There was a great article this weekend in the Wall Street Journal by Scott Adams. It was a funny article and one that we can obtain critical information on what your prospects think and probably have for opinion on Green Architecture…

Critical if you want to get new prospects with their projects!

Here’s what you can find in the first two paragraphs…OUTCH!!!!

“You see an article in a magazine about a guy who built a “green” house using mostly twigs, pinecones and abandoned bird nests. You want to build a green home, too. So you find an architect, show him the magazine and say, “Give me one just like this.”

Good luck with that.

Your architect only knows how to design homes using materials that his local planning commission is likely to approve.”

(want to read the article? Go right here)

And then he goes on about how difficult it really is to build a Green Home And that really “The greenest home is the one you don’t build”.

I’m not saying that you should not do green design OR that you should not tell your prospects that you are an expert on the subject.

What I’m saying here is; Green design will not bring you new projects if this is the only ‘weapon’ that you have under your belt to interest new prospects.  And keep in mind that most architects now claim that they are ‘Green Experts’.

EVEN MORE CRITICAL FOR YOU:

You might have received an email from AIA about a super Green Conference in NY city…it’s great for those of you that primarily work on mega projects…not exactly the kind of projects most solo architects and small firm owners work on these days…

This Investment Will NOT BRING YOU NEW CLIENTS With NEW PROJECTS

WHAT WILL?

You need to invest your time, energy and money on a proven marketing system that will systematically and consistently bring you the projects you want for your practice by putting your name, critical information and why you are the ONE for the people you want to work with.  (Like my brand New 6-Steps Marketing System for solo architects and small firm owners like you)

More education WILL NOT do this for you!

There is an article in this month Architect magazine about how far architects are ready to slash their rates to get a project, any projects, even if that mean not to make any profit on those projects.

http://www.architectmagazine.com/design-fees/self-inflicted-losses.aspx

I’ve said it before, if you don’t make profit on your projects, you don’t have a business, you have a hobby…not fun to deal with, but still what it is…

The article talk about how far (or low) some architects are willing to go to get a project and turning themselves into the Walmart of architecture…and for some of them; the ‘One Dollar Store’ of architecture.

There’s nothing new here.  You always find architects (same with contractors and other people around our industry) that offer the lowest bids to get a project, regardless of the economy.  Think of a young architect just coming out of school, he or she will not be the highest bid, even in good economy just because he/she wants a project…any project…

Entering a competition for free in the hope of getting a project, in good or bad economy, is for sure the lowest you can offer your services, actually it is since you give your expertise for free.  ‘But that’s a different story because…It’s good for my portfolio…’

In good or bad economy, there are store like Walmart and there are store like Louis Vuitton and everything in between.  It is your choice to decide where you want to be on that curve. 

By the way, I’ve you been to a LV store recently?  Let me tell you that they are not suffering a bit and are actually opening new stores when not remodeling the old ones.  The downtown location in Seattle had a major remodel just a few years ago AND a new one this year to be sure it is has nice has the new one they just opened in Bellevue…

My point here is that there are people with money, your decision who you work with.  You don’t have to be a Walmart.  You’re probably thinking; ‘Yes, but it’s different for us Architects’.

Ok, let’s look at some other professionals to see how they are doing in this economy.  Let’s pick dentists.  There are some of them that are slashing their prices to get someone, anyone in their chair by offering the lowest price possible.  And the result is that those dentists work like mad men all day long to barely make it.

There are people saying that it is too expensive to go to the dentist since their insurance doesn’t pay much.  My neighbor is a good example of this; doesn’t go to get is teeth cleaned because it’s too expensive, but does drive bran new Mercedes….

 Then you have the dentists that are doing implants, very specialized niche of dentistry (did I just say Niche???). And right now, and same for the last few years, have been treating patients on a regular monthly basis with price tag of $50k to $75k and sometimes even more…without insurance…in the same economic conditions…

In my book I talk about Jeff Peterson and his Niche practice (did I just say Niche again???).  He has been doing great for the last few years and last time I talk to him a few months ago, everything was still great.  He is so specialized that he does not compete with anyone else, ok I’m pushing it, barely competing with anyone else….

It is YOUR decision to be the Walmart of architecture or not. You can’t blame it on other people since some of your peers are doing great in the same economic condition that you are dealing with. 

