Archives: Trends in Architecture

Technological advances, in the design industry as well as those in seemingly unrelated industries, have a major impact on your competitive landscape. Let’s begin with an example directly related to the design and building world—the development of mass-producible structural steel, a material advance that forever changed how we design and what we design. Before the [...]

Social and cultural trends present an amazing opportunity for you to excel in your competitive landscape. In this sixth installment of 12 Factors That Can Make or Break Your Design Business, I’ll show you how one guy turned a trend into an empire. Thirty years ago, the environmental initiative was little more than a social/cultural [...]

With this one post we’ll cover two factors that can make or break your design business: politics and the economy. Politics and the economy affect everything we do in our businesses, often in ways we don’t even consider. But before we look to a specific example, I’ll clarify what I mean by “politics” and “the [...]

How do you play the A/E/C Game? Do you follow the rules and hope for a win? Or do you recognize that success isn’t only about the rules but rather about how the participants play the game—their strategy, their skill, their positioning, the amount of risk they take? In all cases, winning comes down to [...]

Can Barenaked Ladies help your business? Yes, but not how you may think! Aside from the name, the Canadian alternative rock band Barenaked Ladies (BNL) is not in the least bit risqué. I love this group—they are witty, amazingly entertaining, and wonderfully talented. And the history of their band offers a great lesson about collaboration [...]

In an earlier post I discussed the idea of indirect competitors, and how these unknown entities can sneak up and eventually replace an architect’s services. An article recently published by Fast Co. Design, “How G3Box Turns Shipping Containers into Clinics,” provides a perfect example of how knowing about an indirect competitor could create a major [...]

Here we are, Part 2 of 12 Factors that Can Make or Break Your Design Business. In this series I highlight elements that shape your company’s operating environment. Last week we talked about why you must know your clients’ industries (hint – it has direct bearing on what services they need from you!). Now on [...]

How do you view your competitive landscape? Co-authored with Scott Braley of Braley Consulting and Training, my recent article in the SMPS Marketer—”How Does Your Competitive Garden Grow?”—guides you through a competitive intelligence exercise that helps you determine the key factors of your competitive landscape. With this knowledge, you can plan strategic moves that will [...]

Do you know about Competitive Intelligence and how it can help your A/E/C firm succeed? To learn more, click below on the link below for “What is Competitive Intelligence,” my article in the December issue of the SMPS Marketer. WhatIsCompetitiveIntelligence_KristaSykes_Marketer_December2011 I’d love to hear thoughts, comments, or questions. Thanks for reading!

On November 16, I had the pleasure of leading a webinar on Competitive Intelligence co-sponsored by the AIA Practice Management Knowledge Community (AIA PMKC) and the Society of Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Foundation. We had a great turn out — 625 registrants — many of who offered insightful and provocative questions concerning Competitive Intelligence and [...]