Feb. 19, 2025

Building a Lean Marketing Engine for Small Architecture Practices with Sarah Noel Block | 069

Building a Lean Marketing Engine for Small Architecture Practices with Sarah Noel Block | 069

Jon discusses effective marketing strategies for small architecture firms with marketing expert Sarah Noel Block. Sarah, founder of Tiny Marketing, shares her expertise on creating a lean marketing engine, including identifying dream clients, crafting a signature offer, choosing core content, and setting up lead generators. The episode also illustrates how to convert initial client interactions into profitable gateway offers, providing invaluable tips for architects to grow their businesses efficiently. Join the discussion to learn actionable strategies to streamline your marketing efforts and attract your ideal clients.

Today's Guest...

Sarah Noel Block is the founder of Tiny Marketing & creator of the Lean Marketing Engine. She is passionate about revolutionizing marketing for founder-led business services companies. With over a decade of experience, Sarah has mastered the art of efficient, high-impact marketing that drives growth without draining resources. Her approach leverages lean principles to create scalable marketing strategies, ensuring every dollar spent translates into measurable results. Her mission is to empower businesses to build a pipeline of ready-to-buy prospects, using smart, streamlined tactics to achieve their goals.

Episode Highlights...

00:00 Introduction

01:35 Introducing Sarah Noel Block

03:53 What is a Lean Marketing Engine?

05:19 Identifying Your Dream Client

09:47 Crafting Your Signature Offer

15:48 Choosing Your Main Marketing Channel

17:53 Creating Core Content

23:23 Passive Lead Magnets and Active Lead Generators

27:50 The Gateway Offer

37:41 Conclusion and Final Thoughts

39:18 Guest's Favorite Place

40:24 Closing Remarks and Contact Information

Key Takeaways...

🔹 Focus on One Strong Channel – Instead of trying to be everywhere, pick one place where your ideal clients are and show up consistently. A clear offer makes it easier for them to say yes.

🔹 Create Once, Use Everywhere – A podcast, blog, or video series can be turned into social posts, emails, and more. This saves time and keeps your message clear.

🔹 Start with a Small Paid Offer – A low-cost service, like a strategy session or project review, helps clients get to know you. It builds trust and makes the next step feel natural.

Links Mentioned In The Episode...

Visit Sarah’s Website

Connect with Sarah on LinkedIn

—--

Want to be the first to hear how to join our membership community?

👉 Click here to JOIN THE WAITLIST 😀

Interested in working with Jon?

👉 Book a chat with Jon to explore working with him 📞

Resources…

👉 Grab the Architecture Business Blueprint 🎁

It’s the step-by-step formula to freedom for architects, architectural technologists, and architectural designers. Get it today (without any charge).

👉 Follow or Connect with Jon on LinkedIn 🤝

👇 And if you enjoyed this episode…

Please leave a 5-star review or rating wherever you listen to podcasts, and don’t forget to hit the subscribe button so you never miss an episode.

In The Next Episode...

Next time Jon shares everything you need to know about Architecture Business Club’s membership community.

00:00 - Introduction

01:35 - Introducing Sarah Noel Block

03:53 - What is a Lean Marketing Engine?

05:19 - Identifying Your Dream Client

09:47 - Crafting Your Signature Offer

15:48 - Choosing Your Main Marketing Channel

17:53 - Creating Core Content

23:23 - Passive Lead Magnets and Active Lead Generators

27:50 - The Gateway Offer

37:41 - Conclusion and Final Thoughts

39:18 - Guest's Favorite Place

40:24 - Closing Remarks and Contact Information

Jon Clayton:

Unless you run a large architecture practice, the

Jon Clayton:

chances are that you don't have your own marketing department.

Jon Clayton:

But you do still need to market yourself if you want to keep securing new clients.

Jon Clayton:

So how can you effectively market your business with limited time and resources?

Jon Clayton:

That's exactly what I uncover with Sarah Noelle Block in this episode

Jon Clayton:

of Architecture Business Club.

Jon Clayton:

The weekly podcast for small firm founders who want to build their

Jon Clayton:

dream business in architecture and enjoy more freedom, flexibility

Jon Clayton:

and fulfillment in what they do.

Jon Clayton:

I'm John Clayton, your host.

Jon Clayton:

I know that building an architecture business can feel hard, especially

Jon Clayton:

if you're a sole practitioner.

Jon Clayton:

The good news is that you don't have to do it alone.

Jon Clayton:

Last year, we launched our membership community to a small

Jon Clayton:

group of founding members, including architects, architectural

Jon Clayton:

technologists and interior designers.

Jon Clayton:

We meet online each week and occasionally in person to support

Jon Clayton:

each other in building our businesses and to have some fun along the way.

Jon Clayton:

On the 1st of March 2025 we are opening the doors to a

Jon Clayton:

limited number of new members.

Jon Clayton:

If you'd like to join this supportive group of like minded

Jon Clayton:

professionals now's your chance.

Jon Clayton:

Just go to architecturebusinessclub.

Jon Clayton:

com forward slash waitlist or click the link in the show notes and enter

Jon Clayton:

your details so we can let you know.

Jon Clayton:

When and how you can join this incredible group and if you have

Jon Clayton:

any questions, just email John.

Jon Clayton:

That's J O N at Architecturebusinessclub.

Jon Clayton:

com.

Jon Clayton:

Now, let's learn how you can build a lean marketing engine for your business.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block is the founder of Tiny Marketing and creator

Jon Clayton:

of the Lean Marketing Engine.

Jon Clayton:

She's passionate about revolutionizing marketing for founder led

Jon Clayton:

business service companies.

Jon Clayton:

With over a decade of experience, Sarah has mastered the art of efficient,

Jon Clayton:

high impact marketing that drives growth without draining resources.

Jon Clayton:

Her approach leverages lean principles to create scalable marketing

Jon Clayton:

strategies, ensuring every dollar spent translates into measurable results.

Jon Clayton:

Her mission is to empower businesses to build a pipeline of ready to buy

Jon Clayton:

prospects using smart streamlined tactics to achieve their goals.

