I interviewed Green Industry Consultant Jody Shilan a couple of weeks ago about interacting with a prospect for the first time over the phone.

We actually roll played a couple of phone calls.

One strategy that Jody mentioned during the interview was the importance of noting what I call "client keywords."

Whenever you engage a client, whether over the phone or in person, they are bound to use descriptive words to explain how they want to feel in a certain space. They also use descriptive words to explain a certain style they may like or dislike.

It's our job as designers to listen and to UNDERSTAND what these words mean exactly.

For example, the word "formal" might not mean the same to a prospect as it does to me.

When a prospect uses these descriptive words, we should not assume what they mean. Instead we should ask them to clarify--"How do you mean when you say formal?"

Once we understand exactly what they mean, we should write down the exact words they used. These are the "keywords."

We can use these exact same keywords when presenting our ideas and drawings. Weave these words into your presentation when describing a designed space.

This proves to your client that you listened to their desires and designed with them in mind. It also gives them confidence that you truly understand what they want.

This is a simple strategy but it can be very powerful.

You can listen to Jody and I discuss this strategy in the free February podcast at:

http://tinyurl.com/cyzkp8

All the best,

Chris Heiler, Editor

Follow me on Twitter- http://twitter.com/chris_heiler