Raising the perception of your firm’s value among clients, employees, and the wider community holds the potential to profoundly transform your organization. This transformation promises several significant advantages. Firstly, it can lead to increased success in securing new projects, making the process smoother and enabling you to charge higher fees for your services. Additionally, it empowers you to identify and part ways with clients who may not fully appreciate the value you provide, thereby streamlining your client base and enhancing overall job satisfaction among your employees. However, it’s crucial to recognize that achieving this transformation necessitates a departure from your existing business practices, communication strategies, behavioral patterns, and underlying mindsets. 

 To begin this transformation, there are ten fundamental principles that you must understand and integrate into your company’s culture and operational strategies. These principles, once embraced, have the potential to bring about a radical shift in how you approach marketing and business development. They are designed to positively influence the behavior of your staff, instill confidence in those responsible for selling your services, and equip your marketing team with fresh and captivating messages to spread. These principles serve as the foundation upon which you can build a more valuable and differentiated presence in your market, ultimately leading to a “Winning Advantage” in your industry.

1. Reframe the Meaning of Sales 

Seller-doers typically don’t see themselves as salespeople; they often find sales to be an unappealing task they’d rather avoid. However, by shifting the perspective on sales, it can become a positive and enjoyable aspect of their roles. Most professionals in architecture and engineering (A&E) are natural problem solvers who relish challenges. When they start seeing sales as the initial phase of a project, they can approach it as a challenge to uncover solutions that align precisely with the client’s needs. When seller-doers perceive sales as a means to help clients succeed rather than simply as a competition to secure a deal, it not only benefits everyone involved but also makes the sales process a more enjoyable experience for them. 

2. Commoditization of A&E Services – Stop Self Sabotaging 

No A&E professional aims to be perceived as indistinguishable from others in the field. When multiple firms seem identical, pricing becomes the primary distinguishing factor. The commoditization of A&E services has been brought about by intense competition, cost pressures, and counterproductive behaviors rooted in self-limiting beliefs. These negative beliefs manifest in various ways including:  

• Going after every client and project that comes along 
• Lowering fee estimates to get work 
• Discounting rates 
• Not asking for change orders 
• Giving away services for free / over-delivering 
• Taking loss leaders (projects with very low or no profit) 
• Being afraid to challenge clients when needed 
• Failing to articulate your firm’s benefits and value 
• Ignoring the scope and budget on their projects 

The fear of losing clients, apprehension about upsetting them, and the fear of being perceived as too expensive are all factors that prevent firms from realizing higher fees, obtaining change orders, and capitalizing on upsell opportunities. It is necessary to confront and dismantle these self-limiting beliefs, revealing them for what they truly are: False Expectations Appearing Real (FEAR). 

3. Not All Clients Are Good Clients 

Let’s face it—some of your clients can be challenging, displaying unreasonable demands, disrespect toward your employees, and even issues with timely payments. To make matters worse, some clients might not even be profitable. Even if their projects do yield a reasonable profit, difficult clients can drain the vitality of your firm. They often fail to align with your values, disregard your recommendations, and transform your professional life into a constant struggle and source of stress. 

It is often necessary to fire those bad clients and put standards in place to propel your firm’s future project and client selection. If you believe in delivering value, you shouldn’t work with clients you don’t like. When you fully embrace this concept, your work and business will be much more enjoyable and successful. 

4. The 80/20 Principle 

You’ve likely heard of the 80/20 Principle, also known as the Pareto Principle, but you might not be making the most of it. This principle suggests that in many aspects of business and life, about 80% of the results come from just 20% of the efforts. 

In the business context, this translates to the idea that 80% of your profits stem from just 20% of your clients. By applying the 80/20 rule to your client analysis, you can develop a more effective strategy that leads to more profitable and satisfying client relationships. 

5. Defining Your Ideal Client 

We all hope that our clients could resemble our favorite one. By outlining the characteristics of an ideal client for your firm and creating a strategy to attract more of them, you can avoid working with clients who aren’t a good fit. 

