Funny that this subject comes up now.
I was having breakfast with another architect this week on his way to an interview. I think about 10 guys were being interviewed. ( I did that twice and said no more.) One can spend so much money preparing for presentations where it all comes down to personality and how it fits that particular board or committee. And you go back once or twice and your stomach stays in knots wondering if you did what you needed to do to convince. IMHO if a club can't start with one,two or maybe three then perhaps nothing needs to be done anyway. -OT ( and when clubs start asking you to recommend younger archies who will be around for the next 25 years then you really feel old and washed up). Seems clubs have begun to appreciate consulting architects on board for a while instead of "5 year master plans"
Being hired by a club is often a personality thing and not a design thing. And then you have the "player" thing to overcome. Good am players who are good architects have a distinct advantage when boards include good players.
I much much prefer to work for a developer or a hotel etc where they just give you the basics and leave you alone. That type of work for me has been word of mouth and has been my focus. The only time this type of customer is tough is when the young sales VP is infatuated with a tour player or signature and wants to tell his buddies he has lunch with Jack or Fred etc....don't waste your time or money fighting this type dude...you will lose.
When it comes to munis, if you don't have the job wrapped up before the interview and bid process tehn don't waste time or money. Most of the time they have it decided and one of the guys in the room knows it. That's good salesmanship.
And then my theory has always been that every other person in golf knows where to go to select their product or service except the golf architect. He never knows where the next client can come from yet once he has that client in hand and announces the project: the equipment salesman, irrigation salesman, supt applicants, golf pro applicants, club and ball salesman, food sales, all know where to go...
I think time has shown that when the signatures throw the assistants out the doors, if they were never taught to sell or had not been working the bosses clients then they were in the cold. No one cared. Maybe they get some of the boss's rework but usually that's about it. Look at the ASGCA project list of guys who worked for other companies and see how many actually have any of their own courses on the ground. Not many.
So I think for most there are two ways you get hired: good salesmanship or family tree...talent is third..
PS. I did just read on another thread that even if you don't have any 18 hole designs on the ground, if you can get a couple of ASGCA presidents and another architect or two to say you belong in the ASGCA that might help. But I sort of see that like I would Bluto's fraternity, Delta Tau Chi, telling Dean Wormer who should graduate from Faber College.
Mike,
Really great insight, and although I don't work in the golf business, it mimics a lot of the experiences I've encountered at a previous job. I've never been in sales, but due to my role, I was often asked to go to pitches/new business meetings, and there were a few things I learned along the way, which I think would serve any person well in the GCA world:
- If you don't have the inside track, someone else does. If you don't, how can you get there?
- Probably less likely in this world, but often we had requests for proposals come in, but they wouldn't come to meet face-to-face ahead of the pitch. A red flag. Often it's the pre-pitch meeting that tells you the most. Qualifying the potential beforehand will increase success rate.
- On the above, nailing down a tight brief beforehand is critical when we pitched. Often clients didn't want to give out budgets, and we'd get the same line 'we don't want to limit your ideas. If it's the right idea, we'll find the money'. That's rubbish. There is always a budget expectation, even if it's loose. If not, then the project isn't real IMHO.
- With the brief, what is their idea of success. We've seen above that referrals mean everything. What's going to get this person to be your next advocate?
- 60% of what clients buy are the people standing in front of them (i've seen this stat thrown about, but don't have the source, so take it for what it's worth)
- Agree with Mike that if the shortlist is longer than 3 or 4, then it's probably a waste of time...or it's a big project/brand that know they can shortlist 10 because people will jump through hoops to work for them. If Keiser put a project out for bid, I imagine he could shortlist 50, and people would still try.
That's just a few thoughts off the top of my head.