Jon Clayton:

And you can hear more from Sarah over on the tiny marketing show, which you can

Jon Clayton:

find on your favorite podcast player.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah, welcome to architecture business club.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Thank you for having me.

Jon Clayton:

Oh, you're very welcome.

Jon Clayton:

It's a pleasure to have you here, especially as a fellow music fan.

Jon Clayton:

We were just having a chat about your playlists.

Jon Clayton:

Could you tell me about those?

Jon Clayton:

You're really into music, aren't you?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: I

Jon Clayton:

am

Jon Clayton:

into music.

Jon Clayton:

We, um, in January, we already planned a full year of concerts and road

Jon Clayton:

trips dedicated to music festivals.

Jon Clayton:

So yeah, Spotify is like.

Jon Clayton:

My life.

Jon Clayton:

Oh, that sounds awesome.

Jon Clayton:

Is there any artists in particular that's getting hammered on

Jon Clayton:

your Spotify at the moment?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah, of course.

Jon Clayton:

They always go through those fixations.

Jon Clayton:

Hozier, Noah Kahn, Rainbow Kitten Surprise.

Jon Clayton:

They're all on repeat right now.

Jon Clayton:

Oh, and Rage Against the Machine cause you know, Trump.

Jon Clayton:

we share a love of Rage Against the Machine.

Jon Clayton:

I absolutely love them.

Jon Clayton:

And I've, frustratingly never had the chance to see them live.

Jon Clayton:

I'm kind of living hope that they might just reform and do like a few dates in

Jon Clayton:

the UK at some point in my lifetime.

Jon Clayton:

So,

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: That would be cool.

Jon Clayton:

it would be cool.

Jon Clayton:

Absolutely.

Jon Clayton:

But in the meantime, I have to settle for just listening to them

Jon Clayton:

on Spotify, but, uh, nevermind.

Jon Clayton:

Hey, it's all good.

Jon Clayton:

we're not here to chat just about music.

Jon Clayton:

Although I probably could talk about music for quite a few hours.

Jon Clayton:

We are going to talk about building a lean marketing engine so the

Jon Clayton:

architecture practices with tiny or non existent marketing

Jon Clayton:

departments can still effectively and efficiently grow their business.

Jon Clayton:

I guess the best place to start with this would be What do you mean when

Jon Clayton:

you talk about a lean marketing engine?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yes.

Jon Clayton:

So I don't think we talked about this before, but I came up in the AEC world.

Jon Clayton:

So I am very familiar with like the architecture, engineering, construction

Jon Clayton:

world, and when I talk about lean marketing engines, it's finding the most

Jon Clayton:

streamlined way to get in front of that dream client and making sure that they

Jon Clayton:

are aware that they are your dream client and that you can solve their problems.

Jon Clayton:

So it's really about identifying those traits and triggers

Jon Clayton:

that they have in needing you.

Jon Clayton:

And making sure that your messaging and your content align,

Jon Clayton:

so they're like, Hey, that's me.

Jon Clayton:

They're raising their own hands.

Jon Clayton:

I love that.

Jon Clayton:

Particularly important for those businesses that don't have the

Jon Clayton:

benefit of having a big marketing department or somebody dedicated to

Jon Clayton:

help them, that we do need to find ways to do this very efficiently.

Jon Clayton:

And this is where this really comes in.

Jon Clayton:

So this marketing engine is made up of six parts.

Jon Clayton:

So could you walk me through that?

Jon Clayton:

Could you tell me about the first part of the marketing engine?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yes.

Jon Clayton:

So, the first part is all about identifying that dream client.

Jon Clayton:

And, when I say that, so many people think, Oh, you want me to niche down?

Jon Clayton:

I hate that idea.

Jon Clayton:

And, I do too.

Jon Clayton:

You don't have to niche down to this like specific industry or whatever building

Jon Clayton:

you need to identify the traits that your favorite clients have had and the triggers

Jon Clayton:

that made them need you in the first place and that becomes your dream client.

Jon Clayton:

Just take a few minutes.

Jon Clayton:

to sit down and write down what it is that your favorite clients had.

Jon Clayton:

Like

Jon Clayton:

Maybe they all were in the hospital space.

Jon Clayton:

Maybe they all worked with certain clientele.

Jon Clayton:

I don't know.

Jon Clayton:

You start writing it down, and you're going to start seeing that the traits

Jon Clayton:

that they have and the triggers that caused them to reach out to you in the

Jon Clayton:

first place, that there's similarities.

Jon Clayton:

Start circling those similarities that you're finding as you're

Jon Clayton:

writing down this list.

Jon Clayton:

And you've got your dream client outlined.

Jon Clayton:

And that is what you want to plug into your messaging.

Jon Clayton:

So everything that you talk about is speaking directly to them.

Jon Clayton:

It basically allows you to clone your favorite clients.

Jon Clayton:

OK, so so this isn't necessarily just thinking

Jon Clayton:

about, oh, well, they're like.

Jon Clayton:

30 to 50 years old, and it's typically females or anything like that.

Jon Clayton:

This is a different way to look at this.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: No, I don't care about any of those things, really.

Jon Clayton:

What I care about is, what was it about my offer, what I do, that

Jon Clayton:

made you need me specifically?

Jon Clayton:

Because there's a reason that they chose you to do that job, and other

Jon Clayton:

people going through what they're going through are going to need you, too.

Jon Clayton:

Who cares if they're 50?

Jon Clayton:

I don't

Jon Clayton:

I don't.

Jon Clayton:

care I don't

Jon Clayton:

care

Jon Clayton:

Uh, no.

Jon Clayton:

I mean, if, if we're offering a service that solves, uh, their problem and

Jon Clayton:

we're best placed to help them to do that and they've, we're a good client

Jon Clayton:

and we enjoyed working with them, then.

Jon Clayton:

Yeah, who cares?

Jon Clayton:

Like, who cares what age they are, whatever.

Jon Clayton:

It's something like that's probably not really that relevant.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah, I can see it in the consumer space, maybe, that

Jon Clayton:

you've, maybe you've written down those traits that your favorite clients

Jon Clayton:

have, and they have been in a certain age range, and that would make sense

Jon Clayton:

based off of that consumer space that you're in, but 90 percent of the time.

