Business of Architecture Podcast

ArchitectCEO Update: A Time to Speak, A Time to Listen Have you ever done or something really stupid that makes you cringe when you think on it? Back when I was a newly minted architect I did such a thing. Listen to today's episode to discover my dirty little secret. Many firm owners want to get to the next level in their practice, or set up their firm to transition. That's exactly why I created the DREAM Practice Accelerator - to help firm owners create a practice built on consistency, freedom, fulfillment, and exceptional finances. If you'd like to learn more, a good place to start is my upcoming LIVE Architect Masterclass on "4 Keys to Put Your Architecture Firm on Autopilot So You Can Focus on Serving Raving Fan Clients ... Instead of Dealing with Chaos (Even If You Have a Small Team and No Free Time)". Register for this FREE live Architect Masterclass here: http://architectresources.org/listen Carpe diem! Enoch

Last week while camping I saw a sheepdog stalking a chipmunk sitting on a log. The dog stared intently at the chipmunk while remaining perfectly still. Every so often, the dog would take one small step forward. The chipmunk remained frozen ... perhaps wondering what was happening. I didn't stay to watch the conclusion of the battle of the dog vs. chipmunk to see if the dog got her prize, but it made me think about the game of client acquisition in your architecture firm. Just like a dog stalking a chipmunk, there is a skill to positioning your firm to attract and win your ideal clients and projects. In today's ArchitectCEO Update, you'll discover three keys for client acquisition. Listen to today's episode and let me know what you think. Want a shortcut to finding and winning your ideal clients? That's exactly why I created the DREAM Practice Accelerator for architecture firm owners - to help firm owners create a practice built on consistency, freedom, fulfillment, and exceptional finances. If you'd like to learn more, a good place to start is my upcoming LIVE Architect Masterclass on "4 Keys to Put Your Architecture Firm on Autopilot So You Can Focus on Serving Raving Fan Clients ... Instead of Dealing with Chaos (Even If You Have a Small Team and No Free Time)". Register for this FREE live Architect Masterclass here: http://architectresources.org/dog-vs-chipmunk Carpe diem! Enoch

ArchitectCEO Update: Manufacture Lack of Competition and Dominate Your Market - the parable of Marshmallow Marketing. This past weekend we camped at Huntington Lake in the Sierra Nevada mountains - sailing and getting dirty. Upon arrival (a 2 1/2 hour drive), we discovered that we'd forgotten a critical camping item ... the marshmallows. The kids were in an uproar. Oh no! What to do? Fortunately, there's a general store at the lake where I found the beloved marshmallows. Because we were in the high Sierras, I paid USD 4 for a bag of marshmallows that would normally cost $2.50 at the local grocery store. That's a monopoly - the general store can charge what they want for marshmallows because there's no place else to get them. If I want to buy marshmallows, I need to spend $4. Did I feel ripped off? Nope - $4 is a small price to pay to entertain six children for an hour. This got me to thinking about how one of the keys to being in demand and charging higher prices is to create your virtual monopoly by manufacturing lack of competition. Watch today's video to discover three ways to manufacture lack of competition in your market. Want a shortcut to manufacturing lack of competition in your market? That's exactly why I created the DREAM Practice Accelerator for architecture firm owners - to help firm owners create a practice built on freedom, fulfillment, and exceptional finances. If you'd like to learn more, a good place to start is my upcoming LIVE Architect Masterclass on "4 Keys to Put Your Architecture Firm on Autopilot So You Can Focus on Serving Raving Fan Clients ... Instead of Dealing with Chaos (Even If You Have a Small Team and No Free Time)". Register for this FREE live Architect Masterclass here: http://architectresources.org/j8n47 Carpe diem. Enoch

ArchitectCEO Update: why referrals can be your firm's death knell. I know today's post will be controversial - you'll discover why depending on word-of-mouth alone can be a death knell for your architecture firm. To discover how to escape the referral / death knell cycle, register for my next FREE Architect Masterclass on the 4 keys to building your DREAM Practice: http://architectresources.org/9mj74g7 Enoch

