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When I launched our firm’s website back in 1999, there were few architects online. We started Fivecat Studio with no clients and no cash. A few friends commissioned us to design small residential, retail and restaurant projects. We photographed them, launched Fivecat.com and the rest is history.
From those early projects to this day, the majority of our leads have been generated by our website. It is the main element of our marketing strategy.
Since experiencing our success, I have been on a crusade to convince my peers of the importance of being online.
Unless you’re not interested in new clients, it is essential that you are online. The first place people go to research anything is the Internet. If your firm is not listed on Google and Yahoo, you don’t exist.
This month, Entrepreneur magazine online lists the top-10 trademarks of stellar websites. I urge you to read the article, but here’s the list:
- Descriptive tag lines
- Excellent content
- Edited text
- Simple design
- Using text hyperlinks
- Consistent layout
- Sticking with what works
- A focus on search
- Guided search
- Designing for users
Whether you’re online or not, this article will give you the basics for getting results.
Are you online? Is your website a successful part of your marketing strategy? Not online? Tell us why. Share your thoughts and ideas by clicking the “comments” link above.
If you have not been to the new Apple store on Fifth Avenue, do it soon. In a city where everything is big and loud, the Apple store stands out by being small and quiet. It is simply genius.
When you are there, take a good look at Apple as a business.
The Apple brand is all about design. From the glass cube above the plaza, to the structural glass stair (patent pending by Apple) leading down to the simple, clear layout of the store below. Everything says Apple.
The employees are all very enthusiastic and very knowledgeable. You never feel intimidated. They’re nice. Being nice is my first rule for a successful business.
Apple products are beautiful, easy to use and never fail; the complete opposite of every other computer company.
I am continuously looking to other industries to learn how the best of the best build successful businesses. I take what I learn and apply the lessons to my own firm. A trip to the Fifth Avenue Apple store was a whole semester’s worth of learning all wrapped up in one day.
Traditionally, architects have found clients through word of mouth (WOM). Wouldn’t it be great if we could learn how to improve our chances of being talked about? The Word of Mouth Basic Training (WOMBAT) blog has an interesting post today about Gary Stein of Ammo Marketing and his take on Taking Awareness to the Next Level.
Your prospects may know your firm exists, but they may not contact you until their friend says, “Hey… I heard about this great architect.”
Gary gives us 5 tips on turning a general awareness of your brand to all out word of mouth conversations:
- WOM is the execution of a relationship strategy.
- Surprise drives WOM.
- Suspension of disbelief drives WOM.
- Doubt drives WOM.
- Community is a brand asset — treat it as such.
Read the WOMBAT blog for more on Gary’s tips.
How do you use word of mouth? Do you cultivate it? Or do you just cross your fingers and hope they’re talking about you?
Share your thoughts and ideas by clicking the “comments” link above.
Today, Seth posts:
Jordan Tierney and her colleagues have been working for months on the Periodic Tableaux, a one-of-a-kind art book that’s not for sale.
Why invest the hours and the sweat and the talent in a piece of art you can’t (and won’t) sell?
Two reasons. The best reason is that when you practice your craft for yourself, not for the market, it drives you in new and important ways. And the other reason is that people are going to talk about it.
Ideas that spread, win.
Seth’s post reminds me of Hugh MacLeod’s top-ranked ChangeThis manifesto, How To Be Creative.
Hugh tells us a story about “the fireplace guy”.
When I was 16 or 17 in Edinburgh I vaguely new this guy who owned a shop called “Cinders,” on St. Stephen’s Street. It specialized in restoring antique fireplaces.
Cinders’ modus operandi was very simple. Buy original Georgian and Victorian chimneypieces from old, dilapidated houses for 10 cents on the dollar, give them a loving but expedient makeover in the workshop, sell them at vast profit to yuppies.
Back then I was insatiably curious about how people made a living (I still am). So one day, while sitting on his stoop I chatted with the fireplace guy about it.
He told me about the finer points of his trade—the hunting through old houses, the craftsmanship, the customer relations, and of course the profit.
The fellow seemed quite proud of his job. From how he described it he seemed to like his trade and be making a decent living. Scotland was going through a bit of a recession at the time; unemployment was high, money was tight; I guess for an aging hippie things could’ve been a lot worse.
Very few kids ever said, “Gosh, when I grow up I’m going to be a fireplace guy!” It’s not the most obvious trade in the world. I asked him about how he fell into it.
“I used to be an antiques dealer,” he said. “People who spend a lot of money on antiques also seem to spend a lot of money restoring their houses. So I sort of got the whiff of opportunity just by talking to people in my antiques shop. Also, there are too many antique dealers in Edinburgh crowding the market, so I was looking for an easier way to make a living.”
Like the best jobs in the world, it just kinda sorta happened.
“Well, some of the fireplaces are real beauties,” I said. “It must be hard parting with them.”
