Creating Design Packages For Your Interior Design Business
"Can you help me put my design packages together?"
That's a question I've been hearing a lot lately from my one-on-one support clients and it's a GREAT topic to tackle. When you're starting a design business (or changing things up in your current biz!), one of the early decisions you need to make is how you're going to offer your services, right? It's important to let potential clients know what you do and how you do it so they'll be able to tell right off the bat if you're a good fit for their project.
Let's do a little Q&A to think through this idea together!
Why packages?
I'm a big proponent of transparency and helping folks understand exactly what you offer. The clearer you can be up front, the more likely you are to attract your ideal client. By the time a new project inquiry hits your inbox, that person will likely be anxious to move forward with you since they already have a good understanding of your services and how you can help them. Packages are a fantastic way to communicate your value and outline the project scope.
Now of course every project isn't going to fall neatly into a defined package, so there will be times when you craft a custom proposal based on the client's needs (I'm actually doing that for a project right now!), but the packages you've published will give them a really good idea of how you work.
What should you include in your packages?
The kind of service you're offering - e.g. full room design, consultation, etc.
The deliverables - i.e. what they'll receive at the end of the project
A typical timeframe for completing a project
Pricing*
Next steps - how they can contact you about working together
Where should you share them?
On your website, duh! 😉 But more specifically, create a dedicated page on your website and link it to at least two places: your navigation and your home page. You want to make it easy for folks to figure out what you do and give them the opportunity to click over to read more.
*Should I share pricing online?
This is a controversial topic for sure, but I'll tell you why I think it's important to at least publish some kind of pricing publicly: It's a "gatekeeper" that helps you attract your ideal clients, and, in the age of the Internet, people expect to know at least a “starting at” price for a given service before they commit. If you plan to charge a flat fee for your packages, you can easily share your pricing - this structure tends to lend itself well to that.
If you're planning to charge hourly, you can still create packages with pricing, but publishing a set price may not work well for you. Instead, sharing your consultation fee or a "starting at" price can be a good way to weed out tire kickers and set a precedent that will (hopefully!) only bring serious inquiries your way.
Have I convinced you to create your own packages yet?
If the answer is yes, then the next step is to start brainstorming your own! Think about what do you want to offer your clients and how will you price those packages. Make the wording simple and clear, and then get them up on your website so people can start hiring you! Want an example? Here's a link to mine!
