The Hidden Drivers Behind Why Clients Choose You

If You’re Leading With the “What,” You’re Missing the Point

Most firms think clients choose them for what they do. In reality, clients choose you for what your work means.

If that statement makes you pause, you’re not alone. Most A/E firms rush straight to the what—scope, square footage, schedule—without ever explaining why their work matters. “We completed this type of building, on this site, using these materials.” It’s factual, but it’s not compelling. And it’s certainly not memorable.

When we work with clients, they often ask, “Does that really hurt us?” The answer is yes. It drains the emotion from your story and makes your work forgettable in a market full of sameness.

Why? Because your clients rarely make decisions based purely on logic. Even the most analytical leaders respond to how something makes them feel—safe, excited, confident. The data comes later to justify the emotion. And here’s the nuance: the kind of feeling that motivates a decision varies from person to person. Understanding what your audience needs to feel and reflecting that in your story is what turns information into influence.

I often see this gap when I help firms craft their narratives, and I understand why it happens. When you’re deep in a project, you’re focused on the details, so it’s hard to zoom out and see the bigger picture. But in that focus on the what and how, the why often gets lost. Why it mattered—to the client, to the community, to the market—never makes it into the story. And without that “why,” the story falls flat.

And here’s the secret: the “why” isn’t as mysterious as it seems. Beneath every business-to-business (B2B) decision are three Value Drivers that matter to your clients more than anything else.

When you tell stories that connect your work to these drivers, you move from service provider to trusted advisor. You demonstrate that you understand not only what your client needs but also why, and that you’re the firm that can help them achieve their goals.

Increasing Revenue - When Design Drives Growth

Why It Matters

Every client, in every market, wants to grow, and design can be a surprisingly powerful lever for that growth. Architecture and engineering can help organizations expand their reach, attract and retain talent, improve people’s experiences, and strengthen an organization’s brand presence.

Think about a hospital that increases patient throughput thanks to improved circulation design, or a technology company that reimagines its headquarters to serve as a living showroom for clients and partners, showcasing innovation in real time. These are revenue stories. They show design as a driver of performance and possibility.

Who It Speaks To

This Value Driver typically speaks to visionaries—the CEOs, founders, and strategic leaders who focus on the big picture. They’re not thinking only about the next quarter; they’re thinking about the next five years. They want partners who can help them turn vision into measurable growth.

When targeting them, position your work as the catalyst for what they want to achieve next. Growth stories are inherently optimistic, so let your tone reflect that. Be confident, proud, and forward-looking.

Reducing Cost - The Efficiency Equation

Why It Matters

Cost reduction doesn’t mean being cheaper; it means being smarter. It’s about operational efficiency, resource optimization, and long-term savings. It’s where the real-world problem-solving happens. This driver hits your clients squarely in their pain points. It’s where they feel relief.

Maybe your phasing plan kept a school open during construction, saving millions in relocation costs. Or your mechanical design cuts a building’s energy use by 30 percent, slashing utility costs and qualifying the client for sustainability incentives.

Who It Speaks To

These are the stories that resonate with tactical thinkers—COOs, facility managers, operations leaders. They’re the ones asking “how.” How will this save us time? How will it streamline operations? How will it simplify maintenance down the road?

When you can quantify the results (hours saved, dollars retained, energy reduced), you give these decision-makers something tangible to hold onto. That’s when your ideas stop sounding conceptual and start sounding valuable.

Mitigating Risk – Creating Peace of Mind

Why It Matters

If revenue and cost are about opportunity and efficiency, risk is about peace of mind—how well your client sleeps at night. And let’s be honest, we all sleep better when we know someone’s looking out for us.

Risk shows up everywhere in the built environment: safety, compliance, schedule, adaptability, resilience. Compliance is foundational. And while long-term adaptability rarely headlines a project summary, it’s part of what keeps clients coming back. A resilient building design that prevents flooding, a retrofit that future-proofs against regulatory change, a system that scales with demand, those are risk stories. They show foresight and protection.

Who It Speaks To

This driver appeals to the planners—the ones constantly running through “what if” scenarios. They’re evaluating every angle before committing, determined not to miss something critical. Your role is to make them (and their teams) look good.

When you tell risk stories, focus on trust and foresight. Show that you understand what’s at stake and that you’re the partner who sees around corners. Remember, strategic partners earn loyalty; vendors get replaced when something shinier comes along.

Putting It into Practice

At the end of the day, clients don’t want to buy architecture or engineering; they want to buy outcomes. Firms that align their messaging around revenue, cost, and risk don’t just sell services; they shape decisions.

So, before your next pursuit, ask yourself: What’s the end of this story? What do I want my audience to understand or feel about our value? If your upcoming interview or proposal led with a story about measurable impact, how would that change the conversation?

Interested in helping your team tell stronger, more strategic stories? Book a 15-minute consultation to see if a Storytelling for Value workshop could help your firm turn project details into stories that win decisions.