What To Do If Potential Interior Design Clients Can’t Afford Your Services
As an interior designer, have you ever had someone say to you, “I would just loooooooooove to work with you! Your style is exactly what I’m going for! But I just can’t afford you!”
When this happens, the people pleaser deep down inside of you may say, “Oh, I should really help this person” or “They NEED me!” or “I could give this person a good price, because it IS still revenue, right??”
WRONG!
With every fiber of your being, resist the urge to accommodate these kinds of appeals. I know, good design should be accessible to everyone. And, yes, you could certainly help them. And maybe business is a little lean right now. I know. I know.
But here is the crux of this matter: Interior design is your livelihood, not your hobby.
Let me say that a little louder for the people in the back:
Interior design is your livelihood, not your hobby.
First and foremost: I am of the firm belief that you should NEVER base your price on your client's budget.
Most clients have no idea what their budget is or how much things cost.
Budgets change frequently throughout a project and can go up or down and often have NOTHING to do with you or your service but more their life, the market, the construction of their project.
Often, clients' budgets are unrealistic in the first place and don’t align with their goals and desired finish level for their home.
Instead, you should have well established fees, minimums, and project requirements for each service you offer. And you should NEVER discount your fees to make your services more attractive to a potential client! Plain and simple, don’t do it. (well, with a caveat of course…because, running an interior design business isn’t black and white).
You may find it difficult to say no (especially when implored by a very well-meaning homeowner who you find very likable). But, if someone cannot afford, or is not willing to pay your fees, they just are not your client. And there are plenty of people out there who will pay your fees. Work with them instead.
Your ideal clients will be able to afford your services, and will gladly pay you for them.
I have a hard time imagining a single service based company that would reduce pricing to accommodate a client’s pocketbook. Restaurant pricing based on customer’s affordability. No way. Health care providers who let you pay what you choose. Yeah, no. Entertainment venues with sliding scale rates. Not a thing. Spas that lower their fees because you only want to pay $100 for a massage, not their standard $200. The list goes on.
There is really no need to consider such an arrangement with a potential client.
But first, let’s dig a bit deeper into some related issues that may be bringing in potential clients who can’t afford your interior design services.
Is Your Marketing Aligned With Your Ideal Interior Design Client?
IF your pricing is well aligned with your local market and your level of expertise, BUT you regularly receive inquiries from people who can’t afford you, then you may need to adjust your marketing. Take a hard, close look at your marketing messages to see if there are reasons you may be attracting people whose financial situation is out of alignment with your fees and project minimums.
You should only showcase photos of your best projects on your website. Your Instagram account should be very professional and should speak to the projects and services you do want (not diy posts or your favorite activities, like eating lunch or kayaking, lol). You should describe your service offerings and client experience very clearly on your website. You should send an investment guide to potential interior design clients when they inquire, showing them you’re a true professional and you have a tried and true process.
Are Your Interior Design Services Priced Correctly?
Your pricing should be aligned with the market conditions of your local area, AND with your level of expertise. This is key. If it’s not, however, and your market can’t bear your pricing, this could be a reason you may be receiving inquiries from potential clients who aren’t aligned with your pricing levels.
If your fees don’t align with your processes, expertise, market, or results, then it may simply be the case that your fees are too high, and need to be adjusted. You should have a good awareness of what designers in your geographic area charge, and how your deliverables and marketing messages stack up. You should also know the demographics of your ideal client, so you’ll want to make sure your ideal client actually has the means to hire you AND purchase furnishings through you.
Need help figuring out your pricing? Check out our Pricing & Proposals Workshop For Interior Designers.
On the other hand, if you feel your pricing aligns with your local marketplace, and your marketing is effective, then you may need to elevate your service offerings and client experience to align with the pricing you are charging. All things need to align: pricing, process, expertise, market, and results. Any weak link in your business operations throws everything out of whack, and you will not attract your ideal clients (or if you are, the expectations may be off which can cause a lot of frustration).
