EP 115 | How Interior Designers Can Present with Confidence with Lori Steeves

June 3, 2019

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How can interior designers confidently guide clients toward better decisions without overwhelming them with options?

In this episode, Kimberley Seldon speaks with Lori Steeves about the importance of leadership, confidence, and clear recommendations in the design process. While clients hire designers for expertise and guidance, many designers hesitate to make strong suggestions out of fear of rejection or disappointing the client.

Lori shares practical strategies for presenting with confidence, managing client resistance, and creating a more decisive design process that leads to better outcomes for both the designer and the client.

In this episode, we learn:
• A simple strategy to boost confidence during client presentations
• Why offering fewer options often leads to better decisions
• How holding firm on recommendations builds trust and credibility
• Why a stronger intake process leads to better design solutions
• Techniques for working through client resistance and objections
• How to guide clients toward a confident “yes”

 

Design Intervention

Lori Steeves says, “In the Business of Design™ 3-day seminar I took back in 2010 Kimberley told me that whatever the situation, whatever is going wrong, you are 100% responsible for creating that situation. WOW, how is it possible that I am always at fault?”

The good news is that you also have the power to change anything you are responsible for and thereby avoid making the same mistake a second time. Now every time something goes wrong, instead of playing “the blame game” I ask myself, “What part did I play in creating this situation?” Maybe I did not make my expectations clear? Perhaps my instructions were too vague? And then we typically put a new system in place to ensure that this does not happen again.

With nearly 20 years of decorating and design experience, Lori Steeves’ energy knows no bounds. Whether it’s taking on new client projects, flipping homes, or designing and opening a café with her husband Jonathan, she never shies away from a creative challenge.

Growing up in a small town in New Brunswick, Lori never dreamed that she could make a living from her innate ability to make things beautiful and collected.

The seedlings of Lori’s design career were planted in Montreal while she was an English Literature and Art History student at McGill University. To pay the bills, she worked as a retail assistant at a home décor store. Her manager spotted her talent for arranging displays and promptly promoted her to a visual merchandising role.

To take her career to the next level, she enrolled in an interior decorating diploma course and accepted a junior designer role at a small interior design firm in Ottawa.

In the year 2000, Lori followed her entrepreneurial heart and founded Simply Home Decorating.

Simply Home Decorating served the Ottawa community for 7 successful years before Lori relocated to North Vancouver where she currently resides with her husband and their daughter, Findlay, and their extended family of pets.

When not transforming clients homes, Lori can be found outside enjoying nature, dreaming of her next European holiday or scheming a fresh creative project.

www.simplyhomedecorating.com

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Legal Disclosure | This podcast is for educational purposes only and provides general business advice for interior designers and design professionals. It is not intended as individual legal, accounting, or professional guidance. Kimberley Seldon and Business of Design® make no guarantees regarding accuracy and are not liable for how information is used. Strategies shared may not apply to every situation—listeners should seek qualified legal, financial, or professional advice before making business decisions. References and resources mentioned may change over time.

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