You want to finish your design jobs with the proper accessories to complete the finished “look”, since you know that the client will be happier to have a “done” space, and you’ll love seeing your vision completed and ready to photograph.
But as you know, getting paid to accessorize a space is challenging!
The accessory portion often takes as much time as all the original design work. Which means you end up spending your precious time as either unpaid or under paid, because if you included all the time necessary to accessorize, it’d make your fee too high. Thus you ‘suck it up’ most of the time and just do it without getting paid.
Want to resolve this money eater of a challenge?
The first step is to NOT INCLUDE accessorizing as part of your original Letter of Agreement for creating the design! Instead create a paragraph in your Letter of Agreement that offers the accessorizing portion as an additional service available.
Remember Good, Better Best offers? Think of accessorizing is a “Best” upgrade!
Next, the correct way to handle accessorizing is to offer it by charging hourly for researching, buying, delivering, placing and returning. Yes, this is a time where it actually works as long as you bill every hour. Additionally, you’ll charge your purchasing fee (usually 25% to 40%) on everything you buy, including retail purchases.
Finally, get a substantial deposit so you purchase accessories with your client’s money and not yours! You are not the Design Bank and there’s no reason for your to front the money for this upgrade in your Letter of Agreement.