A 2010 Strategy that Shows Your Value, Part 1

A 2010 Strategy that Shows Your Value, Part 1

Long gone are the days of when clients said, “Here is X amount of dollars – do whatever you want with it to make it look good.” Now, you have to prove your value to clients. Does your process do this?

The landlord of this apartment complex needed to update either the interior or the exterior to be competitive in his market. We proposed that he invest in exterior enhancements that would make it appear to be more modernized and cost less expense than updating all the interiors with appliances, etc. This project was still in the $100K range but was significantly cheaper and the public perceived it to be a desirable place to live due to its curb appeal. It already had standard brick pavers but that wasn’t enough to be competitive.

We have heard the new expression that Mike Sidlowski used in our last month’s newsletter, which he calls “The New Normal” of doing business. Personally, I feel that this “new normal” is how I’ve approached my profession for the past 35 years. I’m talking about bringing true value to the client.

I have watched this industry slam landscape work in the ground with whatever was in the “client’s budget.” Too often, I’ve wondered — was there really a plan that addressed the client’s needs, the architecture of the structure, what is appropriate for the site and community, while giving the client the best value in your services for their investment?

Times have Changed, Dramatically
You can’t expect to go into the workplace today and throw just anything at clients anymore. The days of an abundance of disposable income are gone, and in many cases, so is the constant backlog of work. Gone too is the building boom that feeds our industry, which has dropped significantly or is at a standstill. Higher unemployment means fewer potential clients. And, the highly discerning client will absolutely need to see genuine value in anything they spend their money on today.

Our industry needs to address this critical point. Are we bringing true value to the client? Does our industry’s work truly add value to the client’s life and bring them a return on their investment?

We need to be providing value at every step of the way.

How Your Business Adds Value
Look at your own operation. There are a lot of points you should check:

This detail shows how we put brick curbing in, instead of metal edging. This cost more, but by pouring footers and setting bricks, it had more appeal. Because it is more durable, the landlord could use the cheapest landscape maintenance service also. By presenting these construction decisions to him, we helped the landlord understand what he was getting for his money and why he chose it. (For example, his previous metal edging heaved up each winter, costing him repair and maintenance dollars he will now not have to spend with brick.)

Does the office staff handle clients’ inquires appropriately?
Does the sales staff connect with the client, and enlighten the client to ALL the benefits and value that a designer can offer?
Does your production staff install quality craftsmanship on the project?
Does the project’s cost offer a sound return on the client’s investment? In other words when all is done, does the finished project return more to the client in value? Do they use it enough to justify their investment? Will it offer increased resale value when they move? Does the project decrease or eliminate problems they had before the project? These are tangible ways to measure value.

The Value Approach to Design
Approach a design project like a hierarchy, with the client at their home. Let’s look at the property as a whole, and then from the greatest element to the least element. This might be an outline of the hierarchy:

The automobile arrival sequence (driveway, garage service, front porch guest arrival)
Pedestrian arrival sequence (walkways, porches and entrances — front, side, service — and back yard access entrances)
Functional spaces (entertainment areas, recreational areas, services areas)
Other areas specific to that property.

You must become intimate with the client to understand also what they think their hierarchy is, because they may have perceptions to which you need to respond. For instance, clients may think plantings will be the most important or exciting thing to address, but it really is the last and least critical element.

By expanding the width of the pre-existing sidewalk, we were able to relate it more to the scale of the doors, stoop, and stairs. These improvements made the entire complex seem bigger, visually, and also gave room for benches to make the space more accessible and inviting. This was very beneficial to the many elderly residents living in the complex.

By taking the time to involve your client in the design process, you will see what they think is important. You must listen to them, and respond to what they believe to be important, as you address their wants, needs, and desires. Then, you can enlighten them to a whole world of possibilities they didn’t know existed. By doing this, your client will appreciate all the value that you have to offer, because you approach their project with a hierarchy. They will realize that low-visibility, high-impact elements such as drainage, underground wires, sprinklers, and site work are critical to consider, even before moving to the visible hierarchy of vehicular and pedestrian sequences.

Define Your Value
Long gone are the days of when clients said, “Here is X amount of dollars – do whatever you want with it to make it look good.” Our industry was glad to oblige that landscape process by being order takers, or filling those landscapes with whatever materials were in the inventory.

But that won’t work anymore. What should be done is to quantify the value of what we bring to our clients, and not just the actual landscape work. There is relevant tangible and non-tangible value we provide.

An example of non-tangible value is the relevant advice we bring as professionals to a project. We have tremendous Intellectual knowledge and practical experience that we bring to a job, because we do this every day of the week. Think of the many past experiences in construction you have to draw upon, so that you can avoid surprises or unforeseen problems in the future.

Because we are professionals with experience, we have many projects where the client got good use out of the project, and then it added quantifiable dollars in resale value to their property, as well as curb appeal. These benefits should just keep coming if the designer-client process is conducted with foresight, professional expertise, and solid professional advice. Nothing is done by chance or haphazardly.

By enlightening the client of what is appropriate and beneficial in their situation, showing them all the options, and letting them choose what is of most value to them, we have a process that proves our value to the client. Then, they choose how much to spend and how much they will get a return from their investment.

The finished project makes the 1940s building look almost like new via landscape and hardscape changes!

It doesn’t start with a budget — it starts with a hierarchy of what they will choose to benefit from in your services, and what they feel is valuable to pay for. It’s the client who tells you, after you have involved them in the design process, and this takes both their time and your time. This is valuable time and you must be charging for it, because you are providing something.

The Kinman Process does exactly that. It takes the client and the designer through a hierarchy, which enlightens the client and allows him or her to make educated choices that you as a designer cannot make for them. There truly needs to be a purpose to what the designer is doing with the client. It is not just marketing goods, it is just good marketing for you business when you engage the client and let them discover why they NEED to do business with you and your expertise!

Next month, we’ll focus on how your business operations are critical to showing value to clients.

Want to learn more how the Kinman Process can dramatically improve your business? Join us for our next seminar – January 28 & 29 in Columbus, Ohio. Find out about it at www.kinmaninstitute.com, call 614-764-8733, or email: cynthia@kinmaninstitute.com.