Building Trust

Getting the client on board sometimes requires overcoming our industry's own reputation.

The reality is that almost everyone I speak with has a very low opinion of the pool industry in general. They are in fear when they meet with us. They fear that we’re not going to do things professionally, that we’re not going to get their backyards done on time and that we’re not going to make them happy. That is what they’re believing and that is what they’re hearing and, unfortunately, many times it’s the truth.

A recent example helps make my point: I had a client who, before he started bidding, sent an e-mail to everyone he knows saying, “I’m in the market for a pool and I’d like to get feedback. Does anybody have anyone to recommend or anything I should look out for?” All of the e-mails that came back — a substantial number, according to him — were negative, with one exception.

All the people had had bad experiences, even if they liked the product they ended up with! They disliked the industry and the procedure that it took to get there, and they didn’t want to recommend the person or company who had done their project. So when I met with this client, I had to overcome his apprehensions and compensate for preconceived notions.

I don’t want to go on about this, and I know that we’ve talked about how a lack of professionalism hurts the industry. But I think it’s worthwhile to consider the psychological and emotional effects of this because it helps you know where your client’s mind is prior to meeting with them. I also think it would be worthwhile for company owners and managers to sit their sales staffs down and perhaps even get some professional help to learn ways to alleviate clients’ fears, because it’s harder to do business when people are in fear.

Breaking the wall
A frequent complaint I hear from clients universally is that the industry doesn’t offer all that’s available. These complainants say builders and designers go for the quick solution and that most times, we leave them wanting more. They may be satisfied with their backyards at first — until they find out about something their designer didn’t make available. I hear it over and over again: “I wanted to buy this, but they wouldn’t sell it to me. I wanted to consider that, but they wouldn’t offer it.”

So they’re afraid they’re not going to get a competently designed project, that they’re not going to get everything they might want.

Potential clients are so afraid of our industry that they put up a guard. They can’t relax and let you do your thing even if you’re good. They’re just so uptight that they can’t, or don’t want to, listen to you fully.

I think when clients are in fear, they try to run the show because they’re not sure we’re capable, as an industry, of taking charge of the design discussion. So they attempt to put up their guard and direct the movement of the meeting. They try to take control and say things such as, “Well, you get your numbers together and get me a proposal....” without having a proper discussion of what they really want. They don’t act as they would when they go to a professional such as a doctor for an opinion, where they would sit intently and listen because they have respect.

They may have been exposed to things that make them feel that they know about different aspects of aquascape design, but they’re not designers. So it’s only going to hurt the project.

Most of the time they don’t know what they want. They’re hiring us because we’re the experts; it’s our job to tell them what their choices are. They’re busy with their own world so, unless they happen to be the rare exception who spends several months on the Internet trying to get lots of useless information for themselves, they don’t know. They need to count on us to put together the perfect design. But we can’t do that if they’re closed and take the folded-arm approach.

Being able to read these signals is important because the end result will suffer if we don’t have the trust, control and information we need. Fortunately, there are ways of disarming people, of alleviating their fears and making them realize that you’re different. And that will make you start to have meaningful communication. It’s a sad state of affairs, but I’ve come to expect that when I meet a new client, I’ll have to do the extra work to knock down that wall so they trust and rely on me for my expertise.

The little things
The subject of professionalism has been discussed many times in the industry, but it’s easy for anyone to forget the little things, especially being as busy as we are.

Start working to gain the client’s trust when the relationship is just starting by keeping your appointments on time and returning phone calls. I constantly hear that our industry doesn’t show up — they make appointments and don’t appear, nor do they return phone calls. People say that when the builders do show up, they’re late, ill-prepared and in a hurry. So I try to do all the things opposite of that: I make my appointments far enough in advance so I’m sure to keep them. I call to confirm the day of the appointment; I show up on time and bring everything I think we could possibly use during the meeting.

A significant part of being professional is good communication, which includes returning all phone calls. Many clients worry that we’re not going to stay in touch and they won’t know what is going on. I realize that in our world of over-communication — with beepers, cell phones, voice mail and so forth — sustaining proper communication sometimes is overwhelming and actually hinders getting anything done. If you think that’s the case, you can set a specific time each day for returning phone calls. It helps to indicate this on your outgoing message, saying, for instance, “Please leave a message. I will return your calls between 4 and 6 o’clock.”

When meeting clients face to face, the first thing you need to do is attempt to get them to like you. This helps them overcome their fear and remove their guard, so they can pay better attention to what you’re actually saying. I think that’s why people buy from people they like. (Of course, you went a long way toward getting them to like you just by being professional, courteous and timely.)

Getting them to like you in person doesn’t happen with false sales clichés, such as trying to make a phony connection. It has to be sincere. I believe in getting to know your clients, but a lot of times salespeople will say things that they know nothing about just to try to make a connection. They’ll see a picture of the client fishing and say, “Yeah, I fish all the time myself.” They try to make a false connection. I think it’s an old-time sales technique to attempt to flatter and connect, even at the expense of not telling the truth. It doesn’t work because they get caught and their credibility is shot completely, and early on.

The big picture
At the onset of the design process, it helps eliminate the client’s fear if you focus not on the hole in the ground with water, but rather, exhibit knowledge and interest in the entire outdoor environment as it relates to the client.

Besides doing that, I also tell clients that my only goal is to make the project come out as good as it possibly can — rather than get in, get out, make a quick buck and move on to the next one. When they understand that, they start to listen a lot more. I also tell them I’ll spend as much time as I need to find out what they’re like and to provide our product to them. I allow 1-1/2 to two hours per meeting. I should mention at this point that as a designer/consultant, I charge by the hour.

