Winning new clients: are you a hare or a tortoise?
Hares are high intensity creatures, always on the lookout for the next challenge!
Photo by Vincent van Zalinge on Unsplash
I have a parable to share, inspired by a podcast I listened to on my morning walk recently.
This parable might explain some of the challenges that architects face around marketing their services, so they can bring in more of the clients and projects they love working on.
(If you want the fast version, you can get the free download here, but I hope you'll stick around for the story; it's an important part of this message!)
Essentially, I think architects are grappling with an internal battle between Intensity and Consistency.
What do I mean by that?
By its nature, architecture is usually an intensive pursuit. From the all-nighters at uni that set the scene for practice, the design work is iterated and honed in short, sharp bursts, until it's perfected and "finished". Then you move on to the next thing (which might be the next project, or the next stage in the delivery process).
Let's call this kind of Intensity the hare: it's high energy, results-driven, bouncing around, and always looking around for the next fast-paced thing to focus on.
Marketing, on the other hand, is all about consistency. The regular tasks that you perform each day, week, month and year, to put your message in front of your prospective clients. Then you monitor your results, so you can tweak and refine your messaging/delivery going forward. It's never finished, never perfect; it's always a work in progress.
This consistency is more like the tortoise: slow and steady, plodding along in the background, and keeping an eye on the ultimate goal (winning more of the right kind of clients).
How can you make this transition from hare to tortoise?
Tortoises move at a slower pace, but according to the fable, they win thanks to their steady action.
Photo by Joel M Mathey on Unsplash
The first thing is to deliberately and intentionally slow down, when it comes to marketing your architecture practice!
Then you can take stock of your current position, and start to track your actions and results over time (monthly is ideal), to notice your wins and see the needle moving. Tracking your metrics will also help you pinpoint the activities that are producing the best results, so you can consistently do more of those...
If you'd like to become a tortoise - and you could use a head start! - you can download my free Marketing Metrics Tracking Spreadsheet, and watch the video about how to start using it here.
And if you found this helpful, feel free to hit email me and let me know.
Ready to learn more about how to apply consistency to your business development and marketing?
Sounds Like Design has developed the Six Channel system to help architects design and deliver your ideal practice and there are several ways you can learn more about it:
You can enrol in the self-guided online program - Architecture Marketing 360: a CPD course for architects - and get started straight away, here.
You can undertake the Review + Reset one-on-one consulting package with Rachael directly (find more details including pricing and the next available start date, here).
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