LIVE Q&A SESSION 14:
December 3rd, 2020: 9am (Pacific Time – US & Canada)
Chat Transcript:
Where are you joining us from?
From Kim Price
Hi! Kim from Orlando, FL
From Angela Hinton
Orlando, FL
From Brian Penschow
Lincroft, New Jersey
From Mario Campos
Seattle, WA
From Morris Clarke
Philadelphia PA
From Francis Catanach
El Paso, TX, USA.
From Craig Polhamus
Syracuse, NY
From Jonathan Wendzina
Bristol, UK
From Gordon Pape
Toronto, Canada
From Jeane Dole
Denver, Colorado
From Lucy Barron
bath uk
From Jane Cunningham
Las Vegas
From Birute Raglyte
Hello from London, UK
From Jennifer Remillard
Los Angeles, CA
From Andrew Chary
Lake Placid, NY
From Hilary Kolinsky
Plymouth, uk
From Matthew Vicary
Nottingham, UK
From Donna Richter
Colorado
From Charles York
austin, thx
From Amber Eberly
Fort Wayne, IN
From Allan Rosenberg
London uk
From Cheryl Choo
London, UK
From D James Carry
dallas
From Gregory Beck
Calgary Alberta
From Floriana Abramo
London
From Cameron Hughes
Santa Rosa Beach, FL USA
From Debbie Davis
Denver CO
From Dave Christine
Lexington, SC
From Lay-Mon Thaung
london
From Catherine Nicholson
London
From Steve Upham
Houston, Texas
From Kurt James
New York, NY
From Maria Laursen
Rapid City, SD
From Bill Kumlin
Calgary Canada
From Hana Potisk
London
From Matt Laase
Seattle, WA
From Mark Darnell
London, London
From George Knott
London uk
From Greg Macik
Vail, Colorado
From Brett Greene
Nashville, TN
From Michelle Triplett
Memphis, TN
From Eugen Wagner
Austin, Texas
From Marco Giordano
Los Angeles , CA
From Carolina Aivars
London
From James Dinwiddie
London
From Glykeria Gkougkoudi
Athens, Greece
From dianne etheredge
Dallas
From Rachel Sun to All Panelists: 11:44 AM
Rachel from Toronto
From Selvam Rajavelu
Selvam Rajavelu
From Nancy West
Charlottesville, VA
From Dana Carter
atlanta
From Selvam Rajavelu
Murray, Utah
From Tim Hall
London UK
From Lucy Mills
cheshire ,uk
From Noel Shaw Jr
hello from Raleigh, NC
From Crispin Mason-Jones
Newcastle upon Tyne UK
From Marco Giordano
The other reason to reachout to clients….they just might have missed our email or they are busy and just forgot to call us…
From Carol Debear
what are designers hourly rates?? can we be specific
From harman scott
Perth, Scotland
From Francis Catanach
We have found that architects in our region have historically (for at least 30 years) “cut each other’s throats” In addition to differentiating our service and offering optional levels of service, is there any value in trying to convince our local colleagues to charge better fees, pay their employees better, and to overall NOT COMMODITIZE architecture??
From MELISSA COOKSEY
Thank you! That does answer my question.
From David Lees
Can you discuss they way giving 3 or 4 columns of options can be used to nudge the client up to a higher option, as lots of internet sales do
From Richard Hawkes
It’s lovely to listen to the questions & answers and it reaffirms my gratitude in having attended the workshop several years ago and applying all these techniques to transform our business. No questions come to mind tbh but I’d love to share the journey we’ve been on thanks to your advice.
From Richard Hawkes
The hot potato !
From Hana Potisk
We feel that we spend a lot of time preparing fee proposals as each project is different. How can this time be reduced and made more systematic?
From Angela Hinton
Thank you!
From Blue Turtle
How to Sell a High Quality Design Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7416069997652/WN_hf5W5bKoQ5i_kRq8lWzRBw
From Bill Kumlin
Hi… That link goes to a December 10th event.
From Rachel Sun
Is it worth following up with a client who I felt not my type of clients and hear about the feedback of my fee proposal?
From Steve Upham
The smaller first step allows you to establish the relationship and secure future steps
From Blue Turtle
How to Sell a High Quality Design Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7416069997652/WN_hf5W5bKoQ5i_kRq8lWzRBw
Call with Ian:
https://calendly.com/blueturtleconsulting/fee-proposal-review-consultation
From Andrew Chary
Thank you!
From George Knott
what time is tom mows webinar
From MELISSA COOKSEY
Thank you!
From Hunter Margolf
Thank you
From Matthew Vicary
Thank you!
From Zhe Wang
Thanks a lot!
From Blue Turtle
Webinar tomorrow is at 4pm (GMT), 11am (Eastern US), 8am (Pacific US)
From George Knott
Thanks
From Kim Price
Hi! Kim from Orlando, FL
From Angela Hinton
Orlando, FL
From Brian Penschow
Lincroft, New Jersey
From Mario Campos
Seattle, WA
From Morris Clarke
Philadelphia PA
From Francis Catanach
El Paso, TX, USA.
