Key Takeaways & Review of SMPS HQ's Business Development for the A/E/C Industries Workshop
SMPS HQ recently hosted a full-day Business Development for the A/E/C Industries Workshop in Portland, OR. Led by Karen O. Courtney, AIA, FSMPS and Laurie A. Buckman, CPSM, the workshop focused on five main topics within Business Development: Defining Business Development, Lead Generation, Business Development Planning, Capture Planning, and Execution Strategies. Two SMPS Oregon Chapter board members attended the workshop and shared their thoughts on what they learned below.
What were your key takeaways from the event?
The biggest change in lead generation is social selling. What used to be a cold call is now a text, LinkedIn message or email. It’s easier for a lead to ignore this new form of communication so don’t give up right away – 80% of sales are made after the fifth try. For best results, make sure you know your target client’s preferred form of communication. Also, when reaching out via LinkedIn use a personal touch such as noting the connections, school or organizations you have in common.
Six degrees of Separation (and Kevin Bacon) is real – find out how you are connected to your target. At the workshop, each table was tasked with identifying how they could make a connection to someone famous. My table was able to identify a path to meeting Jeff Bezos and Beyonce in less than six “degrees”! Obviously, it’s easier said than done, but the lesson was that you need to get creative and ask around. You may be surprised what connections your colleagues and extended network can bring you.
Clients don’t wait until the first meeting to learn about you. By the time you meet, they likely already checked out your social media profiles and your firm’s website. Make sure your online presence represents you and your firm well. Friendly reminder to keep your personal views on controversial topics away from LinkedIn or any social media where you are connected to clients. Also, if you feel passionate about sharing your views on your personal social media, don’t include your employer in your bio.
Save your Capture Planning efforts for the BIG clients. This is something we all do at our firms – gathering intel and knowledge on prospective clients or projects to better align our firms for success (winning the client or project). Karen and Laurie noted that Capture Planning doesn’t need to be done for EVERY prospective client or project but is so important for the BIG ones.
Laurie Buckman, CPSM, Vice President of Business Development at Process Plus
Was the workshop worth it to you and your firm?
Kate Kearney, Associate, Peter Meijer Architect, PC
SMPS Oregon Director of Industry Outreach
This was one of the BEST Business Development workshops I have had the opportunity to attend. Each attendee was provided a workbook that was divided into five sections. Karen and Laurie rotated leading the presentation that accompanied each workbook section. At the end of each section, Karen or Laurie took the time to explain a real life experience they had that directly tied-back to what was just presented (and what we hopefully learned)! I found this aspect of the workshop most helpful. In past workshops or conferences, I have often felt the presenters were trying to sell their services, or only told the success story without any technical knowledge being shared. Karen and Laurie, however, provided both. They presented, had us perform exercises that reinforced what was just taught, then shared success stories that directly showed the value of the technical knowledge presented. They were also accommodating with answering questions any attendees had per section, or in general as well.
The biggest items of note for myself regarding attending the workshop, was 1) how knowledgeable the presenters are on this topic manner, (doesn’t always happen!) 2) that the presenters offered two different perspectives on Business Development, one focused on private sector clients, the other on public sector clients, and 3) all the areas my firm can improve upon regarding business development strategies. As a sole marketer tasked with business development responsibilities as well, this workshop provided a clear road map for setting-up to implementing long-term strategies for my firm.
Kelly Johnson, Marketing Director, 3J Consulting
SMPS Oregon Director of Professional Development
It was such a treat to have a SMPS HQ event hosted in Portland! There were several attendees who traveled here just to attend the Business Development Workshop. Karen and Laurie led an engaging, informative session presenting a lot of information in one day. They provided flexibility in the agenda allowing the group to spend time discussing topics that were important to us. I appreciated that they shared research data, templates and best practices that gave us something tangible to walk away with. The workshop helped reaffirm things I already knew and also helped me identify things that would be beneficial at my firm.
Karen O. Courtney, AIA, FSMPS, Chief Marketing Officer, Architect at Fannin Howey Architects/Engineers
What did the workshop cover about Business Development?
Defining Business Development
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What is BD
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Seller-Doer and dedicated BD staff models
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Your personal brand
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Differences between BD and marketing
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BD roles in the sales process
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Trends in BD
Lead Generation
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Sales funnel and prospecting, how to generate leads
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Importance/how to of networking
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Qualifying best practices and tactics
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Qualifying leads, Go/No Go decisions
Business Development Planning
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Context within planning hierarchy: strategic plan, business plan, marketing plan, BD plan, individual capture plans
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Sample BD plan
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Articulating your unique value proposition
Capture Planning
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What a proactive firm does
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SMPS capture planning form: utilization, decision making, pitfalls, best practices
Execution Strategies
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Targeting, warm/cold calling, first call script
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Client visits, first meeting/uncovering client drivers, qualifying opportunities
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Advancing toward a sale: Proposal 101 and BD role in preparing for the presentation
