Picking the Right Clients

Some solid advice I received long ago was that “you can’t chase every rabbit.” My dogs would disagree, and I see their point, but as business advice goes, it holds up. You need to cultivate long-term relationships with the people you can do business with, not just to look after their needs on a repeat […]

Picking the Right Clients

Unwelcome Surprises 

Everyone likes surprises. I know I do. At least, I like fun surprises. You know, like parties, or free marzipan. To be fair, not all surprises are fun, and most of us don’t like those ones. The series of natural disasters that have assailed British Columbia for a month (although it feels a lot longer) […]

Unwelcome Surprises 

Design Retainers Are Your Friend: Qualifying and Filtering Clients

It’s said that the hard lessons are the only ones we really learn. I had a coach a long time ago, a gruff old man from a former Soviet bloc country. One of his bits of old country wisdom was, “Pain is best teacher; perhaps only teacher.” Someone else once said to me, “The universe […]

Design Retainers Are Your Friend: Qualifying and Filtering Clients

Are You Really Listening to Your Clients?

DILBERT © Scott Adams. Used By permission of ANDREWS MCMEEL SYNDICATION. All rights reserved. The wild, wonderfully sarcastic and incisive mind of Scott Adams as represented in his legendary Dilbert comic strips perfectly illustrates the core point of this column. It seems, based on the less-than-stellar outcomes of project after project thrashed out on industry […]

Are You Really Listening to Your Clients?

When No Really Means: I Don’t Know

What Does No Really Mean? I don’t know which specific issues you encounter when dealing with a client who knows only one answer to every suggestion or idea you present — NO — but I do know we all have them. There are so many reasons and possible scenarios that can and will generate a […]

When No Really Means: I Don’t Know

The Three Biggest Lies in AV?

In western society, some of the most frequently told jokes revolve around the three most common lies in circulation. They follow a number of patterns, many of which I will not go into in a column that winds up in general circulation. I have, however, defined the three biggest lies as told in AV. The […]

The Three Biggest Lies in AV?

The Skill Set

Happy New Year, readers! Last month’s column left our hero (yours truly, since I’m writing this) promising to explore the skill set required for the successful rental and staging technician. It’s quite a list, starting with a firm understanding of how things work in the physical world, and this month moving on to include interpersonal […]

The Skill Set