(January 2009) posted on Tue Feb 24, 2009 EST Save the glitz for richer times. Investors want more for less, so simplify your visuals and focus on flexibility to make design presentations that sell.
By Tobin Schermerhorn
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Tobin Schermerhorn, co-founder of Cauhaus Design, knows design inside and out. She holds a master's degree in interior design and is a registered architect in Washington, D.C. Her 20 years' experience covers hospitality, museums, commercial spaces and luxury residences. Schermerhorn also knows first-hand what operators want, thanks to a stint as senior designer for Marriott International before co-launching Cauhaus. Applying lessons learned over three major downturns, she shares the presentation strategies that are keeping the Frederick, Md.-based firm's boards full in 2009.
As much as I love impressive sample boards and engaging PowerPoints, I've found that the best presentations for a down market are less about "pretty" and more about product. Overspending on frills and techno-presentations could give owners the impression they're paying for the pretense of design. Keep the format and flow focused and flexible, and make it clear the client's opinion matters. Here's how.
- Emphasize your listening skills. Don't make your concept look like a fait accompli. In our experience, T-pinning designs to black velvet-wrapped homosote boards until the final presentation sends the right message to staff and clients. Select images that show you understand the details that differentiate the brand from its competitors. Weave in the catch phrases and terminology in that flag's investor or franchisee marketing materials and describe how your design translates them into brand-enhancing interiors.
- Get into the comfort zone. Forget cold, corporate formality. Unless you know the client requires the white-glove treatment, move presentations from the conference room into your library. In our office, the library's more casual and allows us to provide additional visual aids as needed. This approach enables us to cover design selections quickly and get immediate consensus. Clients tell us they like it because it gets them closer to the inner workings of our process. If the meeting is just between you (if you're a principal or a senior staff member) and one or two clients, consider presenting at your desk. Pulling up a project on your own computer gives clients the feeling they're getting individualized attention from their "personal" designer.
- Engage the client. Treat the presentation as a show-and-tell. Bring in fabrics and explain options for ground cloths and weaves. Pass them around the room; let everyone feel them and make collective decisions about their relative values. Getting client feedback at this initial phase helps to control project costs and minimize the need for additional value engineering.
- Educate investors on new solutions. Sell yourself as a proactive partner by introducing clients to new materials and products that benefit the bottom line. Show samples of new porcelains that are more durable and less costly than natural stones. Point out how technological advances have elevated vinyl wall coverings, acrylics and plastic laminates to rival expensive silks, glasses, woods and metals. If it's workable, offer to walk clients through a trade show or some nearby showrooms to familiarize them with new products. By outlining how you'd use these cost-effective products/materials in less prominent spaces, you highlight your skills in adapting spending strategies to the requirements of each area of the hotel. This alignment is especially important at a time when most of the available commissions will be in the three- to four-star range.
- Show off your creativity. Many clients want the purchasing advantage of a standard package, but want it to be customized for their project. Focus on how your design transforms that standardized offer into a fresher product with changes that won't affect the budget or undercut brand integrity. For example, most chain guest rooms have white bedding and sheer draperies. Small, unique touches such as regional art, sculptural lamp shades or interesting bed throws transform that neutral box into something memorable at no extra cost. Simply changing out a standard fabric to one that reflects the owner's preference signals how responsive your firm is to the client's expertise. If you're working with a hybrid brand package in public spaces, anchor your presentation around the standard seating and casegoods package, then give it its own identity with bold artwork and new color combinations or wall finishes.
- Be a proactive collaborator. If you are trying to learn more about a brand, look through magazines and websites for articles about new projects. Look at the suppliers listed and call your local reps for information. Tap into your network chain to try to get the name of someone representing the brand that can help provide some guidance. Most likely, if your client is considering a specific brand, he or she has been granted access to a website or other documentation that will guide you. Study the material and memorize the lingo. Using the terminology of the brand is critical to the perception that you not only understand the brand, but that you embrace the message.
- Position your firm as a turnkey solution. Clients who are downsizing don't have adequate staff to oversee every aspect of project management; neither does the hotel's director of engineering, who's already juggling multiple pieces of the renovation with a skeleton crew. We've gotten good traction with prospective clients by partnering with consultants on project management, estimating, purchasing, mechanical/electrical/plumbing (MEP), structure and audio-visual prior to our first client meeting and presenting our services as a unified team. Outsourcing keeps your overhead down, lets you hand-pick consultants best tailored to the project and the brand's specific requirements. Recommend contractors you've worked with successfully. There's always a learning curve associated with the construction and millwork fabrication for each brand. By using contractors who know your vision, you can prevent under-delivery on quality and misunderstandings about standards requirements.
- Take ownership. Walk clients through your process to show the value-add your business model brings to the project. We insist on a kick-off meeting with all the decision-makers so that we can evaluate their expectations and discuss potential congestion points. It helps to know which manufacturers are most likely to be awarded the major contracts. That means we can start our design development with realistic estimates and reduce the time needed to review shop drawings.
Overall, sell the idea that your firm is a good steward of your client's money and that you'll treat it like your own. Underscore why these design decisions will get attention now and hold up well enough to defer the next renovation. Design isn't about your ego; it's about problem solving. If downturns have taught me anything, they've helped me stay focused on just that.
