Step 1: Don’t use blueprints (or as little as possible)

If you think about it, people connect with an idea on an emotional level.  When they connect they get excited about the future.  The thing with “the future” is we all want it now.  Unfortunately, anticipation is often better than the actual experience.  And a model is the closest thing to having it NOW and relishing the anticipation.  Man, that wine cellar off the main dining room is going to be soooo cool.  A client tells their friends this over dinner and then remove the roof on the model to show the layout.

As an architecture firm this is incredibly powerful as a selling tool.  If you can quickly show the future in an emotionally compelling way, you can get the client excited sooner rather than later.  Let them take their model home and set it on the dining room table.  Eat next to it for a week and spill coffee on it.  If the designers have done their job, the anticipation will only build.

Nobody looks forward to rolling out a pile of blueprints on their coffee table and trying to find enough paper weights to keep everything from rolling back together.  The anticipation is gone and interacting with the design concept is a chore because they have to try and construct the 3D view in their mind.  Participating in a creative process should not be a chore, especially when you’re paying money for that service.

Make it fun, breathe life into the experience, and watch your word of mouth grow because you provide a totally different approach to collaborating with your clients.