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Working with Architects
We asked Gina Koert of Shamrock Painting for insider secrets. Catch our interview with her in the latest edition of our Pro On the Go video series.
Video Transcription:
Mike Starling, Editor, PPC Magazine:
Before joining the family painting business, Gina Koert of Shamrock Painting studied to be an architect. So, she has a unique perspective on the sometimes challenging relationship between architects and painting contractors. We asked her what is the worst thing you can do when working with an architect.
Gina Koert, Shamrock Painting:
The worst thing that you can do is challenge an architect or their expertise with something or say, “No you can’t do this, and here’s why.” Versus, try to problem solve and say, “I think there’s a better solution or a better product for this, or we just can’t get to this color.” Because, I run into time and time again, where an architect absolutely wants something based on a design feature or something that they saw, that isn’t realistic or is just not cost effective to a very high degree and so when we come to them instead of me saying, “No, I can’t do that” – because it’s going to upset them and the client – we say, “We can’t necessarily do that. We can try but here’s why it might fail and here’s a better option.”
Mike Starling:
That expertise comes from a deep knowledge of how your favorite products perform. Another good tactic: bring in your sales rep who can act as a third party to answer any additional questions the architect might have. The important thing is to provide the information they need in any way you can and avoid any unnecessary confrontation.
Gina Koert:
They are still your client and at the end of the day, if you upset them on one project, there’s no guarantee you’re not going to see that same architect on a project five years from now because there’s just so many architects in a city and clients all hire the reputable ones. So you’re most likely going to see them. So if you burn that bridge and upset them one time saying, “We can’t do something,” they’re going to probably remember that next time and they do have a say with the client or the GC. Hey, this contractor wasn’t very willing to follow the spec, offer suggestions and so that’s the worst thing you could do because it probably won’t be forgotten.