How to attract and do business with elite customers

by Sally Bouorm | March 1, 2011 3:10 pm

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By Brian Van Bower

It’s a question often asked by pool builders across country: ‘Where can I find ‘high-end’ clients?’ Not only do they want to find these often elusive and discerning individuals, they also want to know how to better deal with them once a project is underway.

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The short answer is, ‘You don’t find them, they find you.’ No amount of advertising or promotion can ever match the value of a solid reputation built on consistent high-level performances for other elite clients. That said, these individuals pose unique challenges; they typically look for the best options and are willing to pay a premium to get exactly what they want. Pool builders in smaller markets might think the following strategies have no bearing on them because they don’t have these types of clients in their customer base; however, there are high-end customers to be found even in the most modest locales. Homeowners across North America are building dream castles with 20-car garages; these people are clearly able to afford whatever they want when it comes to their backyard.

For an experienced pool builder, the key to dealing with these situations is preparation—being ready to tackle these projects and clients as they come. The process itself, however, can prove quite complicated. Working with upper echelon clients means accommodating an entire range of issues that cut to the core of how top builders conduct business. By learning how to establish rapport at the highest levels of the market, you can also learn the defining principles of client relationships that have a role at every level of the pool and spa industry.

Have no fear

When it comes to business, personal attitude often determines success—or failure. When it comes to dealing with high-end clients, you have to believe your business is capable of delivering over and beyond the dreams of even the most exacting homeowner.

While they may seem intimidating at first, you must approach these clients as equals; don’t look up or down to anyone. Often, the happiest and most successful individuals appreciate the blue-collar tradesman just as much as the white-collar professional. They value the hard work other people do (in part because they don’t want to do this work themselves). They also appreciate craftsmanship when they see it. Pool professionals typically have no trouble relating to blue-collar people; they do, however, tend to get anxious when dealing with those who have wealth, fame or power.

Overcoming this anxiety is the first step in dealing with high-end clients. You must learn to relate to people who lead lifestyles that would otherwise be beyond your experience. In North American society, people are often taught that rich, famous or powerful people are ‘special’ and should be regarded with awe. While these people are certainly worthy of respect and admiration for their success, it is counterproductive to assume there is no way to bridge the gap between your world and theirs.

As a professional, you must recognize these issues and patterns exist and must be retooled if you expect to cross social barriers and work effectively and efficiently with elite clients.

Find common ground

When interacting with high-end clients, your focus is naturally on the creation of the project itself, whether it is a simple pool or a full backyard renovation. As such, the best way to seek common ground with a client is to show that you appreciate excellence when it comes to the final product and job performance.

Every member of your staff must adopt this approach. They must understand that high-end clients have different expectations; this can be challenging for a young group of workers, many of whom are simply trying to make ends meet. As a leader, you must ensure your employees appreciate the way these clients think. The goal should be to encourage workers to maximize quality standards at all times. Creating a culture of quality and excellence offers the surest path to common ground with all clients, no matter their income bracket.

While quality and attention to detail speak volumes, the ability to relate to these clients also involves frames of reference that are outside the pool industry and the services it typically performs. On some level, this means knowing a thing or two about the fine arts, automobiles, architecture, interior furnishing and the like. When it comes to high-end clients, understanding the good life is quite relevant to your ability to do business.

This is not to say you need to know all there is to know about every possible luxury. However, by challenging yourself to become more knowledgeable about certain things you will show the client an appreciation for some of the finer things in life with which they tend to surround themselves.

Knowledge is power; it can give you the confidence to move in bold new directions. By learning about art history, for example, you will not only feel more comfortable talking with clients about their tastes, you’ll also improve your ability to design projects worthy of being called ‘art.’ The key is to keep an open mind.

Anticipate the learning curve

No pool professional, no matter how skilled, starts out with a complete understanding of these relationships. There is a natural learning curve.

As you progress in your career, you must work hard to see things from the client’s perspective, no matter the circumstances. A good pool professional is able to step into the client’s shoes over the course of a given project. While it may be awkward at times, this approach will enable you to do a better job of meeting the client’s expectations.

Avoid getting trapped by your own thought patterns, standards, values and experiences; they will limit your ability to relate to these clients. Remember, even the rich, famous and powerful are human beings, like anyone else. You must learn to balance being yourself while still finding ways to relate to the client.

First, do good work

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Of course, all of the knowledge in the world is wasted if you’re unable to perform at the promised level of excellence. There are few people in the pool industry who are willing to admit they create average, inexpensive pools. As such, it is worthwhile to seek input from someone who has a neutral, unbiased opinion and understands quality in design and construction. This should be someone in a related field (e.g. architect, landscape professional) who can provide a fair, educated assessment of your body of work and help you determine where you fit in the overall spectrum. Every pool professional should always strive to exceed everyone’s expectations (including your own). Nowhere is this truer than with wealthy clients.

These individuals can have whatever they want, by whomever they want; they will naturally have high expectations for both the process and end product. When it comes to the process, success has everything to do with communication. This can mean simple things such as sending personal thank-you notes, keeping clients informed, returning phone calls and, in general, being responsive to all questions and concerns.

