We have several open projects in the sales process currently that are following a common, consistent pattern. It’s a pattern that nobody talks about and sometimes clients worry about… almost like they feel they are doing something wrong when they absolutely are doing nothing wrong at all.
The Funnel
All potential remodeling projects start at the same place… the top of the funnel. That’s the point where you first get key information provided to you about your specific project. Most likely it is your first glance at the design and the initial project price. There are an entire series of steps that take place from this point before a project can take place, but all projects start at the top of this funnel. Then, things get added to the project. Things get taken away. Prices change. The design changes. Prices change again. Worry not… we are just working our way down the funnel and as that funnel gets more and more narrow at the bottom, so too does the likelihood of getting to the specifics of your project actually taking shape. All those ins and outs inform your thinking and help you decide exactly what you want to do for your project.
It is messy
This is the part where people worry. They feel bad for asking for changes. Nobody should feel bad for asking for changes. We as remodelers deal with it every day and it is the common, consistent activity that I referred to above. Sometimes you add to the project, then you see what that ended up costing and don’t feel like it’s great to add anymore. That’s okay! Sometimes you pull something from your project and later decide you really want to keep that element in the project. That’s okay, too! If a remodeler gets annoyed and doesn’t want to make the changes, that’s a big red flag that you are talking to the wrong partner.
Cost Vs. Value
These project prices are an accumulation of many individual cost versus value decisions that end up resulting in the actual project. Add to that the reality that every client has a hot button or two that are very important to them in their project, and you quickly understand that every homeowner has their set of unique circumstances that lead to the important items in their project. These items may not be important to anyone else, but they are important to them… and that is all that matters. So, if the most important thing to you in your project is the upgrade to those quartz countertops, then your cost versus value equation for that item may be far different than what type of toilet gets selected for the bathroom. Most people don’t care about toilets in the selection process unless they really care about the toilet! If they care, that’s a hot button item!
Don’t Cut Corners
As the homeowner and client, you are entitled to work through your process in the manner that makes you feel most comfortable. If you want to go to every store in the marketplace and look at all your options, then you should! If the thought of that exhausts you and you really want a partner that does that legwork for you (or has a one stop shopping experience to alleviate that), then you should be very comfortable identifying a partner that does that as well. What you should never do is apologize for asking questions, worry about making changes or take any shortcuts that keep you from being as happy as you can possibly be with the outcome of your project. If you learn anything from this newsletter, just know it’s okay to keep working through until you get to a place where you are comfortable. And, if you have a good remodeling partner, they will understand and do everything they can to be of help!