[ecoscapes]

Hello Everyone,

I use a what I call a landscape design questionaire to screen clients and gets thier wants and needs. I find that it works quite well but I am looking for some improvements and I just want to share it -- if anyone would like to use it or modify it for your use go ahead and download that pdf from my website. I also have an online form that get emailed to me it a little shorter. I also have just and contact form for questions and simple bid requests.
I am in MN, The Twin Cites so some things may not be applicable.
I think I got the pdf to attach.
www.ecoscapes1.com

[agla]

Different people have different approaches that they are comfortable with. I think the content is pretty good in your questionaire.

My opinion from my own experience is that people hire a designer based much more on the individual and how much confidence (s)he is able to build with them. My belief is that the less that you turn into literature or turn over to software, the more engaging you become and the less automated you seem to be. That makes you more important to the job and more important to them as an individual rather than an entity.

There is a lot of competition out there and the more manufactured the marketing the more generic it becomes. There is only one of you and they will remember you a lot longer than which logo was at the top of the questionaire.

Maybe more important is the fact that people are looking to have a service done for them and this type of strategy can make them feel like it is they who are performing a service by filling these out.

It is like going to a car dealer and asking for the price of a car. When the dealer starts asking me questions like how much do I want to pay, or what is my budget, I get pissed. The same thing happens when selling landscapes.

You have to make the client feel comfortable. You have to give him a test drive to get him wanting what you are selling. That means you have to be free enough with your ideas to make them know you are the right guy to get the job done. The more you can do that subtly the more intuitive and knowledgable you appear to be. You can, hopefully, get all of those questions on your questionaire answered in a short on site visit without directly asking any one of them. Once you absorb those answers, you tell them those answers in a similar subtle way and they know you are listening, that you understand, and you are the guy to design their landscape vs. the other 6 guys that dropped off flashy literature packs and made them sit down and answer questions only to say "yeah, here's what you need ..." and read back the very information that the clients had to write out for them.

The only time I don't get a design job doing this is when they don't want to pay me what I'm charging or someone else has beat me at my own game (and with a bigger price tag, yet).

The only sticky point is that you have to have the ability and experience to be able to get all those answers, communicate your ideas, answer that questionaire for them while only walking and talking, and then to have a portfolio of built work to back it all up.

Once you get the design job, you all but own the installation contract if you are design/build.

[johnkeegan]

These seem like the type of questions you should ask them directly if they seem pertinent. You should be having a discussion with the customer as you walk the property that incorporates these if needed. And many (most?) of the questions would be irrelevant to alot of design scenarios, so why make the customer waste their time wading through them.
Reverting back to the car dealership analogy, imagine going in to buy a new truck and the salesman has you first fill out a quesionnaire rather than talk to you directly about what you want. I'd be like. "Are you too busy?...Can't you understand spoken English?...Does my breath stink?... And I didn't take my time to come here to take surveys. I came to TALK about my need for a truck."
And what if an important "need" of a design customer is not on the survey? Sometimes only through talking and listening can you decipher a customer's true desires. And when they say,"...actually, now that I think of it, what I really want is..." You've just help lead them to their true "ultimate landscape design." That's got to help you land the job.
Many underestimate the power of forming a bond with customers through direct eye-to-eye communication. We all seem to be in too much of a hurry. When buying a refrigerator that may be OK but designing for someone's home is a very personal thing. Most people want someone to help them find their dream and doing that eye-to-eye (rather than on a survey) seems more personal.

[Lawn Lad]

I think the list of questions is good, but as others have said, this appears to be more of a check list of questions to ask when on site in front of the customer when determining the scope of the job. How would the customer know if they need a retaining wall unless they understand grading issues? Ultimately, when the customer and you determine the scope of the project with their likes/dislikes factored in and their budget, you'll come up with the solutions for their problems/needs.

Use the check list to make sure you don't forget to ask about something or check it out yourself when on site, but make the contact as personal as possible by having a conversation and discovering on your own.

Roger Cook wrote a recent article in a PRO magazine about 'upselling' and he mentions to his customers that he's going to throw out a lot of ideas and questions and is looking for feedback to gage interest from the customer. He says rarely does the customer say no to an idea because he's only throwing out ideas that he knows are more appropriate for the customer.

You will communicate on a subliminal level your ability to know and understand the customer (which is what they're evaluating when you meet) when you can ask good probing, open ended questions that get quality answers from the client. The client may know what they want, but they may not be able to organize it into a power point presentation for you. It's up to you to find out the answers, and the customer will know this at the very least in their gut if you've asked the right questions because they will feel as if they've told you everything they could about what they wanted, particularly when you're able to probe beyond what they had originally thought about or envisioned. It's your job to take the blinders off and open up a new realm of possibilities for them. You'll have this kind of interaction when you talk candidly and openly with them, not from a script or memorized list of questions. They have their place in the process, but more behind the scenes.

[P-Train]

Here is something similar to use:






Client Questionnaire

Name ___________________

Address_________________

Phone Number _____________





1. Existing Site Conditions


a. Front yard problems. List current problems in the front yard that should be minimized or overcome in the design.
· Visual:





· Functional –




b. Back yard problems.

List current conditions in the back yard that should be minimized or overcome in the design.


