Architect’s confidence and client’s understanding leads to a ‘phenomenal close rate’

“I'm paced to earn 35% more money this year. My billings for the first two months are up 175% from last year. The reason is - I've been closing projects. I've sent out 9 proposals from mid-December to mid-February … 7 have signed up.”

“Now I think of marketing as educating, and I feel empowered. I'm attracting the right kind of clients. My website educates. … and the proposals I've been sending out are to my ideal clients. When people come into my office and talk to me … I use the FAB method of speaking to them. My preparation makes me confident. Speaking the language of the buyer ... I make sure [my architect clients] understand the value of what I'll bring to them ... The combination of my confidence and their comprehension is a phenomenal close rate … Take the best thing, not the first thing.”

Peter Twohy
2e Architects
Towson, Maryland

British architect takes action, using a Monkey’s Fist and architect referral marketing

“We've been enrolled [in AMI] since March 10. In just three months … we’ve taken action. First thing was a Monkey's Fist ... and a Needs and Options Review to describe to the customer what the benefits are for them. At a trade show this year, we've got 65 leads. ... Far better than the results we got last year at the same show. In our first edition of a newsletter, we featured an interview with someone who's on our Dirty 30 list ... He’s found work from it, and we're able to refer work to him. Another key part is referral marketing.”

“Financially, we're looking upwards of 50% profit ... It's just where we want to be. It's enabled us to do a lot of things, including come to this great Architect Business Development Summit. We've always wanted to come to New York. Getting our time back has been great. I'm able to manage our time ... I'm booking people in advance. AMI has accelerated our journey … I encourage any of you who have any doubts at the moment ... take action, do it today, do it now.”

James Sizer
SA Architectural Services
Norfolk, England

Raised revenue by 50% in six months

“I started being more consistent in charging for initial consultations, which I now call a Feasibility Study. I already had a low cost initial design package, but I raised the fees on that as well and call it a Preliminary Schematic Design. I admit, it was really scary for me to raise my fees. I was doubting my ability to convince other people that I was worth it. That worry didn't last very long. I began seeing results … within a few weeks. Within just 6 short months, I had raised my revenue for my [architecture firm] about 50%. So I had to get new talents (staff) to help me fulfill my commitments to my clients.”

“It looks like we're going to be raising our [architecture firm] revenue 70%. And the year is only halfway done! I also implemented some automations by using ArchReach - great tool. I also filmed a video on Houzz.com and I started sharing more on social media. I want to thank you ... at AMI... by bringing all of this confidence. “

Jennifer Kretschmer, AIA
J. Kretschmer Architect
Los Gatos, California

"I think one of the hidden pieces to it is something that Richard Petrie and I talked about ... I got out of my own way and, instead of second guessing and doubting some of the marketing strategies and tools that they were teaching us, I just did it. I stopped coming up with excuses. I stopped doubting it and I just went forward and did it. The results have come back and I’ve got to say that I'm pretty pleased with them. Stick with it. This works."

Shannon Doyle
SPD Architecture
Fort Collins, Colorado

"What was 2e Architects like before we met Architect Marketing, say, five years ago? We were doing any project that came through the door. That meant additions, renovations, that kind of stuff, but it also meant basements. It even meant a small porch. Now, we're doing whole-house renovations. We're doing brand new homes. We're very selective about the clients we accept. That means I get to pick and choose which projects I want to work on but, just as importantly, which clients I want to work with. That makes everyone happier. The matches are closer and more successful. Life is a little bit more fun. It's a great thing."

Peter Twohy
2e Architects
Towson, Maryland

Architect takes ownership, grows firm

“We're kicking butt:)

I've moved from being a technician to being a business owner. I've just hired my second full time employee and fourth independent contractor. We are clearly growing as the market leader in our niche and are receiving weekly inquiries to work with our team.”

Zeke Freeman
Root Architecture and Design
Denver, Colorado, USA

There weren't enough leads and we weren't making money and I was sick of it. I was actually thinking of changing career when I came across the Marketing Academy and it all sounded, actually, pretty good. The main thing is that we identified a group of clients that was going to be good-value clients for us to go for. It was so screamingly obvious, but we weren't doing it. [Now] we very openly go for that market and that actually is the market with money at the moment. Things are getting better in Spain, but that's the market that's improving most rapidly. Now, I'm earning money and that's fantastic. So thank you!

Co Govers
Zest Architecture
Barcelona, Spain

After 20 years of doing it wrong … Success!

"For the last 20 years, I've been a struggling single-person practice. Always had lots of clients. Never made any money. They were all giving me a lot of grief and not paying me very much, so I joined the Architects Marketing group less than a year ago in an attempt to do something about it. My aim was to thin out my clients, so I have adopted two strategies: Firstly, charge to go and see someone. ‘That'll thin them out,’ I thought, so right … Nope, it just meant that they started paying me, and they started saying things like, ‘Wow you can charge to come and see us? You must be good.’

