Educating clients

[Michael Goldstein]

A question for the architects:

What, if anything, do you do to educate a client?  Why?  Why not?  Examples...




 

[Mike Nuzzo]

I've had one client who didn't want to be educated until we were finished, and then learned all about the course on his own.
I've had others that didn't care for my opinions outside of what I was asked to do.
One potential client liked my idea so much, they rebid the project based on my idea to get the architect they wanted.

My favorite current client is already very educated about all things architecture.
It find it hard to teach someone about golf architecture if they have spent their life around the game, especially as a business.

Cheers

[David_Elvins]

I have seen architects give club committee members copies of Doak's The Anatomy of a Golf Course and MacKenzie's Golf Architecture.

[Michael Goldstein]

Thanks Mike. 

David, interesting.  Do you know of any committee's who have been taken on a learning tour?

[cary lichtenstein]

Educating ego's can be challenging

[Tom_Doak]

This is kind of the wrong question, really.  If you really feel like you need to "educate" your client to get him to accept what you are going to do, then you are working for the wrong person.  If they are already your clients [and you are not still trying to sell your services to them], then they would hopefully have known enough to know why they hired you and what to expect.  After that, it's a question of how much they want to participate in the project.

The best clients are the ones who ask questions during the process -- why are you putting a bunker there?  Would you think about moving the green to the left?  The only goal of "educating" them is for them to understand why you've built the things you've built -- so that they are more likely to be sympathetic to your choices when the questions inevitably come from their members or customers.

[Lester George]

I have used education alot to teach clients about many different aspects of the business.  Some are more into learning the "how to" of the design and construction end of the business, some are about process.  Few are strictly about history or architectural tenets.  Some (very few that I have had) aren't worth educating, unfortunately, you sometimes don't find that out until later.  

Lester  

[Jon Wiggett]

This is kind of the wrong question, really.  If you really feel like you need to "educate" your client to get him to accept what you are going to do, then you are working for the wrong person.  If they are already your clients [and you are not still trying to sell your services to them], then they would hopefully have known enough to know why they hired you and what to expect.  After that, it's a question of how much they want to participate in the project.

The best clients are the ones who ask questions during the process -- why are you putting a bunker there?  Would you think about moving the green to the left?  The only goal of "educating" them is for them to understand why you've built the things you've built -- so that they are more likely to be sympathetic to your choices when the questions inevitably come from their members or customers.

 

[Michael Goldstein]

Perhaps that is the case for you Tom.

But when an unenlightened committee tells an architect that they want to keep all the trees or have a par 72, 7000 yard golf course, I'd have thought that it would be far better to educate them than either a) acquiesce or b) walk away.

[paul cowley]

Michael...all 30+ of mine have been different, and I'm hesitant to throw a blanket over any two of them...or come up with an education policy of my own as its typically a two way process. The best situation occurs when the both of us our learning.

I could babble on about individuals but I'm not sure that's the intent of you thread's inquiry.

[David_Elvins]

Perhaps that is the case for you Tom.

Michael,

I think Tom is talking about private clients on new courses.  He may consider committees another kettle of fish. 

[Michael Goldstein]

Even then David I'd guess that some committees in Australia would need less nudging/educating than others. 
 



 

[David_Elvins]

Even then David I'd guess that some committees in Australia would need less nudging/educating than others. 

I think you are right, especially on something like trees, but it is often a long war of attrition, and I think most of them get their before they select an architect.  Might be wrong though.  Someone like Neil C or Mike C might be able to give you ideas on how they deal with committees.