A woman has bought a house and wants the whole ground floor redesigned. Her email says she loves your portfolio. She asks what the project will cost and what happens next.
Answering with “it depends” forces her to book a call before she knows whether the studio is remotely suitable. Sending a fee with no context is almost as unhelpful. An investment guide can explain the services, the charging structure, and the route into the studio before she books.
Designer Molly Torres Portnof told Business of Home that she sends one to every potential client. Her version covers services, fees, common questions, and next steps. Give people those facts before the consultation.
Say which projects you take
Start with the services that someone can buy today. Use the same names that appear in proposals and agreements, then explain each one in ordinary language.
“Full-service design” could include drawings, sourcing, purchasing, trade coordination, installation, and styling. In another studio it may stop at design development. Say where yours begins and ends. Do the same for consultations, design-only work, procurement, and styling.
Add the few conditions that rule projects in or out: location, room count, project stage, start date, or level of implementation. Keep the exceptions for the call. When an investment guide starts reading like a contract, people skim the page that mattered.
Explain the fee and the costs around it
Tell the client whether you charge a fixed design fee, an hourly rate, a percentage, a procurement fee, or a combination. Then say what that fee pays for.
Separate design fees from the product budget and from freight, receiving, installation, and tax. A single “projects start at” figure can make a client assume that furniture is included. If the number covers design work alone, put those words beside it.
Use figures from completed projects and current costs. If you publish a range, explain what tends to move a project toward either end. Room count may matter. So may construction, custom work, procurement, and the condition of the house.
The consultation still produces the scope and quote. The guide gives the client enough information to decide whether that consultation is worth booking.
Show the route from inquiry to proposal
Write the next steps in the order they happen in your studio. A simple version might be:
- You review the inquiry.
- The client books a paid consultation.
- You confirm the scope after the call.
- The client receives a proposal.
Use your actual sequence. Put the consultation fee beside the booking link. If you need floor plans, photographs, or a budget range first, say so here.
The reader needs to understand the first decision. A detailed account of procurement and installation can wait for the proposal.
Use the questions from your inbox
Open a recent set of suitable inquiries and consultation notes. Pull out the questions that appear again and again. They are more useful than a generic FAQ template.
One studio may need to explain how it works with an existing architect. Another may spend every first call explaining procurement or whether clients can buy items themselves. Answer the questions that repeatedly slow down a booking. Define terms such as “procurement” the first time you use them.
Leave project-specific decisions for the call and legal terms for the agreement. Write the investment guide as a clear reply to an inquiry, rather than a smaller version of every document the client will receive later.
Give the reader one next step
Choose the action that starts a suitable project: complete the full inquiry form, book the consultation, or send plans and photographs. One action is enough.
Tell the client what follows. If you review forms before offering a call, give the real reply time. If the booking page takes payment, show the amount before the click.
A good investment guide answers the questions that decide whether a consultation should happen.
Before you send the guide, test it against two recent inquiries. The first should be a project you would happily take. The second should fall outside your location, service level, or budget. Both clients should understand the answer without booking a call to decode it.
