Firm Marketing From the Client Perspective 2006 doc

Marketing basics ¢ View everything from the client's perspective ¢ Your brand is a set of expectations — Clients, Employees, Partners ¢ Your position is how you are different — Audie

Firm Marketing From the Client Perspective

Session FRO6

June 9, 2006 8:15 - 9:45 am

AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Exposition

This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing professional education As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing,

or dealing in any material or product Questions

related to specific materials, methods, and

services may be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation

Jamie Rice

Chief Strategy Officer

Carton Donofrio Partners, Inc

Agenda

Marketing basics About clients

Building a marketing plan

Role of the AIA brand

1 Marketing basics

A sales-oriented firm tries to get the client to want what the firm has

A marketing-oriented firm tries to get the firm

to have what the client needs

What is a brand?

set of Expectations about the Experience

Customer Promise/Covenant More Emotional than Rational

Single greatesf asset

“Everything matters.”

scott Bedbury

A New Brand World

Brand vs Position

¢ A brand is who you are

— Across all audiences

— Consistent over time

¢ A position Is your relationship to the

competitive frame

— Can differ by audience, segment

— Can change as offerings change

Marketing basics

¢ View everything from the client's

perspective

¢ Your brand is a set of expectations

— Clients, Employees, Partners

¢ Your position is how you are different

— Audience, offer, benefit

2 About clients

Clients are people

People do business with people

“My space My project.”

¢ Clients are emotionally invested in the project

¢ They've been thinking about it for a long time

¢ Its exciting to be talking to someone who

can make It real, and even better than they

imagine

Owner/operators

Building/managing space is not their primary business

Human outcomes matter

— Healing, learning, productivity, comfort

Longer-term focused

Longer-term relationship oriented Typical segments

— Education, Healthcare, Homeowners, Institutional

(church, club), Corporate headquarters

source: The Client Experience 2002

Builders of product

Development Is their business

Marketability is a core driver

Have an established process and relationships

Government

Constrained by legislative/regulatory directions, even if they don't want to be The public (voters) and legislative/

executive branches are their primary concerns

Long-term matters, but only as prescribed

by regulation/statute

source: The Client Experience 2002

selection process

¢ Start with what and who they know

— Delighted clients are your best marketing channel

¢ Do they understand us?

source: The Client Experience 2002

About clients

Clients are people

People hire people

3 Finding your message

Finding your message

¢ Ask questions and listen to the response

— Your clients Know who you are and what's important to them

— Your prospects know your competitors

— Your employees Know who you are (and are not)

— You should know who you want to be

Asking questions

¢ Stories matter

— Platitudes and generalities don't deliver real Informaftion

¢ Ask for specifics

— “Tell me about the most recent time you ”

— “Can you give me an example?”

Talk to your clients

¢ They love you (or at least respect you)

— They must, or they wouldnt have hired you

¢ They are flattered to be asked

— Almost everyone likes to be valued

¢ They have a perspective that you dont

— You will learn something that will help your current work as well as your marketing

Questions for clients

¢ Have you referred our firm to others?

— Can you give me an example?

— Why did you think we'd be a good fit with that client?

— Did you share a specific story about us with them?

¢ How are we similar or different from other firms

you ve met or worked with?

Questions for clients

¢ Can you tell us how you heard about us the first time?

— What was your impression?

¢ What was your impression the first time you met us?

— How was itt different than what you expected from what you had heard?

¢ Has your experience been consistent with your first impression?

— Can you give me examples of how it’s been different,

or how it’s lined up?

Questions for clients

¢ What's the best thing about working with

Uw,

— Can you give me an example, tell me a story?

¢ What areas do we need to improve?

— Can you give me a specific example?

Ask your people

¢ They are out there with clients all the time

— You must have learned something

¢ They are flattered to be asked

— And, they are essential to delivering on your message

¢ Conduct a group session

— Principals + client-facing employees

Position development questions

¢ Who are the people involved in the decision to hire us?

— People, not companies/organizations

¢ What motivates them?

— What can cause them psychological pain or cause their career to suffer?

— What can provide psychological reward or cause their career to advance?

— What Is their attitude toward risk?

Position development questions

¢ Problems/opportunities you can help them

solve/address

— “How can | ?° questions

¢ From the client perspective

¢ Hiring you will provide the answer

— Answer to the most important “How can I ” question

is the client benefit

¢ Features that support benefits

— What features/services/skills do you have that enable you to provide the answer to “How can l °?

Position development questions

¢ Who are your competitors?

— ln-kind

— Not-in-kind

¢ Can your competitors say the same things?

— What about your offering and/or message do

you need to adjust to differentiate’?

