How Builders Can Help Homeowners to Work as a Team
Create a collaborative atmosphere and ease homeowners into decisions to head off potential conflicts between them
When you’re working with more than one homeowner on a project, there’s always the potential for conflict between them. One client may be extremely budget-conscious while the other is willing to spend big. One person may tell you they’re on the same page, while the other paints a different picture.
Here, renovation and design pros share their strategies for avoiding conflicts between homeowners from the start, as well as for moving past disagreements if they do occur. Read on for their tips, then please share your own in the Comments.
Here, renovation and design pros share their strategies for avoiding conflicts between homeowners from the start, as well as for moving past disagreements if they do occur. Read on for their tips, then please share your own in the Comments.
Help clients feel confident with showroom samples and video consultations
The process of renovating, building or designing a home can often be overwhelming for people. “A lot of clients are afraid of making the wrong decision,” says builder Jim Brophy of October 5 Fine Home Builders in California. “When people are afraid, they can become angry.”
Finding ways to make clients comfortable with their own decisions can go a long way toward easing their fears. “I only work with showrooms that let you loan out samples for a few days,” Brophy says. “When clients can see and touch a material in their home, they tend to agree with each other more often as to whether or not it’s the right material.”
Designer Barbara Milner of South Hill Interiors in Toronto says it’s important for clients to see the vision, not just hear about it. This is especially true when you’re working with clients online rather than in person. “Technology makes communication with clients so much easier today,” she says. “People have a new level of comfort working with a designer remotely.”
Houzz Pro offers Video Meetings to help you exchange ideas with clients through a remote meeting. You can share your screen with them to help them better visualise a remodelling project. With Houzz Pro, you can also promote on your Houzz profile that you offer virtual consultations. You can share a personalised meeting link by email and on your social media pages, letting clients know how easy it is to start a project or schedule a meeting with you.
More on this theme: 7 Questions to Ask Clients Before They Start a Renovation.
The process of renovating, building or designing a home can often be overwhelming for people. “A lot of clients are afraid of making the wrong decision,” says builder Jim Brophy of October 5 Fine Home Builders in California. “When people are afraid, they can become angry.”
Finding ways to make clients comfortable with their own decisions can go a long way toward easing their fears. “I only work with showrooms that let you loan out samples for a few days,” Brophy says. “When clients can see and touch a material in their home, they tend to agree with each other more often as to whether or not it’s the right material.”
Designer Barbara Milner of South Hill Interiors in Toronto says it’s important for clients to see the vision, not just hear about it. This is especially true when you’re working with clients online rather than in person. “Technology makes communication with clients so much easier today,” she says. “People have a new level of comfort working with a designer remotely.”
Houzz Pro offers Video Meetings to help you exchange ideas with clients through a remote meeting. You can share your screen with them to help them better visualise a remodelling project. With Houzz Pro, you can also promote on your Houzz profile that you offer virtual consultations. You can share a personalised meeting link by email and on your social media pages, letting clients know how easy it is to start a project or schedule a meeting with you.
More on this theme: 7 Questions to Ask Clients Before They Start a Renovation.
Break big decisions into smaller pieces – and take a break when necessary
There’s always a chance that disagreements between clients will still arise even after design and remodelling pros create an atmosphere of collaboration, get agreement from everyone and share photos and showroom samples. Knowing when to step back and give clients time to process is essential.
Designer Stephanie Frees of Plain & Posh in Illinois says that when clients get frustrated and just can’t seem to agree with each other, it may be time to put a pin in the conversation and return to it later. “Giving clients the time to step away relieves the pressure of having to make a decision in the moment,” she says. “I remind them how much they’ve already agreed upon and achieved.” She believes that giving clients the time to pause allows them to settle down and move beyond their disagreement.
Home builder Josh Wynne of Josh Wynne Construction in Florida has another strategy for helping homeowners through disagreements. “The process of designing and building a custom home is made of many conversations and decisions,” he says. “By encouraging clients to break up decisions into bite-size discussions, more often than not they come to realise they’re not as far apart as they think they are.
“We need our clients to love each other as much as they love their finished home,” Wynne adds. “The rest is just colours, textures and numbers.”
Tell us…
What are your best tips for helping clients to work as a team? Share your ideas in the Comments.
There’s always a chance that disagreements between clients will still arise even after design and remodelling pros create an atmosphere of collaboration, get agreement from everyone and share photos and showroom samples. Knowing when to step back and give clients time to process is essential.
Designer Stephanie Frees of Plain & Posh in Illinois says that when clients get frustrated and just can’t seem to agree with each other, it may be time to put a pin in the conversation and return to it later. “Giving clients the time to step away relieves the pressure of having to make a decision in the moment,” she says. “I remind them how much they’ve already agreed upon and achieved.” She believes that giving clients the time to pause allows them to settle down and move beyond their disagreement.
Home builder Josh Wynne of Josh Wynne Construction in Florida has another strategy for helping homeowners through disagreements. “The process of designing and building a custom home is made of many conversations and decisions,” he says. “By encouraging clients to break up decisions into bite-size discussions, more often than not they come to realise they’re not as far apart as they think they are.
“We need our clients to love each other as much as they love their finished home,” Wynne adds. “The rest is just colours, textures and numbers.”
Tell us…
What are your best tips for helping clients to work as a team? Share your ideas in the Comments.
Setting expectations and creating an atmosphere of collaboration from the beginning is essential, says general contractor Erin Wright of Wright-Built in Texas.
“Remodelling or building a home is often the most expensive thing your clients will ever do, so it makes sense there’s going to be anxiety about the process,” she says. “I let my clients know from the start that it will be an imperfect process, but we will get through it together.”
Wright says her initial meetings with clients focus on listening to their wants and needs. “You can’t push your own thoughts and opinions about the project through,” she says. “They’re the ones who’re going to live there. You have to truly understand want they want.”
Wright encourages clients to save photos to a Houzz ideabook and share it with her at the start of the project. “It’s important to see what they like and not just hear it, because they might not be using the correct terminology,” she says. “Clients might tell you they like rustic design, but what they really want is farmhouse style.”
Designer Jena Bula of Delphinium Design in North Carolina, agrees that getting agreement from every client involved in a project is critical. To that end, she requires all clients to be at every design meeting, whether in person or online. “Having all parties present helps to mitigate any misinterpretations, mixed messages and confusion,” she says. “When everyone is present at design meetings, we can nip issues in the bud right away and ensure we’re always on the same page.”