Upfront Contracts: The Secret To Effective Architecture Client Conversations

You might be missing high-quality clients simply because you never realize that they’re high-quality.

How does that happen?

Your conversations never get to where they need to be. The client may be distracted. Or have lots of questions. They may try to control the conversation. Or endlessly go off topic. Maybe they never truly answer your questions.

You try to wrangle the conversation and pull them back in but there’s only so much you can do.

Or so you think.

It’s all part of the same problem - you’re failing to get what you need out of your precious time together.

As a result, you don’t really learn that much about the project or the client. You’re stuck hoping that they respond to an email with a list of your questions while you aimlessly pull together a proposal.

But this isn’t the client’s fault.

It’s your responsibility to get what you want and need out of your time together. The most effective way to do that is by establishing an upfront contract at every meeting.

An upfront contract is an agreement between you and your client to tackle a common goal within an allotted amount of time.

The best part? It’s super easy to implement. Once you do it a few times it will become second nature.

There are 3 components to an upfront contract.

#1: Appreciation

You’re busy. Your clients are busy. Don’t be afraid to acknowledge that. Tell them that you appreciate your time. Show them that you’re excited about a potential partnership.

Here’s what you might say:

"Well I know you’re busy so thanks for taking the time to meet with me today - I really appreciate it. I’m excited to begin chatting about a potential partnership."

Boom. They feel appreciated. Moving on.

#2: Expectation

Now you share with them what you’re hoping to achieve during your time together. Be upfront and use words that describe your desire to go beyond superficial levels of conversation (I like to say “deep dive”). You also want to be sure to include the time frame.

Here’s what you might say:

"What I want to do over the next 45 minutes is deep dive into your vision for the project so that I can identify where we can add the most value. I know it can be complex, but my goal today is to understand your top priorities."

Now they’re primed.

#3: Confirmation

You’ve shared your appreciation with them. You’ve set the expectation for your time together. Now comes the easy part - you want to get their buy-in on the plan. Simply confirm that they’re on board. Don’t be afraid to use the F-word here, it’s magical when used correctly. (I’m talking about “fair” - just making sure you’re still with me 😉).

Here’s what you could ask them:

"Does that sound fair to you?"

They’ll say, “Yep, that sounds great!” - I know because I’ve used upfront contracts hundreds of times.

Why does it work so well? It puts the train on the tracks before you even leave the station. If the conversation begins steering off track, then you can gently remind them of your shared goal and agreement.

Implement an upfront contract so that you can have effective conversations and identify high-quality clients.

TL;DR

Build an upfront contract with (1) appreciation, (2) expectation, and (3) confirmation.

Altogether:

"Well I know you’re busy so thanks for taking the time to meet with me today - I really appreciate it. I’m excited to begin chatting about a potential partnership.

What I want to do over the next 45 minutes is deep dive into your vision for the project so that I can identify where we can add the most value. I know it can be complex, but my goal today is to understand your top priorities.

Does that sound fair to you?"