Still too much work. Okay, need to put my fees up. Well, I put my fees up 300%. That's surely now going to stop people from wanting to use me, and I can get on with doing some work. Nope, that just meant that now people are paying me more. Twenty years of doing it wrong, now I have a drafting technician. I have a graduate architect working for me, and I have a BA in spacial design and interior design working for me as well."

Darryl Mackenzie
New Zealand

From ‘haphazard marketing’ to part of a community

"From my personal experience, I felt like, before we started in this program, all we knew how to do in terms of marketing was to put up a website, maybe ask around for referrals and hope that some of these random efforts would pan out. It all felt kind of haphazard. Now I feel like we have a whole system for marketing.

I think the most profound change that we've experienced is a psychological change and that, if I were to summarize the benefits of this program that we've gone through in just one word, that word would be connection. Whereas before, we were slugging away at this marketing effort on our own, now we feel really a bit more connected to a community of architects helping each other with their marketing efforts."

Tyrone Yang
Yang Architects
Greater Boston, Massachusetts, Area

Winning more projects at higher fees

“Very positive results so far. Although only 30%-40% of my overall marketing plan is in place, I'm closing a higher percentage of projects and at higher fees.

Attitude toward marketing has changed dramatically - actually excited about it for the first time - ever!

Spending less time chasing "bad" projects and focusing on the niche in which we are best suited to excel.”

Dan Sherer
Sherer Architects
West Columbia, SC, USA

Firm reignites drive to develop client relationships

“Positive responses from existing and potential clients. Growing engagement from our team to explore a better way of presenting the practice. Increased confidence to express the value we offer in a language the client understands. Self awareness of the old bad ways of our accidental architectural practice.

The team has refocused on what is important to our clients and what is important to us.

This engagement has reignited our drive to develop client relationships and put the fun and challenge back into the office culture. It is the start of a long journey that everyone is on board and enjoying. Much, much more to do.”

Dennis Butler
Vabasis Architects
Greenslopes, QLD, Australia

Secured better quality projects

“I no longer give free consultations, thus eliminating the tire kickers and Walmartians. My clients are ready to buy my way or they take the highway. I have secured several better quality projects as a result and spent less time punishing myself.”

Ron Halfhill
Verdant Ventures
Sunnyvale, CA, USA

Had to decline projects due to too much work!

“Excellent, within 2 months of targeting a new design-build contractor, I had two new substantial residential addition/renovations, and several more leads that I had to decline due to too much work.”

Thomas Downer
Downer Associates
Cambridge, MA, USA

Major planning and design project won

“We entered into a needs and options contract for $5,000, and that turned into a major Master Planning and Design project with $2,000,000 in fees, along with a marketing agreement with the client.”

Vincent Pieri
Pieri Architects
San Juan, Puerto Rico

Three tier fee proposal yields high results

“One of the techniques [from AMI is] on proposal writing. The suggestion is to include three different levels of fees. The first level of fee would be less than what the client was asking for - not only lower fee, lower services. The second was exactly what the client was looking for in terms of services. ... The third was a 'wow factor' fee; - everything you can include in the services and make sure it includes something the client wasn't looking for. “

“The result of that type of proposal was really surprising. 5 out of 5 clients were very appreciative for the multiple options. They had greater clarity ... a lower fee meant less services; a higher fee meant more services. That was something we took for granted ... but they seem to be understanding that at a much higher level. Ultimately, the payoff was... 4 out of 5 that we've submitted these last two months have been successful. We got the call-back, we won the contract, started the work, we've started turning our firm around. We're seeing half of the fee target for the year; we trust that the latter half of this year will meet the rest of our fee target or exceed it.”

Howard Lee
Vision Architects
Clarksville, Tennessee

75% success rate in signing clients who receive a Shock and Awe Box

From pigeon-hole to profitable niche

"As an expert [in Universal Design], the outside world, I think, sees me differently … I was called for a quote from a journalist [and] I was able using the tools of the AMA to convert that phone call from a quote into being the prime source for the whole article. Then, the day that the article came out, I got a call from Madison, Wisconsin. It was somebody who was organizing a symposium and wanted to have me there as a speaker.

We got a project recently that's a $400,000 remodel, and then another one last week that's a new winery. I've never done a winery before, but these people were so confident about my process and my structure that I had to offer them, and the questions that I was asking them, that I got both of these projects with just a half-hour phone consultation and a presentation of my system. It's incredibly exciting to have new types of work coming in the door like that."

Erik Mikiten
Mikiten Architecture
Berkeley, California

From ‘networking in vain’ to buying her own office

"I'm standing in front of what is perhaps the most visible sign of my success. This is my office that I bought last year with the increased revenue from my business … I didn't want to go into business for myself … but I needed to do this only because I was waiting for the recession to be over and then I could get a ‘real job’ again. People suggested that I try networking. I spent that year networking my ass off. I went to referral groups and Chamber of Commerce meetings. I went to coffee groups and I went to ladies groups and it was all in vain. Then, I joined Architect Marketing and started working with Richard, Enoch and Eric, developing strategies on how to get clients."

Rachel Burton
Swallowtail Architects
Summerville, South Carolina