During our discussions, I spend a lot of time attempting to find out what they’re like instead of telling them how wonderful I am and how much I know. I think that comes across as more endearing than sitting down and blurting out all the facts and figures you know because you’re such a great designer. Instead, I ask them questions and let them talk. Then as they talk, they feel like they’re more in a friendly conversation, they know I’m serious about tailoring their backyard to them, and they start to warm up.

By asking clients why they want a pool, how they plan to use it and what they hope for the pool, you indicate a willingness to approach the design process from a different point of view than what they expect. It might throw them slightly off guard initially, but will make them feel more relaxed in general.

I think one of my jobs is to stay on top of the newest designs, features and materials, so I’m prepared to discuss just about anything a client might bring up. Some consumers go online and see projects in other lands that they normally wouldn’t have access to, so I think they often get the idea that they’re better prepared for the design phase than we are as an industry, that they know things we don’t. That’s not going to bolster their confidence in you as a designer.

When I don’t know much about something, I’ll always say, “I don’t know. But I have resources and I’ll get back to you.” It’s important not to dismiss their question because the client will feel like you’re ignoring it because it’s not convenient, or because you’re ignorant.

Building a team
Even after trust has been established, some clients will want more of a sense of control over the process. They may have very specific ideas about what they want, based on a limited exposure to what’s available. Or they may just be the type who wants to feel in control. But sometimes what they say they want won’t really suit their needs, or it just might not make design sense.

I work with these clients by listening to their ideas and letting them verbalize their opinion and then presenting options, saying, “That sounds like a good idea, but try to imagine this: What if we did this?” Then I tell them the merits and benefits of that and let them start to understand what I’m talking about. If they say, “Oh, I hadn’t even thought of doing that,” then you know you have them.

But if they say, “No, I want to stay with my idea,” I assure the client that I understand that ultimately it is their project. I tell them, “If you want purple flamingos all around the patio, I’m not the one to tell you that you can’t have them. It’s your house, it’s your project and you should have them. But if you ask my opinion, I might tell you I think purple flamingos is not the answer.” They seem to appreciate that and it sets the stage for them to hear new ideas, even if they end up deciding to go with their original plan.

Of course, I take special care not to make them look bad, but occasionally you have no choice but to be blunt and either win or lose completely. I’m a designer — that’s what I do for a living and that’s why people hire me. If someone won’t let me do my job, I’m willing to walk.

If don’t think they’re willing to listen to me — or even take the time to give me the information I need after I’ve given my assurance that I want to make them happy — I’ll explain this to them.

I might say something such as, “I’m here because this is what I do for a living. You can research this for years to attain my design knowledge, or you can take advantage of my experience now.” I often tell them that my job is to make them aware of the components and aspects of design and function, to let them know the pros and cons, relative values and to see what things are most important to them and then incorporate them into the project. I explain that I would be remiss if I didn’t let them know what things people seem to like and what things are available that they might not be aware of. That lets them know that they were maybe trying to direct something a certain way and weren’t listening to what I had to say and that I am, in fact, the expert. I’ve already told them they can have whatever they want. So that seems to set their minds at ease and help them focus.

But when I think the client has a bad idea, I find that having the conviction to tell them is more effective than keeping quiet. You have to be strong in your opinion because that’s what they’re paying you for. You have to be able to say — tactfully, of course — “No, I don’t think that’ll work. I think the pool needs to go here, and it should be this and it should be that.” They’re looking for you to be the leader — they just don’t always have the confidence going in that you are the person. So sometimes you have to assert yourself to help gain that confidence and earn that credibility. I’ve already told them I’ll do what they want in the end, so this just helps them understand that I know my craft.

At the other end of the spectrum are clients who will never have enough confidence — perhaps in themselves — to commit to a decision. When I talk about those projects, I say they’re in perpetual design because the clients will make changes as we go along. Right now I’m working with a client who’s gone through five architects and has changed from a lagoon-style pool to a very linear Zen-style pool.

To such clients, I explain that we can make the changes as we go along, but it will usually cost less to finalize as much as possible on the drawings. But sometimes you just have to give these clients more leeway. And, as I mentioned, I charge by the hour, so even these jobs stay worth my while.

Back to fun
Of course, designing a backyard waterscape is supposed to be fun. So it doesn’t make sense to dwell on the negative. Throughout the process, I’m always careful to steer clients back to what originally motivated them to consider the project, before they got to thinking about the industry and what the difficulties in getting to the end result might be. They had a dream or a vision in their mind to start, so I take them back to that and enhance it, finding out what their dream is and bringing that to life aurally and visually with verbal descriptions, material samples, photos and drawings.

Storytelling is such an effective tool. You have to find out in detail what they want, who will be using the area and how they want it to affect their lifestyle. Then you can create a detailed story that’s completely relevant to them: “Imagine this: We did a center-deep pool. We have steps at both ends and a patio/entertainment area at this end. You’ll be able to lie here on the shallow thermal ledge under your umbrella, reading the book you have over there on the coffee table. The children will be right there where you can see them, but far enough away in a shallow area that they can feel like they’re playing on their own.” You’ve etched in their minds an important aspect of your design, something that they can grasp onto from their own point of view.

Describing a scene where they’re using the yet-to-be-built project not only helps put clients’ minds at ease completely, but it gets them excited because they feel like they’re part of a team to bring their vision to life. It reminds them that pools are fun and that designing one should be, too. It builds the excitement that they had for the product in the first place.

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