Getting And Appt With Architects

schatze

Hi Everyone,
I'm new to this forum and damn glad I found it. I am in charge of getting appointments with architects for the owner of my company. It seems pretty simple however, these are very different people, but they are vital in increasing bidding opportunities for a commercial construction company. Has anyone in the commercial building industry had a particularly successful plan in getting in to this group of people? I recently became a member of the AIA and did so for networking purposes, but I still need to cold call. I did a mailing and some follow up emails, but haven't really had any success. I've also done door to door cold calling, but this hasn't been real successful either. Maybe I just need to give it time??

kevjob

send them a full color brochure of past jobs, client references and keep mailing them. repetition is the key

__________________
Kevin
Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
Littleton Colorado, Basement Remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling Denver

schatze

Thanks Kevin
That is what I've been reading. Repetition. I did a kind of flashy mailing, but I'll keep sending them. Also, I was thinking about doing a quarterly email to architects that had a .pdf of a feature project. Just to keep them posted on what projects have been completed and that we were the one's that did it.

kevjob

another option is to have your current Arch. give you references, gives you credibility. keep on it

__________________
Kevin
Basement Finishing Highlands Ranch Colorado
Littleton Colorado, Basement Remodeling
Kitchen Remodeling Denver

Publisher1

You might want to check if there is an SMPS chapter in your area. SMPS -- Society for Marketing Professional Services is kind of a misnomer of a name for an association -- it is a national marketing group largely populated by architects, engineers, and construction professionals. Of course, members there are the marketing people within the organization, not always the owners, but these are the most likely to give you a welcoming reception and introduction (a whole lot better than barging in the front door and trying to speak with the receptionist!) Once you are a member, you'll have the chapter membership list and a reasonable reason to call!

Architects often appreciate "lunch and learn" deals where you make a presentation and purchase lunch for the team. The key here is to provide something useful and educational -- not just a pitch for your specific GC.

I believe it is always better to think of giving rather than getting in the early going (and for that matter, throughout your relationship) -- otherwise you indeed will face the wall of resistance. Challenge is, of course, if your boss is pushing you for fast results and these methods can take time to succeed.

schatze

the bottom line is my boss is pushing for appointments. He knows it's going to take time and I think I've been selling him on that. My concern is in the process, I may be projecting a bad image for the company by being too pushy. I've been told that architects are respond best to soft selling. Thank you for the feedback, and I am definately going to look for my local SMPS chapter.

Jason Whipple

I posted this on another thread, could be helpful. Membership is about $100 for three months.

The last is Bid Clerk. I took a chance on this one about 4 month ago and landed an 80k renovation project that is keeping me in the black all winter this year. They have a lot of commercial projects for the most part (at least in my area), but it also give me information on projects that are in the conceptual stages with contact information to the Architects in charge. My plan is to start contacting these guy's and introduce myself, if not for that project, then at least it's a good way to start networking. It's got to be better to have something to inquire about than to just cold call them IMO.

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Jason E Whipple, General Manager
Historic House Restoration, Cincinnati, Ohio
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schatze

We have access to bidclerk, but for some odd reason, they want me to cold call door to door. It's a bit uncomfortable, but I really don't mind too much, It just seems like a waste of time and money. There are alot of other resources to attract architects. If I get a few appointments other ways besides cold calling, I'm guessing they'll back off a bit. I need to put together a marketing plan, but they are completely stuck on cold calling. Thanks for the input.

Jason Whipple

Another avenue I've taken is to go to the AIA continuing education seminars given at one of our local supply yards. Many Architects go to these because they are mandatory to keep there license up to date.

__________________
Jason E Whipple, General Manager
Historic House Restoration, Cincinnati, Ohio
Facebook | Twitter

schatze

whoa....GREAT idea! THANK YOU!