The Sales and Marketing Professionals

The Reviews Are In...
Beyond Strategic Planning is a Huge Hit in the A/E/C Industry!!

Have you ever wanted to grow a little faster, be a little more profitable, capture some new markets or dominate a geographic area; acquire a firm or be acquired? If you have, then you will want to develop a plan to make it happen. It simply won't happen by itself.

If you want to be more in control of the growth, direction and future viability of your business, then strategic planning is essential. Clare Ross, nationally-recognized consultant, author and Publisher of A/E&C Business Review has just completed an important new book, a must-read for engineers, architects, contractors and other construction professionals. Beyond Strategic Planning, Developing & Implementing Winning Strategies for Engineers, Architects and Construction Companies is the first book on the subject written exclusively for design and construction professionals. 

Beyond Strategic Planning is based on over 25 years of experience helping thousands of architects, engineers, contractors and other companies across the country develop and implement winning strategies. This book brings together all that experience and more about what works and what doesn't. It is designed to help architects, engineers, environmental services, construction companies and other construction-related professionals to develop simple, effective strategic plans that get results.

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“Beyond Strategic Planning outlines a workable and effective way to create and implement productive strategies.... This book is an excellent resource for those who would manage their firms for tomorrow, not just for today.” 

Richard H. Stanley, Chairman
The Stanley Group.

“Clare Ross has comprehensively surveyed the best modern strategic thinkers in business, including Jim Collins, Gary Hamel and Michael Porter, and adapted their advice to our industry. Then he has poured in all his experiences, creating a framework for the experts' sage counsel.” 

Lou Marines
Advanced Management Institute for Architecture & Engineering

“Beyond Strategic Planning is a must-read for all architects.....I personally hope it becomes a classroom textbook. The book provides a foundation to understand the complexities engineers, architects and construction companies must rationalize to become effective. The tools and questions it offers are productive techniques to start a meaningful dialogue among company principals.” 

Jerry Sincoff, President & CEO
HOK Architects.

“I find Beyond Strategic Planning, to be a complete text of the strategic planning issues I have dealt with as both a CEO and consultant to over 30 construction companies on the subject. Those companies that have developed the strategic thinking concept are the real winners in the construction industry. It provides the vision, direction and focus throughout the organization.” 

Vernie G. Lindstrom, Jr. Former CEO
Kitchell Construction and Principal of Lindstrom & Associates.

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Forward to Beyond Strategic Planning by Frank Staziowski

As I sit to write this introduction to Clare Ross’s new book Beyond Strategic Planning, it occurs to me that the need for such a guide is more critical than ever.  

Today the pace of business demands efficiency in every aspect of A/E/C firm management.  I’ve seen that in response to such high client and market expectations, many firms can’t find the time to gather employees for a quick morning meeting, much less an extensive strategic planning session.  But I believe finding the time is crucial.  According to PSMJ Resources’ 1999 Financial Performance Survey, the median gross operating profits for A/E/C firms is a stunningly low 8.8 percent.  Professional service firms that have undertaken strategic planning over the last 20 years see up to 30 percent higher profits.  Despite such convincing evidence about the wisdom of strategic planning, studies by PSMJ Resources reveal that 60 to 70 percent of firms in the A/E/C industry aren’t planning. 

Too often firms in our industry fall into the trap of measuring success by the number of proposals won and the number of jobs completed.  I commonly find myself reminding these firms that although billing may be strong at present, it’s no guarantee for the future.  While proposals and new jobs are concrete signs of a business that’s surviving today, strategic planning enables that same business to thrive tomorrow. 

Many principals have told me the concept of strategic planning is intimidating.  You may have asked yourself: “Who can foresee the future?” or “Why spend the time and money to dream?”.  In our 22 years of conducting research and helping thousands of A/E/C firms to become more successful, PSMJ Resources has found that strategic planning improves economic performance, lowers employee turnover, improves employee morale, enables a firm to keep clients, reduces insurance claim liability, and allows for positive ownership transition.  

In Beyond Strategic Planning, Ross outlines how to chart a strategic course for your business.  He stresses the importance of the strategic thinking that lies behind strategic planning, as well as the implementation and accountability that must follow it.  Calling on his own vast industry knowledge, as well as that of other notables in a variety of fields, Ross instructs the reader with case studies, explanations of the many intricacies of strategic planning and their importance. 

For the firm seeking to engage in strategic planning full-tilt, or for the CEO who simply wants guidance on a few planning techniques, Ross’s is a user-friendly book with the information and tactics needed to teach readers, and the well-planned charts and checklists needed to guide them.  

Ross’s charge to “invent the future” may seem to skeptics unattainable, but by the end of this comprehensive how-to guide, I predict every reader will have a future vision that is exciting, realistic, and profitable.

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