3 ways to proactively seek new architecture clients
This Live Q&A session question came from an architect in Brisbane and she wrote:
How can we find the right people to talk to within councils about local government projects or community projects?
In answering this question, I realised that journalism skills come to the fore, because journalists are very good at identifying the right person to speak with, and then making contact – often going in cold because a media enquiry is a perfectly legitimate reason to make contact with someone you’ve never met.
However, I’m not suggesting you do that, because it’s always better to meet a potential new client via a personalised referral, so instead I suggest you use my method to find the right person, and then set up that warm intro.
I’ve put together three different answers to this question, so you can use a combination of these, depending on your existing networks and preferences.
1. Use Linked In to identify potential architecture clients
I created a dummy search at a Western Australian Council to test my theory on this. On LinkedIn, I searched for City of Stirling and it threw up 481 results.
I clicked on All Filters, then under Industries, I chose Construction, which gave me 10 people with roles such as:
Senior Project Officer
Project Officer (Infrastructure)
Project Manager
Service Lead Project Management, and
Senior Project Officer - Facilities, Projects & Assets
I also used the Industries field to select Architecture and Planning roles, which gave me 13 people, not all of whom work at the City, but I did find:
a Community and Stakeholder Engagement Advisor
Having identified these people, I checked which ones I had shared connections with – if you see many of your architectural peers are connected to the council employees, that gives you a sense of who you need to contact.
You could also use the Connections field to find the right contacts. If you know a particular architect has already done work for a council, enter the architect’s name in the Connections search bar, and see who comes up.
Once you have the right person to contact, you’re ready to choose how best to approach them. If some of your consultants also share connections with the council employee, you could ask them to introduce you, so you can initiate a conversation about how to bid for future projects.
Or, if you are going in cold, you can search for that person’s email address online, or failing that, ring the council and ask for their contact details, or ask to speak with them directly to confirm they are the right person. If not, you can ask who to direct your query to.
2. Register for Tenders to build a database of potential new clients
Most local government work is let through tenders, so you should register for the government tender website in your state, and set up alerts for tenders that may be of interest. Don’t worry about the size or scale of the projects at this stage; this is more about using the tender portal as a fact-finding and networking structure.
For example, I’m registered on the Queensland QTenders website, and I’ve set up email alerts to receive notifications when a new tender is posted that includes the terms architecture and design. Even if you’re not interested in a particular project, you can keep an eye on the councils that are advertising tenders, and build a database of names and contact details.
You can also use the search function – putting in keywords such as the council name and the word “design” to see what’s currently up for grabs in that particular LGA.
3. Carry out speculative architecture projects (while avoiding competitions)
My third suggestion is around pursuing speculative work, and it takes inspiration from Monique Woodward. She is an architect in Melbourne – a director at WOWOWA – and she readily admits she has more front than Myer. For non-Victorians, Myer was the state’s largest department store, with a huge frontage in Bourke St in the city, and the expression means you’re not afraid of promoting yourself.
Monique Woodward of WOWOWA at the ACA’s Business of Small Practice Forum in Perth.
Photography by Kelsey Jovanou, via the ACA.
At the ACA’s first Business of Small Practice forum here in Perth in 2018, Monique shared a couple of strategies for drumming up new work, including her Youtube series ‘If you were mine’, where she critiqued a series of house styles and gave advice and ideas about how she’d renovate each one if she owned it. The videos went viral and worked really well to build the reputation of the firm in its early days.
Monique also approached several community sporting groups on behalf of WOWOA, that she knew were keen to create new facilities, but had no budget to do so.
The practice took the approach that it was more beneficial to approach potential clients - who didn’t yet have capital funding - than to do speculative competition work, so they helped with concept design and initial project scoping, which allowed the clubs to apply for grant funding for capital works.
Then, when those clubs were successful and obtained the funding, WOWOWA won the job to deliver the Narre Warren football and netball club facilities.
Help your clients to identify and obtain funding for new projects
This approach suggests that it’s worth identifying helping your potential clients to identify grant funding streams too for future projects – for example, I’ve written several successful grants including one for my kids’ primary school worth $130k for a new nature play playground; and a second one for $20m to deliver STEM projects for indigenous girls, from the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet.
Often there is funding available via established and regular grant and philanthropy programs, but potential clients don’t have the plans, costings and documents they need to apply for that funding, so architects can help to bridge that gap.
Monique also described how WOWOWA helped a client mount a crowdfunding campaign for a speculative project. You can read more about her innovative ways of identifying and approaching new clients in the article I wrote about the ACA BoSP forum, via the links in the resources below.
So that’s my three ideas to identify and make contact with potential new clients. Please share any other ideas you have in the comments below, or email me at hello@soundslikedesign.com.au.
And if you’re interested in doing my architecture marketing course, you can enrol in the self-guided online program - Architecture Marketing 360: a CPD course for architects - and get started straight away, here.
Resources:
Finding opportunities in unlikely places: ACA Business of Small Practice forum #1
https://www.soundslikedesign.com.au/practice/bosp1
Association of Consulting Architects (ACA)
https://aca.org.au/
WOWOWA’s Kalora Park project in Narre Warren
http://www.wowowa.com.au/portfolio/kalora-park-football-club-extension/
If you were mine, Monique Woodward’s YouTube series
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IZ6iz2oa19o