Strategy – planning, assessing, evaluating, developing new business
Power of Story to Win New Business
Presented by David Lecours
A/E/C firms that thrive in our industry embrace the power of narrative to win new business. All employees in your firm need to be able to clearly and succinctly tell your firm’s story when talking with prospective teaming partners, clients and employee recruits. Story creates an emotional connection with potential clients that will separate your firm from the herd. Harnessing the power of story in your project sheets, presentation interviews, biographies and web sites is essential to winning new work.
David Lecours has 21 years of experience delivering creativity as a Marketer and Designer. After graduation from USC, his first job was in International Marketing at Paramount Pictures. He then worked as a Sales Representative for Reebok and was promoted into Regional Marketing. David launched his firm, LecoursDesign in 1995. David currently serves as Creative Director at LecoursDesign, a marketing and brand communications firm helping A/E/C firms attract and retain great clients. David earned his CPSM in 2004. David shares his knowledge on creativity as a professional speaker and blog author. David is married and also loves surfing and yoga.
Strategic Planning: Simplicity Power & Action for AEC Strategists
Presented by Bill Strong and Ted Sive
Strategy is the most abused and misunderstood word in the AEC lexicon. Definitions are multiple and confusing and far too much time and effort is spent in the development of strategy and not in the actual doing. Strategic planning should generate fun and inspiration for the creators, clarify your company’s passion, and power specific activities. Strategic planning does not need to be lengthy but it does need to be clear, specific, and honest.
This program is directed to AEC marketers and those ready to take the next step to the executive suite by initiating, facilitating, and implementing your firm’s strategic plan. It’s not just the role of the CEO. Ted Sive FSMPS and Bill Strong FSMPS will provide you a tool that allows you to be the champion of purpose, the navigator of process, the master of details, and the coach of teams for your firm’s strategic plan.
Bill Strong, FSMPS, CPSM, Assoc. AIA has 37 years experience in marketing and business development for architectural firms. He is Principal and Director of Marketing at Mahlum, a Pacific Northwest leader in the architectural design of educational, healthcare, and institutional projects. Bill is a member of the firm’s executive management team incorporating two offices in Seattle and Portland. As marketing director, Bill oversees the strategic planning and development of marketing and public relations for the corporation and its offices. Bill received his Bachelor of Architecture degree from Kansas State University and his Masters in Marketing & Public Relations from the University of Missouri.
Ted Sive, FSMPS works with A/E/C companies to create strategy [distilling firm passion, strengths, and market analysis] and communication [developing brand voice, skills and materials]. With more than twenty years working with leading architectural, engineering and construction firms, Sive is sought after for his skills as a facilitator, coach, and trainer.
A frequent speaker and industry pundit, Sive works at the forefront of the industry trends driving A/E/C in the new economy. His white papers on the strategic impacts of BIM (Building Information Modeling) and IPD (Integrated Project Delivery) have been widely quoted. Sive has spoken at numerous national conferences and regional education events for ACEC, AGC, AIA, SMPS, and other industry organizations.
Commoditize or Revitalize: Buck the trend of commoditization and revitalize your approach to growing new business
Presented by Ann Banning-Wright, Jennifer Crawford, and Jamie Awford
Shake up the commodity approach to winning more work. Learn what you can do to step out of the pack of lemmings and chart a more strategic course. You cannot win if owners see your firm as interchangeable with others. We will discuss what you can immediately do to stem the “commoditization” tide. We will cover topics from differentiating behaviors in client/project pursuits to revitalize your companies approach to the market in order to win more work. When work is just reactive we loose the connection to what we love to do. Let us help you get back to what marketers and business developers do best – helping firms position, understand and solve client problems.
Ann Banning-Wright is a visionary leader, skilled in operational strategy. While at Syska Hennessy, she led the development and operation of OnlinEnvironments, the firm’s most profitable business line, and turned the west region into the most successful operation of Syska Hennessy through history’s worst recession. Ann received the SMPS Leonardo award in 1996. In 2010, Ann launched Bright Operations, and works with A/E/C companies to transform teams into thought and performance leaders. Ann has served on ACE Mentor-LA and USC Architectural Guild Boards. Ann co-authored “Clean Slate: growing new markets/services for the AEC industry” due out in first quarter 2012.
Jennifer Crawford is a leader and strategist in business development and marketing of professional design services. Her career began in marketing communications and research for software and manufacturing companies, and teaching PR/writing courses at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo. Jennifer is a mentor and past board member of SMPS, San Diego, and is active in the Society of College and University Planners and the Design-Build Institute of America. In her eight years at Syska, Jennifer has served as marketing manager responsible for proposals leading to some of the firm’s largest prime contracts. Currently, she leads strategic BD for Syska’s western region.
Jamie Awford, Vice President of Balfour Beatty Construction is a 20+year construction industry veteran responsible for strategic planning and growth, preconstruction services, risk management and business development. He has proven experience leading major pursuits in a variety of market segments, including military, education, hospitality, criminal justice, healthcare, aviation, public and private sectors. He has earned a reputation in the industry winning several large local projects, including the $221-million County of San Diego Women’s Detention Center, $100-million UCSD North Campus Housing, $62-million San Diego Community College City College Business and Humanities Buildings, and the $471-million San Diego Airport Terminal 2 Expansion.
What Do Zombies and Sally Field Have In Common? AKA Facilitating Better Go/No-Go Decisions
Presented by Joanmarie Eggert
What do “Zombies” and “Sally Field” proposals have in common? They are both proposals you never want to pursue. “Zombies” keep coming back to life after a “NO” decision. When you “GO” only “because they really, really, like us” – that’s a Sally Field proposal. During this interactive session we will discuss how decisions are made – by us, our team, and our clients. This includes discussion of the role our emotions play in our ability to decide as well as some of the decision-making traps we can all fall into.
This information will be used to map out how your personality type can assist others in their own decision-making. An analytical tool will be provided to help you demonstrate to your internal team the effectiveness of their Go/No-Go decisions and positioning. Finally, we will share techniques and processes that have been successful for others. This is NOT another Go/No-Go form!
Joanmarie Eggert, LG, CSPM has worked in the A/E Industry for over 30 years, focusing on marketing and business development since the 1990s. With an undergraduate degree in Geology and an MBA in Managing Information Systems, she understands the technical, business, and marketing aspects of our business. She has held the position of Corporate Marketing Manager, Sales Manager, Client Service Manager, and is currently a Regional Marketing Manager for Kennedy/Jenks’s Pacific Northwest region. Recently she has been fascinated with the new research into how the brain works and how we make decisions.