Jon Clayton:

Those little demographics like they're likely a dog owner and this is their

Jon Clayton:

age range This is where they live most of the time in like the b2b space.

Jon Clayton:

That doesn't matter.

Jon Clayton:

yeah, I think people will typically refer to like, identifying

Jon Clayton:

a client avatar and there's these very specific metrics that they'll look at,

Jon Clayton:

as you say, and Yeah, at the end of the day, like, we can actually talk to

Jon Clayton:

our clients that we've worked with and we can ask them about this, can't we?

Jon Clayton:

Those clients that we've already had, those really great clients that we've

Jon Clayton:

worked with already, we can just actually ask them about what it was

Jon Clayton:

that drew them to us and what it was that they got out of working with us.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Absolutely, and I didn't go one step further.

Jon Clayton:

I record every single Call I have with my clients, every single one.

Jon Clayton:

So from the sales call to our,

Jon Clayton:

like

Jon Clayton:

our monthly meetings, whatever we're doing, I'll download those

Jon Clayton:

transcripts, put it into chat, GBT and ask, what are the things that

Jon Clayton:

they like about working with me?

Jon Clayton:

What is it that triggered them to work with me in the first place?

Jon Clayton:

What traits did they talk about?

Jon Clayton:

What were happening when they reached out to me and you can quickly identify.

Jon Clayton:

Some of these things that would make it easier for you to find

Jon Clayton:

people that just like them.

Jon Clayton:

That is such a fantastic tip for everybody there that if you

Jon Clayton:

are not already recording those Zoom calls or Teams meetings and then

Jon Clayton:

using those transcripts, uh, like there's so much you can pull out of

Jon Clayton:

those to help you to connect with more people like, like the clients that

Jon Clayton:

you're already enjoying working with.

Jon Clayton:

Cool.

Jon Clayton:

So the second part of the framework.

Jon Clayton:

So once we're clear on who our ideal clients are, what is it

Jon Clayton:

that comes next in the framework?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah, the next thing is your signature offer So what is it

Jon Clayton:

that you are providing for them and more importantly, how do you provide it?

Jon Clayton:

So what's the framework or the journey that you're pulling your

Jon Clayton:

clients through from beginning to end?

Jon Clayton:

You need to identify That transformational arc that they're going through so you

Jon Clayton:

know how to explain it to people if you get on a sales call with someone

Jon Clayton:

and you're vaguely describing the outcomes are going to get, they might

Jon Clayton:

bite, but they're a lot more likely to bite if they can understand.

Jon Clayton:

What the next step is and the step after that and how they're getting

Jon Clayton:

to the outcome because it feels too fluffy when you're just saying this

Jon Clayton:

is what you're going to get without providing this framework and this

Jon Clayton:

is how we're getting you there.

Jon Clayton:

So signature offers next and making sure your positioning is just right.

Jon Clayton:

So you're tying those traits and triggers back to the offer.

Jon Clayton:

And this is why we're doing the offer.

Jon Clayton:

uh

Jon Clayton:

That's interesting because that's, it's a different approach to how many

Jon Clayton:

architects and architecture practice might approach things because they might

Jon Clayton:

not necessarily have a signature offer.

Jon Clayton:

They might not think about what they, the services they provide in that way.

Jon Clayton:

That it might be like, well, we do a bit of everything.

Jon Clayton:

Like we, we design spaces and buildings and we help people to,

Jon Clayton:

uh, in the UK, we, it would be.

Jon Clayton:

planning permission to see this, uh, something similar like planning laws and,

Jon Clayton:

um, legislations in the U S as well for our friends in the U S. But they might not

Jon Clayton:

necessarily have it all neatly packaged up into something like a, a signature offer.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: I bet if they thought about it, there are things that people

Jon Clayton:

are coming to them specifically for.

Jon Clayton:

There are things that they're better at doing than other

Jon Clayton:

architecture firms are doing.

Jon Clayton:

Like maybe your thing is tenant development and you

Jon Clayton:

never really thought about it.

Jon Clayton:

Cause it's just like, I did it for this company and then they told me, and then

Jon Clayton:

they talked about me to another company.

Jon Clayton:

So I did it again.

Jon Clayton:

And now you're really damn good at tenant development.

Jon Clayton:

And you never really thought about it before.

Jon Clayton:

You're like, I'm just getting a lot of this work right now.

Jon Clayton:

So if we have something that we offer, like the

Jon Clayton:

signature offer that's aligned with.

Jon Clayton:

What I dream clients are looking for.

Jon Clayton:

And it's something that we're good at delivering.

Jon Clayton:

We enjoy delivering it as well.

Jon Clayton:

This is going to make this easier to sell, isn't it?

Jon Clayton:

Like if we've got that alignment.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: easier.

Jon Clayton:

Everything is easier.

Jon Clayton:

Yes.

Jon Clayton:

Selling becomes what people are selling themselves at this point, because

Jon Clayton:

you're tying your offer, their needs into your messaging and your content.

Jon Clayton:

So people are pre selling themselves in that way.

Jon Clayton:

And then when they come to you and they're actually doing that sales

Jon Clayton:

call, it's more about logistics.

Jon Clayton:

Like, when can we start?

Jon Clayton:

What's it going to cost?

Jon Clayton:

That kind of thing, rather than YU.

Jon Clayton:

They've already been sold on YU, if you do it right.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah, a question that some of the listeners might have in

Jon Clayton:

their minds now, they might be feeling, some of them might be feeling a little

Jon Clayton:

bit uncomfortable about just having one offer, like a signature offer.

Jon Clayton:

Can they still sell other things, like other services, or,

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah!

Jon Clayton:

Yes.

Jon Clayton:

And this is like, literally in my master class.

Jon Clayton:

Like, okay, you have your signature offer, and that's what you're known for.

Jon Clayton:

And that's why it's so easy to sell it, because you're known for it.

