If I had a dollar for every time I heard a new client say something like “we had this landscape lighting system put in and have never really liked it” I could probably have great night out in Austin. So, why is it that these people are not happy?
I think the primary reason is a lack of listening on the part of the designer. People have an idea of what they want in an outdoor lighting system or they wouldn’t have wanted one to begin with. They may have seen some lighting at a friend’s home in Lakeway or maybe they pass a really nice lighting system in Bee Cave on the way home every night and that is where they got their inspiration. So when the landscaper, irrigator, electrician or lighting company person comes out and decides what to do without really LISTENING to the client, the client ends up disappointed.
I think the best thing we do is have a face to face discussion with prospective clients. Notice I said prospective, because they haven’t hired us yet. A nice one hour consultation is a great time to learn how people expect to use their spaces. What are the plants or focal areas that they really care about? Do they want to accent their home, landscape or both? Maybe they have a niche area that is very special and they want to have “inviting” lighting in that area, not bright lighting. Some people tell me that they don’t want real bright lights but the last guys used very bright lights all over the place. If that company had asked the right questions and listened to the answers, chances are the client would have ended up with a lighting system that they liked a lot more.
The initial consultation is great for the consumer, giving them an opportunity to get to know the lighting person a little. This is when they can ask questions about outdoor lighting fixtures, lamps (light bulbs), LED, lighting design and installation education and so on. Maybe there’s a personality clash that can really effect final project outcome. If the client senses that the lighting person is not right for them, then they can choose to find someone that they feel is better suited for their project.
Once the potential client and I get to know each other a little and actually listen to each other, they may decide to go ahead and hire us to come up with a comprehensive landscape lighting design that addresses all of their wants and needs. Then we will walk through that design with the client to insure we covered everything and move forward from there. Sometimes adjustments in the design have to be made to accommodate things like the budget or a sudden change in the landscape or maybe they forgot a very important object that they wanted to accent. Those changes can then be made before the project begins.
All of these things help to insure that the consumer gets the outdoor lighting system that they will really want and that they will truly enjoy for many years.
Contact us here so we can set up an appointment to listen to you at your central Texas home.
