Jacques Management advises clients on strategies and tactics for becoming widely recognized and high-performing market leaders. It’s About THEM, the recently released book by Dick Jacques, provides insights on how this has worked in practice for the firms highlighted in the book.

The Book’s Foreword
It’s About THEM by Richard G. Jacques, AIA, is a refreshing book whose time has come. The architectural profession needs to understand, particularly in today’s world, that service is the differentiator that “wins the day.” Good design is taken for granted. In four decades of practice (mostly as founding partner of the Hillier Group), I have seen the architect’s role, responsibilities, and influence diminished by organizations who understood that excellent service is actually excellent marketing. While we were fretting about “us,” services we normally provided were being pulled away by program managers, construction managers, realtors, lawyers, dealers, and engineers whose service orientation was about “them” — our clients.
In my professional practice class in the School of Architecture at Princeton, I teach my students that providing excellent service doesn’t jeopardize your design; in fact, it enhances your chances of getting what you designed built. Recently, I used a poster-sized version of the cover of Richard’s book in a class that included several owners as a panel. The book’s theme really resonated with them.
Today, we hear about architects becoming “brands.” In our profession, brand is simply a short word for “reputation.” A good friend of mine described reputation as, “What people say about you behind your back.” It’s About THEM will help you build and protect your reputation. It is so good I wish I had written it myself.
J. Robert Hillier, FAIA, PP
Principal, J. Robert Hillier
Princeton, NJ
and
Adjunct Professor of Architecture
Princeton University