It’s that time of year: Giving time. The time where you get to stress out about what to get for the people in the office.
You know you have to get the right gift, because there isn’t a single person in your office that you want to be on the bad side of. Well, maybe the intern. They can’t really harm you (at least I hope not!?).
You’ve been there. You understand. We are here to help!
We have a list of ideas for everyone in the landscape architecture firm. From the intern all the way up to the principal.
Related Post: A Must Read: How To Market My Architecture Firm
What they really need:
Accounting:
Accountants are someone you want on your side. They handle your money.
When we start spending too much money on our marketing efforts, or when our marketing is not delivering any results, our accounting department needs to push the big red button.
Instead of pulling out their hair, they can flip open the lid, and smash this big red button!
Accountants also manage all of your office money. They tell you how much you have left to spend on marketing (and gaudy Christmas gifts).
Because of this, you better hope they get big red button so they hit that instead of freezing all of your assets.
Entry-Level Landscape Architect:
Look, sometimes you just need to chill and color, ok?
Your entry level LA is probably to the point now where he’s wondering why he chose landscape architecture as a profession. Just kidding (kind of).
The real world is hard. Like gangsta hard. What’s the best way to get someone to free up your time so you can do the marketing that is essential to growing your client base?
Hook em up with a coloring book. Fo Sho.
Intern:
Ah, the intern. The one person in the office at the bottom of the ladder when it comes to what needs to get done.
Interns need to unwind, right? They have long days of coffee runs, flat filing documents, arguing in his head with the project manager, accidentally deleting all the active projects on the server (yes, I did this as an LA intern), and so on.
Maybe they just need to chill with their homies after work.
They don't have time for marketing. Well, other than the time they accidently sent that “funny” meme to the wrong email (yes this happened to me too).
So we just need to keep them happy, try and limit their intake of office politics, and get them to stay excited about the profession.
If they come into work, frustrated and angry, your day is usually affected. Let’s take it easy on the intern. At least for Christmas.
Secretary/Office Manager:
The ones really in charge of the office are the secretary and/or office manager.
They know everything going on - Which clients are the most important, when your birthday is, and most importantly, everyone’s dirt.
So when it comes down to it, they just need to knock back a few to help them get through their day.
I know it sounds crazy, but whatever is in said flask might just be the trick.
When someones comes into your office, the secretary is the first person they see. The best kind of marketing is face to face.
If all else fails, maybe they will share a swig with the big time clients and get them tipsy before they meet with the principal. Now that is some brilliant marketing!
IT Person:
When someone in the office messes up, usually the IT person has to fix it.
Honestly, no one hates their job in the office more than the IT person.
As little human interaction as possible, please. (said with eyes firmly planted on the screen and giant headphones on)
However, your IT person is actually vital to your marketing. They help make sure everything functions normally. One could say they make the office world go around and around.
Without the IT person, your projects won’t save, your blogs won’t post, your emails won’t be sent, and your cat memes won’t show up.
So ...
Let’s free up this introvert’s time with these non-interaction cards!
Project Manager:
Hiding in plain sight. That’s what your project manager needs to do. Place these books on your shelf, and no one will be the wiser!
Project managers have stress on top of stress. Everything they do involves a time crunch.
Just like the secretary and/or office manager, they are an integral part of marketing. They are the first line of communication with those outside of the firm.
They decide what to do and what projects to chase.
We need them to be on the top of their game, so get them something that will allow them to hide their "necessary get away."
Principal:
“Shit I Gotta Fucking Get Done”
'Scuse our French. Maybe this is you? Maybe it's not. Either way, it's cool. The principal always has nonstop work. From the time they get up in the morning, till the time they go to bed, they are working.
Honestly, they are usually working between that time as well, just in their dreams.
They dream about what projects to go after, and how to gain more clients. If they aren’t marketing, the company is dying.
They are a walking, talking, living billboard.
Again, this is somebody we need in a good mood, positive, and happy all the time. They control everything. Their hand is involved in everything - from which projects you are working on, to what days you can take off.
Give them a gift that keeps giving. Perhaps it's a notebook to help them get their shit done?
Without successful marketing, there are no projects. Without projects, there are no jobs.
You have successfully helped your landscape architecture marketing in a vital part of the year! You've brought some good laughs to your landscape architecture firm.
Best of all, you've allowed every part of your firm to feel important.
Be prepared for next year; you never know what they might get you in return.
