How to Impress Your Clients on a Video Call
Set a clear agenda, dress like you would for work and be clear about next steps, say remodeling and design pros
Erin Carlyle
August 14, 2020
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes to remodel. Former Forbes real estate reporter. Fascinated by cool homes, watching the bottom line.
Former Houzz Editorial Staff. Writing about the cost of renovation and what it takes... More
For many remodeling and outdoor professionals, meeting with clients remotely has become more common during the pandemic. Even without in-person contact, you still want to convey the sense that you are a trustworthy professional able to smoothly manage a project. We recently spoke with remodeling and design pros for their tips on how to create a professional feeling in your client video calls.
Reserve In-Person Meetings for When They’re Truly Key
For both outdoor and home remodeling projects, clearly not everything can be done by videoconferencing. Your workers need to be on the job to physically do the work, and that may be true for some of your responsibilities as well. But there are efficiencies to be had through technology, and right now many clients are more accepting of video meetings than they might have been previously. So use client video meetings in a way that makes sense for your business.
For instance, Machi Medrzycki, general contractor at MLM in New Orleans, prefers to have the first client meeting in person at the client’s property so he can see what needs to be done. “The devil is in the detail and detail must be seen with the naked eye,” he says. Even with the pandemic, this is still possible in his area, as it is for many construction professionals across the nation, given that construction has been deemed an essential service in many places.
But after that initial meeting, video meetings with the client and other pros involved in a project often work fine. “Typically these are done between client, architect and contractor after the initial site visit so we have more details to discuss,” Medrzycki says.
BJ Barone of 41 West in Naples, Florida, has been doing video meetings with clients for the past four years, after years of many phone meetings. Since he works on many condo projects that are second homes for clients who live outside of Florida, it’s not unusual for him to start and complete a remodel without the clients ever visiting the site.
For both outdoor and home remodeling projects, clearly not everything can be done by videoconferencing. Your workers need to be on the job to physically do the work, and that may be true for some of your responsibilities as well. But there are efficiencies to be had through technology, and right now many clients are more accepting of video meetings than they might have been previously. So use client video meetings in a way that makes sense for your business.
For instance, Machi Medrzycki, general contractor at MLM in New Orleans, prefers to have the first client meeting in person at the client’s property so he can see what needs to be done. “The devil is in the detail and detail must be seen with the naked eye,” he says. Even with the pandemic, this is still possible in his area, as it is for many construction professionals across the nation, given that construction has been deemed an essential service in many places.
But after that initial meeting, video meetings with the client and other pros involved in a project often work fine. “Typically these are done between client, architect and contractor after the initial site visit so we have more details to discuss,” Medrzycki says.
BJ Barone of 41 West in Naples, Florida, has been doing video meetings with clients for the past four years, after years of many phone meetings. Since he works on many condo projects that are second homes for clients who live outside of Florida, it’s not unusual for him to start and complete a remodel without the clients ever visiting the site.
Work With the Client to Set a Clear Agenda
With so many people at home these days facing potential interruptions and distractions, it can be easy for professionalism to slip in video calls. “It can get really casual really fast,” Danielle Perkins of Danielle Interior Design & Decor in San Diego says.
To help keep a video call professional and to use the time well, Perkins likes to start off by asking the client about their goals for the call. She often asks, “If you were to say this was a successful meeting, what points do you want to hit?” That way, she can determine which of the client’s concerns are most pressing and steer the time to tackle these matters in order of priority.
With so many people at home these days facing potential interruptions and distractions, it can be easy for professionalism to slip in video calls. “It can get really casual really fast,” Danielle Perkins of Danielle Interior Design & Decor in San Diego says.
To help keep a video call professional and to use the time well, Perkins likes to start off by asking the client about their goals for the call. She often asks, “If you were to say this was a successful meeting, what points do you want to hit?” That way, she can determine which of the client’s concerns are most pressing and steer the time to tackle these matters in order of priority.
Have a Good Background
As a remodeling or outdoor professional, you probably have a well-designed and -constructed home. But you may also be dealing with the realities of pandemic life, in which children and spouse are also home, clutter accumulates and dishes pile up next to the sink. That’s OK — the key is to not take your calls with this reality as your visual backdrop.
You might carve out a small corner of your home as an attractive background for your virtual client meetings, ideally in a room where you can close the door to keep out distractions. If that’s not realistic, you could instead use the free Houzz Pro video backdrops to elevate the visual background for your conference calls. And of course, as always, you’ll want to make sure that your appearance, including clothing and hair, conveys a professional image.
There are many videoconferencing programs available, and it’s a good idea to use one that your clients are comfortable with and don’t have to install any new software to use. With Houzz Pro, you can let clients or prospective clients schedule Video Meetings with you directly using your personal meeting link, no software installation required. The link is fully integrated into Houzz Pro and your own calendar, so your schedule is always up-to-date. You can also share your personal meeting link on social media or by email to let your network know how easy it is to start a project.
