How clients find a practice
Most commissions begin with a search for practices that have done similar work. Clients ask colleagues, look at completed buildings and browse directories. The Australian Institute of Architects, for example, advises clients to confirm that an architect is registered and offers a directory of more than 1,800 member practices with their previous projects.
Whatever the starting point, clients almost always check the practice online before making contact. Research on professional services buyers by Hinge found that more than 80 per cent visit a provider’s website to inform their decision. For a practice, that means the website and portfolio often decide whether it reaches the longlist.
Where practices are lost
The diagram on this page shows an illustrated appointment process. Practices drop out at each stage for predictable reasons. They do not show projects comparable to the brief. Their portfolio makes those projects hard to find or assess. Their proposal does not explain clearly how they would approach the work. It is common for an excellent practice to be lost at the second stage, because its portfolio presents everything with equal weight.
| Question | What clients look for | What helps |
|---|---|---|
| Longlist | Comparable projects and registration | A portfolio organised by project type |
| Shortlist | Evidence the practice understands briefs like theirs | Project write-ups covering brief, constraints and result |
| Interview | Approach, team and fit | Credentials and proposals that match the design standard |
Position the practice
Marketing works best when it starts from a clear position: the kinds of projects, clients and problems the practice is best at. That does not mean narrowing to one building type. It means leading with the work the practice wants more of, so the right clients recognise it quickly.
Make the portfolio do the work
A portfolio organised around the work the practice wants to win is easier to shortlist than one organised by date. Each project should explain the brief, the main constraint and the result in a few sentences, alongside the images. Clients are looking for evidence that the practice understands problems like theirs.
Match the documents to the design
Credentials documents and fee proposals are read closely at the interview stage, and they are often assembled quickly. When they match the care of the design, with consistent layout, clear structure and relevant projects, they reinforce the impression the portfolio created. Zelexis works with practices on positioning, portfolio structure, websites and proposal templates, so each stage of the client’s decision is supported.
A useful next step
Something to try this week.
Choose the three projects most like the commissions you want more of. For each, write three sentences covering the client’s brief, the main constraint and the result. Put those three projects first on your website and in your credentials. Then compare how quickly a stranger can find them now.