Comments on: Do you work for your clients or do they work for you? http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2010/01/12/do-you-work-for-your-clients-or-do-they-work-for-you/ building teams . engineering careers Wed, 15 Feb 2012 17:30:30 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Babette Burdick http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2010/01/12/do-you-work-for-your-clients-or-do-they-work-for-you/#comment-783 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 13:47:54 +0000 http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/?p=2380#comment-783 You hit the nail on the head, Brandon! Depending on where we sit around the table, we all see the same thing differently. Architects (in particular) and engineers often cannot see the forest for the trees. They feel they are the only ones to truly “see” the entire problem (due to their technical training and ability to think in 3 dimensions) and therefore hold the keys to the solution.

The problem is that the client (e.g., the individual who will sign the contract) is thinking about a simple solution – even if his/her problem is rather complex. The client typically solves problems in 2D and the architects/engineers are thinking 3D. This is a big disconnect.

Keeping things simple, and developing the ability to present the solution in “bite-sized” pieces ,for the client to ponder and digest, is essential for gaining buy in and eventual closure of the sale/award of project.

]]> By: Brandon Lee http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2010/01/12/do-you-work-for-your-clients-or-do-they-work-for-you/#comment-782 Fri, 15 Jan 2010 01:31:17 +0000 http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/?p=2380#comment-782 As a civil engineering firm working on a lot of SFR’s, it’s hard to translate what we do to the client so they understand what’s going on. Sometime I forget that some stuff I talk about goes over people’s heads. I can imagine having a class about dealing with a client to make them understand what you are talking about as vital for a lot of companies, big and small.

]]> By: Babette Burdick http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2010/01/12/do-you-work-for-your-clients-or-do-they-work-for-you/#comment-779 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 16:43:44 +0000 http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/?p=2380#comment-779 I agree. The client ultimately takes your idea elsewhere to price shop OR you end up overwhelming them with theiir perception of project complexity. Once they become overwhelmed, they search for a way out – which can turn to skepticism. Translating your deliverables into the customer’s language is important. Often, it’s the pre-sale understanding of the factors impacting their decision that creates rapport and communication. Taking the time to build that base can positively impact the final result.

]]> By: Brandon Lee http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/2010/01/12/do-you-work-for-your-clients-or-do-they-work-for-you/#comment-778 Wed, 13 Jan 2010 05:01:23 +0000 http://blog.civilengineeringcentral.com/?p=2380#comment-778 I sometimes feel like we do too much due diligence on a project before giving a proposal over to a client. I have gone to a clients house and visually drew what was going to happen on their property according to what we would engineer while looking at the Architect’s plans, only for them to be skeptical of my abilities, and not use us.

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