FEATURED ON THIS EPISODE:

JOIN THE WAIT LIST FOR MY REVAMPED COURSE, THE DESIGNER’S EDGE

WHAT YOU WILL LEARN IN THIS EPISODE:

HOW TO CLEARLY DEFINE AND COMMUNICATE YOUR VALUE IN PROPOSALS

WHY VAGUE LANGUAGE LEADS TO CLIENT CONFUSION

HOW TO BUILD TRUST, AUTHORITY AND BETTER BOUNDARIES BY ANSWERING THE QUESTION, “SO WHAT?” AT EVERY STAGE OF A PROJECT

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There is a powerful, yet overlooked question that you should ask yourself every time you start developing a proposal for your client: “So what?“

I know you’re probably thinking I’ve lost my mind, and I’m ok with that, but I haven’t! And I really want you to think this through. 

This all started with my daughter when she entered high school. For some of the questions being asked in her work she took things literally. But her teacher gave her some good advice, and that was to keep asking, “So what?“

So what they went to the store? What did that mean? And honestly, it really did just sort of click for her. That question helped her understand what her teachers were really looking for. They wanted all of the details, not just the facts. 

It’s not just high schoolers who need to ask that question – it’s all of us, especially when it comes to pricing, proposals, and defining our role on construction projects. 

When a client reads your proposal, they’re not reading it in a vacuum. On the contrary, they’re bringing in all of their past experiences , their fears, their assumptions, their preconceived notions, and probably a lot of financial anxiety. 

Also, many times they aren’t reading this proposal alone. You have one decision maker who is completely on board with you. They follow you on IG, they’re obsessed with your portfolio, they 100% see your value. But let’s say there’s another decision maker involved, and that person is on the other side of the table saying, “Don’t you already have great taste? Why are we paying someone 15k for a few meetings, design, and drawings?”

If your proposal is vague, you’ve just validated their concern. 

That, “So What?” is loud in their head.

Clients are looking for reasons not to spend money. And your proposal just gave them a few.

The “So What?” On A Construction Project

This is especially true if you’re managing a construction project. 

Clients will say, “Why does a designer need to attend every site meeting? We already have a contractor, one of us will be there too.”  These are fair questions, unless you explain why it’s not. 

So if your proposal doesn’t show what happens because you’re in that room – the costly errors you’re going to prevent, the timeline shifts you avoid, the design integrity that you protect, then of course they’ll assume your presence is optional. 

So, what is the value of your attending every site meeting?

You can catch problems in real time. That prevents rework, which could delay the project by weeks, cost money to fix, you name it. You also maintain continuity. Decisions made months ago aren’t casually tweaked by the contractor just because the materials haven’t arrived yet. You stay on top of all those decisions and timelines. 

You aren’t just charging for design. Clients understand that value, the pretty part. They see your portfolio, they like your taste. But the management, that’s where the hesitation comes in. They’ll say, “Well, isn’t the contractor handling that? It says supervision on the contractor’s estimate, isn’t that what we’re paying him for?”

The contractors role

Here’s the reality: Contractor’s supervision is about making sure the trades show up and do what they’re told about bringing plans to life. 

It’s not what was designed. 

It’s not what was imagined. 

And it’s not what aligns with the vision you’ve worked to create for your clients. 

The contractor isn’t protecting the design. You are. 

This is why you must be in person to present your proposal. Otherwise, you are leaving your proposal open to interpretation. 

The proposal

What exactly is supposed to be in a proposal? You’re putting this in front of your clients. This is your best foot forward. This is your proposal for an entire project. 

I see a lot of them. And I see a lot of the same few lines in way too many proposals. 

Two renderings. 

Let’s go back to the original topic: So what?

What does that mean? Two renderings?

What views?

What format? 

What’s the purpose?

If it’s conceptual, say that. If it’s to help with cabinetry placement or lighting layout, say that. Do not assume they know the difference or the value of a rendering. 

Another bullet point I see is, one round of revisions. 

So what?

What qualifies as a revision? Are the clients sending a list? Are they texting you on the fly? If they think they can send 5, 6, 7 follow-ups over a 3-day period, and you’re thinking, I want them on 1 PDF, or 1 email, you’re not aligned. 

Furniture selections

So what? 

What on earth does that include? Is that sourcing? Pricing? Procurement? Tracking? Installation? Is that two sofas, one table, fourteen chairs? What does that mean, ‘furniture selections’? 

When it comes to construction management, this is an all-time favorite: Attend weekly site meetings.

So what?

What will you do in those meetings? What decisions are you prepared to make? What’s at stake if you’re not there? 

This is where you build trust and authority

You don’t just say you’ll ‘coordinate with trades’, you explain what that coordination looks like, what decisions are clarified, and what mistakes are avoided. Your presence keeps the through line from design concept to final install intact. 

This is also where you protect your process. Because the more specific you are, the more a potential red-flag client will reveal themselves. 

How you can start implementing this in your business today

Every time you sit down to write up a scope of work, or prepare a proposal, or put a fee in front of a client, ask yourself, “So what?” 

What does this line I just wrote do for the client?

What problem does this action solve? 

What confusion does this line item does this prevent?

What value does this deliverable create?

Do this for every single step of building out your scope of work to create your proposal. I promise you if you answer that question each time as granularly as possible, you will watch your business and your confidence transform and land the jobs that you want.