Your first meeting with your client? It can either make the deal or break the deal. It can either motivate you or pressurize you until completion . How do you control which side does your first meeting incline towards? let us give you a few tips
(If you are getting your home or office designed, these 10 tips will help you.)
1. Do remember the 1st meeting is about more than just getting a brief; it is about establishing a connection. Meet the client in person. Project yourself as someone they want to hire just for the person you are, even before seeing your work. Be firm yet funny, sound professional yet peppy.
2. Have ample photographs of earlier projects with you. Ensure variety for the client to see a range of your work. This is important even if you come recommended. Consider displaying all your work on one platform such as Nestopia as this will allow the client to be well versed with your work in advance.
3. Talk to the client. Get the know personal aspects like living habits, family structure, lifestyle patterns etc. These help both ways, in building a bond as well as adding that personal touch to your design approach.
4. Ask as many questions as possible. Sometimes clients will have no idea what they want. And on other times they will want everything. And sometimes they won’t be able to articulate what they wants. It is up to you to draw out the exact brief from them.
5. Establish timelines. Both you and your client should know the timeframe of the project. Both of you should be clear on and agree upon the start date and approximate finish date of the work.
6. In case for some reason you’re unable to take up the project tell her right away. Recommend an alternate option so that she doesn’t have to begin looking from scratch again.
7. Be clear and firm about your fees.
8. Ask for an approximate overall budget. Do not get messy with a break up of quotes later on, know the entire scope of work’s budget right from the start. It’s a waste of time if you start imagining work worth lavish Bronze Armani marbles but the budget only allows modest laminates.
9. Be clear about your process, step wise. If you’re a concept designer, for example, let them know that conceptualizing will take up the initial month. If you work backwards on finalizing materials first, let them know that selections will happen first.
10. Be transparent about your weaknesses or limitations. If you think lighting is not your strongest point, reveal it right from the start. If you think you may not choose accessories for them, tell them right from the start. Accepting your shortcomings will make you connect faster and lesser pressurized through out the work period.
Enjoy the process, Design to love your work, Design to make others love your work.
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