Over the years, some of the strongest ideas have been expressed in concepts where four acronyms can be set down to a single letter. The SWOT Analysis is one, and Bill Caswell’s PAVF is another. (You can learn more about the latter at the special Webinar on Tuesday afternoon.) Years ago, the late Walt Hailey introduced me to the DISC Assessment, and one of my most popular posts describes RIMC — the four elements of marketing success, of which three (any three!) are essential for success.
Now, I will outline the four methods most AEC businesses use for marketing. See which category you think you belong to, and then, when you have decided, vote in the anonymous poll here.
N (No): We don’t market: We rely on word-of-mouth and referrals for all our business (or we have one big client who gives us everything we have). We might throw bids in for public projects but don’t plan these at all, and just bid.
S (Sales): We sell, intensively, using forceful and traditional in-your-face techniques. (Canvassing, commissioned reps, think the “Tin Man”.)
R (Relationships): It’s all about relationships, community, and connections. We market and spend money, but build our success through connections, community/association involvement, and inspired client service.
O (Organized): We’ll use any of the above techniques, plus ongoing and thoughtful advertising campaigns, to achieve clear and systematic marketing objectives.
Simplified, we can set this as NORS.
I sense that most architectural, engineering and construction businesses track between N and R. The relationships sustain them, and their repeat and referral business, but they may not plan them very much; they just happen. The S and O group are probably less prevalent. Where do you think your business/practice is in the spectrum? You can vote anonymously here in this poll, and see the results instantly.
