Trellis Coaching - Trellis News Garden Design Newsletter & Attraction Marketing Coaching

Trellis News

If you're a new subscriber, welcome to this edition of Trellis News. I hope it gives you some food for thought, and that you'll soon be contributing your own questions and opinions to share with your colleagues. This month I'd especially like to welcome all our new readers from abroad.

And I'd like to extend a huge thank you to all of you who take the time to send in responses to the letters and articles, your opinions really are appreciated. Many of the issues touched on aren't ones that are covered in design courses, but only become apparent when you're running your own business. And it's great to have a spectrum of views, so, if you don't agree with what you read below, please email us at Trellis News and tell us why......

Letters Page -
Your opportunity to have your say, to ask questions, look for resources.
In the last edition, James Alexander-Sinclair wrote: "The most important thing about choosing clients is that you should never, ever work for somebody you don't like. That way lie tears and sleeplessness." And I posed the question whether you would give the client what they wanted, even if it went against your aesthetic principles (remember the rockery with gnomes by the woodland stream?)

David Stevens reply was:
Now it's tempting, particularly when you are young and keen in the profession, to take on each and every client you can get. It's also the way you build experience, after all, our job, trade, profession, call it what you will is not simply to do with design and construction, it involves sales, psychology good humour and a good deal else. You may be the best designer in the world but if you don't like people then forget it!

If your client wants a rockery with gnomes, don't just laugh and brand him or her an idiot, look a little deeper. The whole art of Folly building is and was unashamedly British. OK this may not exactly be the Grotto at Painshill or Stourhead but the thinking is much the same. Just because something is historically grand or outlandish should not necessarily degrade a modern counterpart, albeit on a small scale, bless it!

So many clients and designers have forgotten humour, which is an indispensable part of what we do and what we create, lighten up!!

So, onto the question of the awful client. Well, most of us know when the person we are dealing with is just not on our wavelength. They may be arrogant or simply want something REALLY so at odds with commonsense that you know it will never work in a million years. This is not to say you should not at least try to see if there is a simple way through the problem, after all it IS their garden and not yours. But just occasionally you know you will never get on with this person and this is the time to politely walk away, right at the beginning, just don't get involved. Just say, truthfully, that you feel you are not the right person for them. If you don't there will be grief all round and in all likelihood they will not pay your bill.

I think I have done this three times in thirty five years and I am grateful that I have!

Most clients are the best people in the world, you don't need the other ones!

Adam Bailey says: We actively pitch our fees lower for a job we really want.
An attractive project is one where the two way relationship between the designer and the client has that certain 'spark', where ideas are listened to with enthusiasm and the role of the designer is appreciated by the client. It is also one where there is the possibility of creating a garden quite different from the usual "low maintenance, cheap budget" gardens - nothing wrong with them, but they aren't always the most exciting gardens to create.

There's nothing wrong with taking on cheaper work when you first start, we've probably all done it to get noticed and build the portfolio quickly, but it's not a long term business strategy worth keeping up. Remember, whilst your portfolio builds, so will your confidence and you'll gradually start to choose which jobs you want to go for. It's always worth asking yourself the question, "What does the client expect of me?" at the start of the project - try asking the client as well!

If the client's expectation isn't the service you provide or will have you running around and not charging for all the hours you put in, ask yourself a second question, "Why am I doing this?!"

From my own personal point of view, yes, I do have to like the client. Every time I visit a potential client for the first time I am really choosing them as much as they are choosing me! I actually have a client profile for my preferred client base and no, they're not always rich millionaires!

I have one particular client local to me for whom I have worked for about 7 years. I've never done any graphical design work for her and over the years my prices have gone down rather than up! However! This client never argues the invoice, is an absolute pleasure to work for, always listens to my advice and allows me to act on it, actively recommends me to many other clients (a superb form of free advertising, worth a lot!), repeatedly calls me back to do more work and owns a two acre garden on the side of a hill with stunning views over the countryside. OK, it's not a money spinner but every day I wake up and know I'm working in that client's garden for the day I count myself lucky that there are clients like her out there. Clients like that should be looked after with great care.

