free
Live Webinar
The Studio - Paid Consultations
Stop giving away your expertise in the first meeting
If your first client meeting often turns into free advice, a long site visit, or a “quick chat” that leaves you with no clear next step, you’re not alone.
Most landscape designers, contractors, and early-stage studio owners are not undercharging because they lack skill.
They are undercharging because the first meeting has no proper structure.
This free live webinar will show you how to turn the first meeting into a clear, professional paid consultation that protects your time, supports the client, and creates a better starting point for the project.
What You'll Learn
Launchpad - Checklist
In this free live webinar, you and I will:
Identify where your first meeting is leaking time, money, and confidence
Learn what should happen before, during, and after a paid consultation
Understand how to explain the value of a paid consult without sounding pushy
Bonus: Attend live, and you’ll get the
FREE Paid Consultation Preparation Checklist
Date: 16th July 2026
Time: 12pm AEST
Where: LIVE on Zoom
Live only, no replay. This is delivered live, so you can ask questions in real time, and we can keep examples practical and respectful.
Who is this for?
This webinar is for you if:
You are a landscape designer, contractor, horticulturist, landscape architect, or student moving into paid client work.
You are doing first meetings for free and wondering why clients do not always value the advice.
You feel awkward charging for a consultation because you worry the client might not proceed with the full design or build.
You spend too much time giving ideas, product suggestions, layout advice, or budget guidance before anyone has committed.
This webinar is probably NOT for you if:
You already have a clear paid consultation process that is consistently booked, paid, documented, and leading to the right next step.
You are welcome to attend, but this session is designed for people who need a stronger structure around the first client meeting.
The common pain points (so you know you’re in the right room)
Most landscape professionals do not lose money in one dramatic moment.
They lose it quietly at the start.
It often sounds like this:
“I’ll just pop out and have a look.”
“I won’t charge this time because I might get the bigger job.”
“I’ll give them a few ideas now and quote later.”
“I’ll just send a quick follow-up.”
“The meeting went for two hours and now they want more information.”
The problem is not that you are being generous.
The problem is that your expertise is being used before the project has a proper structure.
This webinar helps you fix that.
What you’ll learn
- A 10-minute self-audit to identify what’s missing (and what’s already solid)
- The 8 studio pillars: registration, compliance, insurance, paperwork, marketing, tools, finance, growth
- 5 practical rules that prevent scope creep, admin chaos, and pricing guesswork
- What to tighten first so you get momentum (without adding 27 new tasks)
What you’ll walk away with
In this session, we’ll cover:
1. Why the first meeting matters so much
- The first meeting sets the tone for the whole project.
- If it starts casually, the client may assume advice, revisions, ideas, and follow-up are all part of the “free quote.”
- A paid consultation helps reset that expectation from the beginning.
2. What a paid consultation should include
- We’ll look at the core pieces of a professional paid consultation, including:
- Initial enquiry questions Desktop preparation Site visit structure Client goals and concerns Budget conversation Site observations Next steps Follow-up notes
3. What not to give away too early
- You’ll learn how to be helpful without handing over the whole solution before the client has engaged you properly.
- This includes design ideas, layout advice, construction solutions, plant lists, budget advice, and problem-solving that should sit inside paid work.
4. How to explain the fee
- We’ll cover simple language you can use so the client understands the consultation is not “just a chat.”
- It is the first professional step in the process.
5. How to move from consultation to proposal
- A good paid consultation should make the next step easier.
- We’ll look at how to guide the client from the first meeting into a clear proposal, scope, or design pathway.
Angela Maroney
LANDSCAPE ARCHITECT & BUSINESS MENTOR
YOUR MENTOR
Guiding your landscape journey with expertise and care
Angela Maroney is a landscape architect, structural landscape contractor, educator, and business mentor with decades of experience across real-world design, construction, client management, and professional practice.
Through Your Landscape Journey, Angela helps landscape designers, contractors, horticulturists, and landscape professionals build stronger businesses with clearer scope, calmer systems, and better pricing confidence.
Her teaching is practical, direct, and grounded in what actually happens on real projects — including the messy bits no one tells you about in the classroom.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes — 100% free.
No replay. It’s delivered live so you can ask questions in real time and we can keep examples practical and respectful.
Yes. If the time works for you, you’re welcome. (Pop it in your calendar and join from anywhere.)
No — this is designed for start-up and early-stage studio owners.
A notebook (or notes app) and 10 minutes of honesty for the audit. That’s it.