Stop Chasing Clients. Start Standing Where They Are
Katie Decker-Erickson, Success By Design
Your next best client may not be hiding in a marketing funnel. She may already be in your inbox, sitting across from you at a conference, walking a showroom floor, scrolling LinkedIn between meetings, or waiting for you to understand her business better than your competition does.
In a market where everyone is talking about visibility, growth, and getting in front of more people, the real advantage may belong to the women who stop chasing and start observing. Where do your ideal clients, collaborators, and referral partners actually spend their time? What pressures are they carrying? What language do they use when they talk about success? What would make their job easier, their company stronger, or their next project feel like a win?
Because the businesses that become unforgettable are rarely the loudest. They are the ones that show up in the right rooms, ask better questions, serve current clients exceptionally well, and understand what the market is craving before everyone else catches up.
At High Point Market, I had the privilege of joining an IDS-hosted panel at the Uttermost and Revelation showroom, and this was the heartbeat of the conversation: growth is not always about finding more people. Sometimes, it is about paying better attention to the people already in front of you.
And speaking of paying attention, one of the best surprises of Market happened right there at Uttermost when Amy VanDorp stopped by to say hi. I was genuinely humbled that she would show up in that way, and it reminded me exactly why WithIt is so valuable for its members. This organization is not just about programming, events, or networking in the formal sense. It is about women showing up for women, opening doors, making introductions, cheering each other on, and creating the kind of industry relationships that make business feel both smarter and more human. Best surprise ever.
This applies whether you are an interior designer, a small manufacturer, a marketing agency owner, a showroom owner, a retailer, a sales rep, or a creative entrepreneur building a business around how people live, work, gather, buy, and belong.
One question I asked at Market was this: if you want to work with better clients, stronger collaborators, trusted referral partners, and decision-makers in the home and design industry, why are you not showing up where they are?
For many business owners, that means LinkedIn. Not because LinkedIn is trendy. Not because you need one more platform to feed. But because it is one of the few digital spaces where professional relationships can turn into real business relationships. If you are an interior designer looking for better referral partners, a small manufacturer hoping to connect with showroom owners or retailers, a marketing agency wanting to serve brands in the home space, or a store owner looking to build stronger industry relationships, LinkedIn gives people a place to see how you think, what you value, and where your expertise lives.
So the question becomes: are you visible in the rooms your clients, collaborators, and referral partners already occupy?
The same principle applies offline. Are you attending the events your clients attend? Reading what they read? Listening to what they are worried about? Learning the language of their business? Being top of mind is not magic. It is the result of consistently showing up in the right places with the right message.
And while we are talking about finding new clients, let’s pause and ask an even better question: why are we so focused on chasing new business when we could be taking better care of the clients we already have?
Your current clients are not just current clients. They are future projects, referrals, testimonials, case studies, introductions, and reputation builders. Too often, business owners put their best energy into the pursuit, then get casual once the contract is signed. That is backwards.
The client experience is part of your marketing. Your process is part of your brand. Your follow-through is part of your sales strategy. A delighted client will remember you. A well-served client will rehire you. A client who feels understood will talk about you when you are not in the room.
This means we need to stop assuming we know what clients want and start asking better questions. What pressures are they facing? What does success look like for them? What would make their job easier? What keeps them up at night? What would make them look brilliant to their customers, clients, vendors, team members, or community?
When you understand what your clients actually need, not just what you want to sell, you become more than a vendor. You become a strategic partner.
And that brings me to what we saw at High Point Market, because trends are not just about pretty things. Trends tell us where the market is emotionally, culturally, and commercially.
Color is warming up.. Green is still having a major moment, especially in grounded, livable applications. Apricot and blush are showing up as softer, happier alternatives to cold neutrals. Blue is still present, but it is shifting. Instead of the heavy navy we have seen for years, blues are getting dustier, softer, and more atmospheric.
At the same time, rich, moody tones are not going anywhere. Cabernets, chocolates, and saturated hues still have a strong place in the market, but they are being offset with lighter furniture, cognac leathers, bone-colored leathers, and cleaner contrast. The result feels more dimensional, less heavy, and more livable.
One of the most fascinating examples was Hooker Furnishings rolling out an entire Margaritaville line. That is not just a furniture launch. That is market research in motion. When a brand leans into a lifestyle concept with favorable recognition among Millennials and Gen Z, it tells us something about what consumers are craving: ease, escape, nostalgia, personality, and a sense of place.
That matters for designers. It matters for manufacturers. It matters for showroom owners. It matters for retailers. It matters for marketing agencies. It matters for any woman building a business that depends on understanding what people value now.
The best business owners are not just looking at trends and asking, “Do I like this?” They are asking, “What does this tell me about the client? What are people longing for? What problem does this solve? What feeling does this create?”
That is the real opportunity.
Growth does not come from being everywhere. It comes from being intentional in the right places, with the right people, asking the right questions.
And sometimes, the next best client is not as far away as you think. She may already be watching. She may already be listening. She may already be waiting for you to show up like the expert you are.
Katie Decker-Erickson is the host of the podcast Success by Design: Mastering the Business of Interior Design and an interior design business coach who also owns and operates a multimillion-dollar design firm.