I am venturing away from my normal audience (The Client) and posting up an article written for my peers (designer/builders) that has a possibility of being published by AQUA magazine (fingers crossed).. feedback is appreciated.. Blogging has been a venture that unexpectedly turned into an adventure.. :o)
Five Tips for a Successful Client
Consultation
The art of design is
very much dependent on creativity. However, in most cases, there must be a clear
understanding of the prospective client’s expectations in the design. In order to establish this starting point in a
project, you must intentionally listen to, and then communicate back an
educated, firm guideline that you will follow. I cannot tell you how many times
a client has told me I got the job simply because I listened to them at our
initial consultation. While there are many aspects to making your initial
consultation a success, these are the five most important strategies I employ
in creating a great client relationship.
Get to know your
client. For me, this is a constant battle.
After years of sales seminars and training that I have put myself
through, I have been programmed to immediately tell the client about my product
and why it is superior to the competition’s. While this is an important step,
people become much more responsive once they feel like they know you on a
personal level. I have had to reprogram
myself, and focus more on friendly conversation instead of going directly into my
sales pitch. I try to spend at least 15
to 20 minutes just getting to know my client.
Not only does this lighten the mood and allow the client to become
comfortable with you, often times it provides you with clues about which
direction to take their design. Remember,
when you walk through a clients door you are literally walking through a door
into there world. Take note and key in
on particular interests your client may have.
For example, mention the flag they have flying outside from their alma
matter. Let that be a conversation
starter and lead into wherever it may go … college football, where they grew
up, sports their children play. Ask
about the wine collection that they have prominently displayed in there great
room, or their hunting trophies hanging on the wall. These types of conversations can lead to
valuable details, puts your client in a place of comfort, and may make the
difference in a great “custom” design vs. a great and personal “custom” design. Nine times out of ten, the client has decided
whether or not they will pursue a relationship with you before you walk out of
the door at the first consultation.
Remember, you are the
Pro. As a design/build firm, my company has chosen to emphasize the
attributes of design over high pressure sales. Our target client is usually
budget minded, but still willing to spend a little more to get what they want.
They often come with big ideas. It is my responsibility to know how to bring
their ideas to life through interpreting their thoughts and injecting some of
my own. Using a balance of the two allows us to come up with what we all feel
is a winning formula, and everyone is able to walk away happy. Clients who have built a pool before expect
to be guided through the process, and clients who are building their first pool
need to be guided. You are the
professional, and keeping them informed is part of the service they are paying
for. Do not be afraid to share your ideas with the client and give them
feedback on their own. I have learned
some valuable design lessons from working with clients throughout my career, but
have also had to tell clients when an idea of theirs is not a structurally
sound one. The client very often knows
what they want, but not how to execute the idea. One of the best things that I have done for
myself and my clients is to stay educated on cutting edge products and
materials. While many consumers are savvy researchers these days, always
looking out for the best buy and great ratings, it is still your job, as the
professional, to be educated so you can inform the consumer of their
options. I make a point to know what is
going on in my industry in technological advances, pros and cons of the latest
and greatest, and apply these cutting edge ideas with design. I believe that it is a professional
responsibility for designers and builders alike to attend trade shows and
subscribe to trade magazines, such as Aqua Magazine, to get all the latest
information on trends, technology and techniques. Your client will appreciate
having a designer/builder who is knowledgeable and confident in their trade. Be
the professional from the beginning.
Help your client set
expectations. When I meet a client for the first time I always make a point
to ask if they have ever built a pool before.
Many times they have not and have no idea what to expect. As their designer/builder it is important to
immediately help them develop a set of expectations. I begin by explaining the process to them.
They need to understand that there are many people, each with different
responsibilities, but working as a team to complete the project. For instance,
many companies have one team member who works on the design, another who schedules
subcontractors, and yet another who oversees the project. It is important to explain to the client the
different roles that will be involved through the project, and who they should
contact for specific questions. With the numerous stages of pool construction, it
is virtually impossible to build a quality product in a timely manner with out
a good team behind you, especially if you are working on more than one project
at a time. Clients should have the
timeline of their project clearly explained at the initial consultation. In my local
market we work on projects that keep us in backyards up to six months at a
time. Recently, I had a client who, in
talks with other builders, was told to expect their project to take 40
days. In most cases, this is more then
enough time to finish a project.
However, after talking ideas and budget with that client, I realized
that a forty day timeline was not reasonable.
I had to explain why I felt the standard amount of days was not enough,
and give them a timeline I could live up to, and they would be happy with. When
setting a client’s expectations, you are obligating yourself to those
expectations. If you tell a client their
pool will be complete in 40 days, but it takes longer, do not expect a smooth
end to the project. It is a good business practice, in fact to give yourself a
reasonable amount of time, and then complete the project well before the
deadline when possible. Your clients will feel you have gone above and beyond
for them, and you will be on to another project. Consider setting these expectations to be
proactive measures, answering client questions and uncertainties in advance.
Help your client to
establish a real world budget. I recently
had a conversations at the Sunday dinner table with my father-in-law about how
much his pool cost to build back in the 80’s. Like most people who are just
beginning to toy with the idea of having a swimming pool built, he is quite
shocked at the cost of new construction.
(I, in turn, was shocked at what he paid in the 80’s. My how things have changed). A tactic that I always employ when meeting
with a prospective client is addressing a realistic budget for them. I often deal with customers who are paying
cash for there pool and know exactly what they have to spend. Other times, We have a more fluid budget to
work with. No matter which case it is
important to establish these parameters up front. I try to stay away from giving a client a
“ball park” figure as this sets a subconscious price point expectation that may
or may not be met. They will often tell
you that “I wont hold you to it”, and they may not intend to. But ultimately, they will remember that
number. A better way I have found is to
work off of a budget that they are comfortable with and ultimately, they may
exceed there original figure to get what they want. By using this strategy vs. giving them a
shoot from the hip number pre-design you have kept them comfortable, not
shocked them with any high figures up front or post design and showed them what
is possible within there budgetary allowance.
Another technique that I commonly employ before a client consultation is
pre qualifying the prospective client to insure a good match for our style of
construction. I often visit real estate
websites such as zillow.com to get an idea of the house value, type of
architecture, materials employed, etc.
This will help you establish a design theme and even a realistic budget
for the pool based on an approximate home value price. In most cases the consumer living in a
$250,000 house is not going to spend $150,000 on a swimming pool. I have found that a realistic expected budget
for swimming pool construction usually falls between 25% to 35% of the home
value. When helping a client establish a
budget, be open and honest, but more importantly be realistic.
Follow up. Your
first impression opportunity does not end just because you walked out the front
door. Within 24 hours of that first meeting, send your potential client a thank
you for meeting with them. Not only does this put your name in front of them
again, with a positive presupposition (“I look forward to the opportunity…”),
it also says to them that you are willing to communicate with them, and opens
the door for them to continue communicating with you. It can be as elaborate as
a thank you gift package, or as simple as an email. The point is to get your
name in front of them and leave them, yet again, with a warm confidence that
you will be the one that takes care of them.
Employing these techniques in your initial client
consultation will give you an upper hand with your competition every time. Will you get every job? No. but
with these techniques you will learn to key in on what a client expects from a
design and leave them feeling confident and informed and that is never a bad thing.
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