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SCOTT JOHNSTON, from page 5

“There’s not too many [condos] for sales, there’s too much for sale at too high a price,” Miller says. “What we’re build- ing doesn’t match demand. I think there was an assumption there was an infinite source of demand.” “There’s not too many [condos] for sales, there’s too much for sale at too high a price. What we’re building doesn’t match demand. I think there was an assumption there was an infinite source of demand.” While the fate of Billionaire’s Rowmight be uncertain, there are no doubts about the submarket beneath the ultra-luxu- ry price point. That is, sales of units priced between $1 mil- lion and $3 million. “That’s currently the sweet spot,” Miller says. ❚ ❚ What is the result? The best stories have great endings, and by now you know it’s not that the project was completed on time or within budget. The ending is the resolution of the “… so that” statement. A story about the hospital expansion proj- ect above could read: “After the (name of hospital) wing re- opened on time, patients were able to receive the leading-edge care that was critical to successful cancer treatment. In the first year after reopening, (X) patients were treated, including (name and picture of patient featured on hospital’s website). The defining and differentiating details are easy to find when who, what, why, and how are answered. BE A WINGMAN, NOT A SALESMAN. Finding your client’s “… so that” and demonstrating the processes your team will use to cre- ate results for the client will make you a valued partner. And when the selection panel asks, “Who do we want to work with?” – the answer will be you! SCOTT JOHNSTON is a principal strategist and facilitator at Johnston Training Group. He can be reached at scott@jtgroup.com started, and what are the consequences of it not being com- pleted as planned? The projects AEC firms design, build, and improve contribute to the economic growth of communities and the quality of life for those who live there. Demonstrate that you understand the stakes and how a project affects the neighborhood as a whole. Think of your client’s clients. ❚ ❚ How? Successful teams have worked diligently to perfect their methods for communication, for providing design op- tions, and for using technology. They have used internal critiques to glean information, talked with clients, and other experts. Yet, in interviews, team members tend to gloss over the step-by-step processes because they do it every day – it’s ordinary to them. Selection panels tell us, however, that evaluating these pro- cesses is how they differentiate firms that are equal in other areas. Again, details are key. For example, your firm doesn’t just get all the parties together, talk it over, and decide. You have a four-step process – explore, analyze, decide, and ex- ecute. The steps are sewn into your proposal and woven into your answers during the interview.

just a building – it was a hospital. And it wasn’t just a hospital – it was a leading cancer care facility in the North- west. After adding “… so that” a few times, the team concluded that getting the facility done on time meant so much more. It meant that people who had advanced cancer would be able to receive life-saving treatment without having to travel – a critical component to successful outcomes. The team inserted specific examples in the proposal on how they could shave time off the schedule, such as pre- constructed modules for the treatment rooms. In the interview the team connected every process and project phase with getting the treatment wing open so that the treatment center could help people/save lives/fulfill the mission of the hospital. In the interview, they spoke to the client need, not just the project need. The team won the project. HOW DO WE FIND THE “… SO THAT”? To make your potential client sit up and take notice, put on your journalist hat and ask yourself these questions: ❚ ❚ Who? Think about the people who will live/work/study/play/ drive in or on whatever you’re designing, building, or improv- ing. And make them real: Not “the school” – instead, “The principal who takes the parent’s calls about their child’s safety …” not, “The shoppers at the mall .…” Instead, “Martha Jones, who is picking up a gift after work and needs to get to child care on time .…” A specific example with real names is more powerful than a paragraph of generality in a proposal and interview. ❚ ❚ Where? Apply the same level of specificity to the location and help the reader paint a memorable picture in their head. It’s not just “a school next to a busy street;” it’s “a school next to Second Avenue, which has had 12 accidents in the past six years – a school that will continue to grow in use when the new development two miles to the south is complete in 2018. Thus, safety will be critical .…” This example shows how much your team knows and is much stronger than the generic, “We know this area well.” ❚ ❚ Why? Every good story has suspense. Why was the project

BILLIONAIRE’S ROW, from page 7

expensive safety deposit boxes. You put your belongings there and rarely visit.” For an international investor, there’s plenty to fear in the global market: a recent coup attempt in Turkey; Brexit; the economic decline and recent impeachment of President Dilma Rousseff in Brazil; the ongoing oil slump; bombas- tic North Korea; and a sluggish economy in China. At least for some, investing in a supertall with breathtaking views of Central Park is a safe bet. But for the United States, and in essence for the entire world, a profound question looms – who wins the presidential election, Donald Trump or Hill- ary Clinton? As the world continues to turn, the supertall market might have already peaked. Sales are not as brisk as they once were, and pricing is being negotiated downward as the New York press chronicles the decline.

THE ZWEIG LETTER October 3, 2016, ISSUE 1170

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