Every maker we know has taken a commission without a deposit. Every one of them has a story about it. Usually it ends with "…and then they ghosted me with the credenza half-built." The deposit isn't the money. It's the pact.
Why the deposit is 90% of the relationship test
A deposit does three things at once:
- Filters. Serious clients pay deposits. Tire-kickers don't. A 48-hour deposit window kills 80% of bad-fit commissions before you buy the wood.
- Signals. You are a business, not a hobbyist. A deposit request, calmly stated, does more for your positioning than any portfolio image.
- Protects. It covers your material outlay and the first phase of labour if the client disappears.
The number
We've tried many. The one that sticks: 40% on signature, 40% before finishing, 20% on delivery. That triad protects you through each of the three highest-risk transitions (start of work, start of finishing, delivery/install).
Clients rarely push back on 40%. They sometimes push back on 50%. Below 30%, you're the one financing the build, and you shouldn't be.
The script
Word-for-word, here's what we use when we send the proposal:
"Happy with the proposal? To lock in a start date I'll send a deposit invoice for 40% — that kicks off material purchasing and gives you a calendar date on my bench. The remaining two payments are tied to milestones, not dates, which we've found works better for everyone."
Four things that sentence does:
- Treats the deposit as administrative, not transactional.
- Attaches a benefit to the action ("locks in a start date").
- Signals you have a calendar (a pro operates on one).
- Pre-explains the milestone structure so the second and third asks don't surprise them.
When the client hesitates
A hesitation is almost never about the number. It's about one of:
- Trust. "I've been burned before." Answer with a short sentence about your process and a link to three client portals you've built.
- Timing. "Cash flow is tight this week." Offer a seven-day hold on the slot with no deposit — but no wood bought.
- Scope doubt. "I'm still not sure about the size." Pull scope back before accepting a reduced deposit. Never both.
What never works
Discounting the deposit. Dropping to 20% to "be flexible" just moves the risk onto you without shifting the commitment level of the client. The client who wouldn't pay 40% won't stay engaged at 20% either.
Sending the invoice the same day
A deposit quoted verbally but not invoiced within 24 hours is already fading. Send the invoice — same day, linked inside the proposal — and the signature and payment tend to arrive together within 72 hours. Give it a week and momentum dies.
