The new year is upon us, and the start of January is always a great time to make a plan to attract new business and build your clientele. To increase your church business, there are a number of things you can do. Below are some thoughts from church design companies on ways to prosper in 2020.
1-Reach out to past clients
David Evans, AIA, president of Kansas City, Mo.-based Mantel Teter, notes that his best source for new projects has always been the retention and satisfaction of the firm’s existing clients.
“Pastors talk to pastors, plain and simple,” he says. “We make a point, especially at the first of every year, to touch base with our past clients and special industry partners. We use this touch point to engage about potential projects, not only with that existing church client, but potential projects at churches that are within that pastor’s sphere of influence.”
“Pastors talk to pastors, plain and simple. We make a point, especially at the first of every year, to touch base with our past clients and special industry partners." David Evans, AIA, President, Mantel Teter, Kansas City, MO
At the beginning of each year, the firm gauges client retention on its ability to integrate all the dimensions of a business and then measure how well it’s creating value to its clients.
“We seek ways to demonstrate our unique knowledge base as it relates to the world of church and ministry, understanding what really matters to them most,” Evans says. “Out of that, we create solutions that become a custom tool to each ministry. Our past clients are our best referral. They’re our clearest pathway to new church clients and opportunities.”
2-Highlight past successful design jobs
Rodney C. James, president of Master’s Plan Church Design & Construction, Tulsa, Okla., says that in the past five years, every church project the firm has done was completed under budget, and that’s something he makes sure future church clients know.
“A new thing we are going to do in 2020 [is what] we call Master Plan University, which is an educational piece that helps churches know the right way to renovate, expand, relocate and all the things that churches need to know about the construction world,” James says. “There are right steps to take in the right order, and I am hoping this educates churches on the [best] way to do things and show them you can finish your product on time and at the right [budget] or under budget 100% of the time.”
3-Reinforce with social media
There’s no denying the power that social media has in 2020, with more than 1.69 billion people on Facebook, 112.5 million users of Instagram and 330 million monthly users of Twitter, according to Statistica. That’s why Sharon Exley, co-founder of Chicago-based Architecture Is Fun, notes that upping your social media presence is a great way to increase business.
“Posting those good stories about problem solving with clients on LinkedIn has been great for us. Colleagues repost too, so the spread is wide.” Sharon Exley, MAAE, IF, Co-Founder and President, Architecture is Fun, Chicago, IL
“I think that websites are not a great way to expend energy; you should be concentrating on reaching out by way of social media,” she says. “Posting those good stories about problem solving with clients on LinkedIn has been great for us. Colleagues repost too, so the spread is wide.”
Exley also uses social media sites to reach out to previous clients to ask about recent images, which she then can turn into a social media post or story, and at the same time, be top-of-mind of the past client.
“We have one church client who at least 15 years later wrote just recently when I asked if they’d be a reference,” she says, noting the client told them she would encourage others to use architectureisfun and have been following its successes on Facebook.
4-Draw on immersive visualization tools
Lisa Masteller, principal and CEO of Newton, N.C.-based Sassafras Studios, says when prioritizing timelines and budgets, her company is recognizing the importance of being able to clearly communicate the story of each client’s design.
“One of the exciting ways we are doing this is by incorporating a more immersive visualization experience to our custom 3D designs,” she says. “This includes implementing AR and VR architectural walkthroughs that put the client inside their space. By providing the client and prospective investors the opportunity to experience the space at human scale, we allow them to see and feel their story come to life.”