From Craig Polhamus
Syracuse, NY
From Jonathan Wendzina
Bristol, UK
From Gordon Pape
Toronto, Canada
From Jeane Dole
Denver, Colorado
From Lucy Barron
bath uk
From Jane Cunningham
Las Vegas
From Birute Raglyte
Hello from London, UK
From Jennifer Remillard
Los Angeles, CA
From Andrew Chary
Lake Placid, NY
From Hilary Kolinsky
Plymouth, uk
From Matthew Vicary
Nottingham, UK
From Donna Richter
Colorado
From Charles York
austin, thx
From Amber Eberly
Fort Wayne, IN
From Allan Rosenberg
London uk
From Cheryl Choo
London, UK
From D James Carry
dallas
From Gregory Beck
Calgary Alberta
From Floriana Abramo
London
From Cameron Hughes
Santa Rosa Beach, FL USA
From Debbie Davis
Denver CO
From Dave Christine
Lexington, SC
From Lay-Mon Thaung
london
From Catherine Nicholson
London
From Steve Upham
Houston, Texas
From Kurt James
New York, NY
From Maria Laursen
Rapid City, SD
From Bill Kumlin
Calgary Canada
From Hana Potisk
London
From Matt Laase
Seattle, WA
From Mark Darnell
London, London
From George Knott
London uk
From Greg Macik
Vail, Colorado
From Brett Greene
Nashville, TN
From Michelle Triplett
Memphis, TN
From Eugen Wagner
Austin, Texas
From Marco Giordano
Los Angeles , CA
From Carolina Aivars
London
From James Dinwiddie
London
From Glykeria Gkougkoudi
Athens, Greece
From dianne etheredge
Dallas
From Rachel Sun to All Panelists: 11:44 AM
Rachel from Toronto
From Selvam Rajavelu
Selvam Rajavelu
From Nancy West
Charlottesville, VA
From Dana Carter
atlanta
From Selvam Rajavelu
Murray, Utah
From Tim Hall
London UK
From Lucy Mills
cheshire ,uk
From Noel Shaw Jr
hello from Raleigh, NC
From Crispin Mason-Jones
Newcastle upon Tyne UK
From Marco Giordano
The other reason to reachout to clients….they just might have missed our email or they are busy and just forgot to call us…
From Carol Debear
what are designers hourly rates?? can we be specific
From harman scott
Perth, Scotland
From Francis Catanach
We have found that architects in our region have historically (for at least 30 years) “cut each other’s throats” In addition to differentiating our service and offering optional levels of service, is there any value in trying to convince our local colleagues to charge better fees, pay their employees better, and to overall NOT COMMODITIZE architecture??
From MELISSA COOKSEY
Thank you! That does answer my question.
From David Lees
Can you discuss they way giving 3 or 4 columns of options can be used to nudge the client up to a higher option, as lots of internet sales do
From Richard Hawkes
It’s lovely to listen to the questions & answers and it reaffirms my gratitude in having attended the workshop several years ago and applying all these techniques to transform our business. No questions come to mind tbh but I’d love to share the journey we’ve been on thanks to your advice.
From Richard Hawkes
The hot potato !
From Hana Potisk
We feel that we spend a lot of time preparing fee proposals as each project is different. How can this time be reduced and made more systematic?
From Angela Hinton
Thank you!
From Blue Turtle
How to Sell a High Quality Design Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7416069997652/WN_hf5W5bKoQ5i_kRq8lWzRBw
From Bill Kumlin
Hi… That link goes to a December 10th event.
From Rachel Sun
Is it worth following up with a client who I felt not my type of clients and hear about the feedback of my fee proposal?
From Steve Upham
The smaller first step allows you to establish the relationship and secure future steps
From Blue Turtle
How to Sell a High Quality Design Service:
https://us02web.zoom.us/webinar/register/7416069997652/WN_hf5W5bKoQ5i_kRq8lWzRBw
Call with Ian:
https://calendly.com/blueturtleconsulting/fee-proposal-review-consultation
From Andrew Chary
Thank you!
From George Knott
what time is tom mows webinar
From MELISSA COOKSEY
Thank you!
From Hunter Margolf
Thank you
From Matthew Vicary
Thank you!
From Zhe Wang
Thanks a lot!
From Blue Turtle
Webinar tomorrow is at 4pm (GMT), 11am (Eastern US), 8am (Pacific US)
From George Knott
Thanks
Questions answered:
Naama:
1. You asked me if I follow up after I send a proposal if I don’t hear from them. I think that if they don’t call me back it’s a no. They know how to reach me. Why should I follow up with them? It sends the wrong message and confronts them. And it’s usually a ‘no’ if they don’t call you back.
2. I have a client that worked with us in 2018-2019. Since then our fees for a report have tripled. And now he can’t digest this and is asking me to go back to the old fee. Any thoughts for this specific case of negotiation?
Michelle:
I am a professional member of ASID and have been an interior designer for 22 years. I am a sole proprietor and my projects are mostly residential remodels. I have found that charging hourly for my time works best, but have found that the paperwork for the projects takes just as long as my billable hours. Should I raise my hourly rate and risk losing clients, or add a separate rate or fixed fee for administration time?
