Your first thought might be quality and price.

Just as poor directors do, bad marketers often repeat the old cliché about “the best value for money.” The problem is that clients, much like an audience, might find the price tragic and the quality comical.

Great companies don’t settle for a tragicomedy. That’s why they introduce impeccable service in three acts: pre-sale, during the sale, and after the sale.

Is that enough? Almost, but not quite. Certainly not in the interior design and related industries.

In these sectors, design always joins the trio. Always, even though its role can vary. It's not necessarily the lead, but it has a massive impact on the performance of all the other actors.

But before I review the role of design, let's take a look at the plays where the main role is played by:

You can’t really play with it, and you certainly can’t toy with the competition, because someone will always fall, and it’s easy to end up in a horror story.

Nevertheless, some clients are always driven by price. They often choose products quickly and for the short term. They either can’t or won’t appreciate quality. They have no problem with self-service, preferring to do everything themselves. They believe that service is a cost they can reduce by taking everything on themselves. In such cases, design usually has a marginal role.

But does it?

Despite all that, they sometimes don’t like to fall behind. Inexpensive doesn’t mean unfashionable. In this case, “fashionable” means being on the market’s main stage.

Where quality shines, price plays no part. Or at best, a minor one.

A client who chooses quality likes it to be accompanied by service and design. What’s more, both of these are often considered integral parts of quality.

But that’s not entirely true.

The fabric itself can be made from excellent raw materials and beautifully woven. At the same time, the level of service and design can be far below par, even if the fabric's quality is undeniable.

"Client Care" is not the same as a service, and it's not identical to quality.

A service is an object of sale, similar or interchangeable with a product. Quality, however, pertains to the product or service itself. I understand "client care" simply as support, but for products like fabrics or wallpapers, the word “service” doesn't sound quite right.

A client for whom client care plays the main role might prefer a specialist to select their products. They might want someone to help them with their choices. They realize the price may be higher because of this, but they expect that great client care will ensure their interior has a perfect selection of fabrics or wallpapers.

Clients who prioritize design generally fall into two groups.

The first group wants to follow the latest trends. They track new developments and are eager to be first to market. The second group focuses on what is unique, rare, and distinctive.

For both, price is of little importance. They are far more sensitive to quality. In the first group, client care is more about providing consultation, while in the second, the client is usually more aware of their aesthetic choices, although that doesn't mean they don't need support at all.

Sales is not a monologue delivered by one of the values mentioned above.

If one of them takes the stage, the others are always present in the background, to a greater or lesser degree. It's worth remembering this, especially when it comes to matching the design to the value preferred by the client.

Design is of marginal importance when price plays the main role.
Theoretically.

The situation gets interesting when prices are comparable or identical. It is then that design is actually considered as the next key value.

This type of client chooses the most popular and safe designs on the market. They often get their inspiration from heavily filtered photos of interiors online and try to apply at least some similar design solutions in their own spaces. They operate within the mainstream style, observing it on social media platforms, among others.

In this case, the client most often combines product quality with design quality.

They check the raw material composition and the quality of craftsmanship, while also evaluating the design. Of course, they are not driven by the lowest price, but they might assume it is as high as the quality.

This group also includes customers who pay close attention to the eco-friendliness of the product. When it comes to choosing a design, they are much more likely to be guided by their own taste than by what is currently the most fashionable on the market.

They still pay attention to trends, but they seek something more unconventional, distinctive, something that will allow them to create an interior according to their own sense of aesthetics.

They sometimes use the services of an interior decorator, and in such situations, they pay much more attention to the quality of products that are meant to stay with them for a long time.

Here we have two types of clients. One connects client care with the product, the other with its function.

Both groups very often use the services of architects and interior decorators. They highly value comprehensive consultation, and for them, full collections, not single designs, are important.

For the first group, client care is what elevates the product's quality, because—as I wrote earlier—they combine quality with good client care and design. The second group appreciates quality but believes specialists know more about it, which is why they prefer to base their choice on them.

They rely least on the latest trends when it comes to the type of design. They choose either timelessness, design classics, or something innovative, uncommon, and unique—something that will emphasize the individual character of their home.

This is a client who doesn't just choose a specific design, but rather a brand or a designer.

They are familiar with the quality of this type of premium product. They treat furniture, fabrics, and all interior design items as something akin to works of art. They have a rather refined taste, and a designer's brand or the designer themselves can also be a significant factor.

Design is therefore the next value that a client may take into account. We usually focus on client care and their price and quality expectations, yet we forget that a client buys with their eyes.