Just as it’s crucial to identify the kind of clients you want to collaborate with, it’s equally important to recognize the clients you prefer not to work with. The 80/20 Principle can assist in this regard as well – a significant portion of your challenges often arise from a small fraction of your clients. Overburdening your business with these problematic clients can disrupt your company culture and lead to employees leaving your firm. There’s no need to persist with clients who don’t align with your values and aren’t mutually beneficial. 

6. Five Ways to Differentiate 

There are five ways to differentiate from your competition:  

1. Price 
2. Brand/Reputation 
3. Technology 
4. Service/Team 
5. Process 

All other ways to stand out are essentially modifications of these five approaches. To create your Winning Advantage, you might find it necessary to combine two or more of these methods, or even utilize all five. In exploring the ways in which you will use these five strategies, you may find that you’ve been using the wrong method all along. 

7. Your Winning Advantage – Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and Proprietary Process 

To craft your Winning Advantage, you’ll embark on a comprehensive exploration to uncover where you stand out, excel, and offer additional value to your clients. This journey, along with the exercises included in the 5-Step RAISE Your Value Formula, will lead to the development of two critical components: your Unique Value Proposition (UVP) and your Proprietary Process. 

Your UVP will serve as a short “elevator pitch,” clearly defining why your firm is superior and why an ideal client should choose you over a competitor. 

 Simultaneously, your Proprietary Process will be a clear set of benefits and a unique step-by-step approach that sets your firm apart from all others. This process will be represented by an exclusive acronym embodying your true value, accompanied by a visual graphic element. When combined with your UVP, these elements will form the foundation of your Winning Advantage.  

8. Strategy and Your Values 

Every company requires a roadmap for its growth, and your values should serve as the cornerstone of this strategy—defining what matters to you and how you intend to interact with clients, employees, and the broader world. 

Regrettably, in my experience, I’ve encountered numerous A&E firms without a well-defined strategic plan, rendering their values mere words on a website rather than guiding principles that shape their actions. The development of a value-driven strategic plan can substantially enhance your organizational culture, employee retention, and overall performance.

9. Strategic Pricing 

Most A&E firms tend to offer similar pricing structures. The common approaches involve a blend of lump-sum, hourly/time-and-materials (T&M), or Cost-Plus contracts for estimating fees and invoicing clients. 

Effective differentiation in pricing isn’t merely about having a higher or lower price point; it can also involve presenting unique pricing formats that pique clients’ interest and stand out from the norm. There are creative methods for upselling, cross-selling, and enhancing your contract value by introducing options that clients may not have previously considered. While it may sound challenging, it’s entirely feasible, and the ability to price creatively can shift the dynamics within your clients’ decision-making process, depending on factors like the client, project type, and service provided. 

10. 5-Step RAISE Your Value Formula

Incorporating the nine principles outlined above into your practices will empower your firm to stand out in significant ways. Moreover, by implementing the 5-Step RAISE Your Value Formula within your organization, you’ll gain a clear roadmap for unearthing your distinct hidden value, crafting your Winning Advantage, and harnessing it in the market to attract superior clients, command higher fees, and foster happier employees. 

As depicted in the illustration below, these five steps are as follows:

1. RATE your current clients and develop your ideal client criteria

2. ASSESS your pricing, marketing, sales process and project financials

3. INVESTIGATE your unique value and create your Winning Advantage

4. STRATEGIZE how you want to leverage your unique value

5. EXECUTE on your new strategic plan

Incorporating these ten principles into your firm’s operations is the catalyst for crafting the Winning Advantage that sets you apart. This advantage isn’t merely a theoretical concept; it’s the key to charging higher fees and positioning your firm at the pinnacle of your niche. By embracing these principles and committing to their implementation, you embark on a journey toward unlocking your firm’s true potential. The path ahead is illuminated by the promise of greater success, satisfaction, and a lasting legacy of excellence in your industry. 

If you are ready to start implementing these 10 principles and RAISE your firm’s value, be sure to join us for our upcoming web training!