Searching for AEC Services

by Karen Davis Burton

When a client searches online for the services you offer, what do they find? And, I’m not asking what do they find when they search for your name or your business name – hopefully, you pop up then.

But what happens when they google “retail architects in Detroit” or “interior designer for hotels near Santa Monica?” Will your prospect find you on page one of Google?

More and more, people are going online to find the building products and AEC services they want and need to purchase. When my water heater was on the fritz late one night – while all my friends that I would call for a referral were asleep – I googled “plumber, water heater” and the search engine gave me a list of service providers in my area.

Traditionally, consumers and businesses have found AEC professional services firms through word-of-mouth referrals, live networking, RFPs, and even through the phone book advertising.

Well, we know most of those phone books get tossed out and recycled as soon as they are dropped off on the porch. Referrals and networking are still the best ways to build business because people want to do business with firms and professionals they know and trust.

Why not let those prospects – and your existing clients – get to know you when they search for your AEC market niche and professional services online. Even if a potential client gets a referral from a reliable source, they probably want to do their own research on the names they’ve received. And when you’re out in the community developing business – at conferences, happy hours, trade organization meetings – shouldn’t your prospects have a way to find out more about you and your business?

By developing relevant content – writing blog posts, articles, and press releases, sharing valuable information on social media sites, posting photos of your work, providing your prospects with testimonials from satisfied clients, and making sure your website is updating regularly – you can work toward getting at the top of the search engine listings so your AEC company will be the first one a prospects sees when they search for your types of services.

Get your free eBook download, "Building an Internet Presence: An Introduction for the AEC Industry."

3 Must-See Homes in Detroit

It's National Architecture Week (April 7-13). Here are three Detroit residences you must visit. Now, don't walk up to these houses and think you can just get in. People live here. Drive or walk by, and enjoy the view.

The Margerum 45-degree House

Photo from Detroit Home magazine

Detroit architect, Roger Margerum, designed his home when he closed his full-time practice. This 3,000 square foot residence has views of the Grayhaven Marina, and Margerum says that instead of moving from room to room, you go "from space-to-space." (More at Detroit Home magazine)


Lafayette Park Townhouses

Photo from Dwell

Lafayette Park was the first urban renewal project in the U.S., and includes two high-rises and one-and two-story townhomes designed by Mies van der Rohe. The townhomes - a sight to behold in the middle of the city - average 1400 square feet and are enveloped by a minimal shell with floor-to-ceiling windows. The interiors showcase floating staircases and clean lines.

See and hear how the residents live in their Mies-designed spaces in this New York Times article. Occasionally, you can catch a tour of the entire Lafayette Park area.*


The Turkel House

Photo from Hour Detroit magazine

Located on Seven Mile Road in Detroit, this is the only Frank Lloyd Wright-designed home within the Detroit city limits. The 4,300 square foot house is in FLW's Usonian Automoatic style, using inexpensive modular concrete blocks. Current residents purchased the home in 2006 and restored it for nearly $1 million. (More at Hour Detroit magazine)

* After note: The next Lafayette Park Walking Tour will be June 1, 2013. Contact Kiana German through her Style-Detroit blog or tweet her at @KianaGerman

Please Take Part in Our Survey

With so much competition in the design, construction, and real estate fields, how does your company stand out from the crowd? How do you become the go-to professional for owners and potential collaborators – the one they call when they need advice or want to implement their vision?

Building Industry Resources is interested in how you market and promote your business to clients, prospects, and partners. I’d appreciate if you’d take about five minutes from your busy day to fill out the survey at this link: http://ow.ly/2QaEU

Be assured, all information will be kept confidential.

Hopefully, in addition to giving us some insight to the marketing practices of the industry, we might present some methods you may not have considered or have been hesitant to try.
Thank you for your participation.

Updated AEC Networking Events for October & November 2010

It's important to explore new resources for networking outside of your current contact list. Networking is key. Establish new relationships and put yourself in the right places at the right times to attract new leads and collaborators.

Architects, consider attending an Real Estate conference. Construction professionals, try an Engineering convention. Listen to the trends and ideas presented at their events. Our building industry fields are certainly interrelated: Facility Managers need Contractors; Builders need Interior Designers.

Building Industry Resources has compiled a listing of upcoming conferences, trade shows and other events where you can meet owners and building industry professionals, network, and expand your reach throughout the industry. See the Building Relationships page of our website.

Summer Networking

There's still time and plenty of opportunities to network in the design and building industry. Some professional organizations continue to have local and regional meetings throughout the summer months, and there are conferences going on around the country.

