No pictures for this one…
Do you know anyone who is willing to work for a 25% of the week for free? Many in the landscape design industry do. Here’s how: they do not charge for the initial consultation or other visits to existing clients. During the busiest months, April-May-June, when the phone is ringing with new clients, designers often meet with new potential project key holders 3, 5, sometimes even 10 times in a week. Let’s do the math…
Assume a 30 minute trip each way (this will also for the sake of argument include the time spent on the phone, emailing and prepping for the initial meeting and following up with a design proposal). Let’s also assume a 1 hour meeting – very few I’ve ever done have been less than 1 hour.
Here’s the math for 5 consults a week:
5 meetings = 5 hours + 5 hours travel/prep = 10 hours per week
Now consider that most of those meetings will be after hours or on a weekend which puts them into the overtime category and takes away from the designer’s family and necessary ‘off’ time.
What other professional do you know who would work for 10 hours or 25% of their standard 40 hour work week for free? Why do we?
