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Designers Market-Link™ Newsletter

"Smart Marketing Tools for Architects, Designers, and Allied Professionals"

 

Online Issue No. 3

"The Marketing Staff You Didn't Know You Have"

by Susan Bilenker

If you're like many business owners, you have access to a motivated, inexpensive sales force that would love to help you along the road to success. And they don't require paychecks or benefits packages. Sad to say, though, you're probably not taking advantage of what they can do for you.

I'm talking about your friends, relatives, existing clients, customers and vendors.

Before you protest that they don't need what you're selling, consider this:

• Each of them knows a whole constellation of people that you don't know.
  
• You probably don't know much about the non-work-related interests of many of them.
  
• They already know you, so they're already warmed up -- a lot easier to market to than the dreaded "cold call" customer.

Here's a simple example of how you can tap into this marketing resource.

At an AIA seminar on "Marketing in the '90's" (organized by Barry LePatner, Esq.), an architect with a solo practice asked how he could find time for adding marketing activities to his own overscheduled calendar.

After one panelist said that he probably could not and that a solo practice was not really viable these days, another architect in the audience stood up and said that she markets very effectively by telling everyone she meets that she's an architect -- she tells the dry cleaner, the stationer, the bookstore owner, the printer, etc., as well as her friends and neighbors.

So that's the simplest -- and cheapest -- way to start getting some mileage out of your secret marketing team. When someone asks, "What's new?", tell them!

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Create an active mailing list, and contact each person at least 3 times a year. If writing's too much of a chore, keep your message short enough to fit on the back of a 4" x 6" postcard that shows your recent work on the other side.

Once a year, clean your mailing list by sending a postpaid card to everyone. Explain that you'll keep mailing to them only if they fill out and return the card to you. At the bottom of the card, ask them to write the name and address of anyone they know who might be interested in hearing about your services. This is called a referral and is very valuable, because it's a "warm" contact.

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You may think that you don't have time to stay in touch with the people who already know you, but the truth is you really can't afford not to keep them informed about what you're doing. Here are some tips to make it easier:

• organize your mailing list so you can easily run off mailing labels when you need them
  
• set up a format for your regular messages --- postcard, newsletter, personal letter, whatever feels comfortable for you
  
• plan to stuff, seal & stamp your mailing during those moments when you're useless for creative work and ready for some brainless activity,

You'll be surprised at how easy it is to keep your marketing pipeline open to the people who can help you the most . . . like me, for instance. What have you been doing lately? Haven't heard from you in awhile!

Susan Bilenker is a marketing and publicity consultant. She specializes in strategic thinking and implementation for architecture and design firms, working directly with the principals to identify and open up new markets for their services. Involved with the Internet since 1995, she publishes several informational Web sites, including DesignSite and Rivertowns Online.

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copyright 1995 Susan Bilenker Communications. Send comments and suggestions to Susan Bilenker at info@design-site.net.

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