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A Journey of Transition: Becoming a Professional Permaculture Designer – Part 3

by Dan French


Photo © Craig Mackintosh

This time, in Part 3 of this series discussing my journey towards becoming a professional permaculture designer, I will be talking about marketing, knock-backs and my progress since the last article. Part 2 of this series focused on two large issues facing many of us trying to build our own business, commitment and confidence. Reflecting on these points, the pressure of these emotions is ongoing. I’m glad to report however, the series of strategies I outlined in Part 2 are helping me in both of these areas. Despite this, I am still finding that my momentum seems to ebb and flow. I found that Christmas in particular, the time most people bar all thoughts of work and concentrate of having some time off, had a significant impact. I gave myself a leave pass to freshen up, which was both good and bad. Good because I spent some quality time with my family — time we all enjoyed as they didn’t have to listen to my constant strategizing and questioning of where I’m headed — and because I didn’t feel the need to unload on them. Bad because the momentum I had gained leading up to Christmas was sadly lost, much like my hopes for a particular present I had long been asking for. All I received was several pairs of very nice socks….

Momentum is your friend in life, particularly when starting a business, as it takes constant effort, and not only in one area. It requires you to spread yourself across many disciplines. You can’t slack off. This is an important lesson I am taking from this whole exercise. You need to manage every area of your operation from your business focus to accounts, marketing, technical support, sales, execution and more. It has given me a whole new level of respect for those who successfully created an enterprise and for those who have given it a go. Planning and execution skills are valued at a premium. I’m slowly getting better as I go.

It’s a long road and it can get both frustrating and disillusioning, especially prior to getting a job through the door. I’m still fishing for my first client. I have however, had several offers from friends to design their place for free. Some of this is good experience, but too much of it is wasted effort and will send you broke before you ever get truly started. In saying that though, each time I run through a consulting procedure with anyone, I get a true perspective of the variability of people’s needs, consulting methods which work and the need for a detailed and planned approach to engagement and design. It has led to me developing a client engagement template (many examples of which exist on the internet), the aim of which is to gather as much information on a client’s needs, characteristics and the site prior to visiting it in person. It means I’m not working purely from scratch when I first hit the site and can therefore save myself and the client time and effort instead of being distracted with irrelevant design features and speculation.

On this point, spending time thinking about how you are going to respond to a phone or email enquiry is highly important as this is where you can impact a potential client’s decision about whether they will proceed with you or look somewhere else. For this reason, I believe you should pack responses to inquiries or promotional documentation with as much value and discussion of benefit as you can. People need to know that any money spent will be a great investment. Providing this type of information shouldn’t be hard. As we all know there are numerous long lasting benefits that accompany permaculture design — make sure you let people know of these and if possible demonstrate this in some way or another. Perhaps give them some free resources and skills information which they can use themselves. The way I see it is if there’s value in this it is more likely there is value in your service.

This is what I am concentrating on at the moment. It’s part of my marketing and skill building efforts. I am currently working on creating some novel projects on which I can demonstrate the value of investing in permaculture design. This will involve collaborating with others and therefore part of this effort requires networking. Not randomized though, targeted at partners and clients with whom I can produce specific results in terms of increasing value, measuring savings (resources) and recording client satisfaction. I want to quantify and qualify these differences so that I can prove what I claim and show that there is an achievable return on investment that results from smart design.

I am still gathering inspiration from where I can by researching others who run successful businesses who have made them well known by benefitting others. Try Joel Salatin, Michael Mobbs, Veta la Palma, etc. I concentrate on how they have become well known and how they reproduce the quality of work which keeps people talking about them. As you will note, most of those we look up to in these areas are excellent self-promoters and collaborators as well as being dedicated and calculated risk takers. Their use of social media, publications and education to remain engaged in their respective fields of expertise is often exceptional. There are many out there who are also equally as successful who fly under the radar, and your approach of course depends on your goals and personality. Personally, I am interested in trying to encourage the use and acceptance of regenerative ecological design so that it is mainstream and common practice, so I’m probably going to be more of the outspoken type.

In summary of where I’m currently at with this whole process, I feel that all my foundations for business have been laid and its time to start heavily promoting my services and learning and refining my skills as I progress. This is an intimidating proposition as I’m putting my reputation on the line. I frequently put this into perspective by staring out to the horizon while floating in the sea or staring at the night sky and realizing how fleeting this moment in time is and how my successes and failures as an individual are actually not that significant in the scheme of things. They are however important to my family (in particular the values I want to impart upon my son) and my mission to leave a positive impact on this planet, so in that regard it’s time to get going and see where I can take all the ambition and skills I’ve taken on board as a result of the teachings and community of permaculture.

