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Where experience really counts
ZweigWhite's John Doehring explains why marketing the customer's experience can set one A/E firm apart from another.
Designing and delivering a great client experience
Understanding the needs and wants of clients can boost repeat business in A/E firms.
Gathering information from others at your A/E firm
From doers to sellers
In the new economic landscape, business development is everyone's business— not just the business of sales professionals.
They can't work with you if they can't find you!
Being inaccessible to potential clients can keep your firm from becoming more successful.
Focus on your firm's web site
Find out what A/E firms are doing to increase traffic on their web sites.
SmithGroup measures its marketing effectiveness
Find out how this 800-person A/E firm created a process that will help firm leaders make decisions on how to allocate marketing resources.
Postal rate increase has varying impact
For the marketing departments in A/E firms, the recent hike in the cost to send a direct-mail piece will mean a closer look at mailings.
Market research tools at your fingertips
These four online tools will enhance your market research efforts. The best part? They're free.
Federal funding reauthorization looms over aviation market
The airports market has rebounded, but the reauthorization of the federal aviation program may dictate whether that growth will continue.
Marketers need to "feel the love"
Learn the ins and outs of what it means to be a marketer, what trends affect the marketing industry, and how firms can cultivate a positive working environment for their marketing staff.
Creating marketing budgets
With a more competitive industry, A/E firm leaders are learning to take a more active role in the creation of marketing budgets as well as providing departments with increased support.
Make room for marketing at your firm
Find out how to create a shared culture at your A/E firm.
Maximize your marketing dollar
The benefits of taking part in your community go well beyond the physical labor of the task at hand. Find out how the marketing department can capitalize on non-profit work.
Getting your story published
Discover how to approach the press when you want a story published.
What's Working in A/E Marketing Now
This interactive webinar will look at an array of marketing ideas that helped firms generate more leads, boost proposal hit rates, and bring more projects in the door.
Business trends to watch in 2007
Eight management, industry, and design trends will provide threats and opportunities to A/E firms in 2007.
SMPS: CRM systems add value to A/E firms
How effective is the client relationship
management program in your firm? Find out the results of a recent nationwide survey of A/E firms.
The value of marketing and business development
How do marketers and business
development professionals at A/E firms help leadership understand the value of what they do when it's so difficult to express monetarily?
The dos and don'ts of entertaining clients
Learn how to entertain your clients in a professional and effective way outside of the workplace.
"We don't get any respect"
Ed Hannan looks at why marketers are misguided in uttering this mantra.
What's your business development purpose?
How to identify the hidden business developer in every person, every role.
Mid-year marketing assessments: Focusing on strategic goals
A Mid-Year Marketing Assessment—which tracks the firm's year-to-date marketing efforts against the strategic business plan—will encourage firm leaders and marketing staff to celebrate achievements, refocus on strategic business goals, and refine the marketing plan to address new opportunities (or threats).
Image isn't everything, it's the only thing
So there I am, sitting on the couch a few weeks ago, watching a post-game
interview after the Seattle Seahawks beat the Carolina Panthers to advance to
the Super Bowl.
The rise of e-mail marketing
This past November, the independent Postal Rate Commission approved an increase
in the postage rate that became effective earlier this month. The cost of a
first-class stamp rose two cents, to 39 cents, and the rate for postcards
increased to 24 cents. The U.S. Postal Service hopes the rate increases will
help it be able to make a $3.1 billion escrow payment due in 2006.
Client or personal friend?
In relationship-building, how does one continue to pursue new business from a prospect with whom he unintentionally developed a personal friendship, but from whom he has still not received new business? And, moving forward, how does one grow a professional, pointed business relationship while also keeping it genuine? Here are some tips to walk this fine line successfully:
Go Team Marketing!
As a future or current leader of your engineering firm, here are three action items to solidify the bond and create an effective, multi-disciplined marketing team:
Leadership: It's in your future if you want it.
Leadership can be taught. With the proper guidance, everyone can demonstrate some form of leadership.
Take the work out of networking
How to make the most of your next conference. Here are some ways to convert the experience of networking from ''work'' into ''fun.''
Your client: A well-planted seed
Industry standards indicate that 80% of your revenue should come from
existing clients, year after year. The more business you can generate from
existing clients, the more strategic (a.k.a., picky) you can be about finding
new clients. Find out how to do a better job of building business through your
existing clients.