“No it isn’t,” he said (and this is the part I remember most). “I mean, I like them, but because they take up so much room—they’re so big and bulky—I’m relieved to be rid of them once they’re sold. I just want them out of the shop ASAP and the cash in my pocket. Selling them is easy for me. Unlike antiques. I always loved antiques, so I was always falling in love with the inventory, I always wanted to hang on to my best stuff. I’d always subconsciously price them too high in order to keep them from leaving the shop.”
Being young and idealistic, I told him I thought that was quite sad. Why choose to sell a “mere product” (i.e., chimneypieces) when instead you could make your living selling something you really care about (i.e., antiques)? Surely the latter would be a preferable way to work.
“The first rule of business,” he said, chuckling at my naiveté, “is never sell something you love. Otherwise, you may as well be selling your children.”
Fifteen years later, I’m at a bar in New York. Some friend-of-a-friend is looking at my cartoons.
He asks me if I publish. I tell him I don’t. Tell him it’s just a hobby. Tell him about my advertising job.
“Man, why the hell are you in advertising?” he says, pointing to my portfolio. “You should be doing this. Galleries and s**t.”
Advertising’s just chimneypieces,” I say, speaking into my glass.
“What the f**k?”
“Never mind.”
Is architecture your chimneypieces or your art? Click the “comments” link above and share your thoughts, ideas and stories.
“The magic, and the way in which you win the hearts and minds of your clients, is how you do it.” That’s what John over at Duct Tape Marketing posts today.
Clients see us as all the same. One architect is just like another. We are all expected to be wonderfully talented designers. We are expected to know the codes and technical details required to construct safe and healthy buildings. In the eyes of our clients, we are all the same…unless we do something to stand out from the crowd.
That something is “how we do it”.
My firm does it differently than the rest. One example is our pre-design process. Before we design, before we sketch our first line, we perform a process of information gathering that involves a questionnaire, photo collecting and a collaborative programming meeting.
Sounds just like what you do, right?
But it’s not.
We’ve developed a process that’s fun. It’s exciting. It’s interesting. It’s an “experience”. Our clients have a great time. They feel invested in the project and we obtain all the information we need to design a great house.
Then, as a bonus, our clients tell their friends about the fun they had. A fun construction project is unexpected; something that makes Fivecat Studio stand out from the crowd – like a Purple Cow.
How do you do it differently? Share your thoughts and ideas by clicking the “comments” link above this post.
At the last few meetings of the AIA Westchester / Mid-Hudson Practice Management Committeee, we discussed websites and how they could benefit our practices. I just wanted to share some of the work I’ve done online for my firm, Fivecat Studio. I thought it might be helpful for your own practice.
We built our first website in 1999. It has gone through a few redesigns since then, but it has always been intended to simply educate our potential clients. It answers some basic questions and presents a selection of our work. It’s bascially a preview to our client interview. We developed the site and maintain it all in house. That way we can easily update and revise it as needed. Our next step is to add more photos to each project. People love photos!
This was my first blog, launched at the beginning of this year. It’s all about residential architecture and design in Westchester County…and beyond. The readers of this blog are people interested in residential architecture; basically, we’re talking to the general public here. Readers can subscribe to this blog here.
I launched this blog in February. My passion is business, so I decided to launch a blog about business success and the practice of architecture. My audience here is intended to be you; architects and other design professionals interested in business success. Readers can subscribe to this blog here.
Residential Architecture and Design Lens at Squidoo
A Squidoo lens is one person’s view on a topic that matters to her. It’s an easy-to-build, single web page that can point to blogs, favorite links, RSS feeds, Flickr photos, Google maps, eBay auctions, CafePress designs, Amazon books or music, and more. Then, when someone is looking for recommended information, fast, your lens gets him started and sends him off in the right direction. It’s a place for searchers to start, not finish. I created this lens to be a clearinghouse for anything and everything that has to do with residential architecture. I send clients to my lens regularly to reference specific links.
Ira Grandberg asked if I would present my ideas on the web to the committee. I would be happy to share what I have learned over the years and answer questions anyone might have. Let me know your thoughts on the web, by clicking the “comments” link at the top of this page. I would love to start an online conversation about this topic.
In addition to web search, Google has many more applications that will help you run your business (there’s the B-word again…get used to it).
Docs and Spreadsheets – Create written documents and spreadsheets right online. Then have access to them from anywhere you have Internet access.
Gmail – It’s a new kind of webmail, built on the idea that email can be more intuitive, efficient and useful. It has over 2,800 MB of storage space, so you’ll never need to delete a message. You can even access your Gmail from your cell phone.
Google Calendar – Organize your schedule and share events with clients and employees.
Google Groups – Great for setting up private message boards for projects. It allows for a complete record of all online communication.
Google Maps – Door to door directions to your next project interview, with maps and satellite imagery.