For me, it's client before cash. If I don't like the person I don't care what they have to spend, I'm not interested. I need to be happy in my work and that's not always about money. It's about being appreciated, having the freedom to express yourself as an artist and having less stress in life. This job is hard enough without having difficult clients!

Zac, Creative Garden Works:
Bossy rich clients are a regular problem, you want to spend their money (wisely of-course) but they are not used to the lack of control nature offers. I go for the clients I like, if their style/taste is dodgy but I like them personally then I'm in! ... but with attitude! If their style/taste is good but personally they turn me off,, ? well I believe it's a major success of mine that I leave them well alone. It's a massive commitment taking on a job with strangers day after day, a personal relationship with trust rules that day. I have to like them!

Claire Cadoux's response was:
On the subject of the garden gnome owner, I would explain as usual what my work entails and leave the final decision to the gnome owner.

Regarding not working with people you don't like - Understand why you don't 'like' them before dismissing them. The reason is crucial to the decision to end a prospective project. If, for example, the client has given you cause (body or verbal language) to believe there may be trouble in the future regarding payment, do your terms and conditions referring to payment give you more confidence once the client has read them?

If, for example, you don't 'like' them because there is something about them you fear then that is your fear and you must understand what has triggered this, as it will surely reappear in the future.

Knowing exactly which clients one can help the most and why, has a rigidity to the language which results in me wondering if James is limiting his market. Running a design business is just that - a business first and foremost. If James wants primarily to do design (and like and be liked), I would wish to raise his awareness on the business side and support him through projects where, yes, he may not 'like' the client. He may learn to achieve the end result (finished project and fat cheque), whether he likes the client or not.

(Editor's note: I agree wholeheartedly that for self-empoyed garden designers to succeed, they do need to treat what they do first and foremost as a business - and I also believe, and know from experience, that it is possible to be successful and have a great time doing work that is fulfilling with great clients. 'Knowing exactly which clients one can help the most and why' is my phrase, rather than James', and it refers to one of the steps of our Attraction in Action Attracting Clients programme. The programme shows you how to attract all the clients that you want who are perfect for you, and to do that successfully, you firstly need to be able to define very, very clearly who they are. Annie Meachem.)

And now to another example on the partly on the same subject but with an additional twist - Shila Patel has posed the following potential problem:
I have a client with kids who has a small/medium sized garden which has been previously professionally designed.

He now wants a 'kids friendly' redesign in one corner of the garden, and wants to make maximum use of space, so wants to cram into the corner a childrens activity tower combined with a tree house. The location is in a shady corner right next to a neighbour's boundary. The neighbours have just landscaped the other side of the fence a few weeks ago and have previously raised concerns about the height of a possible structure in that area.

The client is very assertive, an environmental lawer, and can afford the highest budget. I would probably say, sorry I am not available for this project! All I know is that the height of a fence can legally be 6ft and a structure can be 4M high.

So, what would you do if you were Shila? Would the 'big budget' pursuade you tackle this project, despite any reservations? And what's your reaction to being asked to 'cram something' into someone else's completed design? Does this sort of request allow you to maintain your design integrity?

Please send your responses to this and any other questions you'd like to raise with your peers by email to for publication in the next edition of Trellis News. Any replies to requests for help that you send are forwarded straight on to the person who asked the question.

Article

How to Sell Your Services
by Annie Meachem
I've written quite a few articles in Trellis News about marketing what you do, but haven't talked about the actual selling process - until now. Selling is one of those areas that has a lot of fear and myth built up around it, so let's demystify the process.

