client relationships
I like to tell people that I have the greatest job in the world. It's true, and whenever I start working with a new client, I feel like a kid in a candy store. Look at it this way: As a watershaper, I get paid to use my ideas, experience, imagination and creativity to make my clients' dreams come true. Essentially, we're big kids playing with very big toys, and clients respond to our enthusiasm in a big way. And the best thing about it is that exterior designs are like fingerprints: Each one is different; every client has his or her own set of priorities; and every property calls for a
I like to tell people that I have the greatest job in the world. It's true, and whenever I start working with a new client, I feel like a kid in a candy store. Look at it this way: As a watershaper, I get paid to use my ideas, experience, imagination and creativity to make my clients' dreams come true. Essentially, we're big kids playing with very big toys, and clients respond to our enthusiasm in a big way. And the best thing about it is that exterior designs are like fingerprints: Each one is different; every client has his or her own set of priorities; and every property calls for a
One of the fascinating things about working with the different types of clients we encounter as watershapers is that we can never really know what to expect. If my years of experience have taught me anything, it's that perception is often very different from reality. Instead, what I find is that the basic assumptions we might be inclined to make about different "categories" of clients are, often as not, completely confounded by the uniqueness of every situation. As a result, working effectively across a range of project types and client economic levels means being able to withhold judgment or at the very least avoid
One of the fascinating things about working with the different types of clients we encounter as watershapers is that we can never really know what to expect. If my years of experience have taught me anything, it's that perception is often very different from reality. Instead, what I find is that the basic assumptions we might be inclined to make about different "categories" of clients are, often as not, completely confounded by the uniqueness of every situation. As a result, working effectively across a range of project types and client economic levels means being able to withhold judgment or at the very least avoid
Whether you call yourself an environmentalist or not, the current information about climate change and a range of related issues is something you need to consider. Before you react to that statement, be advised that you don't have to accept global warming as fact or anything else experts and scientists might say at face value. What you do have to accept, however, is that there's enough going on in those arenas that your clients are picking up on it - and personally, that's more than enough motivation for me to start paying attention sooner rather than later. In other words, as both enlightened citizens and forward-thinking watershapers, I think things are at a point where it's probably wise to
Whether you call yourself an environmentalist or not, the current information about climate change and a range of related issues is something you need to consider. Before you react to that statement, be advised that you don't have to accept global warming as fact or anything else experts and scientists might say at face value. What you do have to accept, however, is that there's enough going on in those arenas that your clients are picking up on it - and personally, that's more than enough motivation for me to start paying attention sooner rather than later. In other words, as both enlightened citizens and forward-thinking watershapers, I think things are at a point where it's probably wise to
If there's a constant in watershape and landscape design and construction, it's that clients are almost invariably different from one another. Through years of watching how others approach these singularities, we've seen some designers (and builders) who are so set in their ways that they limit what they're willing to provide. Indeed, there even seems to be a bias in the industry at large toward elevating those designers who have a "trademark style." In our company's case, however, repetition of styles and features is not something that gets us going: Rather, we find it much more challenging and interesting to approach each project with fresh eyes and a genuine curiosity about our clients' dreams. To that end, our approach at Verdant Custom Outdoors (San Diego, Calif.) is all about understanding our clients and avoiding any preconceptions about what we think they might want. That in mind, we deliberately approach all clients and projects with a desire to meet individualized needs - a practice that has required us to become totally adaptable when it comes to both design and construction. To be sure, this approach adds a layer of complexity to what we do in that we start from scratch with every project. Our process requires a great deal of research, but as we see it, it's always been an investment of time and resources that constantly
If there's a constant in watershape and landscape design and construction, it's that clients are almost invariably different from one another. Through years of watching how others approach these singularities, we've seen some designers (and builders) who are so set in their ways that they limit what they're willing to provide. Indeed, there even seems to be a bias in the industry at large toward elevating those designers who have a "trademark style." In our company's case, however, repetition of styles and features is not something that gets us going: Rather, we find it much more challenging and interesting to approach each project with fresh eyes and a genuine curiosity about our clients' dreams. To that end, our approach at Verdant Custom Outdoors (San Diego, Calif.) is all about understanding our clients and avoiding any preconceptions about what we think they might want. That in mind, we deliberately approach all clients and projects with a desire to meet individualized needs - a practice that has required us to become totally adaptable when it comes to both design and construction. To be sure, this approach adds a layer of complexity to what we do in that we start from scratch with every project. Our process requires a great deal of research, but as we see it, it's always been an investment of time and resources that constantly
If there's a constant in watershape and landscape design and construction, it's that clients are almost invariably different from one another. Through years of watching how others approach these singularities, we've seen some designers (and builders) who are so set in their ways that they limit what they're willing to provide. Indeed, there even seems to be a bias in the industry at large toward elevating those designers who have a "trademark style." In our company's case, however, repetition of styles and features is not something that gets us going: Rather, we find it much more challenging and interesting to approach each project with fresh eyes and a genuine curiosity about our clients' dreams. To that end, our approach at Verdant Custom Outdoors (San Diego, Calif.) is all about understanding our clients and avoiding any preconceptions about what we think they might want. That in mind, we deliberately approach all clients and projects with a desire to meet individualized needs - a practice that has required us to become totally adaptable when it comes to both design and construction. To be sure, this approach adds a layer of complexity to what we do in that we start from scratch with every project. Our process requires a great deal of research, but as we see it, it's always been an investment of time and resources that constantly
When I teach seminars on watershape design, I always emphasize the importance of having a list of questions to ask prospective clients during initial conversations. It's a point that always seems to ignite discussion - and it usually ends up with someone in the audience asking me to provide such a document for general use. I always refuse to do so, not because I consider my approach a trade secret, but rather because everyone's business and approach to clients is a little different and the questions I ask might not be exactly the questions everyone else would (or should) ask. The issue has come up frequently enough through the years, however, that I've finally assembled
