Kingdom of Relationship Builders vs. Republic of Data-Driven Leaders
I recently watched a Korean drama on Netflix where the story occurred in two parallel universes: The Kingdom of Korea and the Republic of Korea. In the Kingdom of Korea, the monarchy ruled, the prince rode on a white horse, and the people relied on the most traditional forms of communication. On the other hand, the Republic of Korea was set in present-day Seoul, a growing megacity of culture, economics, and modern living.
So, what does this have to do with growing AEC firms?
I can draw a parallel (pun intended) in how I categorize AEC brands these days. On the one hand, I work with clients eager to develop new and modern strategies for growth. Let’s call this group the Republic of Data-Driven Leaders. We focus on identifying the highest value customers, lowering the cost of client acquisitions, and intentional brand positioning by vertical and geographic location. We talk about marketing automation, digital footprint, AI, customer experience insights, and a boatload of other subjects I only heard about in the boardrooms of large, global companies just a few short years ago. Today, these conversations are happening among high-performance leaders across all sizes of companies.
On the other hand, I have clients doubling down on the traditional relationship-based, seller-doer, and business development/sales model. We can call this group the Kingdom of Relationship Builders. In this Kingdom, we primarily train and coach doer-sellers on how to be better seller-doers, help marketing teams activate trade shows, assist with proposals, and coach winning presentations.
So which universe is better? Neither. The truth is that you need both.
We live in a world with too much data for business owners and marketing leaders to ignore. For example, there are many ways to track and understand your highest-value clients and prospects and create automated campaigns to keep your brand top of mind. The data you collect through marketing campaigns can profoundly impact your business, how you allocate your marketing spend, and where you prioritize your time.
Today, most billable team members agree that their most valuable commodity is time. They are simply too busy to go to lunch with a “potential” client just to find out whether that client has a project coming up. In addition, it’s too expensive to rely solely on in-person gatherings like networking events and trade shows to generate leads.
However, imagine the possibilities if there is alignment between the two universes – the Data-Driven Republic and The Kingdom of Relationships. This is where I see the most successful partnerships inside AEC firms. I don’t think it’s a coincidence that these same firms are achieving their growth goals more efficiently than firms who are “cutting and pasting” their marketing plans from previous years. Firms that blend newfound data and analytics with traditional relationship building reap bigger gains. They understand that:
Relationships are built online and offline
Events are back
Customer experience extends to your website and online platforms
Automation exists
Data is king
So, as you enter Q4 of 2022 and make your wish list for 2023, be sure to take advantage of the gifts of both universes.
