Inquiring Minds
‘Watershaping carries us onto the properties and into the private lives of our clients, and it does so to such a personal, even intimate level,’ wrote Brian Van Bower to start his February 2010 Aqua Culture column, ‘that I see the value and importance of getting to know them to the best of my ability. Invariably, that means asking the right questions and knowing how to listen and interpret the answers.’ He continued:
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‘[O]ne of the first skills anyone needs to be an effective interviewer is knowledge of the art of keeping your mouth shut and your ears open. To be an effective interviewer, in other words, you must be an effective listener. That may seem obvious, but I bring it up because I know for a fact that many of us are really bad at it. . . . It’s as if our own silence makes us uncomfortable.’
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‘And never forget that a big part of listening is actually retaining what your clients say. When you listen carefully, much of what they tell you will stick on some level, but personally, I need to take notes. . . . However you do it, you must have some method for registering the content of your clients’ comments.’
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‘For me, [interviewing clients] is a constantly evolving process: I tinker with my own approach every time I head into a meeting, and I’ve spent a lot of time through the years listening to what other watershapers do and adapting their techniques.’
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‘[One designer I know, for example,] sends out a pre-interview questionnaire that she later uses to guide the discussion when she and her clients meet face to face and, in some cases, uses the responses to begin forming design ideas. What I like most about her questionnaire is that it purposely gets clients’ creative juices flowing, prompting them begin thinking in a more focused way about what they really want.’
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‘My own pre-interview questionnaire – again, a constantly evolving document – has adopted some her ideas but diverges in other areas. No matter the specifics, the point is that such questionnaires are capable of gleaning a great deal of critical information from clients before we ever sit down with them in person.’
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‘All of this, of course, sets me up nicely for the interview itself. When we meet, I start with a series of questions that some people might consider to be unnecessary – basic no-brainers – because my desire is to help my clients feel relaxed and comfortable in opening up to me. . . . Once we pass through the preliminaries and everyone is at ease, I get down to the business at hand by asking them what has motivated them to begin the process of seeking a watershape and/or an exterior design. In effect, Why are we here?’
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‘Now that we’re face to face, I also probe one of the most important of all issues to be covered in any interview: How do the clients plan on using their pool, spa or waterfeature? Although there are many important issues to be addressed in these interviews, this may actually be the most significant one to cover, and it needs to be pursued in depth.’
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‘What all of this becomes is a pile of information related to the basic issue of how the water will be used. Once I get the clients thinking along the lines of how they, personally, will be using the pool and how others, collectively, will enjoy the water, I find it’s much easier to turn the corner and get them to start visualizing – that is, to start seeing all the ways in which their pool or spa or waterfeature will be used.’
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‘What’s happening now,’ Brian concluded, ‘is that the interview has become a collaboration, and you’re all working together to shape the story they’ll be able to tell later about how much they enjoy what’s been done.’
Referral or otherwise, how do you approach your initial contact with a prospective client? Do you send a questionnaire, as Brian does, or do you go directly to an interview in gathering the information you need to get the homeowners in a proper state of mind? Please share your thoughts by commenting below!
Brian Van Bower runs Aquatic Consultants, a design firm based in Miami, Fla., and is a co-founder of the Genesis 3 Design Group; dedicated to top-of-the-line performance in aquatic design and construction, this organization conducts schools for like-minded pool designers and builders. He can be reached at [email protected].