As an interior designer your time and expertise are valuable commodities, yet so many designers hesitate to charge for their initial consultations. And it’s especially true when you’re in the first few years of your business when there’s fear that charging will scare off a potential client. But hear us out – sometimes scaring people off is what you want! Here are some of the reasons we firmly believe that charging for consultations benefits your business and enhances the client-designer relationship.
Valuing Your Expertise
Your years of education, training, experience, and transferrable skills have equipped you with valuable skills and insights. Charging for consultations tells people that you place a high value on your expertise and time. And if there’s one thing we know for sure about price psychology, it’s that clients are more likely to respect your professional knowledge when they have to pay for it.
Quality Over Quantity
If you offer consultations for free you might get flooded with appointments, but you’re going to burn out quickly and be disappointed when only 1 or 2 translate into paying clients. Charging for these meetings helps filter out clients who aren’t serious about investing in your services. Now you’ll be freed up to spend time with clients who are genuinely interested in working with you!
Establishing Boundaries
If you listen to our podcast, you’ve already heard us talk about this, but charging for consultations sets clear boundaries in the client-designer relationship. Once clients understand the value of your time they’re much more likely to adhere to your guidance and design process.
Showing Commitment
Once clients invest financially in the consultation they’re going to be more engaged and proactive participants in the design process. This makes it easier to onboard the client and get them up to speed as you send out questionnaires and conduct your initial kick-off meetings.
Clear Communication
You need to decide whether you’ll be giving design advice during your design consultations and communicating that with clients in advance. Every designer runs their consultations differently. We think of these as working meetings so we use this time to get to know clients better, share insights about their home plans, and maybe even make some recommendations. While we’re doing this we’re taking photos of the house and grabbing some general measurements so we can develop a scope of work for your proposal. Whatever you decide, make sure you’re up front with any deliverables and expectations before they pay for the meeting.
How to implement consultation fees
We’re big advocates for taking the emotional weight of consultations off yourself, and putting the ownership on the client. Give them a way to book them, whether it’s publicly on your website, or via a private link you share after they submit their inquiry. Either way, here’s some ways to get started:
Determine Your Rate
Decide on a fair rate for your consultations based on your expertise, market demand, and the value you provide to clients. It’s customary for consultations to be at a premium over your hourly rate since you’re often going to have some travel time and take time to create a customized proposal after the appointment.
Clearly Communicate Your Fees
Be transparent about your consultation fees on your website, social media, and any marketing materials like your Investment Guide. Clearly outline what is included in the consultation and how clients can schedule an appointment. It’s helpful for these to be mentioned in your Investment Guide that you share with new inquiries as well.
Offer Value-Added Services
We don’t think you need to give away anything for free, but some designers offer to credit the cost of the initial consultation if a client ends up signing a contract for a larger project. You can also consider offering virtual consultations for those clients who aren’t interested in larger or full-service projects. Find what works for you.
Streamline the Process
Whatever you do, make it easy for clients to schedule and pay for consultations online. Utilize scheduling software and payment platforms like Calendly or Squarespace Scheduling (we’ve been users of Acuity Scheduling for years) to streamline the process and minimize the amount of administrative time you have to invest. An upside of a booking platform is that you can use intake forms or questionnaires when they book and tie them directly to your calendar so you have everything you need on the go.
If you’re considering offering consultations for free, here’s are some best practices from other designers who do the same:
- Make it exclusive, you don’t go out to just anyone’s house.
- Vet the projects before you go and make sure they’re going to invest above or beyond your project minimums.
- Don’t start designing and giving away all your expertise during a free meeting.
- Don’t invest too much time. Your goal is to assess whether the project is right for you, meet the client, inspire confidence, and win them over.
If you’ve been struggling with consultations, this is your sign to start charging to establish the value of your expertise, filter out the tire-kickers, and set the stage for a productive and mutually beneficial client-designer relationship.
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