Ok, so we have our first customer and they’ve given us a space to work upon.
But in the background – and you know it – there are a number of loose ends to be tied up : budgets, time frames, workers, planning, materials, purchases, scheming and on and on.
How does it all come together…when does it all come together? What must we do to make it all work out?
Most interior design projects don’t turn out well because they weren’t planned well. Every interior designer is in essence a project manager and a project is quite simply any item that comprises TIME, COST and an agreed upon OBJECTIVE. So before starting your project ask yourself amongst other things:
A. TIME:
• How long will this project take and have I factored in any delays?
• Have I developed a day by day time frame for this project ?
• At what points will I be ensuring we are on track/ time?
• What’s the liability period after the works have been completed ?
B. COST:
• How much will the entire project cost me?
• Have statutory deductions (VAT, Duty etc ) been factored in ?
• Have labour costs been factored in?
• Have contingency costs been factored in?
• What margin or profit am I making from this project?
• What is the mode of payment – credit, cash before delivery, LPO ?
C. OBJECTIVE:
• What theme/ scheme/ impact/ effect do I hope to achieve at the end of the project?
• Is what I assume and what the customer expects the same?
• Has this aligned agreement been documented?
• Have sample drawings, plans, fabrics and colour swatches been formally approved by the client ?
Then of course there is the question of pricing : too high, too low, just about mid way ?
Price is relative and is dependent upon many things….one of the things that guides price is your customer segment…are they cost led, brand led or somewhere in between. A brand contributes a great deal to a price but in the event that we’re just starting out and thus are yet to fully develop our brand, we need to be fair about price : not greedy and also not prohibitive to ourselves.
This borrowed matrix gives some extra guidance on how to judge your pricing level, quality of service and end product:
Daphine
Labels: #PambaNyumbaNaElle, decor, Elle Interior Designers, home decor, interior design, interior design tips, Kenya, Pamba Nyumba na Elle, project management
