Consultations vs Interview
Very often we hear the question why do you charge for consultations? We had decided to write this article to answer many important questions that our potential clients may have. We also would like to explain the value behind paid consultations as well as the differences between a consultation versus an interview. It is very common to ask the question: what if I would like to get to know the firm? How do I know this is the right fit?
This is the major reason for writing this article. We would like to explain the difference between consultation and an interview. It is quite easy actually. Consultation is on site and we answer all possible questions that arrive at us the best we can. The interview is performed at our office during which we find out from the client about the project and show you what we offer and how things are done. Interviews are free (of course)
What is an Interview?
What happens to these people that do not feel comfortable hiring someone without an interview?
This has been a very common question we answer every day.
The difference between an interview and a consultation is – the location and the content of the conversation
We invite our potential clients for interviews to our comfortable conference room with a large TV screen.
Online Interview
In some cases people are too far away to be able to travel or their preference is to have a conference call. We can send you a calendar invite that has google hangouts call number.
During an online meeting we are able to share the screen and show you examples of work or anything that we are discussing.
What is a Consultation?
We were often called out to perform a walk through’s before people make the purchase or have their closing. This type of a walk through is not performed as “an inspection” of the house. This type of a walk-though is a paid consultation with us for three major reasons:
- To find out to find out what is possible and what is prohibitive – see feasibility study
a) if the addition or renovation is possible (existing house)
b) if a new lot is buildable and what you can or cannot do - To find out the approximate amount needed to budget (please note this is not a detailed line-by line estimate)
- To get to know what we are like, what is our approach and if we are the right fit for you
Some firms would offer free consultations and very often even throw in a free estimate. We believe this system does not work for two reasons:
- The estimate is usually much lower than the real project cost.
- The firm invested half a day of work and will never get paid unless he/she is awarded the project. On average the visits convert to 10 visits to 1 gained client.
Consultation vs House Inspection
What is the difference between a consultation and an inspection?
Consultations are performed for different reasons than the house inspections. There is two types of house inspectors that can be easily confused. One is a building official that comes to your house when a contractor finishes certain phase of a project. He resides at a building department of a town or a city. A building inspector of this type approves drawings from architects and issues permits for you to be able to start a project.
Another types of a house inspector is someone that is licensed to perform home inspection. This type of home inspector walks through your house before you buy it to determine if the building is safe to live in.
Proposal
If you feel comfortable with us we write a proposal for the services and wait for your reply. Design proposal takes from 1 hour to two days to write. There is no charge to the receipt of the proposal – all we ask is for you to hit REPLY. We follow up if you forget about us. Please do not let us wait for long- your truthful answer is highly appreciated.
The proposal outlines a scope of work, the cost of the project and some legal language explaining responsibilities, liabilities and reimbursable expenses.
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