How the world's most unique and practical architectural marketing project became reality

In 1997, a big challenge was presented to a team of top marketing people. It was brought to their attention that it is IMPOSSIBLE TO EFFECTIVELY MARKET ARCHITECT SERVICES.

Due to the nature of the industry, there was no way to find new projects before they were publicly announced.

Additionally, effective tools to actively influence the selection process of architect for the project did not exist.

The reality, we were told, is that you have to wait for new projects to be announced, then submit a quote, a proposal or participate in a competition – and then wait again and hope for the best.

And true enough, once we surveyed the profession, vast majority of architects conceded they had NO effective method to directly influence the number of new projects coming their way.

The more active you were, the more chances you got... but, unfortunately, the key word is "chance." To most architects, leaving your future to the element of chance was not the ideal scene.

Amazingly, while the majority of the interviewed were of this opinion – mostly the small-to-medium sized architectural firms and practices – a small percentage did NOT share these beliefs.

They didn't have any problems but they also wouldn't give us any data on their solutions. At first, we considered it as one of those oddities you come across in research. But make a note of this... for later on in our research this exception became very fundamental to the solution...

We found that conventional marketing and sales techniques were not easily adaptable to architecture. Primarily involved with artistic creation, architects faced a paradox in marketing their own creativity.

Having to "prove" quality to unseeing, nonprofessional clients that don't have the experience and knowhow to understand, posed many delicate situations.

Like any artist, the architect can feel utterly quashed and belittled by harsh critique that one encounters offering his or her ideas for sale.

Perhaps worse still is the apparency on "nonexistence" – most people just don't see ideas and visions nor can they assign any (correct) value to "mere ideas."

It's not easy to get ideas appreciated. Later on in this web site, we'll discuss in more detail the reasons why most people have problems even SEEING ideas, let alone understand their true potential and value.

But for now, let's just state the obvious – it isn't uncommon for any architect to feel as if almost NO ONE in the world could understand or appreciate his or her viewpoint and ideas.

Making the value of architecture widely appreciated and valued is an educational undertaking of gigantic proportions. Luckily, achieving planet-wide recognition down to all the levels of society is not the primary goal of a practicing architect but rather an ultimate vision of a new civilization decades, even centuries ahead.

Bridging that gap formed by ignorance and lack of understanding requires thorough groundwork and foundation. Among the most fundamental building blocks in this is having a way to easily educate individual prospective clients to USE an architect.

Traditionally, marketing for architects means staying visible and keeping your eyes open. Big architect firms have deep pockets and they can afford to use the traditional marketing and advertising methods.

They have the bankroll to spend hundreds of thousands to ensure they are visible at all times, to network on the highest levels of society, and sustain these expenses while waiting for the return of their investment.

This avenue is usually not an option that is available for smaller practices and firms.

And this was the starting point for our challenge... to create an INEXPENSIVE system that ANY architect could use on constant basis to actively and effectively increase the number of projects he or she obtained.

The Ultimate Marketing Challenge

The mission appeared impossible. Would it really be possible to create a special system for architects alone – a system that would work at the hands of ANY architect, without any sales training, any prior marketing knowledge?

Would there even EXIST a way to find new projects BEFORE others? Were there any feasible methods that would allow the architect ACTIVELY effect the outcome of the selection process in new projects? Would it even be possible to produce uniform marketing results for the smallest of architect firms... regardless of financial means?

It didn't appear easy and so we were told by many an architect. And I guess it was this "almost total certainty that we were crazy to even attempt the impossible" that eventually clinched it. It was simply too irresistible!

As an architect, you know what I'm talking about – to create something unique, you sometimes have to go against the conformity and reality that exist. The die was cast and we crossed our Rubicon. But unlike Caesar, we had our reservations.

And in the afterthought, we certainly had no CLUE of the magnitude of the task that we had embarked upon!

We started with thorough research. We interviewed hundreds of architects to find out what the actual problems were and what solutions had been found. We closely surveyed thousands of clients in the commercial section to find out what they wanted most from architects... and what preconceptions, likes and dislikes they held about architecture and architects.

The goal of the project was set:

Research to find if any potentials existed to create a marketing & sales system that would allow the smallest of architect practices constantly find new projects and to have highly effective presentation system that would clearly increase his closing ratio – result in higher percentage of proposals accepted, in other words.

The system as a whole would have to have FIVE major requirements to qualify:

The system had to allow any architect to find new projects with more predictability and control than previously. The conditional goal was to search for the existence of any such way that would permit the architect to find new projects earlier than before to have a possibility to find prospective clients before the project was publicized.

The system would have to give a clear advantage for the presentation of the architect's services and proposal. Successful parts of presentation had to be researched and compiled into one presentation that would, once used, create a high trustworthiness and concept of quality in the prospective client, thus giving the competitive edge for the architect.

Further, the system would have to be built into ready-to-use TOOLS that could be used by ANY architect at will, without any prior marketing knowledge or sales experience required.

The goal was to incorporate all the necessary steps of marketing, presentation and sales into these tools so that the person USING the tools would achieve uniform results, regardless whether he knew (or cared) HOW and WHY the tools worked.

The system had to be SIMPLE and EASY to use. It had to be quick to implement and not require extensive study from the architect.

The system had to be inexpensive to launch and use to make it a feasible alternative for a wide range of architects, from one-person practice to medium sized architect firms.

