Your A/E/C Connect Edge.

Publications

Presentations

31 Trends Impacting the A/E/C Industry that You Should be Following Now,

published 20 October 2014 on the ENR Marketopolis blog

 

A few months ago I began developing a lunch & learn program for my co-workers.  The topic was mega-trends in the design and construction industry.  I created an initial list of 17 trends, gleaned from both my personal opinion as well as an analysis of A/E/C industry and business publications including Engineering News-Record and the SMPS Foundation’s book, A/E/C Business Development – The Decade Ahead.  On a whim, I decided to share my thoughts with some of my colleagues in the Society for Marketing Professional Services.  I asked if they agreed with the list, and if there were any other trends they were experiencing or predicting.

What Does Your Business Development Program Need? More Cowbell,

published 23 September 2014 on the ENR Marketopolis blog

 

In this day and age of the commoditization of the A/E/C industry, you'd think the last thing we'd need is a reminder of this unfortunate trend.  Just as Hester Prynne was branded with an "A" for adulteress in The Scarlet Letter, it would seem that A/E/C professionals branded with cowbells would visually scream "commodity"!

 

However, that's not exactly what five intrepid SMPS members had in mind when they presented "More Cowbell: Empower Your Technical Professionals to Become Business Development Rockstars!" at the recent SMPS Build Business national conference in San Antonio.

The Value of Doing Good,

published 12 November 2013 in the AIA Practice Management Digest

 

Design firms are discussing charities and initiatives to support. For many firms, though, the thought of "doing good" is not just a seasonal approach.

The Value of Tracking Pursuit Costs,

published December 2013 in the SMPS Marketer, co-authored with Linda Koch FSMPS, CPSM

 

Responding to RFQ/Ps account for a large expenditure of marketing dollars, and yet many firms don’t know the impact of those activities on your firm’s bottom line. With marketing departments tasked with doing more with less, understanding the true value of a pursuit to your firm can provide guidance about where to spend precious dollars and resources that reap real results for your firm.

 

Business Development

More Cowbell: Empower Your Technical Professionals to Become Business Development Rockstars. SMPS Build Business, August 2014

Business Development in the A/E/C Industry: Will Today's Practices Be Relevant Tomorrow? SMPS Atlanta, June 2014

Business Development for the AEC Technical Professional. AGC of Middle Tennessee Emerging Leaders Series, April 2014

Building and Growing a Professional Network. SMPS Alabama, November 2013

Talking Presentations with Firm Leaders, SMPS Northeast Ohio Executives Forum, October 2013

Building and Growing a Professional Network. ABC Nashville Emerging Leaders Series, October 2013

Win the Car, Not the Goat. Let’s Make a Deal – Motivating Your Technical Professionals to become Business Development Rockstars. SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference, March 2013

Mojo Multiplied: How Three Experienced Marketers Find, Develop, and Keep their Clients. SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference, March 2013

Building Successful Partnerships: Developing a Win/Win/Win Situation, SMPS Build Business, July 2010

Marketing and Business Development Revisited. SMPS Kentucky, August 2008 and August 2002

Lead Identification. Nashville Area Chamber of Commerce Marketing Roundtable, March 2008

 Opportunity Knocks – Converting Leads into Actual Projects! SMPS Research Triangle, May 2007

 Business Development for the AEC Technical Professional. FCSI North American Symposium, September 2006

 The Secrets of Successful AE Firm Networking. ZweigWhite webinar, April 2006

Marketing Communications

Strategies to Develop Winning Awards Submissions. SMPS Southern Regional Conference, February 2011

Get the Message: Effective Marketing Communications. SMPS Build Business, July 2009

Strategies to Develop Winning Award Submissions. SMPS Heartland Regional Conference, May 2008

Strategies to Develop Winning Award Submissions. SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference, March 2008

Strategies to Develop Winning Award Submissions. SMPS Central Pennsylvania, May 2007

Strategies to Develop Winning Award Submissions. SMPS Pittsburgh, November 2006

Promotional Activities

Maximizing Your Conference and Sponsorship Investment. SMPS National webinar, May 2014

Dream BIG: Turn Your “Big idea” into Reality. SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference, March 2013

Promotional Activities. SMPS Nashville Summer Bootcamp, August 2012 and July 2010

Promotional Activities. SMPS Kentucky, September 2010

Maximizing Your Conference and Sponsorship Investment. SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference, March 2010

Maximizing Your Conference and Sponsorship Investment. SMPS Research Triangle, March 2009

Mastering the Fundamentals—Promotional Activities. SMPS Indiana, May 2001

Community Engagement

The Value of Doing Good: Building an Effective Community Engagement Program. SMPS North Florida Business Development Bootcamp, March 2014

Leadership

You Can Do It: Being a Better Leader. SMPS Pittsburgh Marketing MAYhem, May 2014

You Can Do It: Being a Better Leader. SMPS Northeast Ohio iMarket Series, October 2013

You Can Do It: Being a Better Leader. SMPS St. Louis-SAME Industry Day, April 2013

Professional Development

Angling for the Seat. SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference, March 2014

Get Off the Couch! Implementing What You Learned at SERC. SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference, March 2012

LIVE! Surviving and Thriving after the Great Recession. SMPS Southeastern Regional Conference, March 2011

Top Dogs Speak: Truth, Wisdom & Survival Tips for Marketers. SMPS Research Triangle, January 2010

How to Get Ahead in Your Career. SMPS Northeast Regional Conference, May 2008

Mentoring as a Competitive Advantage. SMPS Los Angeles, May 2009

Mentoring as a Competitive Advantage. SMPS Las Vegas, October 2007

Mentoring as a Competitive Advantage. SMPS Research Triangle, July 2005

Research and Strategy

Finding Your Strategic Planning Angle. SMPS Southern Regional Conference, January 2014

Competitive Intelligence. SMPS Oklahoma, August 2010

Competitive Intelligence. SMPS Northeast Regional Conference, May 2008

Competitive Intelligence. SMPS Maine, April 2008

Competitive Intelligence. SMPS Carolinas, February 2008

Competitive Intelligence. SMPS Indiana, February 2008

Competitive Intelligence: A Roundtable Discussion, AIA Tennessee Annual Conference, August 2004

Competitive Intelligence. SMPS Columbus, March 2003