Oh, Confusion, my dear friend...

 What is going on here?

Well, another day, another laundry list of questions. I accompanied my boss to a client meeting, the nature of which I was not aware. I thought we were just "checking out" the progress of our summer work. So, I didn't think to bring the client file or any measuring tools. Well, that was the wrong choice, because we were discussing a previous design and measuring for a new one. Luckily, the client was organized and had a copy of the design. And thankfully, my feet with shoes on each measure about one foot. So, I figured distances by walking one foot in front of the other, and my boss took notes on our client's plan. Really professional, I know.

There was an entire discussion during the meeting which I was completely confused about--some sort of stone fire place/ring/pit in the backyard. I guess they had discussed it before, so I was the only one who was unawares. Well, it was dark at that point, and we didn't measure the back yard, where the stonework is proposed. So, hopefully I can go back out to do that before we start actually designing.
But, generally, I think I got the gist of the discussion between the clients and my boss. But, I wonder how it will proceed from here. What I foresee is my boss handing me a rough drawing with plant code names scribbled all over it, which I will translate into a formal design. And that's ok.

Luckily I did do a few things right. I did take lots of notes and photos of the site to refer to later. But, in conclusion, I have a few things to learn:

1. Always bring files with client information to meetings
2. Always have a measuring tape hand and keep it in the car
3. Go over the project details with the boss before the client meeting, to be better informed of what will be discussed.
   

Estimating

How do you estimate for a Master Design Plan? That was my task this past week for a condo association. They wanted a ballpark number for their committee's budget meeting for 2010. I figured into the estimate what I thought were the most important factors: site visits, client communication, design time, follow-up meetings, and administrative time. But, how do I know how many hours I'll actually spend designing? I don't. I knew how much time I spent designing smaller projects, though. So, I guesstimated to come up with an educated guess and then passed it by my coworkers for review.

Next, I had to send a convincing email to accompany and support the pricey estimate. My coworker suggested including examples of our previous work, listing our strengths and capabilities, and any other convincing language. I was a little hesitant to write an email from scratch, so I pulled up an old letter we had sent to another client. I modified it considerably and used it as my template. Then, I emailed it off with the estimate, and in response I received a grateful email from the client, reinforcing her respect for our work.

Approaching Dormancy

Things have slowed down quite a bit at the office now. It's almost holiday season, so people are thinking less and less about their landscapes, especially spending money on them. It's November, and most yards and landscapes are brown and scraggly looking. Needless to say, it's getting harder to convince people to think about, much less commit to, design projects. So, they'll wait, winter will pass, and then there will be a mad rush in spring for installations.

As a designer, we walk a fine line between encouraging our clients to commit to projects and pushing them. A few phone calls to touch base? Ok. But, when does that become nagging? A client of ours just went on a 1-week vacation and said they'd call us when they got back. Well, it's been a week now; what if they don't call? Do I keep calling until either a) we get an answer from them or b) they just ignore us. I've put in a lot of design time for them already, and I can't just let that go. So, how do we get through the winter with only a handful of clients?