Exercise Tact
Say your prospects are boomers who want to remodel and itâs clear that theyâre going to need a number of universal design elements such as wider doors and hallways. Suggest this by talking about other projects. âI mention to clients that I do that kind of work,â says Dan Bawden, owner of Legal Eagle Contractors, in Houston. âThen I sit back and shut up and see if it resonates. If they donât care, I donât mention it again,â he adds.
Selling a job to people who already have accessibility issues requires a different approach. âYouâre dealing with someone who has some ailments,â says Stephen Klein, president of 1 Call Bath Solutions, in Elkins Park, Pa. âThey have arthritis, or Parkinsonâs, or they almost fell. A lot of them have had âan eventâ â a fall or near-fall. That event spurs them to action.â
Convince these prospects that you can solve their problem by getting to its specifics. Find out beforehand as much as you can about the issue and how it limits them. Begin the conversation from a place of knowledge and empathy. Bear in mind that this is as much about whatâs going to happen as whatâs occurring at the moment. âEven though theyâve called you, they may have no idea what the future holds,â says remodeling consultant Louis Tenenbaum.
Start by asking how long they plan to stay. Get people to open up by giving examples of situations youâve personally experienced. Peggy Mackowski, vice president of Quality Design & Construction, in Raleigh, N.C., talks to clients about how life changed after she blew out her knees in a skiing accident.
Ask the homeowners to take you through the house so you can identify the challenges. Tenenbaum describes how important empathy can be. For example, when the homeowner shows you the bathroom, you might tell them that you can now see how difficult it must be for someone in their situation to operate in that space. âThey think: âOh my God, someone knows what my life is like!ââ Tenenbaum says.
Discuss Visitability
If, for example, your prospects are boomers in their 60s who want a remodel but have given no thought to modifying for age restrictions and might get prickly at the suggestion, approach it another way.
Bawden recommends that you ask the prospect if he or she knows someone with use or access issues. âAt the beginning of the meeting I ask the open-ended question: What kind of family do you have that might come and visit?â Bawden says. âThat gets the wheels spinning.â
Visitability has two key components: at least one zero-step entrance into the dwelling from the sidewalk or driveway, and a first-floor bathroom that accessibility-challenged people can use.
Avoid Certain Words
The wrong word at the wrong time can change the whole tone of the conversation. Donât use the words disabled, handicapped, aging, crippled, death, die, or nursing home â unless the prospect does, advises Mark Scott, owner of Mark IV Builders, a Maryland remodeling company. When referring to the clientâs personal physical situation and how your renovation will adapt the space, stick to terms such as safe, practical, and accessible; words that reassure and make sense in the context of renovation.