Position statement framework

For (audience definition)

only (your offering description)

can provide (client benefit)

Example

Armstrong Flooring Adhesives

¢ For purchasers of Armstrong floors who want an installation that completes their flooring vision, only Armstrong brand adhesive products offer the easiest way to get a guaranteed Armstrong floor installation

Example

Armstrong Flooring Adhesives

¢ For purchasers of Armstrong floors who want an installation that completes their flooring vision, only Armstrong brand adhesive products offer the easiest way to get a guaranteed Armstrong floor installation

Example

Armstrong Flooring Adhesives

¢ For purchasers of Armstrong floors who want an installation that completes their flooring vision, only Armstrong brand adhesive products offer the easiest way to get a guaranteed Armstrong floor installation

Example

Armstrong Flooring Adhesives

¢ For purchasers of Armstrong floors who want an installation that completes their flooring vision, only Armstrong brand adhesive products offer the easiest way to get a guaranteed Armstrong

floor installation

Position statement criteria

¢ Is it relevant’?

¢ Is it differentiating ?

¢ Is it sustainable’?

¢ Is it credible?

Questions for principals

¢ How do you define success for the firm?

¢ What are the attributes of the brand you want to build?

— Reputation

— Culture

¢ Do those match the feedback from clients

and employees?

Vision

Does your position

statement reflect the

4 Building a marketing plan

¢ What do you want to happen?

— Reputation?

— Inquiries?

— Referrals?

¢ Set realistic objectives

— Measure if you can

— If you can't measure, create a subjective criteria for Success

Building a marketing plan

¢ Its not about you, it's about your clients

— What do they read?

— Who do they talk to?

¢ Who do they trust

— Where do they go for information?

Building a marketing plan

BUSINESS Segment: Education

ABC Firm

Communications Plan

Message/Delivery Vehicles

PRODUCT/CAMPAIGN: Overall positioning/lead generation and conversion

POSITION: For owners of facilities facing dramatic change in healthcare demand, only the personal involvement of experienced

ABC Firm principals, can help you create the high quality patient experience you need within a flexible facility

OVERALL CAMPAIGN OBJECTIVES: Create new sales opportunities in targeted segments

Support growth from existing clients

of stay by visitors organizations like

yours meet similar challenges See our work and hear from our clients

ABC web site Include virtual tour of projects Include client contacts for testimonials project approval

Target Objective Message Delivery/Tactic Timing Budget

Board members Create awareness | ABC has helped PR placements in regional} Target 4" quarter or | $xxx

Focus on facilities of ABC and organizations like | business and community | 1* quarter

with xxx thousand establish credibility | yours meet similar | publications placements

square feet or more | evaluation: challenges

feedback from prospects Facilities Generate ABC can help you_ | Direct mail followed up by | Target 1“ quarter $xxx

managers opportunities to respond to the marketing rep calls to top

Focus on facilities make in-person needs of the board | 100 regional facilities

with xxx thousand presentations for flexible space

square feet or more | evaluation:

number of meetings Facilities Provide information | ABC has helped Build healthcare section of] 12 weeks from $xxx

Marketing resources

¢ Principal involvement is critical

— Internal to demonstrate importance

— External because clients want to talk to architects

¢ Dedicate staff resources

— Internal facilitation/organization

¢ External resources

— Treat them as you would expect to be treated

— Just because you can design space doesnt mean you can design communications

What do we want the audience to do as a result of the communication? How will we measure impact? TARGET AUDIENCE

Who are we talking to and what insights do we have about them? What role do they play in the decision process? What do they think now about our offering? How are they currently filling the need that our offering addresses? Are there any attitudes or behaviors characteristic of these people that we need to address?

COMPETITIVE ENVIRONMENT

What's the competitive environment like? How are competitors positioning and communicating about their offerings? (If possible, attach examples of competitive communication.) Where do you go to find this information?

REQUIREMENTS

« Mandatory elements

Logo, themeline

TM @®, disclaimers, etc

Call to action (800 number, web address, etc)

« Production Budget (if available)

¢ Dates

Building a marketing plan

set measurable objectives Make a long-term commitment Keep it simple

Consistent message at all points of contact Principal involvement

Dedicated staff resources

5 Role of the AIA brand

¢ Does it make a difference?

— Clients don't really understand what it means

— Most of my competitors are members too

Clients prefer to work with an AIA member

10

0 Benchmark Nov 2000

Client AIA brand perceptions

¢ Professional

¢ Credentialed

¢ Knowledgeable

AlA brand message

¢ AIA members have chosen to participate

as a member of a professional community

¢ Clients of AIA members benefit from enhanced collaboration among members and within the design/construction industry

AlA client benefits

¢ Enhanced collaboration = better projects

— AIA members learn from each other to

enhance their ability to deliver projects for

clienfs

— AIA members collaborate with each other and

with members of the industry to improve

codes, standards and communities

Using the AIA brand

¢ As individual members

— On your business cards and letterhead

° As a fIrm”

— In your marketing materials

¢ Statement of value of membership to the client

— On your job site signage

¢ Overlooked marketing opportunity

* Firms may identify themselves as “Members of the American Institute of Architects”

when majority ownership is by registered architects and all principals are AIA members

Recap

Marketing basics About clients

Building a marketing plan

Role of the AIA brand

Questions?

Thank you

Seminar Evaluation

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the evaluation form Thank You

[AS LISTED IN THE CONVENTION GUIDE]

Speaker 1: Jamie Rice

AIA 2006 National Convention and Design Exposition