It had to be effective so that even the small investment in using the system would repay itself in weeks, thus making it possible for the smallest of practices to use the system CONTINUOUSLY in order to effectively control the flow of new projects on continuous basis.

Further, this system should somehow increase the networking potential of the architect – so that by using the system, he would also build up his future recognition potential and thus, constantly work his way toward higher general recognition and eligibility to receive more requests for proposals.

The system had to offer the clients of architects exactly those services and benefits that clients were found and proven to want most.

A value-added service had to be formulated from the researched wishes and needs of corporate clients. The service had to be such that ANY architect could deliver it fast and without further training. It had to be something that filled a REAL, proven demand of the majority of clients... not just some clever presentation of architect services. It had to give the architect a competitive edge in his region.

Additionally... the system had to fit the natural role of an architect.

From the onset, it was clear that many architects were not comfortable with the traditional methods of sale.

To be truly useful, this new system had to be comfortable to use and allow the architect to remain in the role of an architect while effectively signing on new projects. The whole system had to totally circumvent any need for the architect to use superlatives about himself.

It had to avoid the common "hype" sales and marketing approach altogether. The system would be created for architects alone and it was to align with their goals, standard operating procedures, and set rules of ethics and professional conduct. It had to allow the architect to sign on new clients without any embarrassing situations.

Foolproof Architect Marketing System - not an easy task by any measure

Not a small challenge, then. No one gave this assignment to our team – and as it turned out, no one could have ever afforded to foot the bill for such a massive undertaking, quite honestly. We are talking thousands of working hours during three years...

But "making money" is not ever really the primary motivation for any creative work.

I don't care what cynics say, you and I know that we don't work for money FIRST. Of course, we all NEED the wherewithal that life in this time and age necessitates – and certainly, you should receive exchange for your work – but the primary motivation it cannot be.

For money is just one of those "bi-products" that the actual production of creative work brings. And there's lots to be said about the happiness that overcoming problems in achieving a worthwhile goal produces.

Art is really a means of communication – art could be said to BE communication. In architecture, we deal with an order of creation that equals (and by many opinions, surpasses) the highest forms of art know to mankind. Consequently, the burden of architects is the loneliness that is born from so few in the present world being able to SEE and understand architecture and value its work in envisioning the future.

Marketing and presentation are also arts of communication, if of lower order than architecture. At their worst, they can be destructive to the user (and receivers). But at their best, they can act as vehicles for creating a better understanding of higher art forms to desired target groups.

After all, communication – in its infinite variations and forms – is really aimed at relaying an idea to another in a way that creates an understanding of that idea and its true value at the receiving end. Marketing and presentation are the tools that, if devised correctly, will result that prospective clients realize the value of your services – and that, really, is how it should be done correctly.

So, it wasn't money that lured us into this project with no compensation in sight for our work. It was the sheer magnitude of the challenge.

It was the admiration of architecture that the team members shared – the deep-seated belief that by helping architects we would participate in that improvement architecture brings to the functionality and aesthetic value of the environment that we live in... if we could achieve a higher appreciation and degree of usage for architecture.

Well, I have to confess something. It wasn't all that unselfish. I admit that we were cocky enough to think it would be easy... a few weeks at best, each working a couple of hours every day on this one. After all, our team had created successful marketing systems of this kind to more than 100 industries... so we believed NOTHING was impossible for us.

Little did we know...

This problem proved to have the strength and resilience comparable only to some imaginary alien material unknown to Man! It was the mightiest of opponents we had EVER encountered. I confess that we were on the brink of giving up many a time. I concede that, on several occasions, I DEEPLY regretted having taken on the challenge! Oh... WHY didn't I listen to the warnings, for what reason didn't I pay heed to the warnings that my architect friends had voiced?

It was quite some roller-coaster ride!

While we did have all those great and sincere motivations for this project at the beginning, I have to assert that it soon became a different ball game altogether.

With weeks turning into months and eventually years, when the hobby horse turned into full time all-out work of obsession, it was really the obstinate refusal to give up or listen to reason that became the sole motivator for us. It had become an issue of principle, a life-and-death issue of honor. And that was the nature of the necessity that mothered this invention!

Invention being 10 percent inspiration and 90 percent perspiration, the sweat equity in this one was formidable... but, like always, it paid off in the end!

A lot of totally new information about architect marketing

One thing leading to another, we actually found some unexpected "treasures" – marketing potentials that we believe have gone totally unnoticed in architecture. But see for yourself.

What we found we tested and piloted extensively with architects in everyday practice. The results were uniform. But that's something you should really evaluate and adjudicate for yourself as you read though the articles available on this site.

My only request to you is that you make use of these articles and get this data, reading it all. Your prize is getting a shift in that viewpoint concerning what can and cannot be done in marketing your services... and what your own true potential really is. Chances are that you'll be surprised how much bigger it is than you ever thought possible. Personally, I was amazed at the potential that is available out there for any architect to utilize!

Pick up the subjects that interest you most from the links below. Much of this information is new and not available anywhere else. But be warned, these articles can be quite an eye opener!

Thank you for your interest and best of success!

Best wishes,

Harry Kafka
HDK Consultants U.S.A. Inc.
PMB 211
411 Cleveland Street
Clearwater, FL 33755
U.S.A.
Phone (727) 474 1206
Calls from outside USA: +1 727 474 1206
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