The Unique Value of Your Firm. Presented By Wendy Nemitz Ingenuity Marketing Group, LLC Ingenuity Marketing Group, LLC. AIA Best Practices

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1 The Unique Value of Your Firm Presented By Wendy Nemitz Ingenuity Marketing Group, LLC AIA Best Practices SMPS is a Registered Provider with the American Institute of Architects Continuing Education Systems. Credits earned on completion of this program will be reported to CES Records for all AIA members. Certificates of Completion for non-aia members are available upon request. This program is registered with the AIA/CES for continuing professional education. As such, it does not include content that may be deemed or construed to be an approval or endorsement by the AIA of any material of construction or any method or manner of handling, using, distributing, or dealing in any material or product. Questions related to specific materials, methods, and services will be addressed at the conclusion of this presentation. 1

2 Copyright Notice This presentation is protected by US and International copyright laws. Reproduction, distribution, display and use of the presentation without written permission of the speaker is prohibited. AIA/CES 2011 Wendy Nemitz B.A. in Communications M.A. in Leadership Professional service marketing since 1987 Leadership and succession coach Worked with more than 100 professional service firms Wrote Leadership: A New Conversation. 2

3 Who is Ingenuity? Ingenuity Marketing Group focuses exclusively on the people of professional services. We help them clarify and deliver their value through marketing strategy, public relations, training and coaching. Get clear. Be brilliant. Drive opportunity. Our services connect you to the right prospects, the right media and the right talent. Whether you need an elegant, persuasive website, compelling brochures and direct mail, or a program to build a rainmaking culture, we deliver the ideas, content and design that communicates you brilliantly. 3

4 Tell Us What makes your firm unique? POLL: Is it Client service & relationships: we go above and beyond for our clients Expertise: We really know our stuff Quality: We provide the highest quality of work X Years of Experience Size: Big enough to serve you, small enough to know you 4

5 The conversation in your firm Does not cut it Free! TRITE PowerPoint TRUSTED ADVISOR ( Honest John s Used Cars, sorry to say) 5

6 EXCELLENCE (As opposed to your sub-par competitors) QUALITY (As opposed to that shoddy firm up the street) 6

7 CUSTOMER- FOCUSED (Those other firms HATE their customers) TIMELY MANNER (Do you mean on time? ) 7

8 X YEARS OF COMBINED EXPERIENCE (How is this relevant to the prospect?) SMALL ENOUGH TO KNOW YOU, LARGE ENOUGH TO SERVE YOU (Identical claim in 1671 AEC firms, 1456 CPA firms, 1387 law firms and 1421 banks*) *87% of all statistics are made up 8

9 VALUE ADD (We are not sure what this means) 9

10 OUR PARTNERS ARE FROM THE BIG FIRMS (Our partners graduated from Beauty School) CUSTOMER INTIMACY (We buy them presents at Victoria s Secret) 10

11 EXPERTISE PROFESSIONALISM 11

12 WELCOME TO OUR WEBSITE (It was last refreshed in 1996) 12

13 Highest Quality Service Superior Client Service 13

14 Uniquely Qualified Earning your trust one project at a time. 14

15 Committed to Excellence (On an actual Funeral Home Billboard) Passion for Excellence (Excellence died with parachute pants) 15

16 Why should you care? Prospects Acquisitions / Mergers Recruiting Current Clients Branding Media Relations / PR Consequences 16

17 POLL: Commodity Describe your main competitive landscape in the last 12 months: 1. Sharp increase in number of competitors at many opportunities and fierce price competition 2. Some increase in number of competitors and some price competition 3. Little or no increase in competition and little price pressure 4. A decrease in competition and an increase in prices Consequences 17

18 POLL: Stagnant Describe your main growth landscape in the last 12 months: 1. Lost ground: our business overall has shrunk 2. Flat is the new up: We are up or down a little but pretty close to flat growth 3. We have grown a bit 4. This economy rocks! We are up! Consequences 18

19 POLL: Die Here Our succession plan: 1. What is a succession plan? We are going to die here. 2. Hopefully we will be acquired by someone. 3. The team below us will probably take over someday. 4. We are grooming a strong, next generation of leadership. 5. This does not really apply to us as we are a very large firm and/or are not closely held. How do you use differentiation? In your conversations With your referral sources When selling In your marketing materials As the basis of your brand images 19