One final discussion point before signing off. I was contacted by a designer in Italy after writing my last article about how to determine what you should charge for your services. My opinion is as follows. Your fee depends on what you are offering. I would suggest looking at what similar services such as landscapers, architects, horticulturists, environmental consultants, etc., are charging in your area. You may also want to see if anyone else is conducting permaculture design in your region and take note of their fee structures. It is likely that not many are offering design services in this area, so in that regard you may have to become a price setter rather than a price follower. Nick Huggins took me through a process of first determining what level of income I am targeting over the course of a year and working backwards from this figure. This makes sure you have a target in mind and aren’t simply fishing for anything without considering what you are actually looking to achieve financially. He has tested price points for the market so I took note of this and what others are charging for similar services. I have set my price structure using this approach and have a documented sales process (i.e. the steps that are necessary to complete a paying job starting from a phone or email enquiry and finishing with a final payment from the client). I will therefore be able to gauge whether I have set a fair price for my services by seeing how far along my sales process I progress with each potential client. If I frequently bomb out after sending through a written quote I may have to examine my fees and see whether this is what is causing a lack of sales.

I hope this helps. Until next time, when I intend to discuss the ups and downs of completing real jobs, wish me luck!

11 Comments

  1. A big pat on the back for you Dan, committing to it all and also sharing your journey. Many thanks.

    A few thoughts.

    1) Seems to me that you’ll have two types of potential clients – those that think with their hearts (i.e. people who care about the environment) and people who think with their wallets (i.e. people who only care about how much money they can save). Talk to the solar industry about this one. So, you might have two different sets of real results you share, depending on what type of client you’re speaking to.

    2) As a client, I personally hate long, involved “engagement questionnaires” prior to first consultation. Mostly because I’ve seen indications that they’re not read carefully, so that I’ve wasted my time. In the case of one well known Australian permaculturalist*, I never even got a reply after I completely filled out and sent several pages of questionnaire. Questionnaires serve you, not the client. A good compromise might be for you to arrange a phone call or (better) Skype video conference and you interview them from your questionnaire. Dialog has got to be better, and you won’t lose the client just because they can’t or won’t take the time to fill it out.

    3) Putting myself in what I imagine your shoes to be like, I really loathe the idea of trying to get business from my local landholders. Far too many “old school” types. Suburbs are probably full of better prospects (more money, less conventional farming background). Also, have you thought of doing a few large, international projects to get some “cred” ? Would look great for the portfolio, and you’d learn heaps of course.

    Just some ideas…

    Good luck!
    Greg

    * Not Geoff :)

  2. Hi Dan,

    As a suggestion, if I were you, I’d think about who your likely clients would be and then what services can you offer them. From there I’d then work backwards to determine where these clients may be found and then market appropriately to them.

    If you were looking for inner urban types wanting to make their urban space more productive using good design, then you may find these clients at places like organic cafes (CERES in Melbourne would be a good example).

    How about working out some sort of spotters fee for these places so they can promote you and your work?

    What about a stall at a farmers market? I would recommend that you either bring some of your own produce or seeds. At the same time, you could talk to people about your design services and what you could do for them. Remember it is about them, not you.

    What about doing a talk at the local library or community hall to a generic group. What about talking to a specific group, like the local seed savers or gardening clubs.

    What about getting on a local community radio gardening program?

    What about farm expo’s like the Seymour Alternative Farming expo. I think you should think about targeting small holders before attempting a broad acre project which takes a lot of experience.

    In your business, you have to do a lot of free talking before you snare clients and start to build reputation and networks.

    Make sure your contacts know how to contact you and don’t be afraid about doing follow up calls.

    If you’re not getting rejected by clients then you’re not getting your name out there.

    Remember also to make sure that your own house is in order before you ask others to accept and pay for your advice. Don’t turn up to clients looking like you’ve just got out of bed and that all of your equipment is falling apart. Also know how to use your equipment confidently.

    Most importantly, remember to listen to your potential clients. You don’t have to do what they say, especially if they’re not paying, but it is always about them, not you. A lot of people have trouble with listening skills, but if you deal with clients who are paying you, this is an important skill.

    Good luck.

    Chris

  3. Thanks for this Dan, it’s great to read about your perspective and experiences.
    My own are similar so I thought I would share a few thoughts.
    I quickly realized that within my own ultra-conservative community no one had any idea what permaculture was, so I began writing stories for my local newspaper titled Permaculture Perspectives by Mudlark Permaculture. In the hope this would lead to work, it didn’t appear to but I am sure I have raised a lot of awareness.

    I have had several initial consultations that have not led to any actual on the ground work as the clients only wanted justification for their own thoughts about the work they had already planned.
    Some “freebee” designs I have done for schools, private individuals and organizations have been acted on as funds allowed and others not acted on as funding did not allow.
    I have also discovered that on two occasions my intellectual property has been stolen, by way of my design being handed to landscape designers, on one occasion a food forest and food garden layout was implemented entirely in ornamentals, which was extremely bizarre to look at.
    Another time, elements of my work appeared in a council layout, for which I received no acknowledgment or feedback as I had requested. All situations where I have had to “live and learn”.

    I have discovered, sadly, that using the word Permaculture is almost a liability.
    I am very keen to do farmland and erosion repair, I believe doing this as a Permaculturist will not happen any time soon.
    I am about to re-invent my consultation work in a larger community adjacent to my own as an “Environmental and Sustainability Consultant” and “Whole Farm Planner” while still developing my demonstration site for those interested in ‘Permaculture”.
    I have discovered that there are many Government sponsored programs offering free business development consultations, so I am about to get as much help as I can actually constructing a “Business” out of the work I wish to do. And I will probably go on to pay for further business development help.
    As this comes together I hope to report in this forum how it proceeds.