ArchitectCEO Update: One Key to Winning Better Projects and Clients. Recently I went to the auto parts store buy some oil for my car. I walked through the store and was greeted by an entire wall of oil - expensive oil, cheap oil, brand name oil and no-name oil, high performance oil and well ... regular oil. This got me thinking about the foundational key I teach every architect who I work with. This ONE KEY forms the foundation of every successful pratice I've studied and worked with. To discover more about winning better projects and clients, register for my next FREE Live Architect Masterclass: http://architectresources.org/ij9ht74

ArchitectCEO Update: One Critical Sales Mistake Architects Make Truth be told, we architects don't think of ourselves as 'selling.' That's a dirty word. Architects are artists, we create not sell ... right? Semantics aside, we're ALWAYS selling, as author Daniel Pink eloquently points out in his book, "To Sell is Human." In today's ArchitectCEO Update, you'll discover the parable of the Glass Shop, and one critical error that architects make in their sales process. To discover how to avoid this mistake, register for my next FREE Architect Masterclass on the three keys to creating your DREAM Practice: http://architectresources.org/b7s63 Enoch

ArchitectCEO Daily Update: today's topic is ... One Critical Mistake Architecture Firm Owners Make (everyone makes this mistake - me too). The other day I got a package from Amazon, and I noticed something remarkable about the box. Listen to today's ArchitectCEO Update to discover the parable of the Amazon box. Discover how to prevent this mistakes from happening in YOUR firm by attending my next free LIVE Architect Masterclass - register here: http://architectresources.org/jns72i Enoch

ArchitectCEO Daily Update: today's parable is - Little Whiteboard. When I work out in the morning, I use a small whiteboard to track how exercises I've done. Recently, I did a workout that included a set of complex movements repeated 10 times. I'm not sure, but I think that somewhere along the line I lost track of the number of rounds I'd done. :( Everyone else finished at least 1 round ahead of me. This got me to thinking about the power and importance of tracking and knowing the numbers in your architecture firm as an ArchitectCEO. There are a lot of important numbers to track, from complex key performance indicators like utilization and break-even rates, to simple metrics like the work in progress or pipeline backlog. In today's episode, you'll discover why tracking your numbers is essential to running a DREAM Practice, and the metrics I recommend you start with if you don't know where to start. Let me know what you think.

ArchitectCEO Update: the parable of Lollipops at the Carwash. The other day I was driving around with my two oldest daughters (14 yrs and 12yrs old) and decided to drop by the car wash. My oldest daughter asked excitedly, "Ooh, can I get a lollipop?" "Don't you think you're a little old to be getting lollipops from the car wash?" I joked with a smile. She asked her sister if SHE wanted a lollipop. "Nope," responded my 12 year old daughter. After thinking for a few seconds, my oldest daughter changed her mind. "I don't want one after all," she said. This experience got me to thinking ... where in my life am I changing what I want because of what other people around me are doing? Am I showing up as my true and authentic self each and every day? I realize I'm not, but I'm committed to do better. Discover more by listening to today's ArchitectCEO update, and let me know what you think. Enoch

ArchitectCEO Daily Update: today's parable is - Milk on the Back Wall. As my wife and I were driving home today from the gym at 6 am I realized that we're out of bananas at home for my daily smoothie. Oh no! Red light emergency! ;) So we dropped by our local grocery store to pick up bananas - and some milk. There I was - armed with my mission: get milk and bananas. Simple enough right? The bananas were easy to find. I asked an associate where I could find the milk. He pointed to the far back corner of the store. I confirmed, "The far back corner?" "Yep," he responded. I went there and found myself in the meat section. "Hmm ... I think I'll pick up some pork chops." Finally, after running back to the front of the store and asking another associate where to find the milk, I found that creamy white goodness in the middle of the back wall of the store. I got back to my car and told my waiting wife about my trouble finding the milk. She replied: "On the back wall right? That's where it usually is." She reminded me that grocery stores usually have the milk at the back so they have a better chance of you buying something else on your way to get the milk. Well it worked. The grocery store strategically designed my experience as a customer. What I'd have you consider today is this: where in your architecture are you lacking a carefully designed experience for your clients? Do you have a systematic process for reaching out to and engaging new clients? Do you know what you'll say on the first interaction? What will you do or say on the third or fourth interaction? Is this information captured somewhere so that other people can be trained on this process ... so you're not continually reinventing the wheel? If you realize you need a more carefully scripted process and don't have the time or know where to start, send me a private message. Perhaps I can help you.