Is it the right time for them to be renovating their house? Do they have other parts of their life together?

I try to figure this out all the time. Is a renovation what they should be doing right now? Or is it something they’re using to distract them from bigger issues?

This is hard to get to the bottom of? The question might be should you? Is it your job to question if they should be doing the project at all?

I believe it is. It’s definitely your responsibility. You’ve been tasked with solving a problem. With finding a solution to the challenges they’re having. As superficial as it might sound, when someone wants to redecorate their home, it’s usually some greater motivation.

Something deeper.

They’re trying to solve a larger issue. What is that issue? What are they really trying to solve? It’s not boredom is it? They want something cooler. Something nicer. Something they can show their friends.

If you have a potential client whose main goal is to impress their friends you need to slowly back away. Then run. That’s not the client you want.

You want someone you can help. Someone focused on how their home can enhance their life. Our homes are places we grow. Places we become who we are. We decide our direction as individuals and as a family.

You need to focus on people that need your help with that. You focus on what problems they’re having in their life. How can the environment around them create change.

If you’re having a hard time digging deeper with your clients and figuring out what the real issues are? You should probably not work on the project.

Don’t spend your time and hard energy on a non issue.

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A post shared by Marc Sawyer (@wwsarchitecture) on Jan 19, 2020 at 3:32am PST

You could be making more impact with other clients. Clients that need you. Your expertise.

Focus on what’s right for your client. How can you best serve them? What is the underlying problem? How can architecture begin to resolve that issue.

Are your clients making a mistake?