Contract - September 2016 - 28

Championing the Client Interview,
With Full Firm Involvement
by Evelyn M. Lee, AIA

Evelyn M. Lee, AIA, writes
a regular column for Contract
on business practices in design
and professional development.
Lee is a senior strategist at
MKThink, the ideas company
for the built environment
based in San Francisco,
and holds graduate degrees
in architecture, public
administration, and business
administration. Lee is
currently a member of the
AIA national strategic council,
and she previously served
a two-year term on the AIA
national board of directors.
In 2014, she received the AIA
Young Architects Award. Her
website is evelynlee.com.

Evelyn Lee will be a featured
speaker at the 2016 Contract
Design Forum, November 9-11,
in Del Mar, California. The Forum
is open to qualified candidates-
those who are engaged in the
commercial design profession-
to attend and participate.
Visit contractdesignforum.com
to learn more.

28

Architecture and design firms undertake
myriad business development activities, but
they often do not spend adequate time preparing
for project interviews. Knowing that the interview
is an open invitation for the firm to present itself
and pitch its expertise and capabilities to a potential
client, this can be a missed opportunity. A truly
great interview is a combination of several important
aspects, including the communication of a strong
mission and vision that drives firm culture as well
as the presentation of a consistent portfolio that
is applicable to the client's needs. Additionally,
interviews present a learning opportunity, internally,
for all levels of staff in the business development
process. When a firm is invited to interview,
its leaders should consider the following elements
in preparation.
Collecting data and research
The interview process presents plenty of
opportunities to both master your own collection
of data and to implement the resulting research.
Following each interview, the firm should document
the questions asked by the prospective client,
as well as the firm's responses. Even as the project
typology varies, companies often tend to ask
the same types of questions. Keeping a record
of potential interview questions can provide a useful
tool in preparing for the next one, and can help
your colleagues to maintain a consistent voice
in their own interviews.
Researching the business of the prospective
client is an obvious starting point, but be sure
that this extends beyond the scope of the project.
Depending on the market sector, it may be equally
important to study the client's competitors, as well
as hot topics in local politics or related business
sectors that could potentially impact a project.

Crafting a relevant story
The interview is where a firm makes its first
impression on the client who will ultimately
decide which design practice to hire. I have been
on the client side of an interview enough times
to have memorized the origin story of several
local firms. Many of these stories are not particularly
unique or reflective of those firms' more recent
accomplishments and, in turn, are not meaningful
to clients. Firms do not have to retell an origin
story at every interview. Often, if a firm is more than
five years old, the origin story is not meaningful
at all. For example, if it seems like ancient history,
remotely connecting a story of founders to the
firm's current work or more diverse practice, then
the narrative can be eliminated or noted briefly.
Great storytelling is a good way to build
a rapport. But be aware that it is all too easy to
fall back on the same narrative, especially when
interview preparation is often limited to rereading
the RFP and skimming through a standard
presentation that was put together by the
firm's marketing department.
Practice, practice, and more practice
Do you know what you look like when you are
taking part in an interview, whether telling your
story, responding to questions, or listening to others
speak? What do your body language and facial
expressions convey? With the ease of capturing
video today, it is worthwhile to take the time
to record yourself and study the playback. Making
small adjustments to the way you present yourself
can positively impact your personal approach.
If you have additional preparation time,
then holding a mock interview is beneficial for those
preparing to present as well as a great learning
experience for those playing the role of the client.
Mock interviews are a way to engage all members of
the practice, including those who were recently hired.
Sitting on the client side of the table to hear tenured
staff pitch the firm equips everyone to be a good
listener, and the experience provides excellent fodder
for small talk the next time someone asks what
the firm is about.
Remember, the interview should be the
culmination of all business development efforts,
and the process should involve the entire firm
because everyone has an opportunity to be a voice
for the practice. The interview process is reflective
of everything that the firm represents-its culture,
its people, and its projects-as told in person. c

contractdesign.com 	

SEPTEM BER 2016

PHOTOGRAPHY: CARL BOWER

COLUMNIST
http://www.evelynlee.com http://www.contractdesignforum.com http://www.contractdesign.com
Contract - September 2016

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