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RESOURCES

FRALEY SOLUTIONS OFFERS FREE EBOOK TO AID FIRMS IN BRANDING Fraley AEC Solutions LLC (Morgantown, PA), a growing marketing communications firm serving the architecture, engineering, and construction marketplace, has released a new free ebook: Designing an A/E Brand that Drives Selections . “ Designing an A/E Brand that Drives Selections will resonate with architecture, engineering, planning, landscape architecture, and land surveying firms that struggle to compete in a crowded marketplace,” author Brian Fraley, the firm’s founder and manager, says. “Readers will discover seven actionable A/E branding tactics bundled in a brief, easy-to-read, graphically rich format.” “Even leading professional design firms are struggling to compete in an increasingly competitive marketplace,” Fraley says. “My goal in writing this book was to harness more than 20 years of AEC marketing experience to create a helpful guide for our clients and friends that face these challenges daily.” Download your pdf of Designing an A/E Brand that Drives Selections at fraleysolutions.com/ publications/designingaebrandebook. LATEST ZWEIG GROUP PUBLICATION OFFERS INSIGHTS ON, EXAMPLES OF INDUSTRY PRESS RELEASES How successful are your firm’s press releases? Do they have the necessary components to catch the attention of the media? Are they written effectively? Reduce stress, save time, and increase your chances for press coverage with Zweig Group’s A Guide to & Samples of Press Releases for A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms ! This go-to manual is a complete update of A/E Press Releases (2011) and includes insights from industry reporters and editors, information on search engine optimization, a crash-course in press release writing, and an extensive collection of press releases used by real-world A/E/P firms to generate coverage of their companies’ anniversaries and awards, projects and services, and mergers and acquisitions. The digital version of A Guide to & Samples of Press Releases for A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms also includes internal links for easy navigation and external links to additional sources. The print version of A Guide to & Samples of Press Releases for A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms is $149, and the ebook is only $99. For more information, email info@zweiggroup.com or visit zweiggroup.com/books.php. Have you purchased this book? Tweet us what you think @ZweigLetter #AEPpressreleases or email your review to abennett@zweiggroup.com.

During the Becoming A Better Seller seminar, Mark Zweig and Chad Clinehens recommend that technical professionals publish articles, ebooks, and white papers to establish themselves as experts in their fields. Do you have a topic you’d like to write about? If so, email Andrea Bennett at abennett@zweiggroup.com. We’d love to feature you in TZL as a guest speaker or to promote your book and/or white paper.

CHRISTINA ZWEIG , from page 9

APPLYING IT TO A/E/P & ENVIRONMENTAL CONSULTING FIRMS...

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Many of my clients paid late, showed up at inconvenient times, and weren’t respectful of my personal space or property. Additionally, when I ran the numbers, I learned I was working for free – at best – and usually at a large personal expense. Although it may be scary to turn down work from a client, especially one that you already have a relationship with, it’s probably the best thing for both parties. If you’re unhappy with your client, they are probably unhappy with you, and your time and resources can be put to a much better use. I had to face the scary fact that I had become a doormat and the only solution was to fire some of my bad clients. Telling these people they had to leave was very difficult, but once I imagined a future for myself not working 80-hour weeks, having more ability to travel, not bending over backward for ungrateful clients, and having some personal time at my own home, it was an incredible relief!

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Respondents to Zweig Group’s 2014 Project Management Survey cited managing clients’ expectations (43 percent), managing their time (32 percent), managing team members (30 percent), and staying within the budget (23 percent) as their Top Four challenges. If clients have unreasonable expectations and take up too much time, it might be time to break-up with them. More on Project Management: Zweig Group’s 2015 Project Management Survey will be released on August 14. In the meantime, check out the new edition of Successful Project Management for A/E/P & Environmental Consulting Firms at zweiggroup.com/books.php. Managing clients' expectations Managing my time Managing team members Staying within the budget

THE ZWEIG LETTER JULY 13, 2015, ISSUE 1111

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