Market Watch: Residential real estate
Residential real estate has been a real stalwart of the AEC industry in recent
years, bolstered by the economy, low interest rates, and the attractiveness of
real estate as an investment compared to the stock market. Many observers
predicted that 2005 would be the year that the ''bubble'' would finally burst.
However, housing starts, home prices, and new residential construction continued
to reach record levels in 2005.
Future development focused on "megapolitans"
A recent study from The Brookings Institution (Washington, DC)
and Virginia Tech urban planning professor Robert Lang provides a long-term look
at geographic areas that will be the center of a massive building boom in the
U.S. in the next 25 years.
Market Watch: Casinos
A new survey released in mid-August by Hospitality Real Estate
Counselors (HREC) (Englewood, CO), a hotel and casino advisory firm,
indicates that casino development in the U.S. is expected to exceed $4 billion
by year's end. According to the survey, three identifiable trends emerged in
2005 that are likely to continue into 2006 and beyond.
Market Watch: Brownfields
Although you may not be hearing as much about brownfields these days as in
the late ‘90s, the market continues to expand as more communities are addressing
the issues of urban blight and inner-city revival. With the real estate market
as hot as it is right now, land is at a premium. And, several federal, state,
and local incentives have been instituted over the past few years to make the
redevelopment of brownfields properties a more attractive option for developers.
EPA releases new drinking water needs survey
In May, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) (Washington, DC) released its third national assessment of public drinking water system infrastructure needs, which estimates the total investment need for the 20-year period from 2003 to 2023 to be $276.8 billion.
Market Watch: Homeland security
A/E firms are seeing the greatest homeland security opportunities with assessment services, but the maturing market is poised to enter a new phase in the next few years.
What's Hot/What's Not
Quick briefs on market opportunities and pitfalls for A/E firms.
A/E revenue on the rise
The Census Bureau's new economic indicator estimates revenue in the A/E business topped $200 billion last year.
A long-term look at the demand for AEC services
Real estate development in the U.S. will hit new highs over the next 25 years.
California, Florida among hottest K-12 markets
A new report identifies states to watch for the best K-12 opportunities through 2008
Market Watch: Health Care
The health care market for design and environmental consulting firms has been
one of the most active in recent years, and it's unlikely that firms will see a
slowdown in 2005.
What's Hot/What's Not
A quick look at some hot markets, and some not-so-hot markets, for the A/E business.
November ballot measures bring mixed results
Transportation funding initiatives received strong support on Election Day, but the news wasn't as good in the education market.
A/E services revenue on the rise
Five-year trend shows significant gains for design firms.
New government statistic tracks A/E revenue
The U.S. Census Bureau has launched a new quarterly nationwide survey of firms in the service sector, and the initial numbers show good news for A/E firms.
Border crossing projects provide boost to architecture firms
The U.S. Government will enhance and rebuild many of the border stations along the Canadian and Mexican borders to meet modern security and commerce needs, providing business opportunities for A/E firms.
What's hot/What's not
A quick look at some hot markets, and some not-so-hot markets, for the A/E
business.
Market Watch: K-12 schools
The K-12 school market has been one of the strongest in the A/E business over the past few years. AEC firm leaders rank education as one of the brightest market sectors for 2004, rating it behind only health care in a recent survey.
Terrorism coverage extended through 2005
The U.S. Treasury Department has extended through the end of 2005 a provision of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act that makes terrorism risk insurance more widely available for construction projects, particularly in high-risk areas.
What's Hot/What's Not
Summaries and assessments of the latest A/E market trends.
What are the best cities for doing business?
In its March issue, Inc. magazine published a ranking of the best and worst cities for doing business in the U.S. Cities in the Southeast performed very well in the rankings, while some of the country's best-known cities fared poorly.
Market Watch: Ports
The country's ports are critical to the physical and economic security of the U.S. Billions of dollars in capital improvements will be necessary in the next few years to meet the rising demands of national security and international trade, but finding the money to pay for those improvements is a major concern.
Three ways market research can improve marketing
A/E/P firms rely on marketing departments to help out on a wide range of activities—from creating brochures to developing proposals to managing logistics for exhibiting at trade shows. In fact, according to a recent survey, A/E/P firms reported to invest 5.3% of their net service revenue in marketing—a record high.
