How to Win More Custom Design Jobs – Easily

There’s a wrong way and a right way to build relationships with architects and designers. Done properly, the rewards are massive.

See how to set up professional referral networks that deliver & last.

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If you’re a custom builder its inevitable that you’ll be working with architects, building designers and interior designers.

So how do you create referral relationships with these professionals that are lasting, respectful, valuable to both parties?

How do you avoid becoming quote fodder (included in the mix merely to price check their preferred builder) and ensure you don’t waste your time?

The Wrong Way

Traditionally, a builders looking to grow referral networks with these professionals reach out to them, introduce themselves and then follow up to see if they need any builders’ input.

Given concept development is the stage Architects and Designers require most require builders’ support, any builder making themselves available for these estimates will become very popular, very quickly.

There’s just one catch: traditional concept estimation takes almost as long as an estimate for detailed drawings.

So once you’ve got three design professionals requesting concept estimates, you run out of time to bring more design professionals into your referral network – and this is before you’ve even won any work form the original three.

As any sales professional will tell you, having three referrers who are yet to show they’re a good fit for your building company clogging up your pipeline could become a huge problem.

The Right Way to Build Relationships with Design Professionals

So, if you want three referral relationships in place, you need to start with 10 of them because seven will finish up not being an ideal fit. Be it through misalignment of expectations, work methods, client fit, locations, projects, etc.

Remember, you want design professionals who refer jobs that are the perfect fit. That is the right kind of jobs, in the right location with the right clients.

So, it’s little wonder that you’ll need to kiss a few frogs (10 of them) before you find three princes(ses).

How To Efficiently Identify the Best 3 Referrers From a Group of 10

So, from start to finish, here’s how to generate solid relationships with three design professionals that are great referrers and a great fit:

1. Initially, identify 10 design professionals who operate in your area doing the kind of project you want
2. Approach them and offer concept estimates with a 2-5 day turn-around time using a ProCalc free trial (takes you about 30 mins per project). This is a huge improvement on their current situation which is more like 2 – 5 weeks from other builders they know.
3. When they send through a concept, load the plans into ProCalc and produce a price guide (in about 30 minutes) that you can send to them by email. You can take a free ProCalc Trial to fulfill these requests and the design professional will be blown away with your turn-around time making you their ‘go to’ builder
4. Ensure you set this up with about 10 design professionals and work to deliver three price guides for each one
5. Once you’ve provided three to each, you will have a very clear idea about which three design professionals you’d prefer to work with
6. Reach out to those three and politely explain that you’ve chosen them as ideal partners and you’re now ready to take a real project. Generally, they’ll recognise the fit too and take your request seriously (rather than just treating you as quote fodder)
7. You now have three professional referrers with whom you prefer to work. The foundations are laid for a respectful and valued relationship – that lasts.
8. You can now focus purely on building projects you love working on, confident the referrals will just keep coming.

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