Book Search – Search the full text of books and discover new ones. There’s even a copy of Architectural Graphic Standards for Residential Construction
SketchUp – Developed for the conceptual stages of design, Google SketchUp is a powerful yet easy-to-learn 3D software tool that combines a simple, yet robust tool-set with an intelligent drawing system that streamlines and simplifies 3D design. From simple to complex, conceptual to realistic, Google SketchUp enables you to build and modify 3D models quickly and easily.
Picasa – Locate and organize all the photos on your computer. Edit and add effects to your photos with a few simple clicks. Share your photos with others through email, prints, and on the web.
Blog Search – Find blogs on your favorite topics. Here’s a search for SketchUp tips.
Google Desktop – Search the web and your local hard drive, right from your desktop.
Google Earth – Google Earth combines the power of Google Search with satellite imagery, maps, terrain and 3D buildings to put the world’s geographic information at your fingertips. Google Earth is perfect for arial images of your project site.
Blogger – Start your own blog, in seconds.
And there’s even more here.
For years, Microsoft and Autodesk have dominated the architecture office. With these applications (and more being developed), we now have some options to choose from.
Have you used any of Google’s goodies? Tell us what you think by clicking the “comments” link above.
For all design professionals in the metropolitan NYC area, this thursday is AIA Westchester / Mid-Hudson Design and Technology Expo 2007 at Rye Town Hilton in Rye, New York.
Looking for continuing education credits? I have inside information that there are still seats available for a few of the seminars.
Download the registration form here.
See you there!
At this month’s meeting of the AIA Westchester / Mid-Huson Practice Management Committe we were discussing the subject of partnering (two architects working with a joint venture agreement).
Among many interesting comments, the question of legal agreements was raised and I wondered if the AIA offered a document for architects looking to partner. As assumed, they do. C801™-1993, Joint Venture Agreement for Professional Services can be used for just such an arrangement.
“C801™-1993 is intended to be used by two or more parties to provide for their mutual rights and obligations in forming a joint venture. It is intended that the joint venture, once established, will enter into an agreement with the owner to provide professional services. The parties may be all architects, all engineers, a combination of architects and engineers, or another combination of professionals. The document provides a choice between two methods of joint venture operation. The “Division of Compensation” method assumes that services provided and the compensation received will be divided among the parties in the proportions agreed to at the outset of the project. Each party’s profitability is then dependent on individual performance of pre-assigned tasks and is not directly tied to that of the other parties. The “Division of Profit and Loss” method is based on each party performing work and billing the joint venture at cost plus a nominal amount for overhead. The ultimate profit or loss of the joint venture is divided between or among the parties at completion of the project, based on their respective interests.” (AIA.org)
In addition to C801, the AIA also offers C105™-2005 Standard Form of Agreement Between Architect and Consulting Architect; a document for architects wanting to hire another architect to perform as a consultant.
“C105 is a standard form of agreement between the architect and another architect that provides services as a consultant. C105 assumes and references a preexisting owner-architect agreement known as the Prime Agreement. B141™–1997, B141™CMa–1992, B151™–1997, and B163™–1993 are the documents most frequently used to establish the Prime Agreement. C105 does not describe a fixed scope of services for the consulting architect but instead provides a location in the agreement for inserting a description of those services. This document may be used with a variety of compensation methods, including multiple of direct personnel expense and stipulated sum.” (AIA.org)
To view synopses of all Contract Documents offered by the AIA, click here.
To purchase AIA Contract Documents, click here.
Have you partnered? Have you hired another architect to perform as a consultant? Share your thoughts, ideas and opinions by clicking the “comments” link above.
Last week, I posted my favorite business and marketing blogs. Catching my link to his blog, Scott Ginsberg took a tour through Entrepreneur Architect and found my post referencing a recent article in Architect magazine about getting publicity. He left an interesting comment.
At his blog, Scott “shares ideas, stories and observations from his speeches, articles and books on how to MAXIMIZE personal and professional approachability – one conversation at a time.”
A self-proclaimed “pseudo-publicity whore”, here is Scott’s take on the subject of press releases.
Press releases suck because:
1. They give no value
2. About a million of them come out every day
3. They’re time constrained
4. Nobody caresI’ve done them. Unless you’re a huge company, they don’t work.
Now, maybe I don’t know how to write them. I’m sure a big PR firm who knows how to position a press release to the right media might work, but that’s a lot of money.
WSJ, FastCompany, COSMO, Inc., all those pubs I was QUOTED in because I was an EXPERT. The way you become an EXPERT is by blogging EVERY SINGLE DAY and WRITING on your area of expertise in the form of article, blogs, ebooks, etc. If you do that every day for 6 months, they will seek you out.
(I think.)
What do you think of Scott’s 6-month publicity generation program? He walks the talk and here I am telling you all about him.
BAM…publicity generated!