Jon Clayton:

But you can still have Upsells, downsells, back end offers, and a bunch of different

Jon Clayton:

other things that you're actually selling, but by focusing your messaging on that

Jon Clayton:

thing you're best known for, it's a lot easier, but you can still do other things.

Jon Clayton:

You're not tied to it.

Jon Clayton:

Mm

Jon Clayton:

Oh, well that's a huge relief for everybody.

Jon Clayton:

And I think as well that just makes so much more sense because like then you

Jon Clayton:

are talking about and promoting this one, you're putting your energy into

Jon Clayton:

promoting this signature offer, which is the one that you're, you're best at

Jon Clayton:

delivering, it's your area of expertise, it's the work that you really enjoy,

Jon Clayton:

those ideal clients that you really want to work with and you want more of, rather

Jon Clayton:

than spreading yourself really thinly and having a dozen different brands.

Jon Clayton:

Products and services that you're then trying to market and sell and, not

Jon Clayton:

necessarily getting much traction with it because you're trying to do too

Jon Clayton:

many different things at the same time.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: yeah, and I dare the people listening to this right now

Jon Clayton:

to think about the contractors that they hire you going to hire someone

Jon Clayton:

who's more of a generalist or are you seeking out people who solve the exact?

Jon Clayton:

Problem that you need for me I can only speak for myself for me if I

Jon Clayton:

can find someone who's an expert on that thing I'm gonna hire them Every

Jon Clayton:

time over someone who's a generalist.

Jon Clayton:

Absolutely.

Jon Clayton:

Yeah.

Jon Clayton:

I mentioned before we hit record, we have a problem with our

Jon Clayton:

heating at home at the moment.

Jon Clayton:

So.

Jon Clayton:

Uh, like if I want to get that fixed, which I sure do, I want

Jon Clayton:

to get it fixed really quickly.

Jon Clayton:

So I've been looking for, heating engineers, like people that

Jon Clayton:

specifically do that thing.

Jon Clayton:

I don't kind of look online and go, well, I'll just find some general.

Jon Clayton:

Building maintenance person that does a little bit of

Jon Clayton:

this and a little bit of that.

Jon Clayton:

Like I want somebody that can specifically come and fix this model of boiler.

Jon Clayton:

And that's what I'm looking for.

Jon Clayton:

And it's the same with any other service or product that we buy.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: exactly.

Jon Clayton:

I don't call my handyman when my dishwasher breaks down.

Jon Clayton:

I call G G E and I said, get over here.

Jon Clayton:

Absolutely.

Jon Clayton:

Brilliant.

Jon Clayton:

Okay.

Jon Clayton:

That makes so much more sense now.

Jon Clayton:

So yeah, we know who our dream client is.

Jon Clayton:

We've crafted our signature offer.

Jon Clayton:

You will talk about then choosing one main.

Jon Clayton:

channel

Jon Clayton:

Why just one?

Jon Clayton:

And what are we talking about when we talk about a channel?

Jon Clayton:

Is that social media channel?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Think like a watering hole where your ideal

Jon Clayton:

clients are spending time.

Jon Clayton:

So it could be social media.

Jon Clayton:

It could be a niche community, like a slack group or a circle

Jon Clayton:

group, anywhere where your ideal customers are spending time.

Jon Clayton:

The more niche, the easier it gets because you become a big fish in that tiny pond.

Jon Clayton:

Um, so I say one because I'm talking to tiny marketing departments or a

Jon Clayton:

zero person marketing departments, you don't have channel managers to build.

Jon Clayton:

These many communities around your brand on all of your channels.

Jon Clayton:

So you're going to be spread so thin, your message is going to get lost,

Jon Clayton:

and you're probably going to get into that mode of ghosting after you post.

Jon Clayton:

We all do when we stretch ourselves too thin, we're like, all right,

Jon Clayton:

I did the thing, but you have to build a community around your brand.

Jon Clayton:

And that's why I say focus on one channel because you realistically

Jon Clayton:

can't do that when you are on.

Jon Clayton:

X, Facebook, Instagram, everywhere.

Jon Clayton:

Yeah.

Jon Clayton:

And that's interesting.

Jon Clayton:

One of the first things that you said there was about the channel where your

Jon Clayton:

idea customers are hanging out, like where they are, like if there's no point

Jon Clayton:

if you want him to get some inquiries and get some sales, then just because

Jon Clayton:

you enjoy Instagram, like that doesn't mean that's the right place to be.

Jon Clayton:

if your clients.

Jon Clayton:

If that's not where they're most active.

Jon Clayton:

So, um, yeah, that is something worth kind of recognizing, isn't it?

Jon Clayton:

Thinking, what is the platform where I can be where those ideal customers

Jon Clayton:

are, I can connect with them.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah.

Jon Clayton:

You're not going to convert them to whatever channel you happen to enjoy.

Jon Clayton:

You have to go where they already are.

Jon Clayton:

Yeah, that's that's going to be upsetting for some people.

Jon Clayton:

They might be hoping they can just go on, uh, go on Tik Tok and just like, you know,

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: I mean, I like

Jon Clayton:

cat videos

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: my business isn't there.

Jon Clayton:

Yeah

Jon Clayton:

Okay.

Jon Clayton:

The next thing we talk about is core content.

Jon Clayton:

You recommend creating some kind of core content.

Jon Clayton:

What, what do you mean when you talk about core content?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yes.

Jon Clayton:

So, Let's say during your dream client phase, you develop a three

Jon Clayton:

pillar messaging system, easy, and it identifies, you know, what you

Jon Clayton:

do and the big highlight of the outcomes that you have, then your

Jon Clayton:

core content is the anchor for that.

Jon Clayton:

This is where you're creating little teaching moments and building

Jon Clayton:

community and it feeds everything else.

Jon Clayton:

So when I say core content, I mean one thing that you're willing

Jon Clayton:

to commit on a regular basis.

Jon Clayton:

And then you can use it as the anchor for everything else.

Jon Clayton:

So for myself, it's my podcast.

Jon Clayton:

Tiny marketing is my core content.

Jon Clayton:

I committed to doing it weekly.

