Any client you agree to entertain in the pre-design stage needs to meet these 5 criteria. If you fail to qualify them, you’ll waste your time on people who will never hire you. Watch this short video and find out why.
Coming to you from a deserted island somewhere in the South Pacific with your best interest in mind.
To get to this secluded spot, I couldn’t hike or drive. The only way to get here is by boat, which got me thinking … To qualify a client for architectural services, you need to adjust the sails for only certain people to reach your destination.
How do you qualify potential clients?
Well, first, let’s think about what the word ‘qualify’ means.
It means to assess whether they are worthy of you — if you should invest the time and effort to find out if you want them as a client at all.
These are the Top 5 Ways to Qualify a Client:
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- Is the person in front of you the decision maker? Especially for a commercial project, know who writes the checks.
- How motivated are they? There needs to be a high reward for them to complete the project (and high consequences if they don’t). A client worth working for needs to need you.
- Is this a ‘now’ or ‘later’ project? Timing is key.
- Do they have the money? Or more importantly, does this person understand how much the project is going to cost? An ideal client is open to the realities of time and budget.
- Finally, is the prospect prepared to follow your process?
If they don’t meet ALL of your criteria, chances are you’d just be donating your time to charity.
But if they do pass the tests — congratulations, you’ve found an ideal client.