ArchitectFirmSolutionSelling                                                             July 28, 2003

 

No Cost and Negative Cost Marketing

 

Negative Cost Marketing—A Form of Perpetual Motion

 

I was asked by a client who sells promotional items, how he could use a 3D Viewer (like the ones you used as a kid where they look like a pair of binoculars and have a circular card with images on it—only this has pictures you can see in 3D) in a solution-selling mode with Barry Smith Architects (not their real name)? Here is my answer:

 

  1. This solution is relevant to any architecture firm or any home builder or, indeed, any commercial developer too.
  2. Don’t call Barry Smith, the lead architect. Call their office manager, Brett Jones, also an architect. Always practice bottom up selling.
  3. Tell him that you have a product that might be of interest to his clients—a new 3D (but low tech) viewer.
  4. It’s cool and will appeal not only to his clients but their clients too.
  5. Also, tell him that it is no cost marketing for them and negative cost marketing for some of their clients.
  6. How’s that possible? Read on…
  7. When you meet Brett F2F (the best way to sell, right?), you show him the viewer, especially the scene with the buildings in it with forecourt filled with flowers.
  8. Get him excited about the 3D views.
  9. Ask him to imagine how great their work will look in this format.
  10. People are tired of the same old marketing stuff—email, web, magazine ads or whatever. This is tactile, high quality and fun.
  11. The strategy is for Brett to introduce you to their existing (current) clients as well as former clients.
  12. With former clients such as the Museum of the Americas (not the real client’s name), they would order, say, a few hundred units featuring 3D images of their Museum or a new Museum display or collection. The copyright of the images of the building actually belongs to Barry Smith Architects—so these images must be co-branded (the Museum and Barry Smith Architects (with their web address too)).
  13. The Museum would sell these units in their gift shop—so it is negative cost marketing for them (i.e., they actually make money while promoting and marketing their Museum).
  14. It is no cost marketing for Barry Smith. We will also ask the Museum to provide a few viewers to Barry Smith Architects (24 or 48 units, say), at no cost.
  15. Barry Smith can use the units to promote his work with prospective clients.
  16. Other existing clients of Barry Smith Architects can use a similar approach to help them sell—leasable space say to tenants (if it is an office building, for example).
  17. Again, their client buys the units, Barry Smith’s name is co-promoted and you would try to get some units, again at no cost to the firm.
  18. You are actually selling to Barry Smith’s current and former clients—all Brett needs to do is make the introductions.
  19. If Barry Smith or their clients don’t like the 3D viewers—don’t worry, just find another product for them that they like better. You can ‘win-by-losing’ sometimes. Selling is telling… which means that this solution is a way of starting a conversation with them. You don’t really care if the client or the client’s client doesn’t particularly like this solution; you’ll find another one, working with them. What they will like is your initiative and imagination.

 

Dr. Bruce M. Firestone, Ottawa, Canada.

 

http://www.dramatispersonae.org/GuerrillaMarketingAndFinance/WinByLosingSalesModel.htm

 

http://www.dramatispersonae.org/NegativeCostMarketing.htm

 

www.dramatispersonae.org

 

www.exploriem.org