Jon Clayton:

Cool.

Jon Clayton:

Now I take the transcripts from that podcast and I break it up

Jon Clayton:

into little teaching moments and that becomes my email.

Jon Clayton:

That becomes my social media posts that.

Jon Clayton:

Leads into the lead generator that I am doing that month.

Jon Clayton:

something that you mentioned there is about content repurposing,

Jon Clayton:

how you've chosen one main Type of core content, which is your podcast, but

Jon Clayton:

then you're taking the text transcripts from that and then you're finding a

Jon Clayton:

variety of different ways to be able to repurpose that then you then you've got

Jon Clayton:

content to use on your social social media channels too, which is really cool.

Jon Clayton:

Could you.

Jon Clayton:

Give some other examples of perhaps some other types of core

Jon Clayton:

content that people could do.

Jon Clayton:

So we've, we've talked about podcasting.

Jon Clayton:

Is there anything else that people could do for their core content

Jon Clayton:

if podcasting wasn't for them?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah, and podcast is not gonna be for everybody Not everyone

Jon Clayton:

wants that the thing that I direct my clients to first is a hybrid core

Jon Clayton:

content lead generator so their core content is going to be something that

Jon Clayton:

actively brings in leads while also being that Anchor that you can distribute

Jon Clayton:

as different pieces of microcontent.

Jon Clayton:

So that might look like a monthly masterclass.

Jon Clayton:

It might even be as far and in between as an annual summit where they bring

Jon Clayton:

in speakers and they get little mini masterclasses and they have it all in one

Jon Clayton:

thing, but then every single one of those little mini masterclasses in that summit

Jon Clayton:

can become content and teaching moments.

Jon Clayton:

For social and email throughout that year because it's so robust that it

Jon Clayton:

can feed your content for a year and you can drive it all back to that

Jon Clayton:

on demand summit after the fact.

Jon Clayton:

So you're, it's creating an ecosystem.

Jon Clayton:

Those tiny teaching moments in your micro content lead back to the big

Jon Clayton:

content and that big content leads to your active lead generators So it's

Jon Clayton:

all playing together really nicely

Jon Clayton:

I love that.

Jon Clayton:

It's just.

Jon Clayton:

Everything working together so that you've got this core content, uh, as

Jon Clayton:

you say could be the podcast I guess it could be perhaps, uh, youtube

Jon Clayton:

could be a video video channel

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah, it could be a youtube show.

Jon Clayton:

It could be research reports that are quarterly.

Jon Clayton:

It could be a networking event Um, I actually have a hundred different

Jon Clayton:

variations of what your core content can be within my tiny marketing club

Jon Clayton:

um, there are Whatever your magic is, what you're good at, there's a

Jon Clayton:

way to turn that into core content.

Jon Clayton:

There's a variation.

Jon Clayton:

I guess that would be the the sweet spot if you can find a a type of

Jon Clayton:

content that I don't want to necessarily say that entirely feels comfortable

Jon Clayton:

because there is an argument to say that actually, you know, growth happens when

Jon Clayton:

you move a bit out of your comfort zone, but actually, I think, particularly if

Jon Clayton:

you're getting started, if it's something that feels so uncomfortable to do,

Jon Clayton:

you're not going to get consistent enough with it for it to be able to become a

Jon Clayton:

habit, particularly if it's something that you're looking to do regular.

Jon Clayton:

For me, Uh, I mean, I love, love podcasting, podcasting is something that

Jon Clayton:

I'm, uh, become very passionate about.

Jon Clayton:

So, so that would be the thing for me, but for others, as you say, it

Jon Clayton:

could be that it's, um, an annual summit that gets promoted throughout

Jon Clayton:

the year and then gets repurposed.

Jon Clayton:

It could be regular events.

Jon Clayton:

It could be something that you're running, maybe a monthly masterclass.

Jon Clayton:

There's so many different options there

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: hmm.

Jon Clayton:

them.

Jon Clayton:

So that's really good to know that there are those options there for

Jon Clayton:

everybody that they can choose something and test it and trial it out.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah, you, you suggest having a couple of things to generate leads.

Jon Clayton:

you did also mention there that this can also tie in to your core

Jon Clayton:

content as well, but you mentioned having two things to generate leads.

Jon Clayton:

Could you talk me through those and why they matter?

Jon Clayton:

matter

Jon Clayton:

Remember, don't forget to join the wait list for our membership community,

Jon Clayton:

where you can meet other business owners who want the same thing as you.

Jon Clayton:

If a thriving business that gives you more freedom, flexibility, and fulfillment.

Jon Clayton:

just go to architecture, business club.com forward slash waitlist, or

Jon Clayton:

click the link in the show notes.

Jon Clayton:

And enter your details.

Jon Clayton:

So you don't miss out on this amazing opportunity to improve

Jon Clayton:

your business and your life.

Jon Clayton:

And if you're enjoying the show, then please leave a five-star review or

Jon Clayton:

rating wherever you listen to podcasts.

Jon Clayton:

Now, back to the show.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah, so I recommend a passive lead magnet

Jon Clayton:

and an active lead generator.

Jon Clayton:

The passive lead magnet is on demand, it's always available, always on.

Jon Clayton:

So it's just, it's dripping new leads in all the time.

Jon Clayton:

And that could be as simple as your newsletter sign up.

Jon Clayton:

Or it could be a downloadable guide or an ebook, something like that,

Jon Clayton:

or even like a past masterclass that's available on demand.

Jon Clayton:

Now, I am always like repurpose if it already exists, use that.

Jon Clayton:

Um, and then, so what you can expect is that slowly people just like

Jon Clayton:

drip into your funnel with that.

Jon Clayton:

And then the active lead generator, it is time sensitive.

Jon Clayton:

So it requires people to sign up.

Jon Clayton:

During a certain period and they have to consume it during that period

Jon Clayton:

or it disappears So that brings in a flood of new leads at one time.

Jon Clayton:

That's why it's an active lead generator.

