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OPINION
Many of the biggest obstacles AEC marketing teams face are ultimately the same – regardless of firm size. AEC marketing woes, large and small
A friend and colleague recently presented a webinar about proposal design that I attended. She was brilliant. Afterward, however, she shared with me that she was receiving very mixed feedback. Some, myself included, raved about her design skills and practical tips. Others found the material too niche and suggested it was applicable only to proposal professionals working at large firms with seemingly endless resources. Among the dissatisfied, a theme emerged: “I don’t feel seen or heard as a marketing professional at a small firm.”
Mercedez Thompson
While the above-mentioned friend and colleague does not work with endless resources, I felt like many of her recommendations could apply regardless of team size. Our conversation led me to consider how marketing, especially proposal management, differs between small and large firms. Personally, I’ve worked in professional marketing roles within diverse industries and organizations ranging from seven to more than 10,000 staff. I know something of the woes of both small and large firms. And while there are certainly nuances, I have found that our biggest obstacles are ultimately the same – regardless of firm size. Here are some of those woes:
■ I wear many, many hats. When I worked at a small firm, I was in charge of every proposal that went out the door. I also ordered business cards, updated the company website, managed all social media accounts, planned events, ordered lunches, and made sure the office rugs were picked up and cleaned on a monthly basis. You name it. The variety was nice, but it’s nearly impossible to be great at something when you do everything. There just isn’t the bandwidth to develop expertise. One of my greatest motivators for moving to
See MERCEDEZ THOMPSON, page 4
THE ZWEIG LETTER JANUARY 23, 2023, ISSUE 1473
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