Peter:
I have been an architect for over 40 years and a sole practitioner for the last 20. I do not have a website. I nevertheless receive numerous enquiries from about a dozen different sources. I have been advised by the RIBA and others that I ought to have one, but I don’t understand why it is necessary. What is your view please?
Anonymous:
What would you see as an indicative fee for a full planning application for a small development of 8 dwellings in Hertfordshire?
Melissa:
In our region, it seems some architecture/design firms are submitting very low fees, no profit, to just have work. Any tips on how to address that in our fee proposals? From attending your awesome workshop a few years ago, providing fee choices is the way to go. Is that still your recommendation?
Carl:
List The top five most important components of a fee proposal in order of importance.
Jane:
Do you have suggestions for a “How we work” type paper working as a “pre-proposal”? We’ve had quite a few requests recently. Thanks.
Steve:
My clients are all churches… how to command better fees with non-profits and churches?
How to convince them that lowest fee proposal isn’t in their best interest?
Angela:
One question I have is if Ian or Alexandra have any suggestions regarding exclusivity agreements: how do we get the client to see the benefit on both sides? It seems as though clients may interpret it as mainly a benefit to the designer. If I did an exclusivity agreement, it would be for an instance of multiple or successive projects. I would be trying to prevent the collection of projects from being bid out to other designers.
Anonymous:
How do you best to benchmark your fee and be able to be competitive in each tender/ bid. Difficult to get any feedback in unsuccessful bid and the market is becoming increasing competitive. In some case one wonder how one can survive with such low fee by the successful bidder!
David:
Can you discuss they way giving 3 or 4 columns of options can be used to nudge the client up to a higher option, as lots of internet sales do
Allan:
How can one deal with the fixed fee demanding client when they don’t even know what they want?
Hana:
How quick should the turn around time for sending out a fee proposal be once you’ve agreed to prepare one for a prospective client?
1. You asked me if I follow up after I send a proposal if I don’t hear from them. I think that if they don’t call me back it’s a no. They know how to reach me. Why should I follow up with them? It sends the wrong message and confronts them. And it’s usually a ‘no’ if they don’t call you back.
2. I have a client that worked with us in 2018-2019. Since then our fees for a report have tripled. And now he can’t digest this and is asking me to go back to the old fee. Any thoughts for this specific case of negotiation?
Michelle:
I am a professional member of ASID and have been an interior designer for 22 years. I am a sole proprietor and my projects are mostly residential remodels. I have found that charging hourly for my time works best, but have found that the paperwork for the projects takes just as long as my billable hours. Should I raise my hourly rate and risk losing clients, or add a separate rate or fixed fee for administration time?
Peter:
I have been an architect for over 40 years and a sole practitioner for the last 20. I do not have a website. I nevertheless receive numerous enquiries from about a dozen different sources. I have been advised by the RIBA and others that I ought to have one, but I don’t understand why it is necessary. What is your view please?
Anonymous:
What would you see as an indicative fee for a full planning application for a small development of 8 dwellings in Hertfordshire?
Melissa:
In our region, it seems some architecture/design firms are submitting very low fees, no profit, to just have work. Any tips on how to address that in our fee proposals? From attending your awesome workshop a few years ago, providing fee choices is the way to go. Is that still your recommendation?
Carl:
List The top five most important components of a fee proposal in order of importance.
Jane:
Do you have suggestions for a “How we work” type paper working as a “pre-proposal”? We’ve had quite a few requests recently. Thanks.
Steve:
My clients are all churches… how to command better fees with non-profits and churches?
How to convince them that lowest fee proposal isn’t in their best interest?
Angela:
One question I have is if Ian or Alexandra have any suggestions regarding exclusivity agreements: how do we get the client to see the benefit on both sides? It seems as though clients may interpret it as mainly a benefit to the designer. If I did an exclusivity agreement, it would be for an instance of multiple or successive projects. I would be trying to prevent the collection of projects from being bid out to other designers.
Anonymous:
How do you best to benchmark your fee and be able to be competitive in each tender/ bid. Difficult to get any feedback in unsuccessful bid and the market is becoming increasing competitive. In some case one wonder how one can survive with such low fee by the successful bidder!
David:
Can you discuss they way giving 3 or 4 columns of options can be used to nudge the client up to a higher option, as lots of internet sales do
Allan:
How can one deal with the fixed fee demanding client when they don’t even know what they want?
Hana:
How quick should the turn around time for sending out a fee proposal be once you’ve agreed to prepare one for a prospective client?
References:
1. Fee Proposal Workshop
Click for details
2. How to Stand Out, Attract and Win More Architecture Projects:
Click to view
3. Call with Ian:
Click to view
4. “The Best Method for Calculating Design Fees (including fee benchmarking)” Blog Post
Click to view
Click for details
2. How to Stand Out, Attract and Win More Architecture Projects:
Click to view
3. Call with Ian:
Click to view
4. “The Best Method for Calculating Design Fees (including fee benchmarking)” Blog Post
Click to view
To Register for a future session Click here