Be open and honest

Every pool professional knows how easy it is, especially with big projects, to get excited, over-commit and unwittingly create false performance expectations. It is a classic problem, one that elite designers and builders had to overcome the hard way. In general, however, it is best to under-promise and over-deliver, even when a project comes with a high price tag.

Above all, you must figure out what it takes to get everything done and, just as importantly, how much to charge for it. Remember high-end projects demand a certain level of commitment. You need to make enough on these complicated projects to justify the time, effort and problem solving required to complete them. Be sure to price your work accordingly so you’ll be inclined to come back and do it again, either for the current client or someone else.

Resist the urge to make unreasonable promises about performance, particularly those having to do with time frames. High-end clients will hold you to your word and you’ll find yourself locked into a commitment you can’t meet. It is far better to be realistic and open with the client about what they can expect. If you can improve on those promises, that’s fantastic, but you should never promise to do things faster and better just because there’s a bigger number on the bottom of the contract.

In fact, at times, you may need to look the client in the eye and tell them you can’t deliver in the expected time frame or sometimes even refuse a request. While this may seem daunting, most high-end clients will respect you for being truthful and keeping them informed, rather than offering up excuses when a commitment is not met.

To avoid future misunderstandings, take notes whenever you converse with clients to keep an accurate record of what was said. If you can’t specifically reference the conversation during which a particular subject was discussed, you might find yourself at odds over a detail that would otherwise be a non-issue.

Embrace change

Being open, honest and realistic will also help you tackle an inevitability that comes with working on complex, higher-profile projects—sudden and frequent changes.

Many pool professionals are thrown off by this challenge, but it simply comes with the territory. In fact, it could be seen as an advantage. Each time a change comes up—and they always do—you have an opportunity to make more money and turn a lucrative project into an even more profitable venture.

It is absolutely essential to approach high-end work with the mindset that there will be changes, and that those changes will occur throughout the entire course of the project. Simply put, those who do not cope well with making adjustments mid-stream are not cut out to work with high-end clients. Those who perform best in these situations learn to go with the flow.

You must also be prepared to face certain risks. For example, an inexperienced builder may respond to a change request too quickly and undercharge for the change. That may not seem like a big deal on a large project with a healthy profit margin, but all those small concessions add up quickly, chipping away at the margin over time.

Think through any proposed changes thoroughly, taking into account the fact that new orders affect scheduling for this and other projects, leaving costly gaps that aren’t easy to fill. For example, a change order could force you to return or replace already purchased equipment or materials, costing you valuable time and money. By running through all possible permutations, you can price the work accordingly (and fairly). If the client questions your price, explain your rationale honestly and sincerely.

Again, the key is managing expectations and positioning yourself, whenever possible, to exceed them. You must also stay true to your conviction that your work exemplifies the highest standards; if you can’t do that, high-end clients can be a nightmare. However, if you can and do deliver a product the client appreciates beyond all expectations, your honesty and openness will be rewarded.

Transfer your knowledge

One of the unexpected benefits of working with high-end clients is the potential positive impact it can have on all other projects. If you approach every job with the same standards and commitment to excellence as you do on high-profile projects, every customer, no matter his or her means, will benefit. There’s also the opportunity to turn those modest projects into more lucrative ones. Once you have the experience of meeting the demands of high-end clients, you can more easily open other homeowners’ eyes to possibilities they had never considered. In fact, it’s fair to say the ‘high-end sensibility’ discussed here translates beautifully to work on mid-range projects. After all, clients at all levels respond to respectful treatment and are just as eager to work with someone who comes to the process more concerned with quality and excellence, as opposed to just the bottom line.

As always, strive to match the standards set by the industry’s best practitioners. Develop your skills and build your own reputation for excellence that makes you stand out among peers. Then you will be more than prepared to tackle even the most elaborate projects.

PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD

[4] The demands of a high-end client come into play long before the first shovel hits the ground. In recent years, affluent clients have also raised the bar in terms of what they expect from a pre-construction presentation. These days, many people are purchasing homes from great distances away, using tools such as virtual reality tours that walk them through spaces using 3-D graphics. When it comes to these types of clients, a flat plan or simple drawing is probably not going to cut it. Whether you prepare hand renderings or work with a quality computer-assisted design (CAD) program, be prepared to back up your words with strong visuals on a much higher level than was acceptable even a few years ago. Whether you subcontract this type of work, hire a staff member to do it or learn to do it yourself, these visuals must reflect the quality of the end product. Otherwise, clients won’t visualize things the way you want them to, making it more difficult to communicate your ideas. In fact, someone who makes a better presentation may beat you out for the job. Presentation skills are the new frontier in designing high-end water environments. While it takes time and money to get up to speed, the investment is necessary for those looking to attract elite clientele. This will not only set you apart from the crowd, it will also convey a clear message about your commitment to quality from the very first steps in the design process.

 

Brian Van Bower has more than 40 years of professional experience in the swimming pool and spa industry. He is president of Aquatic Consultants Inc., a Miami, Fla.-based international consulting/design firm specializing in upscale and unusual pool and waterscape designs. Van Bower is also president and co-founder of Genesis 3 Design Group, an international company specializing in progressive education and instruction for those involved in the design, engineering and construction of swimming pools, spas, water features and outdoor living areas. He can be reached at bvanbower@aol.com[5] or via www.aquaticconsultantsinc.com[6].

 

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