Consult Fees: Free or Paid?
When I first started, I didn’t charge a consult fee because I needed to get people in the door. Eventually, I began charging $125, which goes toward any service. The pros of free consults are that you’ll attract more people, and if your consult is strong, most will book because they feel a natural obligation to reciprocate. The cons are the no-shows, since people don’t feel committed when it’s free. In the early years, I accepted no-shows as part of the process because the majority who did show up became clients. As you grow, you’ll want to introduce either a consult fee or a no-show fee, for example a free consult but a $125 fee if they don’t show. Both models work—it just depends on where you’re at in your journey.