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If you are like the marketing leaders at most architecture and engineering firms, you’ve noticed that these days there are a lot more companies competing for every project. Firms that didn’t previously compete in your core areas are now actively seeking toeholds. How can you make sure that you keep the clients with whom you have worked so hard to build lasting relationships?

There are three practices that I feel are important in any market, but in challenging times they are absolutely essential. And they are the most likely to get lost in the “chase whatever moves” trap that is so easy to fall into in slow economic times. These practices are:

• Select your clients as carefully as they select you.

• Find out how they really feel about your firm and service. (“Oh, you’re doing fine” is not a useful answer.)

• Become their “partner”, helping them weather the downturn.

The first practice is the foundation. Andrew Carnegie said, “The wise man puts all his eggs in one basket and watches that basket.” While diversity is important to any business, there are only so many hours in a day and so many clients you can serve effectively. Trying to serve too many, and especially chasing RFPs from clients with whom you have no relationship, is one of the easiest paths to failure.

All clients are not equal and an RFP is not a subpoena. It’s wasteful to spend valuable staff time and resources to blindly chase new clients or projects you are not positioned for. So, start by evaluating your existing and potential clients and then purposefully select the ones you will invest in. Here’s how:

With your key staff, brainstorm the most valuable characteristics of the clients you would choose to build a practice around. Are they well funded? Do they use fair contracting practices?

Do they have challenging projects? These characteristics will be different for each firm. And they may change depending on market conditions. After you build your list of desirable attributes, apply weights. I use a four-weight system. First, are the pass/fail criteria (if they don’t meet this one, delete them). Then the rest are weighted “vital” (three points), “important” (two points), or “nice” (one point).

Create a simple matrix with the criteria and weighting factors on one axis and your current or proposed clients on the other. Score each client for one (lowest) to five (highest) for each criterion and add the weighted score. Invariably, I find that there will be clear break points to show you which clients you should spend your time with.

Divide them into categories. I use platinum, gold, silver and fool’s gold.

Platinum and gold: Assign a dedicated client service manager, one who will make sure that the client receives undivided attention, to watch this basket. Then develop a marketing plan specifically for this client and make it a top priority. Platinum clients should have some kind of contact at least weekly.

Silver: Track these clients and make monthly or quarterly contacts. Submit on their projects only when doing so won’t jeopardize your efforts with gold or silver clients.

Fool’s gold: Fire them! Life is too short, and they only divert resources from the higher-value clients.

Taking time to carefully select your clients and then being disciplined to focus on the platinum and gold ones will reduce the demands on your marketing staff and budget, increase your hit rates and improve your bottom line.

Steve Walker is the principal of SR Walker & Associates and a member of SMPS. He has more than 35 years of experience in engineering, construction and professional services marketing. Contact him at 503-288-3379 or [email protected].