When I told my team at Smartegies I would start this newsletter – one that is more “letter” than “news,” they expressed some concern. Apparently, I have a reputation for speaking my mind. So, appropriately, they refer to me often as the “AEC Truthteller.” They define it as someone who says what others may think but is too polite to say aloud.
So, friends, this is a gentle heads-up before you proceed reading. I am putting on my truthteller hat, and I’m going to share some candid thoughts. Please remember that I chose the professional services industry for my entire career, so I clearly love it and everyone in it.
Recently, I’ve noticed a significant gap between AEC marketers and their firm leadership. It’s a strange dynamic. Great marketers are dedicated to the proven research and the science behind relationship funnels, the buyer’s journey, demand generation techniques, and understanding the data that demonstrates your marketing investments are yielding ROI.
However, very few AEC leaders grasp what any of that means. Why is that? Is it because most firm principals are technically trained and take few if any, business classes during college? Is it because they find “marketing” intangible, and it feels like snake oil? Why do some AEC principals struggle to see the value in marketing? Is it because they really cannot articulate the difference between marketing and sales?
To clarify, marketing involves activities targeting one-to-many audiences, aiming to create demand through various channels and moving potential customers through the awareness, consideration, and decision stages of the funnel. Sales or business development is more focused on one-to-one interactions, closing deals, and executing on the demand that marketing creates. In the AEC industry, there has been a misconception that marketing primarily involves the production of proposals, which actually falls under sales enablement—a process triggered near the purchase decision.
It’s a complex question, and the answer is multifaceted. I’ve heard many AEC marketers defend their technical counterparts by simply pointing out the past, “you know, there was a time when it was illegal for architects to advertise.” Yeah, like forty-seven years ago. It’s 2024. How long will we be pointing to that as the reason why our technical teams don’t understand marketing?
One of the privileges of my job is having a front-row seat to the C-suite of many AEC firms, large and small. I can confidently say it’s not one thing that causes this significant gap between marketing and technical teams. It’s a systemic issue; both parties – non-marketing and marketing professionals – need to collaborate better and appreciate each other’s roles to bridge this gap.
First, fellow marketers, please bear with me. What you are about to read may not sit well with you. I ask for understanding before I continue. We need to approach our internal clients with more empathy. By internal clients, I mean those within our firms who sign our paycheck, seek our help, or may be confused about the distinctions between marketing and sales. I’ve seen too many AEC marketing memes that highlight our challenges. While these produce a chuckle, remember it’s at the expense of your internal clients. And it’s not solving the systemic issue of marketing often being undervalued within the professional services space.
Still today, in 2024, many AEC marketers are tasked with administrative and production roles rather than being empowered to bring real strategic value to their firm. One of my clients recently referred to his former marketing person as a “proposal getter outer.” Honestly, I know a lot of marketers who would be very offended by that statement. On the other hand, there are people like me who are not offended because if we are being honest, this was an accurate description of her role.
The question we should be asking is, “Why?” Why is it difficult for AEC marketers to earn credibility and be seen as a strategic asset to their firm?
I suggest we consider our audience. If you built buyer personas of your leadership team, what would they look like? Most billable professionals I know pursued their career path because they enjoyed their craft – one that has nothing to do with marketing or sales. The billable professionals today were once the “STEM” kids in high school. While they could make it through English class, they were probably more drawn to math, science, and problem-solving. So, earning credibility with this crowd is not easy. They are super intelligent and analytical, and many tend to be risk averse. Typically, they want to know if what you’re proposing will work before they say “yes” to it. This hesitation tells me they have difficulty believing in ideas that don’t “guarantee” results. So, when you go to them with your great ideas, you need to walk them through the logic behind your ideas and help them understand “how” it will work.
So, this is when it gets tricky. AEC marketers want respect and a seat at the strategic table but fail to realize the only way they will earn that spot is if they truly understand their company’s business. If you are a marketer reading this and you do not know why clients hire you, what those decision drivers are, how your company sets fees and why, how your firm makes money, and a host of other things, then how do you market a business you don’t understand?
Remember the funny memes we discussed earlier? I cringe when I see memes about the frustration of marketers because they feel it’s a waste of their time to sit through meetings where the technical team talks about fees, approaches, and other details seemingly irrelevant to meeting that deadline. The irony is that these are the very conversations marketers should lean into and engage in by asking, “Why?” If you take the time to dive deep and learn your company’s business; you will be better equipped to devise marketing plans that make sense to your audience. Using an evidence-based approach works best when trying to earn your seat at the table. I’ve been in one industry for 30 years, and every day, I learn something new about the technical side of our business from almost every conversation.
Now that I’ve addressed my fellow marketers let me speak to the technical experts. With all due respect, having extensive experience and success in your technical field doesn’t necessarily translate to expertise in marketing. Marketing is a science rooted in evidence and process. It’s not sales.
True marketing requires a strategic mind to influence buyers at every stage of their journey. It is a long-term investment. If you are a firm principal who believes you can win enough work by just building a one to one relationship, then just do that.
But if you aspire to scale your business and you care about speed to market, reaching your potential buyers through multiple channels is essential. The sales channel alone cannot produce comparable results. If you are a business leader who believes that marketing drives brand equity and loyalty, which drives market share, trust someone who has studied it, is passionate about it, and brings a valuable perspective to the table. Why have “marketing professionals” on your team if you insist on having the final say on all marketing ideas and expenditures? Is it because they haven’t yet earned your trust, or is it challenging to see the direct link between marketing initiatives and revenue?
I think our industry has relied on the relationship sales model forever because it’s easy to understand and feels “inexpensive” on the surface. Business development, a polite way of saying, “sales,” is straightforward: You identify a potential client, build a relationship, and eventually, they will give you work. It’s simple to understand. Sales will always be a viable channel to reach potential buyers, and most of the AEC firms in the U.S. rely on sales exclusively to build their backlog.
However, there is substantial evidence that shows business development alone does not scale brands as quickly as a multi-channel approach. In addition, there are also a lot of liabilities a firm faces when putting all their “marketing eggs” in the sales basket. For example, guess what happens when that prolific rainmaker of yours decides to leave you for a competitor? Does your customer follow them or stay loyal to your brand? There’s also the fact that Millennials and Gen-Z build relationships differently than Gen-X and Baby boomers. Are you reaching your audiences where they are?
My ask of the technical experts is this: If you insist on making the final call on marketing decisions rather than empowering your marketing experts to make these decisions, please invest in your marketing education to better understand the logic in the strategies marketers present to you. It’s alarming to work with so many marketing teams who are pouring their lives into building CRMs and automations for demand generation and sales enablement, and then hear their firm leaders confide they really don’t understand what they are doing and they can’t see the value. Very few AEC firm executives can tell me the difference between sales and marketing, much less any best practices in B2B marketing. Many technical leaders still view marketing with skepticism and find it challenging to understand the importance of expanding their brand’s presence across multiple channels. There is a real opportunity to achieve better results and enhance the experience for everyone involved by investing in a deeper understanding of marketing. There need to be more conversations and more curiosity from both sides. If the AEC marketers cannot step in and educate our industry, who will?
If you’re looking to deepen your understanding of marketing and business development in the AEC industry, I highly recommend attending PSMJ’s MarketPRO. This one-day intensive event offers a wealth of actionable ideas to refine your strategies and grow your firm in any economic environment. It’s an invaluable opportunity for marketing professionals, business development leaders, and firm principals to learn from industry experts and network with peers. Join us in Austin, TX on September 25th, 2024. Use the discount code Smartegies for a special rate.
I hope to see you in Austin!
