A recent survey from the Design Institute of Australia has confirmed what many in the industry have known for some time now - the number of architects and designers in Australia far outstrips demand for their services.

This being the case, architectural and design practices are having to find new ways of standing out from the crowd. This means embracing an idea that is foreign to many – marketing.

The available avenues for marketing your practice are almost endless - from the old school RFPs, direct mail and directory listings, to the more modern practices of social media, blog posts and e-mail – the opportunities are there, and the costs and effort involved generally pale in comparison when compared with the potential rewards.

No truer is this than with a technology we have long used in business each and every day – the telephone.

Often the first way a potential new client will interact with your business, the telephone is one of the most important tools for promoting your practice and ensuring a potential clients’ first impression is a good one.  

When someone has gone to the trouble of contacting your practice it is important their efforts are reciprocated.

Alarmingly 7 out of 10 business calls are placed on hold. This could go a long way to explaining why 68% of customer loss is due to an indifferent or negative phone experience.

As many architectural practices don’t have the convenience of a receptionist to answer calls, the occurrence of inbound calls going to hold is inevitable. But being On Hold doesn’t need to sound the death knell of the phone call.

Professional On Hold messages can be a valuable opportunity to tell callers more about your practice and make time spent On Hold worthwhile to both parties. It could just be the difference between you or the next practice on the list.

For more tips on phone marketing and other essential marketing tips for your architectural practice, fill out the form below for ‘5 Vital Ways to Market Your Small Business’