Let’s be real here, of course it is not a fantastic time for our profession BUT there are way available to you to ensure that you do great work and that you enjoy the rewards you deserve for your services.

It’s your decision to go after the same projects has all of your peers OR to sit down and think of what your options are, put a predictable Marketing System in place and go get the projects you want in that specific Niche.

In the webinar that I’m part of next month, I will reveal how you can be in front of the people that are looking for an architect but important, and especially for those of you that work in a specific niche, how to be in front of the people that are not looking for an architect YET because they don’t know about the benefits they will get by working with you. 

To your success
Christian

Ps.  There’s still time to sign-up for this webinar, just go to my home page to get more info AND a special discount code!  www.ArchitectProfits.com

Hi there,

Quick note to remind you that the last day for the ‘Early-Bird’
Special rate for my up-coming webinar is today!

Click here if you’re ready to cut to the chase and reserve your place
http://www.elevationrg.com/The-Business-of-Architecture.html

In this webinar, I will share with you what you absolutely need
to know and need to deal with in this new architectural economy. 
The last few years have been really though for most architects,
especially for Solo Architects and Small Firm Owners like you…
Too often time left to the side by our own industry…

Let’s be real here, the way it use to be just a few years ago
when the phone would ring to tell you about a new project
will not come back.  People just don’t select an architect
the way they use to do it.  It’s no longer the same game…

You have two options with this new reality;
You pretend it’s still the same and wait for the phone to ring
OR
Face this new reality, learn about it AND put a proven
‘connect-the-dots’ marketing system that will bring you
the projects and clients you want for you practice.

If you want to face the music And be in front of your peers,
you need to join me on this most important webinar!

I will share with you the 11 Most Critical Strategies You need
to put in place in your practice the be the only emotional AND
logical choice for your prospects…

Best part, all of those strategies are Low-Cost to No-Cost!!!
http://www.elevationrg.com/The-Business-of-Architecture.html

You have until TODAY to get the ‘early-bird’ special rate!

And Even Better…

If you would like to attend, as a colleague, or friend of mine,
you can SAVE an additional 20% off the registration price by
simply entering DISCOUNT CODE: CC20 upon registration.

Clear here right now to benefits from my two discounts;
http://www.elevationrg.com/The-Business-of-Architecture.html

I do hope you will be able to attend this ground breaking event.

See you on the call!

To your success-
Christian

P.S. here’s what one architect that work with me has to say;
“I got a referral for a really nice residential project within just a
 few months of working with Christian from former clients, even
though I hadn’t heard from them in years; one simple strategy that
he shared to me did the trick.  I just wish I would have thought
about it myself earlier! “  David Beckwith

Big changes since my last post, I just drove across country from Seattle to Miami…my new home!  Talk about long hours in a car…well worth it though…it’s sunny here!

As you can imagine, we stayed in many different hotels during our ‘journey’ and I made all reservations weeks before leaving Seattle since we have two dogs and a cat and we needed to be sure we could stay in those different hotels with all our pets (just imagine the ride with those ‘stuck’ in the car!).

(And Orange Lamborghini is a sure sign this is South Florida.  Whatever happened to Don Johnson anyway?)

Be sure your clients are satisfied;

Only 1 hotel out of 5 sent me an email a week before our stay to simply ask if there was anything they could do to make our future stay at their hotel a great experience.  Only 1 out of 5, even though they all had my contact information.

Did I request anything special? Of course not, BUT I was looking forward to stay at this specific hotel since I knew they would do their best to make our visit the best experience possible.

What about you? 

When was the last time you sent an email (or a letter for that matter) to a prospect about your upcoming first meeting?  Probably not…

This is such an easy thing to do to make sure your clients are satisfied by your services.   BUT, you need to have a system in place to ensure that you systematically do this step with every new client. Without a system, it will just be good intention and nothing more.

Marketing needs to be your business;

If you’re like a lot of business owners, and for sure if you are a solo architect or a small firm owner, marketing is not your favorite part of your job. But every business needs to be in the marketing business in order to grow. There is no way you can get around it, especially in this new architectural economy.

I will be part of a webinar next month (September 14) in which I will share how you can easily implement a successful marketing system in your practice to be in control of the type of clients you work with and in control of when those clients will come to you.

Even better, I will share strategies and tools you can and should use to ensure that those new clients are satisfied by your services.

