Best Practices
Love Me Tender: Maintaining the Client Relationship

by Jim Atkins, FAIA and Grant A. Simpson, FAIA

Summary: “Since our clients are our greatest assets, there is no better way to close out the year than to discuss the architect-client relationship,” observe Jim Atkins, FAIA, and Grant A. Simpson, FAIA. “Architects covet repeat clients, for they represent love, loyalty, and low marketing costs. Repeat clients do not require expensive wining and dining. They trust and value you enough that they just call you up and tell you they want you to do another project; and, by the way, the kick-off meeting is tomorrow.”

Below is a synopsis of the article. Click on the PDF link in the right column for the full text.

Love me tender,
Love me sweet,
Never let me go.
—Elvis Presley, 1956

What must you do to enjoy this wonderful benefit? You only have to endear yourself to them through great service, on-time deliverables, and, most of all, convincing them that you will give them what they want, when they want it, and in a way that fulfills their every wish and need.

It’s a simple task, eh?

It may be simple, but it is not easy. The hardest part for most practitioners is in understanding the process. Maintaining the client relationship can be a fine art. It takes your entire crew to meet expectations and deftly deliver. One disappointing employee action and you may be out of the hunt. But when the process works, it is a wonderful thing. There are firms that have rates of over 90 percent in repeat clients due to their client maintenance process.

It may be simple,
but it is not easy

Ninety percent is pretty amazing, right? Well, maybe, but it is more a matter of human nature. We are all consumers of goods and services, and our behavior regarding service delivery is quite consistent. We want the people we turn to for products and services to set realistic goals, we want them to keep our best interest at heart, and we want them to deliver their product or service as promised. No more, no less. In this respect, our clients are just like we are.

This article will examine the art of maintaining the client relationship. It will explore what it takes to convince an owner that you should be their one and only architect. But such a position is not easy to come by. It is borne out of service behavior that leaves no doubts or hesitation. If you desire this status, it is a discipline that you must passionately pursue with your total effort and stamina. And, if you are successful in your endeavors, you may find that it becomes your life blood.

I promise
Your contract with the client is your promise of what you will deliver. It is during contract negotiations that many architects set themselves up to under deliver on the promises they make. Most clients have lawyers who argue for stringent clauses. The days of signing an AIA form contract without some revisions are basically over. You should be cautious in what you agree to give your owner under your contract and promise only what you know you can deliver. Remember, you are obligated to deliver what is enumerated in your contract, and you will be judged accordingly.

If you agree to conditions that are beyond typical basic services, you may not be able to deliver without incurring increased risk. You should always consult legal counsel when negotiating service agreements. If you do not have an in-house counsel or retained counsel, ask your insurance representative for assistance.

What do clients want?

• To believe they made the best decision when they chose you
• To know you will give the project your all
• On-time delivery of everything promised
• The best deal they could have made
• That they are working with someone who knows them well
• Accessibility
• Stability
• Problem solving skills
• A stable team of knowledgeable players
• A team with a shared mission to see the project through without a nickel-and-dime mentality.

So, as you are preparing for that client interview and rehearsing your pitch, remember that it is what happens after the interview that really counts. The way that you service the client, if you are successful, is what can grant you repeat status.

Repeat business is a reflection that you are accomplishing service excellence in a caring and concerned way

Remember that repeat business is not merely the goal of maintaining a great relationship with your clients. Repeat business is a reflection that you are accomplishing service excellence in a caring and concerned way. Care and concern for your clients cannot be presented in a marketing meeting. It must be reflected in your attitudes and actions as you provide your professional service. And as you save your PowerPoint and reach for your leave-behinds for tomorrow’s marketing presentation, think about that call last week from your old friend John when he hired you to design another one of his projects, and don’t forget to be careful out there.

Looking forward
Future Best Practices in Risk Management planning indicates that 2007 should be another active year. We will kick off the year with “Top Gun: Targeting, Resolving, and Closing Problematic Issues,” where one of project management’s most vital activities, solving problems, will be examined. We also plan to look at the often misguided view that architects take on a fiduciary duty when certifying contractor payments in “The Fiduciary Menace.” We will again examine the vanishing romantics of our industry in “Raiders of the Lost Art,” and we will look at the importance of documenting owner decisions in “Cast in Stone.” We will review the remarkable strength and dynamics of a unified project team in “The Power of One,” and we will look at the underbelly of project final completion as we did in “Substantial Completion, Where Art Thou” back in January. These topics, along with a few others, should make for another exciting year as we turn over more rocks on the risky side of our profession.