Firstly, what's the difference between 'marketing' and 'selling'? Marketing is the process of identifying and communicating with people that are prospective clients; selling is the process of persuading a particular prospective client to buy from you. The aim of good marketing, and particularly of the attraction marketing process, is for the selling part of the process to become unnecessary, because the client has already decided they want to work with you before they have even contacted you. Nonetheless, knowing that every interaction with someone brings you either closer or further away from them, having an understanding of the theory of selling is still useful.

The sales process is made up of six steps, which are:

1. planning and/or preparation
2. introduction or opening
3. questioning
4. presentation
5. overcoming objections/negotiating
6. closing the sale.

Let's look at each of those steps in more detail:-

1. Planning and/or preparation
The obvious steps are to ensure that your portfolio and any literature you use, as well as your design questionnaire, are as you want them. Less obvious steps are:

Think about what your prospective clients requirements are likely to be, based on the information you've gleaned in setting up the appointment.
Make sure you're really clear on what the benefits are of what you offer.
Really know what you want to get over to your prospect, and the ideal order in which to do this.Rehearse this until it feels totally comfortable.
Think carefully about what you want from the meeting, and spend some time visualising a positive outcome.
Approach the meeting with attitude 'If they want to buy, that's great, and if they don't, well that's ok too'. This stops you coming over as needing the business, which is offputting.
Plan your personal image - what do the clothes you wear and your overall appearance say about you?

2. Introduction or opening
People form opinions of you based on information gained in the first few moments of meeting you, so creating a good first impression and setting the scene are vital for the success of the meeting.

Remember to smile when introducing yourself.
Your aim is to develop a rapport with your prospect - however it's important to move on to what you came for promptly rather than chatting the evening away.
Ask how much time your client has available and agree a time to finish.
Check whether your client would prefer you to give him your presentation first or for you to ask him questions.

3. Questioning
As a designer, the purpose of your questions is obviously so you can understand the design brief. From a selling perspective, the other vital purpose of questioning is for you to become clear about which benefits of your services are going to matter most to your client - this enables you to stress those benefits in your presentation. These normally relate to an emotion of some kind, as people buy with their emotions and then justify their purchases with their logic. "

The client should be talking and you listening/writing notes at this point. Don't get drawn in to explaining how what you can do meets his requirements until you're totally clear on what he wants.
People love being listened to well, which builds the rapport between you and the client. There's more about developing great listening skills in my article "How to hear what your clients really want" on the resources section of the website, www.trelliscoaching.com.
When dealing with a couple or group of people, the questioning process also allows you to work out who the decision maker is. You can then match the benefits you offer to those preferred by the decision maker.
The questioning process allows you to find out whether your client is serious about the project, and also whether they have the necessary budget. There may seem little point carrying on with your full presentation if it's become obvious that your expectations are worlds apart.
It also allows you to check out whether this client is someone you wish to work for or not - you're interviewing them just as much as they're assessing you.

4. Presentation
Your presentation now needs to show how you can meet the client's needs.

Use your presentation to help the client imagine how they will feel when they're in their new garden.
Many sales are lost because the person selling doesn't recognise when the client's ready to buy, and just keeps on going regardless with their presentation.
Drop information from your presentation about points that are not of interest to your client - you'll know which these are from the questioning process.
Make sure the language you use is suited to the audience - e.g. novice gardeners don't need to be overwhelmed with latin names, non-technical people don't need to know how many millimetres of hoggin goes under the paths.
You'll undermine your own presentation if you're rude about your competition in any way.

5. Overcoming objections
Many people hear an objection as a No and back off defeated at that point, whereas an objection is often just a request for further information and clarity.

If you hear an objection, resist the temptation to repeat part of your presentation again or to explain why that shouldn't be an issue - it certainly is for your client.
If you hear an objection, use it as an opportunity to ask your prospect to tell you more about the issue and why it's important to him. Once you've got the full picture, you can then negotiate with the client to find an acceptable solution.
Welcome objections - once you've handled all of them, step 6, closing the sale becomes almost redundant!

