new model required
Surely you do not plan to continue marketing your practice/company the same way as before the recession arrived? Even in London where things move along at quite a pace and change can be rapid there is little sign of departure from tradition. Many architects & engineers still continue to talk mostly about themselves, use outdated [...]
no place for turkey twizzlers
Alain de Botton spoke with alacrity at the V&A on Friday 17th September about the five quite different houses that are to be constructed by his unique organisation Living Architecture. It is a riposte to the modern commercial housebuilder the ‘turkey twizzler’ of architecture. All the buildings will be completed over the next 12 months [...]
commercial development
On behalf of two architectural clients Kent SMS has been making discreet telephone calls to developers up & down the UK in order to assess the current situation. It is clear that 2010 will remain difficult for the majority of developers. The reason for this is not just the fact that their banks are reluctant [...]
marketing your practice
You simply must read the chapter on New Business Development. ‘Drawing on the expertise of a range of industry insiders, this practical and accessible guide shows how effective marketing can give your practice the edge. With examples, tips, and guidelines that can easily be applied to a practice of any size, Marketing your Practice brings [...]
making buildings work
None for months then two come along at once. On the 09dec09 Kent SMS was off to The Royal Society no less. Wearing a smart pinstripe suit and a tie, I am convinced they will be back in fashion soon, meant that most delegates avoided me like the plague,thinking I was a banker. What do [...]
striking a light
New client matchbox architects of Wollaston, Northampton have asked Kent SMS to prepare their practice for expansion in 2010. A bespoke marketing & new client programme that focuses on the core competances of this small but perfectly formed practice is underway. The practice is about to go on site with a hospice www.matchboxarchitects.co.uk As with [...]
famous for 15 seconds
The commissioning editor at RIBA Publishing James Thompson has sent me a very nice letter with regard to the chapter on business development that I have penned for inclusion in the RIBA ‘Good Practice Guide to Marketing’ to be published in December. Helen Elias the erstwhile editor of the book asked a number of us [...]
trench warfare
01 lift your head above the parapet and prepare a strategic plan that identifies growth opportunities 02 decide now which markets and clients are the future for your business/practice 03 communicate your plan internally & externally having made sure that your marketing tools are state of the art 04 involve Kent SMS if you are [...]
are you just surviving?
If you have had to let people ‘go’ and cut costs it takes its toll on the business and effects the moral of the whole organisation. For that reason alone it is vital to make a clear statement as to what your plans for the future are. Many will say that this is not the best [...]
beauty is the purgation of superfluities
Client Terry Pawson is an unassuming yet outstanding architect whose studio takes design detail to infinity. And it shows. He flew out to Dublin last week to oversee the photography of the recently completed and stunning Visual Arts Centre in the small town of Carlow. Those images are embargoed until they are published in the [...]
