What The Property Brothers and Consultants Have in Common

Like most of us during these strange and uncertain times, I’ve been finding myself on the couch much more than normal. One of my go-to TV shows is the longtime HGTV staple, Property Brothers. Recently, when watching an episode, it dawned on me how similar their day-to-day is to mine. 

There are some obvious differences - I’m building websites, while they’re building houses. There are also some commonalities (we both like flannel). The Property Brothers and Avionos both pride themselves on a well-designed solution and creating a great relationship with our clients. 

After these last couple months of quarantine, I’ve established a list of lessons and similarities between a consultant and the Property Brothers:

You have to be comfortable being uncomfortable

There are plenty of times on the show that the brothers need to have difficult conversations with their homeowners. Whether it be about budget, timeline, or both, the brothers explain clearly to their clients why the timeline or budget is at risk and identify a clear path forward. 

Sound familiar? In the life of a consultant, there will always be difficult conversations that you need to have with a client. What’s important to the success of the project and the relationship during these difficult conversations is keeping the goals of the project the priority and identify solutions to problems.

Get client buy-in on vision and plan

Before demo and construction, Jonathan and Drew will show their client the design for what it is they're building. The client gets to weigh in on where they might want to splurge a little for the custom feature or hold back on something that’s not a short-term priority. Similarly, when Avionos implements a solution, we will get client buy-in on requirements, design, and functionality so we can build something that our clients will love. These upfront conversations about the client’s vision for their site is really important for making sure they’re happy with the final product.

Don't be afraid to challenge people

Sometimes, it’s worth it to use our expertise and tell someone what they need. The Property Brothers know this. Maybe the back yard jacuzzi/pool combo might not be worth it in the winter months. How about we focus on improving the kitchen, which they’ll need to be functional since they use it every day? 

For Avionos clients, we may recommend not worrying about building an in-app voice assistant and instead focus on getting a smooth checkout flow that makes the most sense for a smooth interaction for every customer. We put our client’s time and money into places where they and their customers will see the most value. 

It's all about functionality

Creating experiences that are intuitive, elegant, and functional are key to any house and to every Avionos project. Like a well-hidden storage area or registration flow that notifies the right people, design and functionality work hand-and-hand to create a great experience. 

Quarantine has brought a lot of challenges to our clients and businesses of all shapes and sizes. But, it’s also given us the opportunity to think outside the box and get creative to make our customers’ lives easier. Like the Property Brothers, we just want out clients to discover their forever solution that functions perfectly, is beautifully designed, and brings them satisfaction (and revenue).