6. Closing the sale
If you've followed steps 1-5, all you need to do here is to say "Are you happy that we've covered everything and would you like to go ahead?"

This gives the prospect the chance to check they have covered all their objections.
It makes it easy for the client to say yes - if you don't say it, they can sometimes feel uncomfortable about what to do next. Once they've said yes, let them know what will happen next - e.g. "I'll have the concept drawings ready for you in two weeks, can we make an appointment now for you to see them?" Saying yes is usually the most difficult part for the customer of the whole conversation, so anything you can do to make it easier will help them to go ahead as they want.
If they say 'I'll think about it', you'll need to treat this as another objection and find out what's behind it - it maybe they just feel uncomfortable saying no, or it maybe they're genuinely cautious and want to mull things over before proceeding. You'll then need to agree what the next action is, e.g. 'I'll phone you on Wednesday to hear what you've decided'.
If they say 'no thanks' at this point, at least you can focus your attention on more promising prospects.

So I hope that this has helped debunk any beliefs you might have had about 'I can't sell my services' and that you've realised that the sales process in itself is a straightforward one. Approach each of the steps with confidence, and enjoy the results!

*****************************************************
Imagine a constant stream of ideal clients
Would you like to be able to work only with the people you like, doing the projects that you really enjoy? What would that give you? Fulfilment? Job satisfaction? Reputation? Financial success? Would you like to have a constantly full order book?

It is our aim to help you achieve this, and our Attracting Client programmes are designed to enable you to attract all the clients you need.

We have a variety of formats to suit your learning style and your budget, from workshops to individual coaching by telephone. To find out more, please contact us by phone on 0845 456 9382 or by email,

"I have been on several business courses, and read many books about marketing, most of them just repeats of the same advice or just too complicated to understand and apply - however, your Attracting Clients programme was exceptional in several ways. Firstly, I really engaged with the spirit of the programme and found doing the exercises very powerful in the way they have moved me on, secondly I found every exercise entirely practical and every bit of advice full of commonsense. And thirdly - I really have started to attract the results I want in my life! I have recommended your programme to several of my business colleagues - so that we can start to create a life we love." Lisa Rossetti

*****************************************************

End Piece
Summer came and went in a flash, and the last trip to Portugal seems an age ago. You may remember I was going to be seed hunting on our land there on behalf of Marney Hall for Chelsea next year (for new readers, we're lucky enough to have 4.5 acres of land plus a 'mud hut' in the Alentejo area of Southern Portugal, you can see the beautiful countryside on our website, www.ourhouseinportugal.co.uk).

However when we arrived at the end of July and saw how dry the land was, I was dubious whether I'd find anything useful for her - even plants such as lavenders and helichrysums had shrivelled up in the heat. We then had several days of 44 deg heat, which was unbearable - we retreated to the air-conditioned delights of an Algarve shopping mall, leaving seed hunting until the temperature dropped at least below 40 degrees. Fortunately, I was able to send Marney a variety of seeds, which I hope will be of some use to her.

We're now waiting for the renovation licence to be granted for the house - things seem to take their own time in Portugal, so we'll just keep waiting......

Until next month,

Best Wishes

Annie Meachem, ACC

Trellis Coaching
0845 456 9382
+44 (0) 1243 545010 (from outside UK)
email

"I help designers and entrepreneurs grow their success - who do you know who's serious about being effortlessly successful, and is willing to invest in themselves to achieve their dreams?"

Important Notes - (the small print)

- You can unsubscribe at any time by sending a blank email to

- Trellis Coaching will never release, sell or give a subscriber's name or e-mail address to any other party or organisation without your permission.

- As Editor, I reserve the right to select and edit items submitted for the newsletter.

Top Home Contact Us

Copyright © Annie Meachem 2003/4. Copyright in this document is owned by Annie Meachem. All rights are reserved. This document may not be copied or distributed without the prior written consent of the Copyright owner.