Jon Clayton:

It's usually live or time limited so it's only available for a few days and

Jon Clayton:

Then you can expect a flood of leads at one time and you can pull them all all

Jon Clayton:

through that funnel Simultaneously, so you can organize it a bit more where

Jon Clayton:

those passive ones, you have to be a little on your toes and ready for them.

Jon Clayton:

Okay, so the two quite different things there, so the passive

Jon Clayton:

ones you said that it could be something like signing up for a newsletter, it

Jon Clayton:

could be a downloadable, maybe we have, you mentioned about repurposing, so

Jon Clayton:

maybe we've got something that maybe we delivered live or pre recorded video that

Jon Clayton:

we're then repurposing into something that people can access and just at any

Jon Clayton:

point that they could sign up for this and consume that piece of content and

Jon Clayton:

get, get them onto your email list.

Jon Clayton:

But the other thing the active lead generator, so that's going to be more

Jon Clayton:

things like I guess that could be like a, an event, like, um, a webinar

Jon Clayton:

or an in person event possibly.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah.

Jon Clayton:

I, so I switch mine back and forth every other month.

Jon Clayton:

I have a masterclass, which is like quick and dirty 30 minutes.

Jon Clayton:

I have one tomorrow.

Jon Clayton:

And the other one that I do on the alternating month is a paid workshop.

Jon Clayton:

So, depending on the type of lead generator you're doing,

Jon Clayton:

you're going to get different levels of warmth in your leads.

Jon Clayton:

So passive lead magnets will bring in cold leads because they don't

Jon Clayton:

have to consume it right away.

Jon Clayton:

It might sit in their inbox forever.

Jon Clayton:

So they're leads, but they're pretty cold.

Jon Clayton:

And then we have active lead generators, which bring in warmer leads because If

Jon Clayton:

they want to consume it, they have to do it during that certain period of time.

Jon Clayton:

So I like those.

Jon Clayton:

But micro content or micro offers like a paid workshop, something between the

Jon Clayton:

like 27 and 97 range, bring in hot leads.

Jon Clayton:

Because as soon as people apply monetary value to the thing that they're getting,

Jon Clayton:

they are a lot more likely to consume it.

Jon Clayton:

They're like, well, I paid for it.

Jon Clayton:

I am going to access that.

Jon Clayton:

I'm going to get that.

Jon Clayton:

And then we have our fire leads, which are people that are coming

Jon Clayton:

into our gateway offers, which is the next piece of this six part engine.

Jon Clayton:

Yeah.

Jon Clayton:

That's really interesting.

Jon Clayton:

That you talk through the difference between the.

Jon Clayton:

The hotness, the temperature of those leads that you're bringing in that if

Jon Clayton:

it's something that people are getting for free, they're likely to be a colder

Jon Clayton:

lead, which is going to take longer to convert them into a customer like

Jon Clayton:

they're not as warmed up, they're not as ready, they're not as ready, ripe

Jon Clayton:

and ready to buy, whereas if it's somebody that's got some skin in the

Jon Clayton:

game, they've invested some money to attend a paid event or a masterclass

Jon Clayton:

that

Jon Clayton:

They're going to be more ready for the next thing that's coming.

Jon Clayton:

They're going to be more likely to, well, they're going to be more likely

Jon Clayton:

to actually do the work and consume the content at your, your paid event or your

Jon Clayton:

workshop, the more likely to attend it in the first place, having paid for it.

Jon Clayton:

Um, but then they're going to be more ready.

Jon Clayton:

To buy the offer that's coming next, which neatly segues us into the

Jon Clayton:

final part of the lean marketing engine, which is a gateway offer.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: the

Jon Clayton:

is a gateway offer?

Jon Clayton:

Yeah, the gateway

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: is an entry point offer for new clients to come in.

Jon Clayton:

So this is designed very strategically to pull people from that lead generator

Jon Clayton:

all the way to your signature offer.

Jon Clayton:

So how it works is it is a standalone offer and it costs between 10 to

Jon Clayton:

25 percent of your signature offer.

Jon Clayton:

And the intention behind it is to get all stakeholders invested in the

Jon Clayton:

strategy you're creating to get them from point A, the pain, to point

Jon Clayton:

B, woohoo, I'm on the other side of that pain, the transformation.

Jon Clayton:

So, it works in three steps.

Jon Clayton:

The first step is an interview, so you interview all of the stakeholders

Jon Clayton:

or decision makers at the same time to gather all of the information that

Jon Clayton:

you would need in order to create the best path forward for them.

Jon Clayton:

So what would that journey look like specifically for them?

Jon Clayton:

The second part is the documentation, so you need to create some sort of blueprint

Jon Clayton:

or strategy or audit or report or brief on what that transformation would look like,

Jon Clayton:

and in that documentation, you need to tell them what it would look like to move

Jon Clayton:

forward, so they have the option to take that strategy, do it themselves, Or, take

Jon Clayton:

that strategy and you will do it for them.

Jon Clayton:

So they need to have that point where they, you are connecting the pain, their

Jon Clayton:

goals, to the offer every step of the way in that moving forward section.

Jon Clayton:

And then part three is the live review.

Jon Clayton:

So during the live review, that's when the selling happens.

Jon Clayton:

You give it to them ahead of time so they have time to figure out

Jon Clayton:

what questions they have, talk about what they would want to revise.

Jon Clayton:

The live session, you do that.

Jon Clayton:

You had that conversation and at the end, that's when you're going to move them.

Jon Clayton:

Like, Hey, you can do this on your own or you can have me do it.

Jon Clayton:

And this is what it would look like and connect those dots.

Jon Clayton:

So you're connecting what you learned from that interview to the

Jon Clayton:

reason why you're choosing this path forward with them in your offer.

Jon Clayton:

So I have a question.

Jon Clayton:

The

Jon Clayton:

The first part of that, that first step, so the interview part where you're asking

Jon Clayton:

those questions and you're learning about the transformation that they're

Jon Clayton:

essentially looking for, would you, would that normally be part of that

Jon Clayton:

paid gateway offer or is that like, a lead in like a sort of, sometimes

Jon Clayton:

people will have like a discovery call that something as a free journey?

