Happy Tuesday, interior designers and small business owners!
Ever doubt the value of your own services? You're in good company!
Last week I was helping an interior designer define her furnishings service. While we were working on the service descriptions, she stopped and asked:
"Why would someone hire me just to pick a sofa?"
She's right to ask that! If all you're offering is a sofa recommendation, your potential client might reasonably think, "I can do that myself."
And technically, they can! There are approximately 47 bazillion sofas available online. Go forth and shop! But...
Finding a sofa isn't the hard part.
What this young designer didn't realize was that the hard part -- the part they are really paying for -- is figuring out which sofa will actually work for their space, their budget, their lifestyle, their kids, their pets, the way they really live (not the way they imagine they live when scrolling through Architectural Digest) AND fit through their weird narrow hallway.
It's sorting through endless options, weighing competing priorities, understanding trade-offs, and helping them make a decision they won't regret six months later.
THAT is what they're hiring you for.
If they don't need that kind of help... they probably shouldn't hire you for it.
If they don't value it, don't sell it for less.
I had a related conversation with another designer who's working out how to price her procurement services.
She had the same question from a different angle: "Why should a client pay me to place orders when they can click "Add to Cart" themselves?"
Well, maybe they shouldn't!
But what if your service means they don't have to track 23 separate deliveries, chase down a missing chair, figure out what to do when a table arrives damaged, or spend their Saturday arguing with customer service?
Now we're talking about something valuable!
Of course, not every client needs or wants that level of support. That's okay. Our job is to help them understand what they CAN get, what problems we CAN solve, and (important!) what they'll be responsible for if they choose to handle things themselves.
In her case, she offers a design-only option and a design + procurement option, so if the client doesn't need procurement support, they can choose design-only.
But discounting procurement services in the hopes that they'll suddenly see the value? Nope!!
So, what ARE they paying for?
Your value isn't just in the tasks you perform.
It's in the problems you solve, the decisions you help people navigate, the stress you save them, and the confidence you give them to move forward.
Here's a little exercise for you:
Pick one service you offer and finish this sentence:
"You're not paying me to __________________.
You're paying me to _____________________."
For example:
"You're not paying me to pick a sofa. You're paying me to help you make a smart, confident choice about something you and the kids are going to sit on every single day."
Or:
"You're not paying me to place orders. You're paying me to manage the hundreds of little details that come between choosing your furniture and actually enjoying it."
Try it for your own services. Better yet, try it for the one you struggle most to explain or sell.
Sometimes people genuinely don't need what you're selling.
But sometimes they just don't understand what you're really able to do for them.
Help them understand!
Spell out that juicy value with clear service descriptions that focus on the outcomes of your work, not just the tasks that get you there. (And of course, if you could use a little help figuring out how to do that, you know where to find me for private coaching! 😉)
You've got this! 💛 Rebecca
Well, hello there — have we met?
I’m Rebecca West. I help residential interior designers feel seriously confident about their marketing, sales, and client onboarding.
Everything I teach comes from running my firm, Seriously Happy Homes, for 17 years. Between 2007 and 2023, my team and I helped over 2,000 clients transform their small, tired houses into happy homes. 💛 Our work, and my book Happy Starts at Home, was featured on TV’s New Day, in The Wall Street Journal, Live Happy Magazine, Success Magazine, & beyond!
Then, in 2023, I closed my design studio and moved to Paris, and, a couple of years later, to the south of France. ( 🤩 !! )
As a coach, consultant, and gal-who's-been-there, I'm here to help the next generation of creative, hardworking, detail-oriented interior designers get found, get great clients, and get paid like a pro!
Let’s make it happen for you!
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