Is it possible to cultivate a waitlist of ideal clients for your architecture practice? - Part 1
Wait list, noun, mainly US (also waitlist):
- A list of people who have asked for something, especially a place at a college or in a class, or a ticket for something, that is not immediately available but may be in the future
When you think about waitlists, what springs to mind?
You might put your name down to obtain a booking or ticket for an upcoming event or service.
Or you might register your interest in a product that is currently out of stock, so you can be notified when it’s available to purchase again.
Perhaps you join a priority queue to gain early access to a new product or a high-end experience with limited availability.
Or you might enjoy exclusive benefits offered by a membership – such as credit card loyalty programs – to jump the queue or obtain other advantages.
As the modern marketing landscape has matured, more and more suppliers are using waitlists to enhance desirability, reward loyal followers and create pent-up demand for products and services that haven’t yet launched or that are in limited supply.
Cast the net a bit wider and you can find plenty of examples of more traditional waitlists, too.
Have you ever joined a waitlist for these types of products and services?
Have you got a queue of dedicated clients waiting for your services?
Photography by Ian Schneider on Unsplash.
Specialist medical appointments (which usually require referrals from a GP and are often subject to long lead times)
Private school enrolments (some parents register their child’s name on the day they are born!)
Membership of a club like the MCG, a football team or prestigious golf club (again, these can be “from birth” events)
University courses (students are expected to rank their preferences before they find out what their academic scores are, so this waitlist is also a lottery)
Popular holiday destinations or restaurants (Brae has a waitlist with 50 names on it for every lunch and dinner sitting, 7-days-a-week!)
New apartment developments (such as Nightingale and Assemble in Melbourne; these waitlists also operate as lotteries, because there are more waitlisters than units available)
Business courses (especially those that commence at particular times throughout the year, like MBAs or annual online programs)
Concerts, festivals, and other cultural events (fans can gain priority access to purchase tickets by registering as subscribers, followers or members)
What about Australian architecture practices: do they operate waitlists for their services?
In my search for evidence that some clients are prepared to wait to commission specific architects – whose work they most admire and covet – I’ve discovered several practices (some of which are household names, and others that are not as widely known) that operate waitlists for potential clients.
This is usually because demand for services outweights the practice’s capacity to work with all of those potential clients at once.
So a waitlist is evidence that the practice has a stream of clients who ONLY want to work with them, and this can occur for a range of reasons.
Architects who are highly recognisable and lauded
The most obvious example is Australia’s only Pritzker-laureate Glenn Murcutt, whose sole practice has enjoyed a waitlist for decades. According to an article in Australian Design Review, Glenn Murcutt’s waitlist is anywhere between six months to three years, depending on the nature and type of project the client has in mind.
“I’ve never been able to do a project when a client comes and says, ‘Yes, can I start immediately?’ There’s always been from six months up to a three-year waiting list.”
- Glenn Murcutt
One of the many benefits of working with clients who have waited a year or more to start is that “they really want you to do the work”, Murcutt explained (my emphasis). “They don’t just want your name; they’re serious about doing the work.”
Murcutt’s sole-practitioner status and resulting waitlist were referenced in his Pritzker citation, which read in part:
“As a total contrast, our laureate works in a one-person office on the other side of the world from much of the architectural attention, yet has a waiting list of clients, so intent is he to give each project his personal best.”
- Pritzker citation for Glenn Murcutt
Another well-known Australian architect – Gold Medallist Peter Stutchbury – also has a waitlist for his custom architecture services. Recently, in an effort to make his unique architectural approach available to more people, he began collaborating with Oscar Martin, entrepreneur and founder of Pedestrian TV, to create a prefab housing product called Dimension X.
Dimension X’s prospective clients can join a waitlist for the affordable, carbon-neutral, and concrete-free homes, by registering their interest on the dedicated website. The entire procurement process will be conducted online, and the buildings will be delivered in parts to be erected on site.
Lining up for architect-designed apartments
Another highly sought-after architectural offering is Melbourne’s Nightingale Housing projects, which – as of 2018 – had a list of more than 3,000 people who had registered to participate in ballots for new apartments.
People who miss out on apartment during the ballots are added to a waitlist for each building and may be offered one if potential buyers pull out due to unforeseen circumstances.
Also in Melbourne, Assemble’s apartment development at 393 Macaulay Rd, Kensington was fully subscribed before construction began, after running a successful online registration process. Prospective residents who wanted to join the rent-to-buy Assemble Futures program were encouraged to join a waitlist, in case apartments became available due to changed circumstances.
Now that the project is complete, prospective rent-to-buy residents can join the waitlist for Assemble’s future developments.
