Do you ever have clients ghost you?

I don’t mean during the sales process. I mean—they’ve already paid you, you’ve already started the project, and yet… crickets. No response to emails. No scheduling their next meeting. Just—silence.

I’m that client waaay too often. 😑

I ALWAYS pay my bills timely, but answering emails from people I’ve literally paid to help me…? Sigh. 😩

But lucky for you, that means I can give you a peek behind the curtain!

Why your clients might be ghosting you

Clients like me are busy. We’ve got to-do lists, Post-its, and phone reminders all screaming for attention. When it’s time to choose who to answer, I have to pick between:

• MUST + NEED TO DO’s (has a deadline and real consequences)
• SHOULD + WANT TO DO’s (important… but won’t explode if delayed)

Unfortunately, the “MUST DO” list is always longer:

• File taxes before the deadline.
• Pay the bill before interest hits.
• Call mom to see how dad’s recovering from surgery.
• Clean the litter box because… Damn 🤢

Even though I want to respond to your email, it lands in the SHOULD pile. I’m lucky if I get to answer just one or two of those a day.

But you need your clients to take action, right?

Here’s how to influence people like me:

1. Make it easy.

My podcast coach recently “tricked” me into scheduling with him by sending a two-line email with a direct link to his calendar:

“No worries about the delay, looking forward to catching up on our next call. Here’s a link to my calendar to book a time that works for you.”

Nothing fancy, he just eliminated an obstacle. I didn’t have to go find his calendar – just:

☑️ Click.

☑️ Pick a time.

Done.

Did it guarantee I took action? No. But it made it way more likely (and, yes, it worked!). Sure, doing this can feel like babysitting our clients, but it’s in his interest. He’s helping me get value from my investment, which means the project will go better and lead to referrals! It’s a win-win!

2. Add gentle consequences.

My website designer kept me on track with extension fees (a trick I quickly folded into my interior design process!). Every time a deadline approached, she’d send a kind reminder that included:

• What decision she needed.
• When she needed it by.
• What would happen if I missed it.

Something like:

“Hey Rebecca, don’t forget to finalize your brand color choices by Tuesday. If you need you need more time, no worries, I can apply the $250 extension fee and extend your deadline to the following Tuesday.”

Simple. Clear. Not punitive. Just—boundaries.

These are the kinds of processes (eg, when to follow up and how) and rules (what happens if they don’t act) that you must set up if you want to have “good” clients (and also happens to be what I help students create in my Lead to Launch course. 😉)

It’s scary to enforce boundaries

I know, I know… You’re “worried about upsetting the client.” Or maybe you “don’t have time to stop and revamp your systems.” Maybe you feel like “things aren’t that bad.”

But: Setting your rules is the difference between having unhelpful, low-engagement clients and having enthusiastic, happy clients who trust your advice and follow your direction.

If you won’t do it for yourself, do it for your clients!

When we let clients drag their feet, it doesn’t just mess with the timeline—it kills momentum too. Clients see all the money they’re spending, but no progress. That shakes their confidence in you and the project.

Next thing you know, they’re overwhelmed, uninspired, and questioning both their investment and your expertise.

Got clients like me?

Give us clear instructions and a structure to follow—we’ll be grateful, well-behaved, and one day refer you enthusiastically, thanks not only to the results we got, but the professional experience you provided along the way!

What’s the recipe?

1. Pick your path.

It’s impossible to build solid, profitable processes or establish yourself as a credible expert if your services keep changing and your promises are vague.

Decide what you do, who you do it for, and what you need in order to deliver your best work. Then (see step 2 below) use that focus to set up systems that allow you to deliver! (Need help picking a path? The next 2-week Nail Your Niche intensive kicks off July 14 – save the date!)

2. Set your rules.

Clear expectations build trust, and we designers need our clients to trust us!!

By the time someone fills out your intake form, they should already know you’re the right fit. Every onboarding step after that—consults, agreements, emails—should reinforce that trust.

If you’re still surprising clients with pricing or expectations after the project has started, improve that onboarding process!

3. Set up a no-fail system.

Setting expectations only works if you follow through.

We all know what happens when a parent says, “No dessert until you finish dinner,” and then lets the kids eat cake despite the still-full plate. Kids quickly learn the real rules. So do our clients.

Did you say projects wrap in 12 weeks?

Use automatic emails to keep clients in the loop about upcoming deadlines before it triggers an extension fee. That gives them a chance to meet the deadline—or make a conscious choice to pay the extension fee. The client feels like they are in control, and you don’t have to be the bad guy.

It’s straightforward, clear, and fair. Instead of stressing about how you’re going to tell the client they’re “taking too long,” (what does that even mean if you haven’t defined it in your design agreement??), you can let the system do its job and focus on your design work. Nice.

Your clients are BUSY. That’s part of why they hired you.

Expecting your clients to remember every detail from your design agreement – the scope, the number of meetings, the deadlines, etc…

That’s just wishful thinking.

Make it easier for them to be good clients. Define what “good” means for your business, communicate it clearly, and put systems in place—like bumpers on a bowling lane—to keep them rolling toward the finish line.

As one of those clients, I promise: I won’t be mad. I might groan at the deadline and wince at the fee, but as long as I can see it coming, I’ll see you as a Professional I can trust.

What do you think? Does this feel too much like having to “babysit” your clients, or like something worth doing? 🤔

Looking for an interior design business coach? Check out how I can help you Nail Your Niche or Set Your Firm’s Rules, Boundaries, and Standards – or reach out to me for private 1 to 1 coaching. This design-preneur stuff is not easy, but you don’t have to figure it all out on your own!