Is your initial design consultation a billable service—or simply part of the cost of doing business? In this episode, Laura Umansky and Melissa Grove tackle the question of whether interior designers should charge for that first conversation with a potential client.
Laura shares why her firm has never charged for an initial consultation, even when she was a solo designer, and why she sees those conversations as an essential part of business development rather than design work. They unpack how vetting potential clients upfront, evaluating budget and timing, and determining whether someone is truly a good fit can make a free consultation worthwhile.
They get into:
- Why Laura sees the initial consultation as an interview, not a billable design service
- How vetting for kindness, budget, and timing helps identify the right-fit clients
- Why charging a consultation fee can create unnecessary barriers for potential clients
- When charging for a consultation might make sense for smaller, defined services
- Why the right approach may depend on your scope, market, and client volume
Whether you’re deciding how to structure your sales process, figuring out what should—and shouldn’t—be billable, or simply wondering what other designers are doing, this episode offers a candid look at the business decision behind the first client conversation.