Jon Clayton:

Unpaid thing before they then begin delivering a paid service, but

Jon Clayton:

you'd see that We're getting paid.

Jon Clayton:

We're getting paid.

Jon Clayton:

I like the sound of it

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yeah, yeah, no, we're getting paid for that.

Jon Clayton:

That's hard work.

Jon Clayton:

Um, so how I do it is I'll have like a 15 to 20 minute conversation with

Jon Clayton:

someone that's more of a Fit check, like.

Jon Clayton:

Do we vibe and is this someone I can help and if this is someone I can help then

Jon Clayton:

I'll say okay the next steps are to book your, you know, insert entry offer here.

Jon Clayton:

Mm

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: And during that time that's when we're going to do this

Jon Clayton:

interview, build out your strategy and figure out your path to getting to this

Jon Clayton:

goal, whatever their goal might be.

Jon Clayton:

But your entry offer is going to take over, it's going to replace the discovery.

Jon Clayton:

The proposal and the onboarding that you would typically have, that's

Jon Clayton:

usually unpaid or not adequately assessed when you're deciding

Jon Clayton:

on your signature offer pricing.

Jon Clayton:

Oh, I, I love, I love the idea.

Jon Clayton:

So essentially there's certain elements that normally the normal way

Jon Clayton:

of things that we, it might be non billable hours that these companies

Jon Clayton:

are writing off and saying, well, you know, we have to spend so many

Jon Clayton:

hours having these conversations and.

Jon Clayton:

Meetings with prospective clients and then doing this initial audit or analysis of

Jon Clayton:

their needs and then putting it together into some kind of proposal and, and

Jon Clayton:

all of that can take a lot of time and they are often not getting paid for it.

Jon Clayton:

Whereas this way of working, having that packaged as a

Jon Clayton:

gateway offer that has some very.

Jon Clayton:

Clear deliverables that they get and framing it and pitching it in such

Jon Clayton:

a way means that we can do all of that stuff and get paid for doing it.

Jon Clayton:

And I guess it serves as a, a taster of actually, actually experiencing what

Jon Clayton:

it's like to work with that client.

Jon Clayton:

Yeah,

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: of you the opportunity to say, hmm, we vibed or we didn't.

Jon Clayton:

I would want to work with them or I wouldn't.

Jon Clayton:

It also pretty much guarantees that the signature offer that you do is going to

Jon Clayton:

go off without a hitch because you've pre built the strategy that you're taking them

Jon Clayton:

through and you have had them sign off.

Jon Clayton:

Yes, I love this before the project begins.

Jon Clayton:

So you have this roadmap that you can always go back to.

Jon Clayton:

Like if they're pushing back, they're like, why are we doing this?

Jon Clayton:

Look

Jon Clayton:

This is why it's, it was in the strategy that you signed off on.

Jon Clayton:

I love that.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah, do you have any thoughts on, um, an example of a gateway offer for, for

Jon Clayton:

an architect or architecture practice owner that might be listening in?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Let's see.

Jon Clayton:

Putting you on the spot

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: You are.

Jon Clayton:

I didn't think about this ahead of time.

Jon Clayton:

Um, let's go with the tenant development.

Jon Clayton:

Um, chitty chat that I was using example I was using earlier.

Jon Clayton:

So let's say a client comes to you in their business and they're

Jon Clayton:

like, we're looking at this space.

Jon Clayton:

Um, it doesn't fit at all.

Jon Clayton:

It used to be a restaurant and we're going to be a barbershop.

Jon Clayton:

Um, What do you think we should do?

Jon Clayton:

What, how do you visualize this project going and what's the timeline

Jon Clayton:

would look like and all of that.

Jon Clayton:

So if they're coming to you with something like that, then your

Jon Clayton:

gateway offer could be sitting down, having a conversation with everybody

Jon Clayton:

who's involved in that project.

Jon Clayton:

So you're getting.

Jon Clayton:

All of their insights, putting down, uh, writing a report on,

Jon Clayton:

okay, this is what you guys wanted.

Jon Clayton:

This is what I see would be the best path moving forward.

Jon Clayton:

And probably I would have some sort of list.

Jon Clayton:

Like this is the, these are the line items that we would need to go through to

Jon Clayton:

turn this restaurant into a barber shop.

Jon Clayton:

I think it's the perfect location.

Jon Clayton:

Here are the stats on why it's a good location for a barbershop.

Jon Clayton:

This is what it would look like moving forward.

Jon Clayton:

So, I think that would probably be a good way to bring people in,

Jon Clayton:

build them a solid strategy that is valuable without even having to move

Jon Clayton:

forward with you if they chose not to.

Jon Clayton:

So, it's a good stand alone offer, but it also is a great

Jon Clayton:

lead in to hiring you for it.

Jon Clayton:

Because once you do that, they're like, you came up with a strategy,

Jon Clayton:

why would I go with anyone else?

Jon Clayton:

Yeah, that makes so much sense to me.

Jon Clayton:

It's like you mentioned there that this is something that has

Jon Clayton:

got standalone value on its own.

Jon Clayton:

So even if they decide, like in the case of an architect, like it could be that,

Jon Clayton:

as you say, they're doing some discovery, they've got that initial meeting, they're

Jon Clayton:

finding out everything about the aims for the project, and you're putting

Jon Clayton:

together a report that's making some.

Jon Clayton:

recommendations, it's outlining perhaps what the next steps are, who else might

Jon Clayton:

need to be involved, what might need to happen, what the timescales might

Jon Clayton:

look like, and that is something that whether or not they decide to work with

Jon Clayton:

you or whether they decide to proceed straight away or not They've got something

Jon Clayton:

that's really, really valuable that they could, if they wanted, they could

Jon Clayton:

go and take that document and they could go and get quotes from some of

Jon Clayton:

the practices, but you're going to be in the driving seat, like they're going

Jon Clayton:

to be, you're going to be their first choice, I mean, assuming that It's all

Jon Clayton:

gone well and you, you know, you didn't kind of like, I don't know, clash or

Jon Clayton:

something, you know, but assuming that it's all gone well, that you're really

Jon Clayton:

good fit for each other, then why would they not be wanting to work with you?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Exactly, and think about it, every single person, if they

Jon Clayton:

chose to go that route and shop it around, every single person is being

Jon Clayton:

compared to you, not someone else.