See more resources for pros in Houzz Pro Learn
As a remodeling or outdoor professional, you probably have a well-designed and -constructed home. But you may also be dealing with the realities of pandemic life, in which children and spouse are also home, clutter accumulates and dishes pile up next to the sink. That’s OK — the key is to not take your calls with this reality as your visual backdrop.
You might carve out a small corner of your home as an attractive background for your virtual client meetings, ideally in a room where you can close the door to keep out distractions. If that’s not realistic, you could instead use the free Houzz Pro video backdrops to elevate the visual background for your conference calls. And of course, as always, you’ll want to make sure that your appearance, including clothing and hair, conveys a professional image.
There are many videoconferencing programs available, and it’s a good idea to use one that your clients are comfortable with and don’t have to install any new software to use. With Houzz Pro, you can let clients or prospective clients schedule Video Meetings with you directly using your personal meeting link, no software installation required. The link is fully integrated into Houzz Pro and your own calendar, so your schedule is always up-to-date. You can also share your personal meeting link on social media or by email to let your network know how easy it is to start a project.
See more resources for pros in Houzz Pro Learn
Share Visual Information Like You Would in Person
One of the more challenging aspects of meeting with clients remotely is sharing visual information they’ll need to make decisions about their project. Remodeling and outdoor projects are a tactile business, and clients often want to see and touch potential materials. This is harder to convey over video, so you want to help by providing as much visual information as you can in the call.
Barone, the Florida builder, often doesn’t show his face in a video call at all. Instead, he prefers to share his screen with clients to review plans, photos or other documents and move the project forward. “We used to FedEx plans to people and then have them take it out and walk them through it,” he says. Thanks to the ability to share a screen, sending hard copies of plans is no longer necessary.
Tiara Holloway of Vivacious Interior by Tiara in Richmond, Virginia, typically brings along fabric swatches and paint samples to initial in-person client meetings, so she does this for initial client video meetings as well. She also shares photos in these meetings, which helps her get a sense of a client’s tastes. She has even used the 3D tools within Houzz Pro to convey to clients how to lay out furniture when she isn’t able to oversee the installation.
Holloway offers this practical tip if you won’t be visiting a client’s home anytime soon: “You also want to have your tape measure to show them how to measure.”
Introducing Video Meetings for Builders on Houzz Pro
One of the more challenging aspects of meeting with clients remotely is sharing visual information they’ll need to make decisions about their project. Remodeling and outdoor projects are a tactile business, and clients often want to see and touch potential materials. This is harder to convey over video, so you want to help by providing as much visual information as you can in the call.
Barone, the Florida builder, often doesn’t show his face in a video call at all. Instead, he prefers to share his screen with clients to review plans, photos or other documents and move the project forward. “We used to FedEx plans to people and then have them take it out and walk them through it,” he says. Thanks to the ability to share a screen, sending hard copies of plans is no longer necessary.
Tiara Holloway of Vivacious Interior by Tiara in Richmond, Virginia, typically brings along fabric swatches and paint samples to initial in-person client meetings, so she does this for initial client video meetings as well. She also shares photos in these meetings, which helps her get a sense of a client’s tastes. She has even used the 3D tools within Houzz Pro to convey to clients how to lay out furniture when she isn’t able to oversee the installation.
Holloway offers this practical tip if you won’t be visiting a client’s home anytime soon: “You also want to have your tape measure to show them how to measure.”
Introducing Video Meetings for Builders on Houzz Pro
End the Call by Recapping Next Steps
Perkins, the San Diego designer, has been expanding her e-design offerings during the pandemic. She makes a practice of ending her client video calls by making sure the clients know what needs to happen next for the project to move forward. “Usually I say, ‘Do you feel like you have clear direction of what your next steps are?’ ” she says.
Because the calls can cover a variety of topics and potentially leave clients feeling overwhelmed, Perkins finds this to be key in helping them feel that the project is under control. It also demonstrates that you know how to manage a project, which can increase client trust and potentially lead to more work.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in the Pro-to-Pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
Perkins, the San Diego designer, has been expanding her e-design offerings during the pandemic. She makes a practice of ending her client video calls by making sure the clients know what needs to happen next for the project to move forward. “Usually I say, ‘Do you feel like you have clear direction of what your next steps are?’ ” she says.
Because the calls can cover a variety of topics and potentially leave clients feeling overwhelmed, Perkins finds this to be key in helping them feel that the project is under control. It also demonstrates that you know how to manage a project, which can increase client trust and potentially lead to more work.
More for Pros on Houzz
Read more stories for pros
Learn about Houzz Pro software
Talk with your peers in the Pro-to-Pro discussions
Join the Houzz Trade Program
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Pretty nice tips. This can help you look more like a professional and give clients a better opinion about you and your work.