Marketing & selling professional services in architecture & construction

Marketing & Selling Professional Services......Page 3
Contents......Page 9
List of Illustrations......Page 17
List of Tables......Page 18
About the author......Page 19
Foreword......Page 21
Introduction......Page 23
Stage 1: Selecting the clients you want to work for......Page 35
Examine current portfolio......Page 36
Saying goodbye to clients......Page 40
Number of clients......Page 41
Who are your competitors and who do they work for?......Page 42
1.2 A strategy......Page 45
Prioritise your effort......Page 46
Selecting your targets......Page 50
Sector penetration......Page 51
Public sector......Page 53
Private sector......Page 57
1.4 Lifetime value of clients......Page 59
1.5 Picking your moment......Page 63
1.6 Creating a pipeline......Page 67
Using an enquiry pipeline......Page 69
Using a leads pipeline......Page 73
Managing effort for pipeline development......Page 76
Stage 2: Identifying the needs of the target client......Page 81
Good client service......Page 82
2.2 Appropriate person to contact......Page 83
The first communication with the target contact......Page 87
The first written communication......Page 88
That first phone call......Page 90
Preparation......Page 94
Arriving......Page 95
First impressions......Page 96
Improving your chances of a good meeting......Page 97
Building rapport......Page 98
Use of language......Page 99
2.5 Establishing the client’s needs......Page 102
Specific needs......Page 103
Use your questions to demonstrate your capability......Page 104
Have questions prepared......Page 105
Harvesting information through questioning techniques......Page 106
2.6 Listening skills......Page 110
Poor response......Page 113
2.7 Establish the stakeholders and decision makers......Page 114
2.8 Expanding the range of contacts......Page 115
2.10 The next step......Page 116
Stage 3: Shaping your service to suit the needs of the target clients......Page 119
3.1 Review your clients’ needs......Page 120
Don’t rush this stage......Page 122
An analysis of the situation......Page 123
3.3 Enhancing customer value......Page 125
Customer groupings......Page 126
3.4 Features and benefits......Page 127
3.5 Building trust......Page 128
Capability......Page 130
Reliability......Page 131
Rational and non-rational selection criteria......Page 132
3.6 Differentiating......Page 133
Differentiate through customer service......Page 136
Show you care......Page 137
Understanding why clients might not want your services......Page 138
Stage 4: Communicating your availability and capability to the target clients......Page 141
4.1 Communicating to target clients......Page 142
Identify decision makers and influencers......Page 143
Meeting the decision makers......Page 144
When access is denied......Page 146
4.3 Target clients not in buying mode......Page 147
Where to network......Page 152
Working the room......Page 153
Introductions......Page 154
The follow-up to a networking event......Page 155
Develop your network......Page 156
4.5 Entertaining......Page 157
Attend seminars at conferences......Page 158
Running your own seminar......Page 159
4.7 Writing articles......Page 160
4.10 Advertising......Page 164
4.11 Exhibitions......Page 167
Stage 5: Proposals, tenders and pitching......Page 171
Create opportunities to build relationships during the proposal stage......Page 172
The proposal content......Page 173
5.2 Selling yourself and your proposal......Page 175
Plan of action......Page 177
Timetable leading up to the pitch......Page 178
The participants......Page 179
The audience......Page 182
The content of the pitch......Page 183
Format of delivery and use of technology......Page 184
The ‘ring master’......Page 186
Questions you don’t want to be asked......Page 187
Handling objections......Page 188
Rehearsals......Page 189
Using persuasive language......Page 190
Negotiation......Page 192
Qualification-based selection......Page 193
Selection based on a design proposal (with or without fee bid)......Page 194
5.5 Selection process–through and with a contractor Two-stage tendering......Page 195
5.7 Expressions of interest......Page 196
5.8 Pre-qualifications......Page 197
5.9 Tendering......Page 199
Understanding how clients evaluate proposals and tenders......Page 200
5.10 Using CVs......Page 202
Editing......Page 203
5.12 Post-tender interview......Page 204
5.13 Negotiation......Page 205
Negotiating approach......Page 206
Bargaining skills......Page 207
Summarise the situation during negotiation......Page 208
Don’t get stuck over positions......Page 209
Move to closing the deal......Page 210
Negotiating traps......Page 211
If you fail to win, start positioning for the next opportunity......Page 212
Stage 6: Delivering added value and obtaining repeat business......Page 215
6.1 Obtaining repeat business......Page 216
6.3 Preparing a project client plan......Page 218
Quality of employees and working methods......Page 222
6.5 Managing the service ‘touches’......Page 224
6.6 Client account management......Page 225
Being selective with time expenditure......Page 227
6.7 Client account teams......Page 229
Cross-selling......Page 231
6.8 Establishing level of client satisfaction......Page 232
Ask the right people......Page 233
Survey methods......Page 234
Need to introduce the survey......Page 235
Introducing weighting factors......Page 236
Satisfaction levels are relative......Page 237
The value of client satisfaction measurement......Page 239
6.9 Third-party survey......Page 240
6.11 Client review meeting......Page 243
6.12 Lessons-learnt workshop......Page 245
6.13 A client expectation charter......Page 246
Service delivery review meetings......Page 247
6.14 Building multi-level contacts......Page 248
Introduce someone else at every opportunity......Page 250
Hold pre- and post-project social gatherings......Page 251
Becoming more integrated......Page 252
Winning additional work from clients......Page 254
Succession planning......Page 255
6.15 Client loyalty......Page 257
Setting goals and objectives......Page 258
6.16 Obtaining referrals from clients......Page 260
Stage 7: Building credibility......Page 263
Information for sector-specific selling......Page 264
7.2 Response to requests for information......Page 266
7.3 CVs......Page 267
7.4 Keep records of your experience......Page 268
7.5 Project sheets and case studies......Page 269
7.6 Using e-mails......Page 271
7.7 Your website......Page 274
7.9 Press releases......Page 276
7.10 Newsletters......Page 278
7.11 Research......Page 279
Further reading......Page 281
Index......Page 283