High-demand for architecture in Austin, Texas
Meanwhile, in Austin, Texas, many of the city’s architects reported being booked out up to six months in advance in 2021, because of a housing boom and the COVID-19 pandemic impact.
Architect Sarah Johnson of Matt Fajkus Architecture said the practice had wait times of two to three months, which made it easier to be discerning about which clients they chose to work with, based on their flexibility and design aspirations.
"I would say, on average, we are getting four to five inquiries a week and then we are narrowing that down to about one interview," Johnson said in an article on KVUE.
Aren’t waitlists just for high-profile architects?
You don’t have to be a famous or highly awarded architect to have a waitlist for your services (although brand recognition definitely helps!). Photography by R Architecture via Unsplash.
Even though it helps to have strong brand recognition and a large following, it’s not necessary to be a high-profile or Gold Medallist architect to generate a waitlist of ideal clients who only want to work with you.
It is important to have a reputation for a particular kind of expertise, niche specialisation or unique approach, and then to market your unique qualities to your ideal future clients; the people who most need and want the services, outcomes, and transformations that you provide.
Practices that have successfully positioned themselves in this way – and which currently operate waitlists for new clients and projects – include:
1. Light House Architecture + Science, Canberra
Overseen by building scientist Jenny Edwards, Light House has built an enviable reputation in the ACT for its standalone building science, architecture and building science services. Demand for its architecture services is so strong, that even with a team of 10 architects, the practice closed its books for the first time at the start of 2021.
When they opened the books again for a few weeks in mid-2021, the practice was “inundated with enquiries” and those prospective clients accepted a high percentage of the resulting fee proposals that were issued.
“The result is that our design slots are currently booked out until the middle of next year [2023]! Something I had no way of predicting and had never imagined would happen.” Edwards wrote in a blog post.
“So, cutting to the chase, unless we suddenly have a mass exodus of clients who have accepted fee proposals and been patiently waiting for months to commence design work, I can’t see us opening the books again until the very end of this year or start of 2023.”
2. Kennedy Nolan, Melbourne
Award-winning and widely publishing Melbourne architecture practice Kennedy Nolan has a waitlist for new projects and clients, and sometimes refers new inquiries to other practices that may be able to provide services more promptly.
Clients Emily and James approached Kennedy Nolan after visiting Rachel Nolan’s own family beach house several years earlier, and had a strong desire to work with Rachel Nolan, according to an article in Australian House & Garden magazine.
However, at that time, Kennedy Nolan had a waitlist of four years, so they referred Emily and James to a protégé and former employee, Aimee Goodwin. She had recently established her own practice – Project 21 – and a successful collaboration ensued.
3. Maytree Studios, Brisbane
Rebecca Caldwell is the director of Maytree Studios, an innovative practice in Brisbane that is employee-owned, and treats clients as their design partners.
Maytree Studios is currently taking new enquiries for projects with start dates in the second half of 2023, and prospective clients can set up a free 15 minute phone call with Rebecca Caldwell, via an online calendar app, to join the waitlist.
If you know of other practices that currently have waitlists for their services – or if your practice does – please get in touch via email so I can add details to this list.
I want to generate a waitlist – how can I find out more?
Download our guide to find out how Sounds Like Design can help you create a new client pipeline for your architecture practice.
In Part 2 of this series, I’ve outlined the benefits of operating a waitlist, and you can read it here
In Part 3, I’ve provided suggestions about how to position your practice and market your services so you can start to generate your waitlist of future clients, and you can read it here
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References
The making of Murcutt, Australian Design Review, May 18, 2020, accessed on Thurs 11 Aug 2022. https://www.australiandesignreview.com/magazines/the-making-of-murcutt/,
Australian Architect Becomes the 2002 Laureate of the Pritzker Architecture Prize, 2002, accessed on Thurs 11 Aug 2022, https://www.pritzkerprize.com/announcement-glenn-murcutt
Nightingale Housing Wants You To Own A Great Apartment, The Design Files, 13th February, 2018, accessed on Thurs 11 Aug 2022, https://thedesignfiles.net/2018/02/nightingale-housing-wants-you-to-have-a-nice-apartment/)
Waitlist for architects grows as Austin's housing market continues to boom, 13 October 2021, accessed on Thurs 11 August 2022, https://www.kvue.com/article/money/economy/boomtown-2040/austin-housing-market-architect-demand/269-87c722ef-ed7f-4728-aa00-541edb4f908b
The Re-Opening of our Architecture Books (NB. Science Services are still open). 14 June 2022, accessed on Thurs 11 August 2022, https://www.lighthouseteam.com.au/journal/life-matters-work-matters-books-opening-update