Communication is important when establishing a relationship with a potential client. It can be won or lost in just a couple of minutes.

We have an area in our front garden that is shaded for most of the day and the soil is terrible for growing anything in. For the last five years we've covered the ground with tarpaulin and gravel just to make it more presentable. It still looks bare though so I called a couple of landscape gardeners to come out and give me quotes to put a rock garden in to make the front of the house a lot nicer to look at.

The first landscape gardener that came out had a professional looking website with examples of his team's work. I started to explain the situation and what I had in mind. He agreed with everything I suggested and I mean everything. There were no suggestions or ideas from him not even a question about plants, colour of stone or anything else for that matter. The price he gave us was cheap but then he didn't give me the impression that there would be anything eye-catching about what he would produce. His lack of discussion didn't boost my confidence either.

The second landscape gardener arrived a few days later. I actually got his number from a neighbour and he's done a number of gardens in and around the area so it's easy to see his work. I told him my idea for the front and what suggestions he had. After taking a couple of minutes to look at the ground he said that he could do what I asked but he made a number of suggestions that would make the rock garden more natural looking as well as ensuring that the plants would grow with the right amount of drainage under them. The conversation went on for about 15 minutes until we both agreed what I was looking after. He couldn't give a price there and then as he said he would need to do some price checking to get the best deal. A week later and he called with a quote that was more than the first quote we got but still within our budget.

The second was different though. Conversation, engagement, sharing ideas and collaborating. He explained the options that I had, possible problems with solutions and even made a number of suggestions to improve the rock garden. This is why I will be going with the second landscape gardener. It was clear from our conversation that he had the knowledge and he explained exactly what he had in mind.

It was all in the communication. It was two way and simple. It's worth remembering that when talking to potential clients about project work to be honest and helpful in that first conversation. When other factors don't come into it, it might just hinge on that first conversation.