Now, after all of this, I am NOT saying you should never work with clients who have smaller budgets than your typical full-service clients.
And I’m definitely not saying to create a custom package or a reduced fee structure for a particular client. Doing so will create a headache for you — having clients at multiple pay rates will be confusing and frustrating, and there is no reason to do it. ← in fact, I have some clients who come to me specifically for help with getting all their clients to the same rate.
However, what you CAN do is create a smaller service with reduced scope that you can price at a lower cost (compared to your full service design offering). This could attract clients who may not be comfortable with your full service rates, or have lower budget parameters, but DO have a strong desire to engage with a professional designer. And, it could be a simple-to-deliver, in-and-out kind of a service for you to provide.
Smaller Interior Design Service Options To Consider
Design Day. Here, you spend several hours with a client, and you make suggestions of what they should do. You provide the design direction, but they do all the implementation. You tell them the color, size, and style of what they should look for, and they do the purchasing, implementation of any work (like paint, etc.) and installation themselves.
Many designers I have worked with have very effectively implemented a design day service. And you can book it for times when you are between projects, or waiting on deliveries for large-scale projects. Read about how to structure this service here, or check out our Design Day Workshop.
Package of Design Hours. Like a Designer By Your Side service where you guide the client to what they need to do, but they do all the sourcing, shopping, etc. This service is flexible and open-ended, in that the client can continue to purchase additional blocks of hours as they achieve some of their goals and then need additional assistance. And again, you can make clear that this can only be scheduled per your availability.
A Virtual Design Consultation. Sometimes clients have ideas and they just want to run them by an expert professional to get additional direction or confirmation they are headed in the right direction. There are many people out there who would be very pleased to receive just this much of your expertise, especially because they know they can’t afford your larger full service offering. These calls are typically 60-90 minutes with zero follow up work by the designer. See exactly how to structure this highly profitable service here.
A Design Only Service. With an offer like this, you provide the design but remove yourself from the “messy middle” (pricing, ordering, delivery coordination). Then you could come back at the end to do the on site styling.
With many of these reduced options, the selections would be from retail outlets, so the clients can manage their own ordering. That is a key differentiator with these condensed services. Only with your full service offerings will you do trade souring. But clients will be so happy to have your design expertise and still be able to shop at Pottery Barn or Crate and Barrel.Plan Review or Plan Development Services. If you can engage with clients who need space planning and layout expertise, this is a great option. If they have plans drawn by an architect or contractor, you can make red-line suggestions (how many times have you seen marginal building plans from architects and contractors??!!) Or, if AutoCAD or Chief Architect is your strong suit (as well as space planning), connecting with clients who want kitchen remodel plans or lower-level finish-out plans developed would be a great option. There would be no further design provided, and these tend to be days- or weeks-long, rather than months-long projects with endless construction management and scope creep.
Savings Once They Spend a Certain Amount. Offer a XX% savings on products once they purchase $XXX,XXX from you. Yeah, this might not get at those people who really cannot afford you in the first place, but this kind of an offering does appeal to people who may be somewhat budget-focused. Everyone loves a good deal, so you may want to put this out there to incentivize clients who may be sitting on the fence to purchase all the items you specified.
Key Points To Consider For Clients Who Can’t Afford Your Regular Full Service Offering
DO NOT reduce your prices unless you also reduce your scope
DO NOT create a custom service for each client to align with their specific budget
DO NOT utilize a pricing structure where different clients pay different rates for the same service. This will make your head spin, and it will be difficult to keep organized
DO NOT market “your discount”. In fact, don’t use the word “discount” in any client communications when you talk about product and furnishings costs. The price of the products you sell is the price. No further explanation required.
Have questions related to pricing or your services? Be sure to join The Weekly Install® where you can submit your interior design related questions and get them answered on the blog in our Dear Dakota series.
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