Educate Your Custom Home Build Clients: Three strategies that’ll save time, money, and avoid project regrets!

“It’s easy to think of clients like we think of the weather: A mysterious force over which we have no influence or control.” -kapta.com

As an interior designer working in the custom home construction industry for 15+ years, I can tell you that the industry pros who have embraced their role as strategic guide with a preemptive, directive, coaching style approach move through the build process with far less stress and significantly more positive outcomes than those who simply operate in a tactical execution role. 

When a client sets out to build, regardless of whether this is their “forever” dream home, or just a next step landing spot, they arrive at the starting line with a list of expectations. I’ll never forget the sage advice of one of my industry mentors who had been building for 50 years…”Kid,” he said to me with a wry smile, “we're in the business of managing expectations.” 

And he was so right. The problem is, and I’ve seen this time and again, that especially if this is the client’s first build project, very seldom does the client even know what those expectations are. That leaves you, the professional, in the place of educating and managing a slew of unknowns. Unknowns that can lead to busted budgets, increased timelines, and end-of-project regrets.

So, how do you shift out of reactive mode and into the “driver’s seat” of educating your client on how to avoid things that increase costs, extend timelines, and result in end-of-project regrets?

Keep reading.       

In this post, we’ll look at three strategies that you should employ to save your custom home build clients time, money, and help avoid regrets. Doing so establishes not only your role as educator and strategic guide, but as a best-in-class industry professional.

Three strategies that save your clients time, money and regret:

1. Preemptively educate. Make sure your clients understand what you and your team need them to understand and do, for you to deliver on exceptional work.
2. Options, options, options. Deliver what they’ve asked—then present your recommended solution.
3. The power of your knowledge. Show them what you know, and how it adds lasting value to their project.

1) Preemptively Educate

When you come to the table with a clear client education standard, you’re communicating that you, as the industry professional, have a plan, and you are confident to guide them through the process. From the beginning, you have the opportunity to work ahead by teaching your client what goes into your process so that they not only see just how valuable your expertise is, but are confident to place their trust in your management of the build.

Here’s an example…do you cover the “good/fast/cheap paradox” in your education materials? You know the one that states your customers can have 2 of three outcomes, but not all 3? Good and fast, but it won't be cheap. Fast and cheap, but it won't be good. You get the point. 

If you don’t outline the “why” behind this reality early in your education process, you’ll leave the door wide open for a completely missed expectation. You, the professional, can guide the custom home build client resulting in them being an educated consumer (solidifying your strategic guide role), which in the end saves everyone time, money and avoids regrets!  

2) Options, Options, Options

Everyone in a client facing industry has dealt with a situation where the customer asks for a deliverable or an approach that isn’t the best path forward. The've fallen in love with a tile that does not go with the overall aesthetic of the home…or they are wanting a design feature that is not easily buildable or within budget. When your customer asks for something that you know is not the best solution to their problem, a very low-risk way to introduce new ideas is by delivering “options”.

• Option 1:The thing they asked for, the way they asked for it.
• Option 2:Your recommended plan, and why this plan would be a better fit.

This approach, when presented with clear rationale for your alternative, does two things.  First off, by delivering what they asked for, you buy credibility and trust—you heard them and understand what they were asking for.  But secondly, you as a professional are showing in a tangible way, that you also understand elements they are not familiar with and/or options that they had not considered. (options you know will help avoid problems and pitfalls). 

Presenting options creates opportunities to strategically guide expectations as you educate. When clients feel heard and then understand the why behind design or process decisions, the more trust is established which leads to the best outcomes for everyone.

3) The Power of Your knowledge

Our custom home build clients take great comfort in knowing you, as their chosen strategic guide through their build process, (a) understand their needs; (b) understand your area of genius; and (c) have a clear approach for a successful project. At the end of the day, what many customers are looking for is confidence.

Most everyone understands that we are all navigating a complex industry and weathering the challenges of this industry will undoubtedly take an emotional toll on even the most experienced professionals…and even more so the in-experienced custom home build client.  So, while you may not be able to offer certainty, you can offer knowledge, which results in confidence—and when you do, you’re addressing a fundamental emotional need of your client, even if it’s not one they could even articulate. 

When you step into the role of educator and strategic guide by 1. preemptively educating, 2. giving options, options, options and 3. sharing the power of your knowledge, you generate confidence, respect, and a greater understanding of and appreciation for what you bring to the table as the industry professional.  And these clients will almost always allow themselves to be guided into a set of expectations outlined by you and understood as best practice, industry standard level expectations…which is what leads to the best post project results for everyone!