Effectively Handling Clients That Say You’re Too Expensive

It can be awkward when a prospective client asks you “Why are designers so expensive?”

If you make the mistake of turning down the project because of this question you just might be pushing a good client away.

Try to not let this question irritate you as your answer may end up coming across as defensive which won’t help you win the client.

Let’s look at this situation from a different perspective:

Your client really doesn’t have a clue as to what you really do.  And if they did, they wouldn’t need to hire you.

Take a moment and understand that this client really has no clue as to what you do, especially behind the scenes.  They only see a small part of all that you do and that’s why they think designers are so expensive.

What’s the solution?

Educate your potential clients so they understand what it takes you to create a fabulous design for them.  One that is unique using quality products from trusted partners and delivered to them on time.

Explain in detail how you found the perfect sofa, the red one with blue undertones instead of orange, that’s the right size for the space and took into consideration the size of the doorway it needed to fit through and the fact that it needed to be durable because the client had small children…

When you take time to walk your client through your process and paint a picture of what you do, they end up realizing that what you do is something they can’t.

They’ll know that they want you to save them the time and headaches of trying to do it themselves.  Not just that but they understand that they don’t have the talent to create a design that will meet their needs and their budget.

When your clients understand this, they see you in a whole new light.  They will no longer feel that designers charge a lot of money because you have built enough value to more than justify your fees.