Let’s go straight to the bottom line.
That every architecture project involves a financial investment.
That the client will want the best possible return on that investment and the best possible experience in realizing it.
That finally, whatever the project, the client will select the firm which it feels is most likely to deliver on the dollars spent. And this is true whether the project is a hospital, an office for a tech start-up, a K-12 school addition, a mixed-use high-rise or a museum.
So how do you convince a client that you will deliver the best return on its investment?
Start by putting yourself in the client’s shoes. Do the research to get to know it as well as you can. Look at its culture, direction, history of building and its vision for the future. Determine, if you can, who are the decision makers and consider what each person’s priorities will be.
Then look at the project and understand its challenges and possibilities – and the client’s expectations, goals and needs that go with it.
Then demonstrate how your work and experience can more than meet the demands of the project and the client. Show that you understand the client’s culture and what sets it apart and that you will look for possibilities in the project that its leadership hasn’t considered. That you can bring an extra level of value it hadn’t anticipated.
