Landing a pursuit is rarely a one-person endeavor. It includes the many relationships of the team, the brand, the portfolio, the initial contacts, the interviews, the negotiation of the contracts.... There are multiple decision points (and decision makers) that have to be navigated for every win. Winning work is resource-intensive.
Both architects and pastors can be artists who are businessmen of necessity -- a shared experience that can be mutually beneficial and bonding.
Many design firms chase and track leads. But I'm curious if that system of measurement creates a fragmented approach to the way we see work? Attention and effort is poured into a single win—and then we are hunting for the next one. What if a more effective model is in building pipelines? In developing relationships that produce more than a single project?
While it may seem like semantics, focusing on the people rather than focusing on the projects creates a better investment of resources. After all, projects don't make decisions. People do. Here are three ways to shift your business development efforts from chasing leads to developing pipelines:
1. Identify the “builder” pastors. Some pastors are builders. It is in their DNA. No matter which church they are serving, they are the catalyst for creating the facilities that help drive the ministry forward. Take note of the pastors who are builders. If your firm is a good fit for their style of ministry, get to know them and maintain that relationship over time. Design thinking is an asset to builder-pastors even when there is no project on the table, and your ability to share that design thinking can earn you a position as a trusted advisor if you invest in the relationship. Once identified, set up a Google alert, stay connected on LinkedIn or read denominational feeds to be aware of when builder pastors move. To be sure, they will [eventually] begin planning a new project at their new church.
2. Connect at a leadership level. Many pastors of large churches start with a heart for ministry and eventually find themselves the CEO of a large ministry-based corporation. Maybe you can relate (i.e., you started as an intern with a heart for design and wound up a principal trying to keep the lights on). Remember that pastors will have a different relationship with the businessmen in their congregation than they will with someone like you who is outside of that circle. Both architects and pastors can be artists who are businessmen of necessity—a shared experience that can be mutually beneficial and bonding.
3. Be careful what you measure. What gets measured influences how our teams spend their time. If business development professionals are measured based on lead generation, then that is where the effort is poured (with a great deal of protectiveness of who "owns" which leads). But if 80% of our work is coming from existing relationships, then shouldn't the biggest part of our resources (both monetary and human) be aligned with that? Measure what matters. Many of the large firms who excel at repeat clients have metrics for principals requiring them to spend non-project related time with existing and past clients so that relationships are deepened. On a less formal level, setting up a client relationship management (CRM) system can measure touch points and make sure that past and potential clients are connected with and cared for on a regular basis.
I've been lucky to spend my career in a structure that is focused on relationships. Getting to know people well enough to understand what they need and genuinely trying to make them successful requires an outward focus rather than an inward one. In many ways, it is easier to track leads. They are tangible and line up well on a spreadsheet. But it can be more worthwhile to invest in building pipelines.