The Fed: A great resource for economic research
The Federal Reserve is not only the source for monetary and fiscal policy in the United States, it is also a great source for market research. A treasure trove of economic analysis, predictive information, and economic indicators is just a click away at the Fed's web site.
Market Watch: Health Care
The health care market will be one of the strongest markets for design and environmental consulting firms in 2005.
What's Hot/What's Not
Quick briefs on market opportunities and pitfalls for A/E firms.
Where should you open your new office?
When it comes to expanding into a new geographical area a lot of firms make the decision based on whether they feel they should have a presence in that particular area. A better way to increase your chances of succeeding in that new area is through good old-fashioned market research.
Get on the phone
When it comes to gathering market intelligence, calling on the phone may be viewed by some as intrusive, but it often yields the best results. Here's why.
Do you really understand your client's needs?
Conduct a needs assessment by speaking directly with your prospective clients to learn about them. These brief discussions (not exceeding 20 minutes) are fantastic learning opportunities and differ from other perception studies in that assessments focus on prospective clients' needs, not yours.
Conducting a needs assessment
When you conduct a needs assessment of your market sectors, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Why you need to know about the competition
Having market intelligence available—particularly information about your competitors—to everyone in your firm is in your best interest to help you establish and maintain a competitive edge in the marketplace.
How can you share the data internally?
You'll be amazed at how quickly the information you gather will give you the insight you need when you go head-to-head against the competition. Here's how to get started.
Perception surveys: No pain, no gain
Good client perception surveys shed light upon your firm and your clients, among other issues. They also provide ideal opportunities to build relationships.
Some dos and don'ts of market research surveys
Although some surveys may reach the right participants, they may ask the wrong questions. Here are a few pointers for you to consider to make sure you can obtain the most useful information from your research.
Survey says...
After you've sent out an original research survey and the surveys have been successfully returned to you, it's time to compile and interpret the data.
Favorite research sources
Every market researcher has his or her favorite ways of gathering market information. In many instances, a specific research goal will dictate the direction you will take.
Just like starting over
Market research will provide valuable information that can help your firm make the right decisions down the road. So starting almost from scratch can be worth it each time.
Brownfields: The more you dig, the more you'll find
Knowing which funding, insurance, tax and liability resources, and incentives are best suited for your client, and how and when to secure them, requires research and a careful monitoring of brownfields developments.
EPA finalizes grant proposal guidelines
The Small Business Liability Relief and Brownfields Revitalization Act requires the EPA to publish guidelines to help complete applications for assessment, revolving loan fund, and cleanup grants.
Staying focused
When you're considering a market research project, there's one very important question that you need to ask yourself (and your research team, if you have one): "Why am I doing this?"
Organizing a research report
A research report must be organized well and you've got to be thinking about how it's going to come together before you make the first call or log on to the first research web site.
Using the press for research
The press can be an excellent starting place for secondary research of the specific markets you serve (or are considering serving).
Market research mistakes
Market research studies, done right, can provide a valuable perspective that sets you apart from your competition. The problem is, most market research studies are not done right.
Five ways to benefit from market intelligence data
Many times, technical professionals and managers in A/E/C firms conduct market research without even knowing it. Reading the local newspaper and taking note of trends or potential projects—that's market research.
Intranets and the industry
Intranets and knowledge management systems have become big business. The AEC industry stands to profit more from the time-saving benefit of intranets than other industries.
A look at lead services
Lead services provide solid insight on both ends of the business spectrum—from a big-picture view and for specific projects—and can be the difference between success and failure in the design and construction business.
Bush and the environment
If there was any question about the Bush Administration's approach to air pollution after the U.S. pulled out of the Kyoto Protocol, that was erased with Bush's Feb. 14 announcement of the "Clear Skies" plan.
Research as a sales tool
Successful selling requires a number of tools. For a technical
professional striving to overcome the stigma of "sales," information gained
through targeted research can make selling work a more natural, less
objectionable part of the job.
AIA surveying clients for ad campaign
The AIA is planning to interview up to 500 upper-level decision-makers in client organizations to gain better insight into the processes of client organizations and to set the course for the upcoming 2002 advertising campaign.
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