Selling something that is still just an idea can be challenging, but done right, is extremely rewarding.

Design is a multi-sensory concept, so it takes a special set of toolsand an effective workflow to successfully present design ideas toclients. There are many variables to the design presentation process.How do you decide what will work best for you? CHOOSING A METHOD OF PRESENTATIONErin Ollendike, executive national sales director at BBJ Linen, finds that clients vary in their needs, so her team tries to accommodate them howeverpossible. “The most popular ways we work with customers include showroom or site consultations where our client and their end customer can touch and feel the fabrics, and digital mood boards with images of our fabrics and chargers, combined with the client’s inspirational images,” she says.The digital boards address a common challenge for designers—presenting a concept from afar. Destination wedding planners face this daily. “Most of my clients are destination clients, which means that they aren’t meeting in person for the initial design plans,” says Emily Sullivan of Emily Sullivan Events of New Orleans. “While we do use swatches when meeting in person, we use Pantone color squares on our proposals with extensive photos and notes.”Still, when possible, an in-person approach can allow a deeper level of  connection with an idea. Lane’ Bigsby of Something Borrowed in Portland, Ore., prefers to meet in person the first time, so she can better establish a couple’s “style and vision using visual aids and real materials.” While she finds that “emails don’t always convey the mood or vibe” that her team wants to get across, between the first meeting and those held later on at the venue, “emails allow more flexibility in pitching recommendations.”THE ROLE OF TECHNOLOGY IN DESIGN PRESENTATIONSWhether you are planning with local clients or consulting at a distance, technology plays a big role in the process, offering both advantages and challenges. “The positives,” according to Nahid Farhoud of Nahid’s Global Events in San Diego, “include the ability to do PowerPoint and inspiration boards via email and to process changes quickly.”Tara Fay, owner of Xena Productions Bespoke Events in Dublin praises technology, saying, “It has meant that clients can be on the other side of the world and still be present in their planning process.” If it has a downside, Fay says that technology can create a dynamic “where you are never out of contact.” Setting boundaries for times and forms of contact becomes important when working with powerful, borderless tools.Another drawback is that inspiration sites like Pinterest offer couples lots of ideas, but very little context. “Brides see things and want to implement them in their wedding, not knowing the cost,” says Farhoud. “Then they want us to work magic to make it fit within their budget.”Ollendike agrees, “Pinterest and Instagram have been a blessing and a curse to us. Oftentimes, brides have a picture they love, but they don’t realize that the image was a styled shoot intended to be inspirational—meaning it isn’t always practical for an actual event, or it doesn’t fit in their budget. On the other hand, (the sites) have been helpful because many people have difficulty articulating the look they want to achieve.” You can help couples strike a balance between ideas that move them, and what is possible given budget and practical constraints.WHICH TOOLS ARE RIGHT FOR YOU?Choosing the right tools can help you present your designs to clients professionally and effectively. Image files are often large, so file-sharing sites like Dropbox can be extremely helpful. To organize the many collaborators who contribute to a single design, try Google Docs. Free and completely web-based, it allows multiple members of a team to view and edit documents together, saving valuable time.“On the go, we use PicStitch to create quick and clean mood boards,” shares Ollendike. Bigsby has even considered “virtual reality headsets to help give a realistic interpretation of a space, allowing the client to clearly visualize what their venue will look like fully furnished.”Sullivan recommends AislePlanner and All Seated for developing floor plans during the design process. And when it comes time to execute, Fay uses PowerPoint as a “sharing tool for visual setups for our team to understand exactly how everything should look at the wedding.”REVIEW AND REVISE YOUR PROCESS OVER TIMENote that your presentation process is going to evolve over time, and it should! Be open to adapting to your client’s changing needs and priorities, as well as the resources available to you. Be ready to change under the right circumstances.Every six months to one year, re-evaluate your presentation process. Carefully track and monitor your conversion rate, as well as your expenses. Ultimately, you want a presentation system in place that leads to strong conversions and has a strong ROI for any money invested in the process.When putting together effective design presentations, there are a number of considerations as well as resources, especially in the form of technology, readily available to help you blow your clients' minds with a dream look created especially for them. No two planners are alike in their approach, so embrace your strengths and create flow that works best for you. WPM__Meghan Ely, OFD Consulting, Richmond, Va.