Four big problem areas in BD/Marketing for AEC firms

Four common problems AEC firms have in marketing and business development

1) They do not provide adequate training in marketing and selling - or if they do, the wrong person is assigned to do the teaching. Only 22% of firms provide marketing training to all employees, most often in the areas of proposal preparation, and CRM systems use. Just 14% of firms provide actual sales training.

2) Technical staff does not have the time for marketing and sales activities. Utilization is the main performance metric tracked and emphasized.

3) Business development activities are not balanced with workload. Firms "turn off" business development when they are busy with work, and don't turn it back on until it's too late - when leads and revenue have already dipped!

4) The organization is siloed and marketing operates as a separate "support" entity from business development and project management.

Four areas successful firms shine in marketing and business development

1) They know how to cross-sell effectively, and maintain good relationships with current clients.

2) They understand the market and have a large, well-detailed degree of information on past, present, and potential future clients. Just over half of all firms (52%) maintain a centralized file of data on their clients (that's not enough). 83% of firms have a CRM system, with an average of 9,023 names in it.

3) Successful firms begin with the end in mind - they understand revenue numbers, have sales goals, and also understand what activities will help them get projects.

4) They know their marketing metrics and use them to help predict future. Examples include the number of website views, the number of inquiries, proposal volume, hit rate, dollar value of new project opportunities, and so much more!

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Want to learn more about how to improve your firm's Business Development?

Elevating Doer-Sellers: Business Development for AEC Professionals - Virtual Seminar - Begins July 7, 2021

This is a four-week program of 90-minute meetings each week of live Zoom meetings with our seminar instructors.

Elevating Doer-Sellers: Business Development for AEC Professionals is specifically developed to help design and technical professionals in architecture, engineering, planning, and environmental firms become more comfortable managing clients and promoting their firms and its services.

Led by two CEOs with extensive experience from the design desk to the board room, this one-of-a-kind seminar presents business development techniques proven to drive real growth and value in your AEC firm. Beyond the buzzword heavy, ra-ra approach of other business development and sales training seminars, this seminar focuses on what really works in today's AEC firm utilizing practical and proven techniques that resonate across the organizational chart.

Utilizing a unique workshop approach, current CEO of Zweig Group, Chad Clinehens, P.E., and retired CEO of Garver, Dan Williams, will lead participants through an immersion of what it takes to grow an AEC firm.

Topics include what drives value in an AEC firm, building a strong brand, how to develop more business, and maximizing the client experience. This course is taught through a combination of lectures, discussions, workshops, and a complete project pursuit activity.