A/E/C Marketing Advice, Training, and Support Group
Requests For Proposals (RFPs) are not perfect. Personally, out of the thousands of rfps that have passed before me, I have yet to see one perfect RFP. The problems come when the rfp has confusing, illogical, contradictory or ambiguous language. You may just shrug your shoulders and say, “well, I’ll just give them what they […]
Continue reading...Here are some observations based on the many marketers I have known and the common traits that make them great. A Little Odd/Unique Every great marketer I have ever met was a little odd. Frankly we are an odd bunch. But we are not painting pictures of clowns covered in our victim’s blood odd. We […]
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You do it now so it won’t be sloppy. Those forms for the proposal due next month, do them now. That technical approach for that proposal due in three weeks, do it now. The consequence of not doing it now is submitting a proposal that could have been better. Sure, there are other things […]
Continue reading...In part one of this article, I outlined how you can craft a story the people at ENR will see as print-worthy. But don’t start writing your press release yet. If you send a press release to ENR, from what I understand, it probably won’t be read. Whether or not they read a press release […]
Continue reading...“How do we get in ENR (Engineering News Record)?” This is a question that I believe many marketers have heard from their principals. In the minds of many principals it is the holy grail of publicity. What A/E/C firm wouldn’t want to be published in ENR? A page in ENR is worth a good deal […]
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I love to see competitors’ proposals. Proposals are competitions, make no mistake about it. Professional sports teams scout their competition to see what plays and tactics they use. So it makes sense for AEC firms to do the same. If you can look at your competitors’ proposals, do so…with one caveat. Make sure it’s legal. […]
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Us marketing folks hate dealing with numbers. I calculate numbers more than I would like. And like many marketers, I get nervous about making a mistake. One slight mistake in the numbers can cause a huge headache, and we all make mistakes. This week one of our marketers took a stab at calculating numbers for […]
Continue reading...As you may have read in my what you don’t know about marketing piece, human behavior is somewhat predictable. Newspaper editors and advertisers have known this for years. That’s why they often keep a list of headline formulas that they know will attract readers. In the business, this list is called a “swipe file.” A […]
Continue reading...There are a few hardware and software tools that I use on a regular basis to help me in my marketing endeavors. So I wanted to address a tool that I am finding more useful everyday. The Livescribe Pulse Smart Pen does something quite magical. As I write down notes in a meeting, it records […]
Continue reading...I’m fascinated by the science of the mind. So when I saw this ten minute video about what motivates workers, I felt compelled to share it. Enjoy and let me know what you think.
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I provide helpful advice to marketers in the architecture, engineering, and construction world.
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