As a consultant here at ZweigWhite, I have the wonderful opportunity to go into architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms and peek behind the scenes. I’m allowed full access to observe what drives the firm, feel the culture, and experience the mystique. Coincidentally, I’m also privy to the internal conflicts, daily fire-stopping, and all other manner of turmoil and inefficiency not usually associated with the brand name on the front door.
Marketing, and its related components, is one area where this is indeed the case. Leaders and managers have good intentions for marketing and marketing related activities, but we all know intentions can fall short of achievement. In this economy, too, when firms are ratcheting up efforts and unleashing their teams on business development chases, it’s important to make sure what you’re doing is not merely effective—but is right from the start. Reflect on these areas and decide for yourself what’s going on inside your firm. If there are conflicts, turmoil or inefficiencies, start making incremental changes. You’ll be investing less in terms of real dollars and energy, but yielding a great deal more in terms of absolute results and projects.
Marketing plans. Just as they have overall strategic plans, firms require marketing plans. But most of the marketing plans we review are just elaborate calendars itemizing the industry conferences, newsletters, and postcard campaigns intended for the coming year. The slightly more sophisticated plans, of course, include sales targets by group or office, but even these lack substance. Consider adding opportunity analysis, positioning, branding, messaging, sales targets and tracking, interview techniques, market entry, and new service offerings. There are spreadsheets, and then there are strategic marketing plans. Devise one that is in balance with your firm’s objectives.
Marketing meetings. Leaders claim they have marketing meetings all the time— and are thereby building marketing culture across the organization. I’ve sat in those meetings and they are nothing more than a dry reading of the proposal roster with some hopeful updates. That’s not marketing, that’s not a meeting, and that’s why folks schedule other things at that hour. This meeting should ooze strategy from both sides of the table—the director’s and the participants’—and focus on what it takes to get the firm to where it wants to be in terms of projects and clients. There is the idea that everyone is in marketing, and then there is boring them to tears with updates. Bring a new agenda, rebrand your meetings, give support, and expect collaboration.
Idea generation. So, while we are on the subject of meetings, let’s cover the ideas batted around in those sessions, because you want the meetings to generate creative, profitable ideas. While this is great, I have watched several principals and teams give resounding support to the notion of entering new markets—the energy sector, for example. They were still talking about it several months later as a fantastic opportunity where lots of money sat waiting for them to capture. But, it does little good to rally and brainstorm if no one has the passion to actually pursue the idea. Were they waiting for the president to get started? Was it the marketing director’s responsibility? There is zeal for an initiative, and then there is indifference. Distinguish between the two, make some decisions, and act.
Marketing manager. Whether the title is manager, director, or coordinator, you have a person or persons dedicated to marketing efforts in the firm. With that role comes the responsibility of driving the message to the marketplace, creating innovative awareness campaigns, and advising leaders on hot markets and how to enter them successfully. That is, of course, if you hired the right person for the position in the first place, articulated expectations, and provided the tools they need to achieve these goals. Most firms give out these titles liberally to someone that simply combs for leads and churns out proposals. This needs to be done, but what about the other stuff? The rest of the firm needs and wants that, too. There are expeditors, and then there are marketers. Be sure the person leading this very strategic area of your firm is the latter.
Client relationship management (CRM). While we’re on the subject of tools, a good CRM database is a sound investment. At a business development seminar I was teaching, a leader at one of our Hot Firms admitted the firm lacked any kind of system. While it is possible to become a profitable and top revenue-producing firm without one, her stories of mistakes and confusion demonstrated that it’s not advisable. There is keeping in touch via Outlook, and then there is a legitimate way to maintain client information and track campaigns targeted to them. Explore the options out there and choose the one that’s right for your firm’s vision.
I know you are doing marketing and business development in your firms and I know you are probably doing more of it than ever before. But, how you approach and practice marketing might be much different than I would be practicing it these days.
