For many custom integrators, a new project inquiry can quickly turn into a familiar race: collect the wish list, assemble a bid and try to win the job before another firm does. Architechne founder and CFO Jeff Cole says his company takes a different approach. Before Architechne sends a proposal, they actually interview and vet their potential client, effectively flipping the script on the process.
When I first met Cole during the Oasys Summit earlier this year in Coronado, he went over this “Life of the Client” process, as they’ve dubbed it, and just how in depth it can be. The review process can resemble something of a job interview, complete with third-party references and all.
We dove even deeper into it during Cole’s recent appearance on the Connected Design Podcast because it helps to reframe one of the most common dynamics in residential technology sales. Rather than treating the client conversation as a one-way audition, Architechne uses discovery to determine whether both sides are the right fit.
“This is again something that I’ve never seen done in our space,” Cole said. “But if you look at every other space where people are spending this amount of money, it is done. Whether you walk into Porsche, Ferrari, Rolex, pick whatever poison you want, you’re being interviewed as soon as you walk through the doors.”
Cole’s point is that high-value purchases often require both buyer and seller to understand intent, expectations and risk before moving forward. In custom integration, where projects can involve large budgets, long timelines, and multiple trades, he sees that early alignment as a practical business discipline.
“In our space, there’s risk involved because a lot of people that we’re doing these size of projects for have a lot of money,” Cole said. “You’ve already heard many times where they use their money, their influence and their understanding of law to do things that are not great. You’ve heard about it on custom home builds, big AV deployments, custom landscape builds, where all of a sudden the client’s not paying for half of it and they’re suing. We don’t want any of that.”
For Architechne, the answer is not to make the process rigid or impersonal. Cole describes it as a structured way to get to know the client, let the client get to know the company, and avoid rushing into a proposal before the project is understood.
A Conversation Before a Bid
The front end of Architechne’s “Life of the Client” process begins with a discovery call that is less about equipment and more about fit.
“We’re not shooting out bids left and right,” Cole said. “Hey, I need all these things. Here’s what I’m looking to do. I need a bid ASAP. … We don’t do that. It’s like, well, we might be the wrong company if this is what you’re looking for. What do you mean? Well, let’s have a conversation.”
That first conversation gives clients room to ask about Architechne while giving the company room to understand the person, the project, and the expectations. Only after that does the team move deeper into technical discovery.
“We have a discovery call on the front end of the life of the client process, and the discovery call is just to get to know the person,” Cole said. “That’s it. They get to know us. We give them an opportunity to ask a ton of questions about the company to make sure we’re the right company for them. We ask a ton of questions to them to make sure they’re the right client for us. After that, then we get into phase two of the discovery call where we need floor plans, and we walk through room by room what they envision their technology to look like, or not look like if they don’t want to be able to see it.”
Cole said Architechne is typically on a third call or in-person meeting before presenting numbers. That may sound slow in a market where speed often feels like an advantage, but he argues that it prevents confusion later.
“We don’t want to drag out this process,” Cole said. “We want to make sure this is the right fit, not just for them, but for us. This is an important decision. Even if it’s somebody who’s only spending $20,000, $20,000 is a lot of money, to most people. We want to make sure we can take their money and do the best we can with it. We want to be stewards of their money, what they expect and their expectations.”
Better Expectations, Fewer Mistakes
The client interview process also changes how Architechne presents cost. Rather than reducing a large technology scope to a single vague number, the company uses ranges by category once it has enough information to make those ranges useful.
“We follow this process to a T because we know the process works,” Cole said. “Not only are the clients always happier at the end of it, the ticket typically grows because they don’t know what they don’t know. Most importantly, fewer mistakes happen. Once we do that interview process and get to the point of the life of the client process, it’s always a range. We’ll do ranges for each category.”
For a large home, that means separating AV, automation, lighting, shades, dedicated theater, and other categories so the client can see what drives the budget, rather than reacting to one large line item buried in a construction budget.
The process hasn’t been static either. Cole said Architechne developed the system early in the company’s life and continues to update it as the company grows and gathers client feedback.
For other integrators, the takeaway here isn’t necessarily that every firm should copy Architechne’s exact process. Rather, the thoughtfulness of the process speaks to Architechne’s dedication to protecting the client experience. If you’re skipping right ahead into the proposal stage before making an effort to connect with the individual, it may already be too late. By interviewing clients before turning the attention to cost, Architechne is trying to identify fit, educate the homeowner, and define the scope before expectations harden around a number.
