Remodeling has become a big deal for designers, and there are a lot of jobs out there. It can be highly profitable and a lot of fun if you like doing construction. The money is good if you get into the job right in the first place.
If you don’t get into a remodeling job in the right way from the beginning, you end up working for pennies because it didn’t get set up correctly.
I see designers making some huge mistakes with remodeling jobs and know that they’re forgivable. If no one told them how to do it, there’s no way to know the right way of doing things.
One mistake that gets designers in trouble is quoting a low fee to get into a job. Instead of assessing the job and finding out what is involved, most designers quote what they think the client will agree to.
This situation can cause some huge problems. You may have the idea that if you get your foot in the door, you can raise your prices later. You may also think you could make money by selling something, but doing that to get paid isn’t what your job is as a designer. It somewhat puts you in the same class as a car salesman.
Your focus needs to be on design. Hoping a client will buy something isn’t a business plan.
Being cheap attracts cheap clients. When you put an inexpensive offer out there, you attract a cheap client. These are the clients that don’t have enough budget, so when you present your price, they want you to do it over for less.
The time spent doing that isn’t billable whether you’re charging a fee or an hourly rate. If you were to bill for the do-over, you’d lose the job, so you end up giving yourself away trying to make something happen that isn’t there.
What’s the solution?
Watch the video above where I explain how having a concept and a budget from the beginning is essential to the success of the remodeling job. The basic piece to getting into these types of design jobs is making sure you have a budget first. That way, you know the budget and the scope of work, and the client has agreed on the spend. They know what they’re going to pay for everything, including you.
When you have this strategy in place, you have a profitable remodeling job that goes really well, and you have happy clients.
If you like the strategy discussed here, book a clarity call with one of our coaches. You’ll tap into a rich community of resources to grow your business. This could be the call that changes everything.
Until next time, design something beautiful and get paid what you’re worth.
