This is kind of off topic. (Maybe Colin can start a new discussion forum.)
I am interested in helping my firm find work. Since I am just a lowly spec writer, I know very little about the marketing end of things. How do I go about looking for possible leads?
I’m not an independent specifier, but I know of four firms in Pittsburgh who are looking for full time specifiers. I suggest that you approach firms looking to hire a specifier employee with the attitude of “hire me as a consultant until you find your permanent specifier.”
CSI’s web site posts jobs. Monster.com is good and I also found that my local newspaper will email me when a want ad has the word “architect” in it.
Search amazon.com, under Books and then “marketing architectural services”
Looks like 2 good possibilities; one book by Jones and the one by Weld Coxe
Ralph, on this one I disagree, I’ve never found much use for the marketing books - if you are looking for work, first you find out via trade publications and local business publications who has the work than you pick up the phone and make a call - I’ve found that 80% of the time when I make a cold call, esp. in today’s market, I get some interest…its true that sometimes the effort leads know where, but most of the time I am surprised how effective ‘cold calling’ can be. Do your homework first, than make the call.
Oops! I was not clear.
I am currently employed at an architectural firm. Business is a little slow. (We are in the famine portion of the feast and famine cycle.)
Even though the partners are responsible for bringing in work, I would like to help. Bringing a job to the office would be a feather in my cap and maybe I would get a nice ‘finder’s fee’ out of the whole deal. Plus they might forget about all the times they chewed me out. 
David
There is plenty of work here in Florida, does your firm have some expertise that they could offer our Florida firms - it is surprising that we are seeing alot of out of state firms partnering with local firms on projects, sometimes due to the pretisge of the out of state firm, sometimes for their expertise. I too am a lowly spec writer, but I have my own firm and besides working with a number of Florida firms we have several out of state arch. clients. As you may have seen from my previous posts, some of the work is hair pulling as are the clients - but it still pays the bills.
Mr. Lazar-- Your disagreement well taken. Merely trying to suggest some source of pointers. Yours are very good.
Mr. Lazar, Mr.Axt and others-- Let us hence forth discard “lowly” from our business cards-- ain’t no such thing as a lowly spec writer!!!
Remember: What we perceive ourselves to be, we become! [Think big; think “good” at a minimum; Hey, think Grandiose!!!]
Are you contemplating development of more architectural project clients, or other firms who might outsource their specs to your firm (or both)?
I am contemplating more architectural jobs. It seems there is enough work in the Northwest (most firms are actually hiring) but my firm can not seem to get in on the action.
The boss says that we are just on the tail end of the cycle. With public work, I am told, there is a lag in funding. A few years ago when the private sector work was tight, we were hiring. Now the opposite is true.
I would like to help bring in more work be it private or public.
David Axt
Lofty Specifications Writer
In my opinion, nothing is better than personal relationships. Go to where your clients are, whether it is professional association meetings (for their profession, not AIA or CSI) or local Chamber of Commerce meetings. Look for fundraising events/charity functions that might attract the type of owner’s you are hoping to attract. Then go and network, network, network. Follow up with letters ("it was a pleasure meeting you, etc. etc.)
It’s all about relationships – or, as they used to say, “It isn’t what you know, it’s who you know.” Enough cold calls may turn up some prospects, but a relationship usually has to be built before a project is awarded.
A tape series James Franklin did for the AIA years ago called “The Mandeville Techniques” explains better than anything else I know how the process works, and why. It’s simple, but it may seem counter-intuitive, the opposite of what you’d expect. If you can find those tapes, they’re worth a listen.
In a nutshell, you ask what kind of help they need, what they’re trying to do, and you listen. And – you take notes. You repeat back what they say, asking them to correct you if it seems you haven’t understood them right (and so what they hear you say is exactly what they had in mind; this shows them you’re on the same page…). You listen for “mystery words” – things you aren’t sure you understand – and, with open-ended follow-up questions, you ask them to explain what they mean.