You can sign-up for this webinar right now to get the early-bird special rate!  So don’t put it off and sign-up today for this webinar so you can get a jump on your competition.

http://www.elevationrg.com/The-Business-of-Architecture.html

To your success
Christian

PS.  Don’t wait for tomorrow ‘cause you know that tomorrow will be the day after tomorrow and then the following one.  I see this over and over again, people have good intentions but they just don’t get to it.  So don’t be the one that say ‘I will get to it later’, be the one that takes action right now to get the practice you want and deserve.

Two numbers grab my attention this week, one for Google and one from the Architecture Building Index (ABI); 90% for Google and 57.7% for ABI.

What’s this mean for you?

New reports shows that Google now controls over 90% of all searches on the internet (compare to Yahoo at 3.9% and Bing at 3.7%).  Don’t expect people to call you about their project if they don’t see your firm information when they search…on Google…for an architect.  You need to be on that first page, on natural search, PPC and Google Map.

The other number is the number of inquiries about projects; 57.7% So pretty high.  You’re might say; ‘those are only inquiries, no projects yet’.  It is your choice to wait for those people to be ready to move ahead with their projects…

OR to have a system in place to grab their information when they do their First search (on Google…) to be able to show them that you are the only logical and emotional choice for their project…once they are ready to move ahead.

It is up to you to decide if you want to wait and hope for the best or decide to have a system in place with specific steps in place to be THE ONE once those projects are real projects. 

Have a great weekend
Christian

Anonymous asked: Is your book available in an e-book format? i-book would be preferable.

Hi there,

I actually did a survey amongst architects to decide to have e-book or not, and the vast majority said regular book.  Now that the I-Pad make it so easy to buy/ download/ read, I have decided to wait to get half the boxes of books that I have in stuck go down and then include an e-book (it will cost me several Thousands $…)

Till then, I can offer you a 25% discount of the book, just go to my website and enter the code ‘AP-Book” at the coupon code box.

Let me knwo if I can be of any other help!

Regards- Christian

A few weeks ago, we talked about your communication and this week it’s time to cover how you can and should convey to your prospect that you are the best option for them.

But first I want to remind you of my up-coming speaking engagement at Elevation Research Group’s 4-part series, The Business of Architecture: Firm Development, Effective Marketing, and Attracting Clients.  You can view the agenda and register for the event at; http://www.elevationrg.com/The-Business-of-Architecture.html
 
And if you would like to attend, as a colleague, or friend of mine, you can SAVE 20% off the registration price for individual sessions, or the entire 4-part series, by simply entering DISCOUNT CODE: CC20 upon registration.    

Ok, now back to business; You Are The Authority
This should be an easy topic to understand for architects: all future clients want to work with the best of the best architect since they are going to invest a great deal of time, money and ‘emotions’ on them and with them.  On the other end, very few architects are comfortable thinking of themselves as an authority in their field.  In your clients’ perspective, you are the authority since you are the professional, not them.  If you don’t believe in this, there is no way anybody else will.  You will have an easier time at getting the clients you want to work with if you believe that you are an authority for them.

Tools to use: The concept here is not to scream that you are the best of the best: leave this to all the “star-chitects” out there - the real ones and the “I want to be” ones.  Of course, what comes to mind first is to use any publication of your work in any magazine or any awards you have received for your work.  However, it should not be limited to this type of sign of authority.  What you need to do is to convey to your potential clients the area of expertise that you have for them.  For example, this can be the speed of project delivery if you do retail, or best detail level if you do historic residential preservation.  Be strong and clear at showing that you are the authority for them, as opposed to your peers.  And the best way to get this ‘massage’ across is by the appropriate use of testimonial.

Here are a few examples of authority;

The first one is the Indian restaurant ViJ’s in Vancouver (you can find more pictures on my Facebook account). I just went last Thursday, yeap, I drove to Vancouver from Seattle to go have dinner there…(I also had to cross the border to renew part of my Visa, but that’s a different story…)

So I drove there and waited over 90min to be seated since you can’t reserve in advance.  There are no reasons for them to take reservation since it is always pack, night after night, week after week…

What kind of authority status do they have? A big one. One of the most influential food critics from the New York Time said this about Vij’s;
‘Easily among the finest Indian restaurant in the world’

Here’s another example of a testimonial about this one about my new book.  You will see that it would have been difficult to say this myself but that it works great because it’s coming from one of your peer.

