Essay

There are many architecture firms that spend a great deal of effort, time, and money on trying to educate potential clients on the innovative ideas in their designs. Unfortunately, such architectural presentations often fall short, as clients are left without an understanding of why those innovative ideas are truly important and necessary. This lack of client understanding often costs architecture firms the project — where they miss out on the commission.

When a firm’s presentations do not convey the value of their design’s solutions in a way that clients understand, they miss opportunities not only to win new clients, but also to get approval on innovative building design ideas from clients they already have.

The key to winning new clients and getting your most ingenious designs approved is to give leading-edge presentations that make even your most complex design ideas easy for clients to grasp, so they understand why investing in your design solution is a must.

The following are three ideas to help your architecture firm win new projects with presentations that showcase the genius in your designs.

• Ask the Right Questions: It is important to ask yourself: Is my architectural design truly innovative? Does it provide an idea that brings new value for my prospective client? Or am I simply “reinventing the wheel” by creating something that has already been done before, without providing much improved value? By being honest with yourself about these questions, you will uncover whether your design ideas truly matter. Make certain that the content of what you are presenting truly does show leading-edge design value.

• Communicate the Value: Use presentation tools to capture what makes your designs stand above your competition. This means using visualization methods that convey WHY your architectural design is truly innovative — and convey the value that this true innovation brings to your client. In your presentations, be sure to highlight the opportunities that your innovative ideas capture, and make these easy for your client to understand. Be strategic when selecting what presentation tools you will choose to convey your best design ideas.

• Exceed Expectations: Think about what formats of presentation will truly capture the attention of your client. Do not make your client work to understand the value of your design. Let them experience the value of your design’s innovative ideas through the journey of your building design presentation. When you do this, you will be surprising your prospective client with an innovative architectural journey through your design that they did not expect. Go beyond your competition to not only educate your client, but to also immediately delight them with your creative and forward-thinking design and presentation approach. This will help them to immediately grasp the great return on their investment that your design will bring.

By improving your architectural presentation abilities, you will win more projects and get greater client approval of your most innovative ideas.

Plus, your leading-edge presentations will raise the standard in you client’s mind, to give you that competitive advantage.

‍Image Credit: © efks | Fololia