Portrait of Rachael Bernstone, founder of Sounds Like Design, which provides business development and marketing services to architects

How do you get architecture clients?

Every architecture firm uses business development and marketing in some way.

But few architects realise that their approach to business development and marketing directly impacts:

  • the types and calibre of clients and projects you win,

  • your fees and salaries, and practice culture, 

  • and the quality of photography and stories that you’ll use to attract more new clients and projects, several years from now.

So how you get new architecture clients - and the kinds of projects you win - has a profound impact on everything else that follows in your architecture firm.

Business development and marketing for architects

Architecture marketing helps new clients to find you, contact you, trust you, engage you and then refer you to others.

This sounds simple in theory, but just like architecture, it’s quite complex in practice.

So we’ve created a system to help architects to attract and win more of their ideal clients and projects.

If you’re ready to invest in marketing - so that you can get better at architecture - we provide CPD training and courses, consulting services and tools and resources, in a range of sizes and price points, all designed specifically for architects.

You can browse our products and services below, and book a free 30 minute Zoom with Rachael to discuss your needs, and how we can help.

Meerkat sculptures on the South Perth foreshore: Sounds Like Design alerts architects to opportunities and threats

Mini: Shake + Stir Experiment

Can you win a new client and project in 30 days? Join this innovative CPD experience to find out!

We’ll provide strategies, tools and templates to help you unlock opportunities in your practice over one month. We make no guarantees about results, but the more effort you put in, the more you'll get out of it.

Entry is via application, so we can see what you have in place and support you. Click on the button below to see the next start date and complete the EOI form, and we'll be in touch in 2 business days to outline the next steps.

Shake + Stir is a CPD experience designed to help architects win a new client and project in 30 days
Portrait of Shannon Battisson, architect and director of studio.sdb, who recommends the Architecture Marketing 360 course

“I found Rachael's understanding of architecture and marketing together to be a fantastic asset in trying to convince me (a resister to all forms of marketing) to think about marketing in a different light.

It is a must-do course for anyone setting up practice, and I only wish I had done it when we first started, 14 years ago!”

— Shannon Battisson, studio.sdb

Small: Architecture Marketing Scorecard

Rachael will review your online marketing presence, including your Website, Social Media profiles and Email newsletter (if you have one)…

… and she’ll provide an expert appraisal of your new client pipeline in a 30-40 minute video, with a list of suggested improvements and enhancements that you can start to take action on straight away.

Purchase your Scorecard below, complete the intake form and receive your recording and checklist within 3 business days.

If you’ve struggled to know how and where to even start building your new client pipeline, now you know: start here!

The Architecture Marketing Scorecard is a private review of an architecture firm's entire online presence and how well it functions as a lead generating engine
Portrait of Maria Vrondas, architect and founder Archivore, who recommends Sounds Like Designs' courses and workshops

“I want to thank you Rachael for helping me understand my service offering and its value and uniqueness, and to appreciate my work history from your expert point of view. It helped me strategise future directions for my business, get more objective, business oriented and client-centric - all key things to get my business to the next level.”

— Maria Vrondas, Archivore

Small: Acupuncture Session

Book a consulting session with Rachael - either a one-off appointment or a series of regular meetings on Zoom. This is a quick and inexpensive way to tap into Rachael’s expertise.

You pick the topic and the time-slot, and together we’ll workshop an idea, resolve a problem or map out a new marketing activity or campaign.

It’s like having your own Marketing Mentor on-call for your architecture firm.

Acupuncture Sessions are one-hour-long Zoom consulting sessions with Rachael Bernstone, founder of Sounds Like Design
Portrait of Sarah Hobday-North, architect and founder of The Architect GP, who recommends the Architecture Marketing 360 CPD course

“I thought the AM360 course contained a lot of information and access to Rachael to ask questions. I’d recommend it to other architects because you don't know what you don't know. And we need to know how to communicate our value, not take it for granted (because no one else does).”

— Sarah Hobday-North, The Architect GP and Value Architects Group

Medium: Architecture Marketing 360

Our online CPD course outlines the fundamentals of architecture business development & marketing, based on our MArchitecture System.

Get access to the Pipeline Roadmap to marry client-centric messaging with the most suitable channels and platforms, as you create your compelling Customer Journey.

Find out what’s included, view sample content and see the CPD Learning outcomes here.

The Architecture Marketing 360 CPD course (aka AM360) is a comprehensive overview of business development and marketing for architects
Carol Marra, architect and co-founder of Marra + Yeh Architects, recommends the Review + Reset consulting package for architects

“We give the Review + Reset package and Rachael 5 out of 5 stars. Now we have a big picture vision of what the Marketing and Communications Blueprint is, and how to use it going forward - we have a comms strategy, which gives us a clear roadmap going forward.
The Review + Reset package was very helpful to get a better understanding of how each technique is used to drive people to the website, and now we can prioritize our activities for best results.”

Carol Marra, Marra + Yeh

Large: Review + Reset

Our signature three-month, one-on-one consulting package involves a deep dive to explore what’s working in your architecture firm, and how and where to make improvements and enhancements.

Together we’ll co-create your customised Business Development & Marketing Blueprint, to help you win more and better clients and projects.

You can find out more about what’s involved here.

R+R is an intensive program, so we accept one new client per month. Click the button below to ask about the next available start date.

Review + Reset is Sounds Like Design's 3-month, intensive consulting package on business development and marketing for architects

Our comprehensive services menu,
at a glance

Type Product or Service Name Formal CPD Points Price (+GST) Read More
Diagnostic Quiz What's your Architecture Marketing personality? n/a Free Take the free quiz to find out your next marketing move
Free 30-minute Zoom call Book a free call with Rachael to discuss your needs n/a Free www.soundslikedesign.com.au/bookings
CPD Express Strategically plan your Awards 1 $45 Do you want to write better awards entries?
CPD Express Client feedback for architects 0.75 $90 Referrals: 15 ways to elevate the unsung hero of your architecture marketing toolbox
Mini-course How and why to build a new client pipeline 1 $90 Is it possible to cultivate a waitlist of ideal clients for your architecture practice?
CPD Express Get Published for architects 2 $90 Publishing and PR for Architects: start here
CPD Express Shake + Stir Experiment 1.5
$180 What happens when you give your new client pipeline a 30-day shake-up?
Online presence review Architecture Marketing Scorecard n/a $297 Is your “lack of time” preventing you from creating your future life and practice?
Consulting service - one-off or regular Acupuncture Sessions n/a $450 How can we help you right now?
CPD Course and community Architecture Marketing 360 - A CPD course for architects 6 $1,890 What our alumni say about the Architecture Marketing 360 CPD course
Consulting service Positioning Workshop with Rachael Bernstone n/a $3,600 Is it possible to cultivate a waitlist of ideal clients for your architecture practice? – Part 3
CPD Course + Consulting service Architecture Marketing 360 and Clarity + Confidence upgrade 6 $4,590 Clarity comes through action: how to help your clients take the first momentous step
Consulting service - signature package Review + Reset 6 via AM360 POA - enquire What our clients say about our signature consulting package, Review + Reset

If you’re not sure which of our services suits you best at the moment

and your results will point you in the right direction

or book a free 30-min Zoom call with Rachael, to get clarity around your next best step.