9
OPINION
Beyond reactive
L ike most AEC firms, the lifeblood of Pennoni’s success is based on relationships. Our pillars of honesty, integrity, and service drive and maintain the success of those relationships. Providing exceptional service is and always will be at the forefront of project delivery and client service. Proactive marketing anticipates industry trends, leveraging research, analytics, and simultaneous use of multiple tools for an impactful and budget-optimized campaign.
Robert McGee
to existing contacts to drum up business. But what about the relationships that don’t exist, yet? People are busy and these things take time. “Instead of responding to an industry trend or competitor’s actions, proactive marketing allows you to anticipate future needs and changes in your target audience.”
And just like many other firms, seller-doers invest significant time and effort into building and maintaining relationships. This often involves a variety of sales and marketing efforts including meetings, networking, and entertaining clients. And when successful, there is often a follow-up approach employed – sending SOQs, marketing collateral, or submitting proposals. All of this is very reactive and that’s OK. But what about the proactive approach that we often leave out? For example, say someone wants to market our capabilities to solar developers. I’m asked to provide some qualifications related to our experience. Easy enough. They then immediately start to reach out
See ROBERT MCGEE, page 10
THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 22, 2024, ISSUE 1521
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