If you’ve ever thought, “I’ll just email a quick request to a [designer / contractor] and I’m sure I’ll hear back in a day or two” and then were surprised when… 

• you didn’t hear back 

• it didn’t go beyond the thought because you weren’t sure what you should say

• or worse, you heard back but the answer wasn’t what you were hoping for, 

then let me share something with you: 

There can be a right and a wrong way to making a project request.

As a long-time Architectural Designer, I get about 4-5 project request emails per month.⁣ That’s a lot of possible projects in 1 year.

I am grateful. But do you know how many I can take on every year? About 12. Sometimes more, sometimes less. It all depends on the size and scope of the projects.

Yes some are just not the right fit, like a commercial project (not a fan) or perhaps more suited for an Interior Designer or a Draftsperson (Ie. no design, only drafting). 

While some can be chalked up to a misunderstanding, others clearly did a Google search and didn’t bother to check to see my work, read my services and find out if we’d be a good fit for each other. 

But mostly because a lot of the emails are impersonal. They send me a generic email that doesn’t tell me anything about them and their project or, at the very least, is extremely vague. 

If you want to get in touch with the professionals you’re hoping to work with, building relationships with industry professionals is no different than building relationships with anyone else.

What’s A Better Way To Make A
Project Request and Get A Response?

1. Address them by their first name. This one’s an easy one but often plainly disregarded. I respond to most of my emails, but the ones that don’t address me are the first to go unnoticed.

   
   

2. Get to know them and their work. Do they take on projects like yours? Do you like their work? Do you know people who have worked with them? Let them know who you know in common and what projects of theirs you liked. If you start your conversations off with “what projects have you done?” then that tells them you blindly reached out to them and don’t really care who does the job, just as long as someone does. Those are not clients any self-respecting professional wants.

   
   

3. Share more details about your project. If you’re looking to renovate your home, don’t just stop there. Explain more. Why you ask? Because ‘renovate your home’ doesn’t tell me anything. If you say I’m looking to renovate my kitchen, I might send you to an Interior Designer or a kitchen company. If you say I’m looking to remove walls to open the living space, redesign the kitchen, add an additional bathroom and closet, and finish my unfinished basement.. well, those two descriptions are very different.

   
   

4. Lastly, pictures speak more than words. Add a few existing and inspirational pictures. Even better, join us live our Clarity Course and create an entire vision board and look book for your home project. What we create here will make any professional want to be a part of your project. #NoExplainationNeeded

On top of all of this, consider whether you require a consultation before jumping in. Meaning: should you have big dreams of an additional floor only to find out you’re going to need to add 500k to your budget. 

An honest assessment is an important first step.

— C.