When meeting with a potential client, always take your design portfolio with you.
Although it is possible to have examples of your work on a notebook computer and scroll through concept plans, design styles, and before and after photos of spaces you have worked on, computers can be intimidating for many clients and we favor developing an ‘old fashioned’ bound folder of printed drawings and images.
So a binder with before and after images, examples of your best work, and a collection of garden styles work well. Simply by scrolling through garden styles and listening to the client. The response can provide you with a good foundation for a future design that meets their needs.
Tip: If you do not have examples of designs suitable for a portfolio, make a scrapbook of clippings of landscape styles you like.
Tip: Just because you love a Japanese-style garden, does not mean you should propose using it if the client is ambivalent about that style.
Tip: You might print a copy of your most colorful and detailed design on a large sheet and laminate it. Such a sheet can also be useful if you attend landscape shows where you may have taken a booth to promote your services.