Jon Clayton:

You are the person that they're, or the business that they're comparing it to.

Jon Clayton:

And that puts you in a much better position than everyone else because

Jon Clayton:

they have to compare to you.

Jon Clayton:

And the other thing is when you're working with businesses, the hardest

Jon Clayton:

thing is dealing with all of the different decision makers and them not agreeing,

Jon Clayton:

but you're getting that agreement ahead of time during that entry offer.

Jon Clayton:

So you've got everyone on board and that makes selling to a

Jon Clayton:

committee of buyers a lot easier.

Jon Clayton:

Yeah, so many benefits.

Jon Clayton:

I think, or something that I should just mention, if the listeners are wanting

Jon Clayton:

to learn a little bit more about entry offers, we have a podcast episode that

Jon Clayton:

was recorded a little while ago with Laura Robinson, uh, about first date offers.

Jon Clayton:

And there's some similarities between that and what we've been talking about

Jon Clayton:

here today regarding gateway offers.

Jon Clayton:

So if you want to kind of learn a little bit more about that concept, then go and

Jon Clayton:

check out that podcast episode as well.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah, this has been absolutely amazing.

Jon Clayton:

So useful for everybody.

Jon Clayton:

What would be the main thing that you'd like everybody to take

Jon Clayton:

away from the conversation today?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: I would say when you're listening to this, start

Jon Clayton:

thinking about what a potential gateway offer could be for you.

Jon Clayton:

That's a great place to start when you're building your engine because

Jon Clayton:

you're having so many interviews.

Jon Clayton:

During that gateway offer process at first, you're going to sell a lot

Jon Clayton:

of them because you need to get the reps in to get really good at it.

Jon Clayton:

You are going to have so many insights from your dream clients that you can

Jon Clayton:

use to feed all of the rest of this.

Jon Clayton:

You're going to better understand who your dream client is.

Jon Clayton:

You might be interviewing people and you're like, they actually suck.

Jon Clayton:

I don't want to work with more people like that.

Jon Clayton:

And they're eliminated from your dream client profile.

Jon Clayton:

You'll understand what aspects of your offer people actually care

Jon Clayton:

about and what you could maybe toss aside that don't matter.

Jon Clayton:

You'll learn what channels they spend time on.

Jon Clayton:

Cause you can ask during that, during that time and what kind of questions come up.

Jon Clayton:

can feed your content, what you'd actually create content around.

Jon Clayton:

So everything else becomes easier.

Jon Clayton:

Start there.

Jon Clayton:

I love that.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah, was there anything else that you wanted to add about the topic

Jon Clayton:

that we haven't already covered today?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: I think we are good.

Jon Clayton:

Awesome.

Jon Clayton:

Awesome.

Jon Clayton:

Well, that just leaves me to ask my question that I like to ask

Jon Clayton:

the guests that come on the show.

Jon Clayton:

It's nothing to do with the topic we've been talking about.

Jon Clayton:

I just love to travel and to discover new places.

Jon Clayton:

And I was just wondering if you could tell me about one of your favourite

Jon Clayton:

places and what you love about it.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Well, one of my favorite places is Colorado because it is

Jon Clayton:

everywhere you look, it's like a painting.

Jon Clayton:

It's the most beautiful state I've ever seen.

Jon Clayton:

But when you told me that you were going to ask that question at the beginning of

Jon Clayton:

this, the first thing that popped into my head is, My car is my favorite place

Jon Clayton:

because I love road trips and I can go Anywhere and the possibilities are endless

Jon Clayton:

and I could just turn right instead of turning left and see something new

Jon Clayton:

I love that.

Jon Clayton:

That's, uh, that's so original as well, Sarah, because nobody on the show so

Jon Clayton:

far has said that their car is their favorite place, but that makes so much

Jon Clayton:

sense now that you've mentioned it.

Jon Clayton:

That's awesome.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah, thank you so much for being a guest on the show and for sharing

Jon Clayton:

your expertise with everybody.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Thanks for having me.

Jon Clayton:

Oh, you're very welcome.

Jon Clayton:

If people would like to learn more about you and connect with

Jon Clayton:

you online, where would be the best place for them to do that?

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Yes So my website is my name sarahnoelblock.

Jon Clayton:

com And I spend most of my time on linkedin.

Jon Clayton:

You can find me there And it's just slash sarahnoelblock.

Jon Clayton:

Perfect.

Jon Clayton:

I'll make sure that we also include a link to your website and your LinkedIn profile.

Jon Clayton:

We'll put those in the show notes as well, so you can just click the links in there

Jon Clayton:

and you can connect with Sarah there.

Jon Clayton:

Perfect.

Jon Clayton:

Okay.

Jon Clayton:

Thanks again, Sarah.

Jon Clayton:

Sarah Noel Block: Thank you

Jon Clayton:

Next time, I share all the details about our membership community.

Jon Clayton:

Thanks so much for listening to this episode of architecture business club.

Jon Clayton:

If you liked this episode, think other people might enjoy it.

Jon Clayton:

Or just want to show your support for the show.

Jon Clayton:

Then please leave a glowing five-star review or rating wherever you listen

Jon Clayton:

to podcasts, it would mean so much to me and makes it easier for new

Jon Clayton:

listeners to discover the show.

Jon Clayton:

And if you haven't already done, so don't forget to hit the subscribe button.

Jon Clayton:

So you never miss another episode.

Jon Clayton:

If you want to connect with me, you can do that on most social media platforms,

Jon Clayton:

just search for at Mr. John Clayton.

Jon Clayton:

The best place to connect with me online, though is on LinkedIn.

Jon Clayton:

You can find a link to my profile in the show notes.

Jon Clayton:

Remember.

Jon Clayton:

Running your architecture business.

Jon Clayton:

Doesn't have to be hard and you don't need to do it alone.

Jon Clayton:

This is architecture business club.