For architecture practices
Business development for architecture practices: win more of the right projects
Referrals and enquiries come in, fee proposals go out, and some of the projects you'd most like to win don't go ahead with you. The Sales Conversion Review works out why, from your own recent enquiries and proposals, and whether the constraint is sales at all.
In short
SalesPath is based in Melbourne and works with practices across Victoria and Australia-wide. It reviews how an architecture practice wins work, the part most practices call business development: how referrals and enquiries become appointed projects, covering project fit, first client conversations, fee proposals and follow-up. It finds whether the constraint is enquiry flow, conversion or conditions outside your control, then gives you prioritised next steps. A$1,495 inc GST, 7–10 business days.
How a practice usually wins a project
Where work comes from
- Past clients
- Builders
- Consultants
- Developers
- Your website
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Referral or enquiry
From past clients, builders, consultants, developers or your website.
Where it can stallSome referrers send the projects you want; others don't, and the practice can't see which.
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First conversation
Budget, site, timing, planning risk and whether the client is ready to commit.
Decision point: is the brief, budget and timing a fit, and is the client ready?
Where it can stallTime goes into clients whose budget and brief don't match, or who aren't ready.
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Fee proposal
Scope of services, stages, exclusions and how the fee is structured.
Where it can stallThe client can't compare what's included, so the headline fee does the deciding.
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Follow-up
Questions, comparisons with other practices, changes to scope or fee.
Where it can stallFollow-up stops once the proposal is sent.
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Appointment
A signed client agreement and the first stage under way.
Where it can stallDecisions slip for reasons nobody records.
Free guide: how to follow up a fee proposal, with wording for each step
Questions the review answers for a practice
- Which referrers send projects that actually go ahead?
- Which enquiries reach a fee proposal that should have been declined at the first meeting?
- What happens between sending a fee proposal and hearing back, and where does it go quiet?
- Is the practice short of suitable enquiries, or losing ones it already has?
Answered from your own records. If they can't answer one, I'll say so and show you what to start tracking.
Where suitable projects can stall
The review doesn't assume a sales problem. It works out which of these, if any, is holding you back.
- Not enough of the projects you want are reaching the practice, or they arrive through only one or two referrers.
- Enquiries that don't fit your budget range, project type or capacity take time from the ones that do.
- Design ideas or advice are given early, before anything is agreed about the next step.
- Fee proposals are hard to compare: the scope, stages or exclusions aren't clear, so clients compare on fee alone.
- Proposals go out and the follow-up depends on how busy the week is.
- Clients delay for reasons outside your control, such as finance, planning or construction costs. The review separates these from sales issues.
What the review looks at
- Recent enquiries and referrals, and where each one came from
- How the practice decides whether a project is a good fit
- Notes from first meetings or calls
- Recent fee proposals: structure, clarity and the next step they ask for
- What happened after each proposal was sent
- How you track proposals out, decisions due and projects won or lost
Example: how the review records each opportunity
| Source | Project | First conversation | Fee proposal | After it was sent | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Past client referral | Alterations and additions | Brief, budget and timing confirmed | Scope by stage, exclusions listed | Questions answered the same week | Won: Appointed |
| Website enquiry | New house | Budget not discussed | Headline fee only | Nothing logged | Stalled: No decision recorded |
| Builder referral | Small commercial fit-out | Timing didn't suit the practice | Not sent | – | Deliberate no: Declined at first meeting |
What you get
- Which referrers and project types bring work worth winningBased on the evidence you have, not on who sends the most enquiries.
- Where proposals stallBefore the proposal, at the proposal, or after it.
- The main constraintEnquiry flow, project fit, conversion, or conditions outside the practice.
- Prioritised fixesFor example fit questions for first meetings, a clearer proposal structure, a follow-up rhythm and a simple pipeline view.
- A 30-day action plan with measuresWhat to do first, what can wait, and how you'll know it's working.
Is it a fit?
A good fit if
- You're a director, principal or practice manager responsible for winning work
- You have recent enquiries, referrals and fee proposals to review
- Suitable projects aren't progressing as consistently as you'd like
- You're not sure whether the issue is enquiry flow, project fit or conversion
Probably not right if
- The practice is fully booked and not looking for new work
- You have no recent enquiries or proposals to review
- You expect a guaranteed number of appointments or fee income
- You only want marketing, a new website or social media
Find out where suitable work is stalling
I trace up to 20 of your recent opportunities (enquiries, proposals, quotes or tenders, as relevant) from source to outcome, find where suitable work stalls, and give you prioritised next steps and a 30-day action plan.
- A$1,495 inc GST, fixed fee, 7–10 business days from kickoff
- Three-leak guarantee: if I cannot find at least three clear, fixable sales-path leaks, you do not pay for the review
If the diagnosis supports implementation, the optional 30-Day Implementation Sprint (A$5,995 inc GST, with the A$1,495 review fee credited, so continuing costs A$4,500 inc GST) puts the sales-side fixes in place with you.
Questions
Do architecture practices have a sales problem?
Not necessarily. Some practices need more suitable enquiries, some convert well but attract the wrong projects, and some are limited by capacity or market conditions. The review works out which applies to your practice before recommending anything.
Can you review our fee proposals?
Yes. The review covers up to 20 recent opportunities (enquiries, proposals, quotes or tenders, as relevant), and for a practice that means your fee proposals: how they're structured, how clear the scope is, and what happened after you sent them.
How should we follow up a fee proposal?
Agree who decides and when before you send it, book a walkthrough, and follow up at the client's own decision points. There's a step-by-step version with wording in how to follow up a fee proposal.
Will you tell us what to charge?
No. The review looks at how your fee is structured and explained, and where clients push back or go quiet. It doesn't benchmark your fees against other practices.
Most of our work comes from referrals. Is the review still useful?
Yes, if referred projects aren't progressing as you'd like. Referral sources are part of the review: which ones bring suitable projects, and what happens after the introduction.
Chris Edmund, founder of SalesPath. About 20 years in commercial roles, including executive recruitment, running an electrical labour-hire business, manufacturing operations and B2B commercial strategy. More about Chris or connect on LinkedIn.