Just ask them questions; it’s an “other-directed” process – it’s all about them, and not about you. You try not to tell them much – especially about yourself or your firm. (That comes much later, after you understand their needs, desires, dislikes and prejudices, and when you are prepared to explain what your firm can do to help them attain the desired result, how it can do it – and also, perhaps, why what your firm can do – and how it can help – would be an advantage.) You build the relationship first by demonstrating, by the questions you ask, and your taking down notes, that you’re interested in them and their needs; they actually experience your interest in them and your attention to their needs and desires, and see firsthand your willingness to help. And eventually they realize that you may well know better than anyone else what they need and want. That experience, and that knowledge, tends to build trust, which, ultimately, leads to the job…
I too have been trying to find a way to bring in some business. Just yesterday I met with a recent acquaintance to help, on a pro-bono basis, with a grant application for repairs to his landmark church. While I was in that part of town, I dropped in to see another person I met through a mutual interest. He’s an engineer with (and longtime friend of) a land developer. I dropped off a firm brochure for him to pass on, if he hears of anyone who might need our help. (Since these are relationships I have formed over the past 3 or 4 years, and in other contexts, I haven’t tried to “Mandeville” them. That may not in fact be necessary, at least yet.) I don’t know where these might lead, or even whether they will. But they know who I am, and now, they know whom I work for. At least it’s a start.
Experienced facility owner clients, some CMs, and a few contractors know you through your specifications work. So do a host of product representatives. Talk to the people who know you about work they might be aware of. If your services for them were appreciated, they may help connect you to upcoming work that isn’t “on the surface.”
Cold calling when you are surveying potential clients about construction issues that interest them is much more productive than is calling trying to “get” something. School facility managers know and like to talk about roofs, hardware, casework failures, paint systems, and other detail aspects that specifiers are fluent in. Those conversations sometimes lead somewhere.
I’m always amazed at how few architects read the newspaper. It’s full of information about potential projects every week. Some clients find it very interesting when a technical expert calls on them, having tired of calls from the marketing types.
This is a great topic. I have often wondered about the business development stratagy for architectural firms. I have certainly heard how important “word of mouth” is but I know you can’t plan a fiscal year around it.
In manufacturing, we look at specific economic indicators and try to determine how they might effect different segments of our business. The key word here is “try”.
I’m afraid I have more questions than answers on this subject but I am very interested to see more responses.
Marty
Our successes have come from years of building relationships with prospective clients. Since the lion’s share of our work is public, you might think that this would be pointless since public entities have to advertise and do a public selection process. However, we have found we are significantly more likely to be selected if the client knows who we are and something about us. Certainly, this can work in the private sector, too. I think more that just word-of-mouth and who-you-know, every successful firm has to continually be building new relationships that may lead to work. This means that you have to have a fairly long time horizon (years), a focus on where you want to be so you can pursue it, and a willingness to invest the time and effort to get there.
The key to success for the 50 year old firm I work for has been it’s diverse portfolio. We have several market sectors that we are “expert” in. When things get slow in one of those sectors, other sectors have been there to carry the firm - even through the worst economic times.
I have worked for firms that had little diversity of project types, and it was always brutal when the market sectors they went after were slow.
Marty: Architecture firms don’t get to “plan” fiscal years. They try to plan fiscal quarters. It’s wild out here.
Well said Phil.
I had a learning experience worth sharing. David you know what I’m talking about -
a) Knowing (ie - being expert at something) is different from doing (accordingly many ‘under-informed’ people are “good” at marketing). David, you’re informed AND expert, therefore you probably suck at marketing.
b) Marketing isn’t something to pick up when you need work and put down when you don’t.
c) If there is a lack of work (or too much), it probably originated well before anybody noticed it.
d) There is no substitute for meeting and developing a favorable first impression with people you don’t already know.
e) Most of the work comes from the same people (people you likely already know) over and over.
Two best sales and marketing movies:
Glengarry Glen Ross (unhappy ending)
Tommy Boy (happy ending) - ‘fat guy inna little coooatt’
Phil:
Plan was a strong word. What we do ranges from an educated guess to a SWAG. The value we can bring to a relationship (which is not unlike what I’m hearing many on this forum say) is what will help us do well, relative to the economic conditions we find ourselves in.
Doug:
I know some salespeople struggle with the specification process. The individuals you describe as “under-informed” do not, in my experience, last long in sales/marketing.
I am pretty strong on product knowledge and the benefits and limitations of my products. I have always openly shared this information and have, when appropriate, recommended a competitor’s product.
Awhile back, a design professional took the time to share with me ways that my company could better assist in the specification process. (one of the things suggested was that I visit this forum and join CSI).
I benefited greatly from this short conversation. I would like to think, moving forward, that this individual and their firm will benefit as well.
Marty