On Ask Us Anything, BOH editor in chief Kaitlin Petersen taps former Trade Tales guests to answer real, confidential designer questions, offering a safe space to discuss business challenges. Have a question of your own to ask? Send an email to start the conversation.

This week, interior designer Tina Ramchandani answers a question from a designer whose firm is attracting plenty of potential clients—just not the ones she wants. Though she launched her firm six years ago, many of the leads she’s receiving would better fit someone just starting out. Now she’s wondering how to level up her inbound inquiries.

Ramchandani, whose namesake firm is based in New York, jumps in with advice on finding the messaging that authentically conveys your firm’s value, tactics for filtering out unqualified leads, and the annual reset that helps clarify her own studio’s ideal client profile.

Crucial insight: Ramchandani’s messaging has been an evolution: from key words and phrases that other designers were using (but didn’t exactly resonate with her own style) to a trademark phrase that was initially difficult for others to parse, until she finally found a way to communicate her aesthetic and working approach in a way that felt authentic. The many iterations to get there were a necessary part of the process—one that has ultimately brought her closer to her ideal clients, while deterring those who aren’t a fit. “You have to be more confident in repelling—which is scary, because it’s human nature to think that you want all the leads, but that doesn’t mean you’re going to get the right leads,” says Ramchandani. “In being yourself, you will filter other people out.”

Key quote: “When I was younger or newer, I used to think: ‘I do great work, so the people will come.’ A—nd that’s just not true at all. You have to be constantly thinking about this and working on it because the people, in my opinion, don’t just fall into your lap.”

This episode was sponsored by Four Hands. Listen to the show below. If you like what you hear, subscribe on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.