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social media, marketing collateral, advertising, and sponsorships.
LINDSAY YOUNG, from page 3
attending networking events with your prospects, following up with an email requesting a one-on-one meeting, building that relationship, seeing them at a community event, submitting a project proposal, interviewing for the project, and then getting the signed contract. It takes months, and many times years, for these investments to create a return, but it’s always worth it. There are so many touch points and all of them make a positive (hopefully) impact on your prospect. It’s hard to decide which one to cut because they all helped you land that project! That’s what marketing and business development is all about – building a relationship. “Firms that invest in marketing and business development are more profitable, get to work with clients who align with their company values, and recruit and retain great talent.” It’s also about education. AEC firms often struggle to understand the difference between marketing, business development, and sales. Most principals just lump them all together, but that’s a mistake. Let’s clear up the confusion: ■ Marketing is everything that happens before you have a personal connection with someone. This includes your branding, website, word of mouth, content marketing,
■ Business development is when you start to build that relationship, face-to-face, with a prospect. This includes trade shows, association involvement, community and civic organizations, networking events, and presenting at conferences and workshops. ■ Sales is when you get you and your team interview for that project, and the prospect signs your contract to work with your firm on their project. These three areas each require a unique set of skills to achieve success. If you can find someone who possesses knowledge of all three, they are a rare gem! Understanding these pieces of the puzzle is instrumental in identifying where and how to invest time and money into marketing and business development. Once you understand the difference between the three, your life will become much easier. Firms that invest in marketing and business development are more profitable, get to work with clients who align with their company values, and recruit and retain great talent. Every firm desires these things, so investing in marketing and business development just makes sense for your firm. If you struggle with the first step to putting together a marketing plan, contact us today. Lindsay Young, MBA, FSMPS, CPSM is a marketing services advisor with Zweig Group and president and founder of nu marketing. She can be reached at lyoung@zweiggroup.com.
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THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 3, 2025, ISSUE 1571
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