From: Just west of the South Skunk River
Monday, 6:30 a.m.
“You can’t wait for inspiration. You have to go after it with a club.”
— Jack London
There once was a monk who entered a monastery and took a vow of silence: he’s allowed to say two words every seven years.
After the first seven years, the elders bring him in and ask for his two words. “Cold floors,” he says. They nod and send him away.
Seven more years pass. They bring him back in and ask for his two words. He clears his throats and says, “Bad food.” They nod and send him away.
Seven more years pass. They bring him in for his two words.
“I quit,” he says.
“That’s not surprising,” the elders say. “You’ve done nothing but complain, since you got here.”
Lame joke? …Maybe. (I still get a chuckle out of it…)
But it raises a good point about mindset. And what you’re projecting to others.
Your co-workers. Your employees. Your clients and prospects.
So let’s talk about how you can avoid repelling architects with your mind…
Jedi mind trick?
You surely know a person who seems to have a negative attitude about everything.
The guy who’s always complaining about the weather. Or the coffee. Or the morning news.
Or the woman who’s gossiping about everybody. Finding faults to pick at to make herself feel better.
And if you’re not careful, it’s easy to get sucked into that vacuum of negativity.
On the other side of the coin, if you’re stuck in a negative mindset, you’re likely repelling others.
And if your job is to bring in leads or new clients and customers…
That’s not a good thing.
And it’s not just the negative mindset you have to look out for. It can also be desperation. Greed. Indifference.
What’s that look like from an architect’s side?
Here’s a recent (and true) story from the architectural office I work in…
I was working at my desk when a developer/builder stopped by the architect’s desk next to mine.
I looked up, waved at him and kept working… And listening…
They have a project that’s “on the street” getting bids from sub-contractors. And they’ve both been getting a TON of calls about the project. From contractors and product manufacturers.
So the contractor smiles and says to my coworker, “XYZ company?”
Architect: “What about ’em?”
Contractor: “They’ve been calling me EVERY day, asking about the project. You, too?”
Architect: “Yeah. Kind of annoying. Not sure what’s up with that.”
Contractor: “You spec’d ’em. Mind if I go with the other guys? Just because…?”
Architect: “Yeah. Might as well.”
And that’s how fast it happens. In less than 50 words, the base manufacturer gets pushed aside.
Now, I don’t know what was going on from the product rep’s side of things. But the hard sell approach repelled her prospect and lost the project.
The rep’s approach was saying: “I want this project. I need this project. Gimme! Gimme!”
They were already the base manufacturer. That means they were the top runner to get the project. But their mindset came through as desperation.
The result: 1) Lost the project. 2) May have lost “base manufacturer” status in that architect’s specifications.
So what should you be doing instead?
We can all find ourselves chasing after prospects from behind.
Only talking to them when they have something we want. (Like the project in the example above…)
A good summary of the right way to be doing things in today’s world is in the book, “Jab, Jab, Jab, Right Hook” by Gary Vaynerchuk.
In the book, your “right hook” is when you’re selling and self-promoting. Your “jabs” are when you’re engaging your prospects and triggering an emotional response.
An oversimplified takeaway from Gary V’s book is we should give, give, give and then we can ask.
“So, Neil… Are you saying I should send gifts, pastries and food platters to bribe them into specifying me?”
No. Your “jabs” are the content and education you provide that lead up to the sale (or specification).
The case studies, white papers and other helpful content positioning you as the obvious choice.
You can develop an effective way to “drip” this content out to your prospects over time. This way, you won’t have to hard sell them for the next project.
You’ll have already given them valuable education, so they’ve already sold themselves.
And they’ll be more likely to defend their choice and sell your benefits for you.
Need help?
So, now that I’ve given you another peek into the architect’s mind. Something to think about.
I’ll ask. If you need help developing your marketing and content system. Let’s talk.
Either reply to this email (I read them all) or go to my contact form and send me a message.
I’m here to help you.
Make it a great marketing day!
Neil Sutton