4.2K
Downloads
108
Episodes
Tales from those on the front lines of dealing with clients. Tales of difficult clients, complex situations, relationship management - and how massive client management problems were solved, and what they learned. Largely those running agencies, but all across different professional services.
Episodes
13 hours ago
13 hours ago
51 min
Jodi Koch Peterman, CEO of Elizabeth Erin Designs, interior designer, and host of the Designing in 5D podcast, shares a client horror story that somehow manages to include a runaway cabinet vendor, a $26,000 glazing mistake, furniture dumped into the ocean, mold, miscommunication, and a project that lasted nearly two years.
What began as an exciting whole-house remodel quickly became a perfect storm of problems. The client wanted a dramatic transformation, including a massive "Barbie Dreamhouse" closet and a luxury spa-like feel throughout the home. But delays getting an engineer, escalating design choices, a budget that ballooned far beyond expectations, and repeated communication breakdowns began to put everyone under increasing pressure.
Then things got even stranger. Cabinets were supposedly destroyed by a tornado. Another set of cabinets arrived in the wrong color because two clients' orders had been mixed up. A cabinet vendor disappeared after taking the money—and was eventually jailed. During COVID, one furniture shipment was even dumped into the ocean because of closed ports. Meanwhile, the client was dealing with mold at her temporary home, and Jodi found herself caught in the middle of an increasingly fractured relationship between the client and contractor.
As the project spiraled, Jodi became increasingly involved, sometimes working for months without additional compensation. She even showed up with a sage stick to "sage" the client, the house, and the dog in an attempt to clear the negativity surrounding the project.
But the biggest lessons came afterward. Jodi realized how important it is to establish expectations, communication, boundaries, and budgets from the beginning—and turned the experience into the foundation for her own Designing in 5D process and concierge-level approach to working with clients.
Morgan Friedman
Jodi Koch Peterman's Website
Jodi Koch Peterman's LinkedIn
Jodi Koch Peterman's Instagram
Jodi Koch Peterman's Facebook
Jodi Koch Peterman's TikTok
Jodi Koch Peterman's YouTube Channel
No comments yet. Be the first to say something!