The Sales and Marketing Professionals
Believe it or Not! Darwin Awards for A/E/C Marketing?
By Clare G. Ross CMC
In Brief: With more firms going after fewer projects, you would think that a sharp marketing focus would prevail. Think Again... Here are actual, hard-to-believe, real life ways to undermine a marketing effort. Some of these could be good candidates for the Darwin Awards.
Case One
A marketing person starts to follow a potential client - new to the firm, no prior contacts. After calling on the prospective client for several months and developing a relationship, the firm is asked to submit a proposal. Only one other firm has been permitted to submit, and the owner admits that the other firm is not a major contender, complimenting the marketer for staying close. The firm wins the job with an excellent fee.
The president claims full credit for winning the client, since he put the fee proposal together. Nothing is said to the marketer about her participation in the effort-no pats on the back, no recognition, acknowledgement, etc. This one project will pay for over two full years of marketing expenses.
Case Two
A construction marketing person has been following an important prospect and a wins the project. Through his contacts with the new client, he learns that there is another project coming up and given the published timetable of the overall mixed use project (this is a piece of it), the new project should be breaking soon. The marketer approaches the client’s decision maker with an innovative proposition to negotiate the second project without a full competitive interview and bid due to the clients time constraints. The client agrees to consider his proposition and asks the firm to submit it’s offer in a written proposal letter.
The marketer tells the firm’s president of the opportunity and the president agrees to write the proposal. After two weeks, nothing was done. The client then called this marketer-the firm will now be one of several to bid the new project. The "window of opportunity" is now lost.
Case Three
In the firm’s marketing plan, several target markets are selected and key target clients are identified. The marketer begins to develop relationships in these target markets. Client "A" says... "You look good on paper, but we can't risk using someone new on a big job. You need to prove yourself on a smaller project first, then you'll have an opportunity at something larger." The client tells the marketer of an opportunity on a smaller project ( approx $500,000 construction cost). The firm's president asks the marketer to decline and to tell the client that the job isn't big enough, even while knowing how the client operates and that much larger projects are waiting to start.Clare G. Ross CMC, is a Certified Management Consultant specializing in Strategic Management for architects, engineers and construction companies. 928-776-4760