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OPINION
Understanding and participating in government affairs can play a valuable role in a company’s business development process. Strategic steps for government affairs
U nderstanding and participating in government affairs can play a valuable role in a company’s business development process. By staying informed and involved in political processes, companies empower their clients, and themselves, to navigate evolving regulatory frameworks and capture opportunities in their industries. The role of engineering firms in government affairs is so important that ACEC encourages and helps firms navigate this field .
Katherine Nanowski, CPSM
Here are four steps for creating and implementing a successful government affairs program into your firm’s business development program: 1. Clarify your goals. Before starting your program, it is important to clarify what your objectives are. Your goals should be achievable and aligned with your firm’s strategic plan. Is the purpose to enhance your networking with clients, or is it aimed at staying ahead of legislative priorities that impact the engineering community? A strategic approach, starting small and building on that, will be easier for most firms to accomplish. Here are some questions to ask yourself before you kick off your program:
How big is your firm and how many resources can you dedicate to this process? Who will lead this endeavor? Do they have appropriate time to commit to this important undertaking? How will we train our business development staff to participate? Have we budgeted for this? Is this consistent with our firm’s culture? 2. Communicate the benefits. Creating any new policy for a firm can be a challenge. When
See KATHERINE NANOWSKI, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER FEBRUARY 5, 2024, ISSUE 1523
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