20 POLL: Our highest level of differentiation is: 1. We have a a logo that is a different color than all but three of our competitors. 2. We have spent time and money on branding. 3. We know all of our key messages and how we are different. 4. We use our key messages in our communications. 5. We use our key messages in all our communications and nearly everyone in the company can tell you what they are. Use 20

21 The state of AEC now The good, the bad and the just plain ugly Homepage 21

22 Bios About us 22

23 POLL This firm is: 1. Owned by one guy and run out of his basement. 2. Owned by a small group that has worked together a long time and does not impress me as cutting edge. 3. Full of new ideas and solutions. 4. A large, multi-entity firm that can solve the toughest engineering issues. Homepage 23

24 Projects POLL This firm is: 1. Owned by one guy and run out of his basement. 2. Owned by a small group that has worked together a long time and does not impress me as cutting edge. 3. Full of new ideas and solutions. 4. A large, multi-entity firm that can solve the toughest engineering issues. 24

25 Examples Examples 25

26 Examples Examples 26

27 Examples Examples 27

28 Examples Examples Questions? Ingenuity Marketing Group LLC (651)

29 Questions Differentiation Circles Research Firm View Competitive View Client / Prospect View Community View 29

30 Firm View Founding stories / context Leadership interviews Team focus groups or surveys Aspirations and vision Myth #1: We Know Us Partner #1 says: We have won numerous awards. Partner #2 says: We win big settlements. 30

31 What did the clients say? I never wanted to sue anyone. At the worst time in my life these people saved us. 31

32 Client / Prospect View Client Conversations / Interviews Prospect Perspectives Client Conversations The Political Roadblocks Best Practices in Calling: - Personal visits - Outside callers, journalists Questions to Ask 32

33 Client Conversations Of all the projects (this firm) has done, what has made the most difference for you? Can you describe a time when they really came through for you? (client anecdote or experience) Who is your primary relationship at the firm? How would you describe that relationship? How would you describe your relationship with other people there? What do you think this firm does best? What are the strengths? Are there any weaknesses at the firm? Any service or other issues? If I were a friend of yours and needed similar services, what would you say about this firm? How likely are you to refer (this firm) to others on a scale of 1 7. One being never and seven being always? Client Conversations Transcripts Testimonials Themes Initial Taglines 33

34 Community View Ad messages Sponsorships / Pro Bono Association memberships Janty survey 34

35 Competition Competitive Analysis - Web - Print - Materials - Secret Shop - Focus Groups 35

36 Results The Izzy Competitive Differentiators Key Messages (Experience Themes) Foundation Theme (Positioning Statement) Differentiation #1 Foundation Theme X is an architecture and engineering firm based in the Midwest serving clients worldwide. We consistently deliver value in the areas of... Explanatory 36

37 Differentiation #2 Key Message Unstoppable in the face of complex issues. (SM) Emotional and experiential Differentiation #3 Competitive Differentiator No other company has built more health care facilities in the Midwest. It is what we do. 37

38 Differentiation #4 The Izzy 38

39 Differentiation Taglines Alston & Bird: Leadership. Creativity. Results. Crowell & Moring: Experience. Creativity. Results. Strellis & Field: Experienced. Driven. Effective. Wells Jaworski & Liebman: Effective. Efficient. Expeditious. Free! Top 50 law firm taglines. Differentiation Taglines Perkins Coie Legal Counsel to Great Companies' 39

40 Differentiation A work in progress, composed of: What you say you are or aspire to What your community knows about you What your clients depend on you for What your competition does not own Results Everyone in the firm on the same page Better win rates in sales when there is more than one firm at the table Clear, consistent messaging everywhere Save money on ridiculous RFP responses, random advertising and unaligned marketing Recruiting is easier as is a merger 40

41 Our process Educational Tools InGenius Review: our free bimonthly newsletter about professional service marketing. 41

42 Educational Tools Podcasts, videocasts and information galore at Thank you Questions? Ingenuity Marketing Group LLC (651)