Small Firms Ideas Exchange

When we were in college, we joked that we’d need to stand on the corner with a sign “Will Draw for Food." Hmmm, seems like we’re approaching that again? Well, not really, although current economic conditions are definitely affecting many more aspects of our practices, e.g., I called a courier to schedule a delivery and their phone was disconnected.  But I digress…

I came across a good article, http://www.di.net/articles/archive/when_youre_too_expensive/ 

which discusses perspective for understanding the comment, “Hey Architect… you’re too expensive.” It’s definitely worth a read.

After I read the article, I spent some time thinking about the proactive steps during the proposal process. For my firm, I think we have four key considerations on this topic.

• Make sure the client is serious and it is a viable project (i.e., “beer” or “Champaign” budget; both are equally valid, they just need to be reconciled
• Is this a client you’d want to work for or do you just need the fee? (be honest with yourself)
• Get a good handle on the project/client’s experience level and if you’re really the best to handle this type of job (Do you and/or your team have the right skill set; is it a good match between client and architect?)
• Can you describe how/what you’ll do during the early discussion so the “you’re too expensive” won’t be a factor (goes back to determining or reconciling what the project is and needs).

Please add your points too!  Let me know if your tact is completely different, or not.

—Lisa Stacholy, AIA

Editor's Note: We apologize for the misspelling of the word Champagne in the original post. Thank you for calling it to our attention.