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BUSINESS NEWS LOCKHEED MARTIN AND FINCANTIERI MARINETTE MARINE DELIVER FUTURE USS LITTLE ROCK TO U.S. NAVY Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine delivered the future USS Little Rock to the U.S. Navy. The future USS Little Rock, the fifth Freedom- variant LCS built by Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine, is scheduled to be commissioned in Buffalo later this year. She will be the first U.S. Navy ship to be commissioned next to her decommissioned namesake. “We look forward to the day the future USS Little Rock joins the fleet. Her superb sea trials performance highlights the success of the production and performance improvements achieved as a result of serial production,” said Joe DePietro, vice president of small surface combatants and ship systems. “This milestone would not have been possible without the

extraordinary contributions of all Freedom- variant LCS teammates.” LCS 9 completed acceptance trials last month with the highest score of any Freedom- variant LCS to date, earning a “clean sweep.” During sea trials, the industry team also successfully demonstrated performance improvements, which will be incorporated into all future Freedom-variant Littoral Combat Ships. “Today’s important milestone for LCS 9 was made possible by the investment and improvements made to our serial production line, which allowed us to realize our vision for a full flex shipyard,” said Jan Allman, FMM president and CEO. “Fincantieri Marinette Marine’s shipbuilders are proud to deliver this proven warship, and we look forward to working with the U.S. Navy to continue building these highly capable ships for the fleet.”

Named in honor of the patriotic and hardworking citizens of Little Rock, LCS 9 will be the second U.S. Navy ship to bear the name of Arkansas’ largest city. Her homeport will be Naval Station Mayport, where she’ll join USS Milwaukee and USS Detroit. The Lockheed Martin and Fincantieri Marinette Marine team is currently in full- rate production of the Freedom-variant of the LCS, and has delivered five ships to the U.S. Navy to date. There are seven ships in various stages of construction at Fincantieri Marinette Marine, with one more in long-lead production. The Freedom-variant LCS team is comprised of Lockheed Martin, shipbuilder Fincantieri Marinette Marine, naval architect Gibbs & Cox, and more than 800 suppliers in 42 states.

technical activities. The client wants to hear from the people with whom they will actually be working, to be sure they can work with these people on a day-to-day basis, whether the project takes two months or two years. So the interaction of client team with proposed project team is much more important than the slide show created for the session. If you are dealing with a potential new client, the short- list interview is where the relationship really begins. In the case of an existing client, especially a current or recent client, the interview is a means to strengthen the relationship or turn it over to a new staff member. In either case, the short-list interview is one of the most important BD tasks with direct impacts on the firm’s bottom line. So whether we’re talking about managing client relationships or the specific importance of the short-list interview, we’re talking about a “people” function. Hence, my constant reminder to clients and others that, whether we’re talking about general business development, client relationship management, or short-list presentations, the next big thing is people! BERNIE SIBEN, CPSM, is owner and principal consultant with The Siben Consult, LLC, an independent A/E marketing and strategic consultancy located in Austin, Texas. He can be reached at siben@sibenconsult.com. “The client wants to hear from the people with whom they will actually be working, to be sure they can work with these people on a day-to-day basis, whether the project takes two months or two years. So the interaction of client team with proposed project team is much more important than the slide show created for the session.”

BERNIE SIBEN, from page 5

meeting when they return to the office. That will allow others to see what is being discussed with that client, whether promised materials were actually delivered, when the next meeting is scheduled, etc. In other words, the software – which should more properly be called client relationship management tracking software – simply tracks what a human being, or a group of human beings, does to manage that relationship. Now, couple these required human activities with the manner in which clients now want to have their short-list interviews run. When I started in this business almost 40 years ago, the team for the short-list interview included the principal in charge, the proposed project manager, and a specialist or three. In most cases, it was the principal who conducted the session, with the others speaking only if there was a question about project management or a specific technical issue. Today, the typical invitation to make a short-list presentation comes with an instruction that the principal can have one minute for an introduction and one minute for a conclusion, with the remaining 28 or more minutes being conducted by the proposed project manager. In other words, the client’s interview team wants to hear from the man who will be in charge of their project – and their relationship – as well as from the leaders of primary “There is no software that can get in its car and drive across town – or get on a plane and fly across the country – to visit the client. So you can’t rely on a software package to actually manage a client relationship. Only a person can do that.”

THE ZWEIG LETTER November 6, 2017, ISSUE 1223

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