In this episode of the Design and Construction Marketing Podcast, I have an in-depth conversation with Laura Ricci, the author of The Magic of Winning Proposals. I write about this book a lot on HelpEverybodyEveryday.com. I regard it as THE “how to” book on proposals. Talking to Laura just reinforced my belief that this lady […]
July 22, 2013 by 10 Comments
The Best Comment About Mistakes In Proposals
There were many people who joined the conversation about Whether Mistakes in Proposals Matter. Between this site and LinkedIn, there must have been 50 people who gave their two cents on the topic. Many people agreed with me and completely understood my point. Some people said mistakes do matter (just not the kind of mistakes […]
July 16, 2013 by 79 Comments
Why Mistakes In Proposals Don’t Matter…and What Does
When I first interviewed for my job, the Director of Marketing at the time told me one of her biggest frustrations was mistakes in proposals. She wanted mistake-free proposals. And I was on board with that idea. Over the next 5 years, we spent countless hours combing for, finding, and correcting mistakes in our proposals. […]
July 8, 2013 by 42 Comments
What I’ve Learned From Using Zurmo As My CRM
A few months ago, I wrote a post that has become the most viewed page on HelpEverybodyEveryday.com. The article was called,“The Best FREE CRM For A/E/C Firms Is Here.” It was about a new CRM called Zurmo. Since then, I’ve gone “full boar” with Zurmo as my CRM, I’ve modified the heck out of it, […]
June 25, 2013 by 12 Comments
How Can Givers Win? Interview With Dr. Adam Grant
Have you ever wondered what makes some givers so successful, while others struggle? Well, I wondered that too. So, I emailed Dr. Adam Grant, the Wharton School of Business professor. Dr. Grant is also one of the world’s leading authorities on behavioral psychology and the author of a new book called, “Give and Take: A […]
June 10, 2013 by 16 Comments
Dominate in a Male Dominated Business
Let’s face it, the A/E/C marketing industry is female dominated. But the A/E/C industry itself is extremely male dominated. This creates a situation where women are working for and with a lot of men. That’s got to be a challenge. But luckily there are a few organizations in our industry encouraging and supporting the advancement […]
June 4, 2013 by 8 Comments
What The Movie Avatar Can Teach You About Working With Architects And Engineers
Working with architects and engineers might seem frustrating. How many times has one responding to your advice or idea and by doing so convinced you they were from another planet? The problem isn’t what they said or that they just didn’t get it. No, the problem was what you were wearing! Getting Into The Capsule […]
May 29, 2013 by 39 Comments
The Purpose of Graphics and Images in a Proposal…It’s Not What You Think.
More proposal graphics. More proposal graphics. I hear it all the time from “marketing experts,” contemporaries, and Principals. Put more graphics in your proposals. I even heard it from a client once. Here’s the story. A Grain of Salt For Proposal Graphics We had a debrief with a water authority on the west coast. This […]
May 19, 2013 by 8 Comments
What Should You Look For When Hiring A Marketer?
Last week, we went over three mistakes Principals make when hiring marketers. The next logical question is: Then who should Principals hire? A Listener I don’t think it is in your best interest to hire an extrovert or even someone who is very quiet and introverted. You should hire someone who is in the middle […]
May 13, 2013 by 4 Comments
3 Surprising Mistakes Principals Make When Hiring Marketers
It looks like the economy is improving and more firms are hiring new or additional marketing staff. Unfortunately, time and time again Principals make illogical and critical mistakes when hiring marketers. Let’s take a close look at three of them. Hiring Extroverts Over the years, we’ve collectively come to the understanding that there is a […]
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