The value of bespoke

Boucher & Co bedside cabinets in wrapped vellum and fumed eucalypt veneer with etched bronze trim, bronze and marble handles and sabot feet.

Words: David Boucher 
Photos courtesy Boucher & Co

Our decades long journey in this industry has taught us that adding value from the buyer’s perspective is so much more than being able to produce beautiful, skilful work. Of course that is absolutely necessary, but it’s as much about you as a person, about how you interact with people, how you present yourself and your business, as it is about your work.

I personally have not found it an easy road. I continue to really work on myself as well as my business. I strive to be the type of person people want to engage with, to be the person they know they can rely on and trust implicitly. I’ve had to understand that I need to design and make around what they want, not just what I would like to make.

Creating amazing pieces cannot be hurried. You can’t afford to take short cuts. You must use only the best quality materials. Pay attention to the details. I’ve always believed the inside should look as good if not better than the outside. That all adds up to be very costly, and if you’re going to build a profitable business out of your passion, then you must be able to convince your buyer that it’s absolutely worth investing in your work.

Open and closed views of a swivel opening watch box in Macassar ebony, black ebony, burr walnut and nickel with bespoke hardware.

These are some of the key reasons I believe our clients are willing to invest in our work:
• They have a significant and current ‘problem’ that we can resolve for them. (They value our skills and products in direct relation to that problem they need solved.)
• They know about us and our products. (They find our marketing and reputation interesting and engaging.)
• They enjoy the experience of working with us.
• They trust us. (They appreciate our reliability, integrity and consistency.)

For clients to be willing to pay a premium for our product compared to other competitors in our field, it’s essential we help them understand why our work is worth the investment. We need them to know we are highly skilled, trustworthy and that we’ll deliver as promised. It’s our goal to always ‘over deliver’.

Palace of Secrets desk in ebony with louro preto trim and carved detail, rock maple, sycamore and shargreen. Bespoke gold and diamond detailed and mechanical hardware.

Buyers are looking for accomplished ‘problem solvers’. They come to you because they have a need for something – they have a ‘problem’. Perhaps it’s a space they wish to improve, and they have an idea of something that will do that for them.

The initial contact hopefully leads to  a ‘coffee’, a meeting to discuss their need and the beginning of building a trust-based relationship.

This where your well-developed people skills pay off. If you don’t have them, learn them. Be an avid reader. If you don’t like reading, listen to e-books. Understand and develop your unique strengths which will in turn help you to understand others. Partner with someone who has the strengths you lack.

Understanding your clients

It’s highly likely your client will be a different personality to you. Be genuinely interested in getting to know them. Learn to ask the right questions, listen very intently, and respond appropriately. If they’re the in-charge type of person, they’ll want to know how much and when the job will be done. The very detailed orientated will want drawings, photos, samples, lists and timelines whilst the talkative, colourful personality wants the experience to be interesting and fun. The reticent client who is perhaps unsure of this whole commissioning process will want your careful and considered guidance.

For me personally, understanding the different personalities has been one of the most significant advantages in my personal and business life.

Your very best marketing will always be word of mouth. When your client has a high opinion of you and fully appreciates the value of your work, they will talk about you to their circle of people.

Pyramid chest of drawers with pop-up secret compartment, Macassar ebony, burr walnut, bespoke nickel feet, handles and cap.

Clients who come back

We find there’s often a considerable initial cost getting that first sale with a new client. A cost we don’t recover straight off. But we have learnt to look at the big picture, the long term benefit. That initial cost  becomes amortised every time that client entrusts you with repeat business.

Consequently, for many years we have been laser focused on developing and keeping long term repeat clients. We invest time and money on building relationships.

Document your work

Increase the value of your work by creating its providence. Carefully document the making of each piece. Something we have done since almost the beginning of our business is to give each piece a registered number and include details of who made it and when it was completed. This is taking a very long-term view of the value of your work. Knowing and being able to track and identify the history of an artwork is essential to creating long term value.

Stay in touch

Provide your client with regular  feedback on the progress of each project. We take lots of photos and videos, just using our phones, of interesting processes throughout each day. A few of the best images are sent on WhatsApp to our clients each week along with short emotive descriptions.

This will help your client feel involved and in control of their investment in you, your ideas, and your work. Importantly, you also help them to become the ‘star of the show’ by equipping them with the information to become an engaging storyteller. As they show off their new acquisition, they can tell the story of its design and creation in detail. And they will become ‘raving fans’ and repeat customers. In my experience this is the very best marketing you can have.

Professionalism

Image is so incredibly important in every area of client contact. Are we carefully managing the details in our work? Our client and supplier communication, accounts and invoicing, timekeeping and cashflow management, our reliability, always being on time in everything, our dress, behaviour, language, and personal hygiene? These are important focus points that all come together to create a positive, professional image and reputation.

Apply this ‘image awareness’ even to the composition of the progress photos you’re going to send to your client. When you look through the lens, be acutely aware of everything that is in view, not just the interesting thing you want to photograph. Make sure the background is tidy – move glue rags and rubbish bins out of view. Allow appropriate tools to be seen. Make sure anyone in the photo or video is appropriately dressed and presentable. All this powerfully  communicates that you take pride in what you do, you’re professional and you care about your client.

I believe we need to be very protective of our clients. Protect their privacy. Never place any identifying details or information about them on your social media. Ask permission before taking any photos or videos in their home.

As I mentioned earlier, the marketplace pays the highest rewards to the people who solve the biggest problems. As you become convinced of your ability to successfully solve difficult problems for your clients, and apply what we’ve discussed here, your clients may well become convinced of your increased value and be happy to pay more than you currently charge. As you get better at all of this, more accomplished in your storytelling process and people skills, and more focused on designing what  people desire, you may find yourself completely astounded to find just how much more.

I’ve found that if you exceed expectations, hone your relationship building skills, do all you can to be trustworthy and reliable, create a very professional image, and always keep working on improving your designing/making skills, your business may well, over time, become more than you ever dreamed possible. And, as an added bonus, some of these amazing clients may well become lifelong friends.

First published in Australian Wood Review issue 121, December, 2023

David Boucher and his elite team of makers have forged a global reputation for design excellence, crafting fine art one-of-a-kind, bespoke mechanical furniture pieces for clients.

Boucher & Co is currently showing at Christopher Guy Showroom, 268 Orchard Road, Level 10, Singapore 238856

Learn more about David Boucher at boucher.com