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Old 03-22-2007, 02:17 PM
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agla agla is offline
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Join Date: Feb 2003
Location: Cape Cod
USDA Zone 6
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You have two factors going into this. One is you and the other is them.

What you need to be able to do is make a significant enough impression upon them in your first meeting to get them to pay for a design. A hundred and fifty bucks is not a lot of money if you get something for it which is good for the client and good for you in that it gives you opportunity to land an install job.

None of this works if your prospect is a cheap bast ... skate. Those people are not going to do anything unless it is under valued, so they are no loss to you if they don't bite.

My advice, as someone who went all through this, is to work on your ability to show the potential client enough of your good senses and abilities by being very free with your ideas verbally as you walk their site. Then present them with the next step in the process which is a plan. It can be simple or elaborate as long as it is what is right for the job that you have discussed. I don't think it is a bad idea to do these inexpensively as part of your marketing angle rather than to try to make a living of of the designs simply because the real money is in the materials and work. A logical prospect who likes your ideas will see it for what it is - the logical next step.

Not everyone is going to take that logical next step, but tthe alternative is for you to take an illogical next step by investing time (probably more than $150 worth) into something that the prospect won't invest that $150 in.

The worst thing is to value getting a job more than the person you are going to do it for values having it done. It is fatal over time.
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