    With regards to Chris suggesting you seek out venues such as the Seymour Alternative Farm Expo to present your work. I did a presentation at the expo which was held just a few weeks ago.
    I did a Permaculture presentation on ‘Re-localization’.
    I had the worst time slot as the last presenter on the last day, yet I had over 30 people come and listen, when other presenters had around ten people.
    The Expo committee was so pleased with the result and interested in my work in general that they are proposing a dedicated Permaculture feature of a half day (which I hope to turn into a full day) of speakers and presentations and an area for permaculturists to set up displays of their work or properties, and all the associated networking.
    I will be writing an article on this and calling on interested people to become involved.
    Lets all keep up the dialogue on our experiences of getting this important Permaculture work happening out there in a world that so desperately needs it, but possibly doesn’t know it yet.
    Yours Abundantly
    Carolyn Payne
    Mudlark Permaculture

  4. I really appreciate your comments and suggestions Greg and Chris. This is one of the most enjoyable aspects of writing these articles, getting the feedback and input from those with experience and good ideas. Your point 2 is exceptionally valid Greg. I see the catching of data at any level as being important and a better quality of data is probably available by directly communicating with clients rather than issuing a questionnaire. I reckon recording the engagement interview (MP3 recorder etc.) will be handy in order to run over later it if required.
    Great suggestions Chris, I will be trying several of these approaches. Also, great comment regarding rejection as an indication of your level of proactivity in promoting your services. You definately have to toughen up and just get on with the job in order to hit a few home runs.
    Thanks again guys!
    Cheers
    Dan

  5. Thanks for sharing your insights Dan.

    There are many small things you can do that make a world of difference to attracting more business leads.

    One I use is handing a friend or potential client 2 business cards instead of one, or sending them an e-card to their phone. This makes it so much easier for them to recommend your services or share with others in future.

    Another approach, at initial discussion phase, is to find out their sense of urgency for what they want to achieve. Understanding and working to the client’s timeline helps consultants guage how much time to allocate when, and thus avoid both time wastage on your part and, perceived, undue pressure on the client’s.

    All the best
    Lesley

  6. Thanks for your insights Lesley and Carolyn,
    More great info that helps me and hopefully others shape how they are running their design businesses. It sounds to me Carolyn like you need to develop some engagement contracts that include clauses that give you protection against being plagiarised and that also secure downpayment prior to you starting your work (which you may already have). On the flipside, you must be producing valid designs if people are copying them. None-the-less it sounds pretty frustrating. I am also of the same mind that “permaculture” as a marketing term is only well-used with a specific audience and that the common features of design which are more everyday language are better used to sell the service. Possibly, regarding the farm planning you should be talking to some of the people working in that area about how their going about it. Looks like Darren Doherty is running an interesting ReGen10 course in your region. It does look however like you’ve got alot on the go at the moment which is half the battle I think, lots of experimentation and seeing what works.
    Thanks again!

  7. Hey – how strange to see this photo of our old home in SEQ. I am getting a little home sick. After this photo was taken we embarked on pretty serious earthworks, putting in 2 acres of terracing and a dam on the bottom. We also planted about 60 fruit trees and perennial ground cover. About a year later we sold our little home stead because we had a rather large home loan which would have taken me into the late 60ies to repay. That is now 4 years ago and I have recently met the new owner by chance. Turns out he has filled all the terraces, buried everything with free fill. The plan apparently is a new “infinity pool” at the top and perhaps a tennis court somewhere. I felt sick when he told me all of this obviously proud with his achievements.

    Anyway this is history. This January we bought 5 acres outright, old dairy country with a permanent creek running through it. With a $500 software package I have designed a positive energy / passive solar home which scored 10 out of 10 stars in the (now in QLD) mandatory energy rating. This means no heating or cooling required throughout the year. I have decided to go with conventional stick framing but multiple layers of reflective insulation, I think the insulation qualities are about the same as a good straw bale home. Most straw bale homes need timber framing anyhow. It will be “not so big” home, almost half of the average new home size here in OZ.

    Soon we’ll be able to put in our gardens, orchard, wind break and chicken system and all the other things we have planned – basically we’ll start living again.

    Matt

  8. oh by the way – I am happy to give our home plans to anyone that is interested, contact me at matt dot luthi at gmail dot com.

    A word of warning – we use aluminium double glazing and xps insulation which are definitely not renewable. It is however very durable so it can be re-used and/or recycled.

  9. Great to hear of your downsizing story Matt – a very wise thing to do in my humble opinion. It’s of course also sad that the new owner spent money to undo what took money to accomplish, not recognising the value of natural capital. Too many of us learn the hard way…

  10. Hi all – I’m fairly new to all this (hoping to do my PDC in a couple of months time) but reading through the articles and comments has been really helpful in understanding what a life as a permaculturalist may bring. I’m still 100% excited by it and I’m feeling inspired to achieve some goals I’ve set myself for the next couple of years. Thanks so much for sharing :)

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