just want you to handle the whole project on your own, and leave you to 100% of the decision making, so this part could be skipped in some instances. Most likely this will be the case with home builders who want a vacant listing staged and don’t really care about the details, as long as it looks good and gets the home sold.
2. Make sure you get a strong understanding of the theme your client wants. Understand every aspect of their design requests so they are happy with the finished project. Always go over the topics discussed in the prior chapter and understand your client's personality. Although you are bringing your own design eye and skill set to the table, you still have to keep in mind that it’s a home your clients will be living in, and you want to make sure you design everything in a way they’ll fall in love with.
3. Review the magazines, fabric swatches, and paint color guides to give your clients something visual to base your notes off of. You can find products like these at Home Depot, Lowes, Walmart, and most home supply stores. Some give them out for free, others cost a few bucks. It’s also fun to put your own fabric swatch book/binder together. Stock up on swatch books. Having visual tools to bring with you on your meetings will really give you an upper hand in getting the project started and your client's excited. When it comes to home decorating, people want to visualize the project so they know what to look forward to. If you just bring paperwork and nothing else, they may lose interest in the project and it could end up falling through.
