Your client is resistant to design revisions mid-project. How can you effectively communicate the changes?
When your client resists design revisions mid-project, effective communication is key to aligning expectations and maintaining a positive relationship. Here's how you can handle it:
How do you handle resistant clients? Share your strategies.
Your client is resistant to design revisions mid-project. How can you effectively communicate the changes?
When your client resists design revisions mid-project, effective communication is key to aligning expectations and maintaining a positive relationship. Here's how you can handle it:
How do you handle resistant clients? Share your strategies.
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Jaka P.
Landscape Manager
(edited)Sometimes we can't never say never to a client. But as a professional, we should know how to acknowledge the situation to the client, and how to deliver the complete explanation regarding the current situation. Based on my experience, if client wants a design in the middle of the project/construction, we explain how far we already go, how much cost we already spent (for construction progress and for material delivery), and how many percent change we can do due to existing conditions. After that, we also need to explain the additional cost that we need to spend for the labor, the material, the time, especially if the change needs adjustment in structural things. If the client willing to spend more, I don't find it's difficult to have change.
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Para comunicar mudanças de design de forma eficaz a um cliente resistente, é importante adotar uma abordagem empática e transparente. Explique claramente o motivo das revisões, destacando como elas podem melhorar o resultado final ou resolver problemas surgidos durante o processo. Use exemplos visuais, como renderizações ou protótipos, para ilustrar as mudanças e os benefícios. Enfatize que as revisões são parte do processo criativo e visam alcançar o melhor resultado possível, respeitando os objetivos do projeto. Manter uma comunicação constante e ouvir as preocupações do cliente também pode ajudar a minimizar resistências.
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When handling resistant clients, I focus on clear, empathetic communication. I start by explaining the rationale behind the revisions, emphasizing how they align with the project goals and benefit them. I actively involve the client by inviting their input, which helps them feel valued and engaged. To bridge gaps in understanding, I use visual aids like mock-ups or prototypes to demonstrate the proposed changes. Finally, I maintain a collaborative tone, showing flexibility while guiding them toward the best outcome for the project. This approach builds trust and maintain a positive working relationship.
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There is always the common end goal and the journey it takes to get there. I always work hand in hand with the client to ensure they're always a part of that journey. The first step is to understand where any resistance to change is coming from so that we can work together to get a result that everyone is happy with. If a client is properly involved in the design journey then no change is ever really a surprise and makes the whole process much smoother.
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Based on my experience, I always share a Draft Contract indicating the flow of work and revision times which are between 2 o 3 max. Beyond that number of revisions there is an extra charge per change/revision. In this way, the Client will be able to decide as to what to do within budget and time.
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