Designer Discounts

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meena

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I'm just wondering how much everyone gives for a designer discount and do you have certain requirements of them.

I have some designers that want a discount but want their client to pay me directly. Then they want me to issue them a check for the amount of the discount. It seems everyone wants something different as far as payment, billing etc. Some people get 10%, some get 15% and everyone seems to think they should get 20-30%.

I'm starting to think I need to just keep everyone at the same discount and the designer should pay me directly, not their client. It's getting too confusing on who gets what treatment.

How do you all handle it?
 
Designers get a discount for the work they do and the work they bring in. If they simply send a client to you they should not get a discount as you did the design work. If they come in and do all the design work and all you do is punch in the numbers then they may get a discount. Generally, the First visit to us there is no discount. They have to be a proven customer first. Then generally it is a 20% applied to future purchases. If they wish the customer to come in and pay for the items then we will bill the full amount and issue the rebate to the designer. It gets complicated sometimes and bookkeeping is of the utmost importance.
Bottom line, simply because you are a 'designer' doesnt mean you get a discount. As with everything they need to earn that discount. A good designer will be familuar with the processes of a frameshop/gallery and be willing to put in the design time. If they are not then they are not ready for a discount.
 
I deal with 2 designers here. Both pay me directly and I give them 10% off. Im guessing they probably charge their clients a bit more for their time. I also give them 10 percent off their own framing. So far its worked out well
 
There are quite a few threads on this topic already if you want to research it further using the search function.

My experience with designers has generally been quite good.

I give a flat 15% to interior designers and generally find them very professional to work with. Their training generally helps them decide on a design more quickly than most customers and the framing is generally more upscale than the average job.

I would not do their bookkeeping for them. Most of the designers I work with pay me directly when they pick up the work however I do have a few that historically I allow to charge and send a check within 15 days. Two designers I work with pass the discount along to their clients. One designer requires two invoices ...one showing the discount and one without ...I oblige them.

A designer wanted me to inflate my "ghost" invoices to an amount over what I normally charge. I refuse to do that.
 
The designer gets a 20% discount. They pay me before the work starts. What they bill the client is what my retail price would be (+20%)

Those are the rules, and so far they have been good rules, no one has complained, everyone is happy.

Different discounts for different designers is confusing, can be difficult to keep track of and a big pain. And what if one finds out that Designer A is getting more of a discount than Designer B?

Could be bloody!!

Joel
 
I handle it however they want. If they bring in the customer and design they get their discount. If they refer a new customer they get a referral fee. If they do it a lot they get a basket of meat or something at the holidays.
 
Why this question always comes up is beyond me and some peoples reluctance to provide the designers with a discount aslo baffles me.

If you're not willing to give them 20% someone else that they view as your equal will. With designers you're getting all their clients as your client. Concider the 20% discount as an advertising expense. I have worked with dozens of designers and have profited from most of them. If your margins can't absorb the 20% discount then maybe you should reevaluate your pricing.

I get a 50% deposit with full payment due on delivery. Any reputable designer will pay as soon as the work is delivered. If they don't then you shouldn't give them a discount. Your courtesy to them should warant a courtesy to you.
 
I used to give 20% to designers and I found that most of them expected me to do the work with their client. My understanding of the discount of 20% was 10% for bringing them in and 10% for doing the designing. That is the way it was taught to me when I first started working in framing 20 years ago. So I decided if I'm going to be helping their customer I starting changing the discount. Some are not happy when they hear 10% or 15% but they keep bringing people into my store.

This is why I am asking this question. I figured if they keep coming into my store for a 10-15% discount what are other framers giving as discounts. One of the girls worked for someone who gave no one a discount, not even designers.

I do agree that it should be the same for everyone. I have also found out in talking to some designers that they prefer to spend their clients money on other things other than framing. These designers I see maybe 2-3 times a year. Others I see more regularly.
 
Just a wild thought... when you quote any price for custom services, it makes sense to quote a "non-retail" price. $ 99.68 sounds more thought out, refined. precise and probable than $ 99.95 ...which is a retail ploy.

Instead of offering a 10 or 20% discount ...why not offer a "well thought out" and precise discount of 17%? Kind of more intriguing and even more attractive in some ways than a 20% discount which is a retail standardized discount?

That 3% is actually probably increasing your profits by 40-50% when you really crunch the numbers and would make no difference to your professional designer customer.

We are not selling a commodity.
 
This is a complicated question, as designers come with a wide variety of credentials.

When a consultation is scheduled, I typically do a bit of research on who exactly this designer is. I'll check out their Web site (or their company's) and try get a sense of what the expectations will be.

If I perceive that a designer has high-end residential clients, I immediately offer a 20% discount, as they will be passing a price increase along to the buyer. If the designer is a new client, is in a rush, and/or needs only a small order fulfilled - I still will offer a slightly smaller discount (while remaining fair) in the hopes of attracting future purchases.

Designers in the corporate art, healthcare, or hospitality trade will generally require a wholesale price structure, established on a job-by-job basis. Overall percentage discounts don't work well in these cases.
 
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