It’s not that we necessarily need more RFPs to respond to; the real issue we’re facing is that we want more leads in the pipeline. Whether those leads are competing in a landscape architecture RFP process, or private clients who know exactly who they want to work with, we need to find more ways to get contacts through our door. We have 3 tips that we think will assist in getting more of the right kind of leads.
| related post: Inbound vs outbound marketing: the end of interruptive marketing |
Purpose
The days of being everything to everyone are long gone. Yes it’s great to have a diverse set of services, however focusing on one area will allow you to charge more, become the expert, and limit your client base to ideal clients who are willing to pay for a specialty.
This is not unlike a neighborhood restaurant struggling to keep up with their competitors by offering a 15 page menu. If they try to duplicate all of the options of their competitors there will be nothing to distinguish them. However, if they specialize in something - let's say blintzes - they become memorable and attract a crowd interested in their high quality blintzes. Similarly, any blacksmith could make a sword, but a blacksmith that specialized in swords just for knights could attract a segment of the market that other blacksmiths couldn't.
Takeaway
Don’t market your company as a broad range of services – it’s wonderful to offer them if clients need them, but focus your marketing efforts on one specific niche. You don't want to make a potential client say anything like the following ever again, “if I have to hear another firm try and teach me how great sustainability practices are like they are the only ones doing it…”
Purpose
Your website should not be an online brochure. The days of set it and forget it are over! It should be an active selling asset for your business driving leads. And YES, that even applies to design firms as well. The truth is, your website can effectively do 75% of your selling for you by showing clients you know exactly what you’re doing and you’re the firm they want to work with. Further, by offering free resources clients get a multi-faceted view of your company and feel like they are making a more informed decision.
It's time to discuss the word "Free". You aren't just giving these items away; you are exchanging them for contact information from these leads. Email addresses, company names, even simple survey data is all invaluable to you in your marketing. For example, If Jane Smith, City Manager from Anytown leaves contact information in exchange for an eBook, you can do research on Jane, Anytown as a city, and it's county and state. This way, when Jane contacts you again you will have all kinds of valuable information about Jane and Anytown's needs, and even code and regulation challenges to warm up the sales process.
Takeaway
By offering free guides, free checklists, free eBooks, etc., on your topic of niche, your clients will learn very quickly you know your stuff. It changes the way clients think of your relationship as well. Instead of having 4 or 5 LA’s pursuing them, they are now actively pursuing you, which puts you on a pedestal in their mind because you are the “go-to” firm.
Purpose
Regardless of your thoughts on social media, we recommend you become a regular user when it comes to promoting your organization. As more and more people utilize some kind of social media, they expect the businesses and firms they are looking to do business with to have pages and presences there as well. For example, banks and financial institutions have found Facebook and Twitter great resources for sharing their philanthropic efforts as their main websites are too heavily regulated to display this kind of information. Similarly, you can post regularly on social media channels your good stories:
Takeaway
Use social media to show a more human side, to highlight personalities and share anecdotes and lessons learned from particular projects. Clients love to hear how you deal with unexpected, and how you provide experience and expertise to resolve issues.
We know you've wondered how to get more landscape architecture proposals, and we believe that by paying attention to the 3 tips above you will see an increase in the number of qualified RFPs that come your way. Of course, nothing is a cure-all, so make sure you are still doing exceptional work and providing strong customer service.