· Visual –





· Functional –




c. Front yard potentials. List all of the positive elements and qualities of the front yard that should be retained or enhanced in the design.
· Visual –



· Functional –


d. Back yard potentials. List all the positive elements and qualities of the back yard that should be retained or enhanced in the design.

· Visual –



· Functional –

2. Desired Outdoor Activities.
a.

b.

c.


3. Desired Site Characteristics.

Please describe how you think your site should look (formal/informal, open/wooded, natural/exotic, etc)?

4. Materials
a. Please list the types of materials you like most for pavements, fences, walls, etc.



General questions:

What are the areas of the property we are to design?_______________

Are accurate survey/building plans available?__________

Do you plan any additions?_________

Do you plan to change the color of your house?_____

How long do you plan to live here?___________

Design Considerations: I

Is the present drive and parking adequate? ___

Are the present circulation and access of walks adequate? ___

Are there any property drainage problems, including the basement, and where are they? ________________________

Are there any underground utilities? _______

Is there an existing sprinkler system?

Is there a septic system?

Are your storage facilities adequate? Is privacy needed? ___

Are there any important views from the house or on the property? ____________________

Are recreation or play areas needed? __________

Do you have pets now, or do you plan to have pets in the future? _____

Outdoor Living Area:

Are you interested in garden structures such as gazebos or arbors? ___________

Planting Considerations:

What preferences do you have in terms of garden style?

Formal_____

Informal_____

Any color preferences? _____________

Would you like to include garden art, sculptures, fountains, ponds, or a perennial garden? __________

Are you interested in attracting wildlife?_________

What is your favorite season?__________

Who will maintain the landscape?__________

Do you have any favorite plants and trees?

Estimated Budget ___________

[desynerguy]

Hey ecoscapes.
I think it is a good idea. I use it as well and see no problem with it. However, I usually fill the form out myself as we discuss things with the client. Sometimes we all need a bit of a refresher when the spring wall of work hits. It is good to use a questionair to refresh the memory. I have one posted on my site so that if clients feel the need to give info ahead of the meeting they have it. Another point is that there are things most average homeowners do not even think about. There definatly is a use for it but be careful that you dont loose the customer contact. Good Job!
Desynerguy.

[PSUscaper]

I like forms, but do find it distracting while walking the property with the client. I like to just jot the main ideas down as we go around, and then, at the end, use the form to 'review' everything the client has said, along with making sure I didn't forget anything.

[ecoscapes]

I like all these ideas -- I think that I am going to create a Landscape Idea Jogger for potential clients instead of a questionaire. Then I'm going to do what PSU says -- and go back to just jotting stuff down and maybe follow up with a form for my use.

[mdvaden]

The layout seems good.

I'd go with columns in some areas instead of several checkbox items on one line.

Some are irrelevant for the homeowner, because they won't know their soil type.

I don't always run my checklist by everybody.

My full list is at the bottom of this page:

Page with questionairre at bottom

You already have some of the same content. In fact, many designers will, since so many lists are on the internet.

For smaller yards, I may copy / paste just part of the list, and print a page that is half the size.

I think the customers first reaction to one of these can help size up whether iits irritating, or something they don't mind doing.

Often, the same thing can be discovered in a one-on-one meeting or with a phone call.

I prefer to keep the layout as condensed as possible so that identical items don't take up 7 pages instead of 3. No need to make it seem harder than it is.

[cadman]

I usually do not have much of a problem once I get my foot in the door UNTIL the client finds out that I don't do installations and then it's downhill from there = " adios, I'll find someone who does." How can I answer this. And since I don't do it, how do I conduct business with a contractor to sub out to??? Contracts? percentage? etc? See, questions to the homeowner is the least of my concern. I suppose I should have opened a diff. forum on this topic. but if anyone can help then it worked. Thanks =AK

[desynerguy]

Hello cadman. What I usually tell my clients when this comes up is that they now have a design that can easily be priced out comparing apples to apples and also the fact that they are getting a design that is suiting their needs and not some landscaper's who speciallizes in say....interlock and grows evergreens for a sideline and then does not end up with a interlock and evergreen landscape. (sorry guys just a sales pitch). I usually do not get the "see ya" attitude. Just tell them it is becomming more popular and also quite normal to have a design firm do the design portion. I am also hooked up with some contractors who would do work for my clients. I have a bit of a finders fee and it works well both ways. You want more info email me privately. Desynerguy

[mdvaden]

Originally posted by cadman
I usually do not have much of a problem once I get my foot in the door UNTIL the client finds out that I don't do installations and then it's downhill from there = " adios, I'll find someone who does." How can I answer this. And since I don't do it, how do I conduct business with a contractor to sub out to??? Contracts? percentage? etc? See, questions to the homeowner is the least of my concern. I suppose I should have opened a diff. forum on this topic. but if anyone can help then it worked. Thanks =AK

I've run into that. The reply following yours too sounds familiar too.

For me, that's more of an issue for people who are not just looking for the design.

(I install, but don't always like to)

The main thing that irritates me is when someone says that a landscaper will provide a "free plan" for the installation, because it shows how absolutely "brain-dead" they must be about how business functions...

Who is the designer?
A free design offer without knowing a budget?
Will the design cause a $200,000 install?

A lot of homeowners get sucked-in with that bribe.

What's the saying "a bribe blindeth the eyes"

The reply after your last, fit how I deal with this stuff too.