I read the entire book the day I got it. I am moving forward on implementing several of the recommendations immediately. It is important for any architect in business for themselves to read. “Remember who your target audience is and speak to them in their language”. Good advice and great book.
Sincerely,
Jim Henderson, AIA
HENDERSON ARCHITECT

On that note, have a Great Productive week or a good relaxing week for those of you on vacation!

Regards
Christian

I would like to share with you some information about a four-part series of webcasts on Successful Marketing for Architecture Firms that I’ve been invited to be one of the speaker.

This will run September 13-16, 2010 and my presentation will be on Tuesday the 14th.  Each of the four webcasts will focus on one particular area of establishing and maintaining a successful firm from brand development to using social media to reach new clients, and will run 45 minutes with 15 minutes at the end for Q&A.

I will present a Step-by-Step Road map to help you consistently bring the clients you want to your practice.

Here are some of the key points of my presentation
•    What you absolutely need to put in place to be able to get the information you want from the people that are looking for an architect with the online world
•    How to actively get new leads from people that are looking for an architect and also from those that are not searching for you, way before your competition
•    The secrets you need  to ensure that the people that does contact you will say yes to working with you and only you

Here’s the link to their website so you can register;

http://www.elevationrg.com/The-Business-of-Architecture.html

Hope to see you there!

Christian

Well, summer finally arrived last week in Seattle and it is already over…it was a ‘fresh’ 53 degree this morning…Grrrr!!!  You would be right to bet that everyone around here talk about the cold weather!!! I went to see our soccer team last night and it was a lot of fun and I’m glad I had my scarf…you can watch a video of the opening on my Facebook account…from my new I-Phone 4 :-)

A few weeks ago we talked about ‘Building more than the foundation’; today I would like to say a few things about your communication…

Your Communication
You need to have a “sales” structure in place and in front of you so you can practice your communication skills on a regular basis to be sure you improve it over time.  People like to work with people they connect with and that they like.  If you go to the effort of making the client feel that you are more alike than different, they will like you more.  If you observe your own behavior you’ll find that you buy from those you like and not from those you dislike.
   
Tools to use: The more comfortable you are at talking in everyday (non-architectural) language and mirroring the client’s behavior and language, the more projects you will get.  When you communicate in this fashion, as opposed to as if you were talking with another architect, you connect with them at a deeper level and the result is improved project acceptance and more people receiving the benefits of the expertise of an architect.

You might think that your prospects always understand what you are talking about, but be advice, it is not always the case and it is in your best interest to always be sure that they do understand what you are telling them.

We were train to present to our peers and our professors, very different once you are talking to one of your prospect!

Bonjour!

Christian here…I hope you had a great 4th of July and that you had a chance to celebrate with family and friends.  I sure hate too many home-made fries…just couldn’t stop myself!!!  I’m taking this day-off to catch-up with some reading and came across this new information…

According to a new study, the social networking sites (Facebook and company) will be the preferred method of interpersonal communication for about 20% of business users by 2014.  This is a bit surprising but for sure a reality that you and I cannot ignore if we want to stay in business.

You might think that this is only for the young ones, but last year the firm Nielsen released a study showing that social networking sites have replaced email as the preferred method of communication, the average user spending more time on sites like Facebook in their inbox.

This does not mean that email is dead. The wireless email, linked to an account that can be verified regardless of the country where you are or device you use, is growing.  And that is for the young ones AND the older ones like you and I.

Here’s more, last month the marketing research firm Gartner has predicted that there would be about one billion users of wireless email in 2014, while a growing number of consumers will use methods of communication via the internet to stay in contact with their relatives and colleagues.

“People want more and more use mobile devices to work with others and sharing content, information and experiences with their communities,” said Monica Basso, research vice president at Gartner.

“The social paradigms are converging: email, instant messaging, protocol, voice over Internet” and converged on the premises to create new styles of collaboration. “

The users are moving away from communication services that combine to cloud instant messaging, private messages like email, social networks, and collaboration. The “wireless email market is set to become extremely competitive, with players like UMicrosoft, IBM, Google, Twitter and Facebook who are fighting to become the service of choice on mobile devices for consumers.

Here’s what you need to understand; you need to be part of this new reality if you want to get a constant flow of new prospects with new projects if you want to bring those to your practice.  Otherwise you will just be by yourself on your own island wondering why you don’t get new projects to work on.

So the choice is yours and I have made mine, I am embracing this new reality!