See the Building Industry Resources Building Relationships page for July and August dates, and check back for new additions to the calendar.

List 5 Reasons to Hire You

How many different architecture firms can you name? How about interior design companies, construction companies, design-build firms, real estate professionals, or building products suppliers? Now, how many of them offer the same services (or products) that you do?

With so many service professionals to choose from, how does a prospect differentiate you from your competition? Give potential clients five reasons to choose you:

1. Identify your niche market - your specialty. You don't have to practice this market exclusively, but you should be able to identify what you're best at.
2. Identify your prospect's needs and fears, and let them know how you will ease their pain.
3. Explain your approach to problem solving.
4. Outline the unique backgrounds and experiences of your employees, focusing on their unique perspective in the building industry, and let prospects know how your employees will be part of the solution.
5. If I gave $5000 to you and three of your competitors, how would your solution to my problem be different?

16 Articles and Blog Posts for Architects & Interior Designers to Write

1. Why did you become an architect or interior designer?
2. Who is your favorite designer or architect?
3. What or who inspires you?
4. Write a review of your favorite building or space designed by someone else.
5. Write a review of your favorite building or space designed by you.
6. Describe the best project you ever worked on.
7. Describe the project you are most proud of.
8. Give advice to those entering the architecture and interior design profession.
9. Give advice to improve the architecture or interior design fields, or the building industry as a whole.
10. What trends do you foresee for architecture or interior design for the next five or 10 years?
11. What are the trends for your niche market for the next five to 10 years?
12. What makes you a leader in your niche market?
13. Describe your hobbies and how they may relate to architecture or interior design.
14. What organizations do you volunteer with and why?
15. Write a summary of the last workshop or conference you attended.
16. Describe your “aha” moment – the moment that changed your career.

Pre-Qualify Your Prospects

When business slows and funds are trickling in, it’s tempting to just take the next project that comes along to keep operations flowing. But will that project be worth your time and effort? Do some planning before accepting just any client or project that comes calling.

- What are the characteristics of your ideal client? Think back to those clients with whom you have enjoyed working in the past.

- What’s your ideal project? For instance, if your focus has been on educational design, you may not want to take on a residential remodel.

- What is your work style? If you have a short attention span, reconsider that year-and-a-half-long project (unless you can get yourself to think of it as several smaller projects). You don’t want to get bored and end up giving your client less than your best.

- How do you relate to people? Say you’ve determined that the prospect who calls several times a day will turn into the client who asks for daily progress reports. If you’re not a good hand-holder, maybe you should consider referring that prospect to someone else.

Resolve that it is okay to keep a list of business partners to whom you can refer prospects if you don’t think they’ll be a good fit for you. Your partners should do the same for you.

AIA Convention Goes Virtual

The American Institute of Architects 2009 National Convention and Design Exposition begins Thursday, April 30th in San Francisco, CA with the focus on "The Power of Diversity: Practice in a Complex World." If you want to attend and have not registered, there will be on-site registration beginning April 28th at noon.

If you can't make it to San Francisco, there are a variety of ways that you can keep up with the happenings at the convention online:

1) Architectural Record's web editor, William Hanley, has dedicated a Twitter stream to the AIA Convention. Follow his reports at www.twitter.com/WilliamHanley

2) Receive daily updates on all the convention events from educational sessions to parties by signing up for the Architectectural Record WebInsider e-newsletter. Find the link on the ArchRecord site.

3) Attend the convention from the comfort of your home, office or classroom. Register for the AIA Virtual Convention here. It's free! Get daily keynote addresses, attend continuing education programs (and, yes, you get AIA/CEU credits), and virtually visit the exhibitors.

NOMA Conference Begins Today

The 36th International Conference and Exposition of the National Organization of Minority Architects begins today in Washington D.C. and runs through October 4th. There will be workshops and seminars for professionals and students, a jury of professional designs, a student design competition, and an exhibit entitled "2% Women of Color," highlighting that population of the architecture profession.

NOMA's aims and objectives include:

- Fostering communication and fellowship among minority architects;

- Fighting discrimination and other selection policies used by public and private sector clients to unfairly restrict minority architects' participation in design and construction;

- Acting as a clearing house for information and maintaining a roster of practitioners;

- Promoting the design and development of living, working, and recreational environments of the highest quality;

- Speaking with a common voice on public policy;

- Working with local, state, and national governments on issues affecting the physical development of neighborhoods and communities;

- Being an effective source of motivation and inspiration for minority youth.

Visit the NOMA website for more information.