On the new Ask Us Anything podcast, editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen taps former Trade Tales guests to answer real, confidential designer questions, offering a safe space to discuss business frustrations, conundrums and fears. (Have a question of your own to ask? Send an email to start the conversation.)
It’s a predicament every designer will face at some point in their career: When a long-awaited item arrives, and it’s not quite right—whether it’s damaged or simply not as ordered—who do you turn to for recourse? This week, Kevin Isbell joins the show to answer a question from a fellow designer dealing with an order gone awry.
Isbell, whose namesake interior design firm is based in Los Angeles, jumps in with advice on vetting vendors, navigating expensive mistakes, and ensuring that the client’s experience comes first—no matter the cost.
Crucial insight: When it comes to deciding which vendors to partner with, Isbell recommends asking industry colleagues about their experiences with a brand before sourcing from them—but the vetting process shouldn’t stop there. “Word-of-mouth is definitely gold. If someone else has been in the trenches with [a vendor], they can vouch for whether or not they’re good. That’s your starting point,” he says. “Then, look for red flags when you’re talking to them. Are they communicating back? Does it take a week and a half to reply to an email? Is your quote request in the body of an email, or is it on letterhead with all of the details you have requested? [That] shows their professionalism.”
Key quote: “I did have this issue when I went out on my own from a large, large firm. I was a design director, I was there for years, and then all of a sudden, I was no longer this big fish that was bringing in millions of orders to them. I was now the new guy that maybe had one or two projects a year, and [the vendors] talk to you differently. … In that case, it’s time to find new vendors who are going to [treat] you as their big fish.”
This episode was sponsored by Four Hands and Crypton. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.
