14
/ BUILDING DIALOGUE / MARCH 2016
A
new year is upon us, along with an in-
creasing number of unknowns when it
comes to our economy and its trajectory
over the coming years. At the end of January,
when this column was submitted, the stock
market had already put everyone on notice that
2016 would be an unusually volatile, unpredict-
able year due to increasing turmoil – economic
and political – around the globe. This, coupled
with the fact that the health of the AEC industry
is heavily dependent on the health of the econ-
omy, makes it a good time to begin prioritizing
forward-thinking, longer-term marketing efforts
again.
According to David Gergen, an adviser to four U.S.
presidents and now a professor at Harvard’s Kenne-
dy School who spoke at the World Economic Forum
in Davos, Switzerland, in January, “We have a com-
ing together of events that are confusing, volatile
and dangerous.”
While the last few years have been extraordinari-
ly busy for most Colorado design, engineering and
construction firms, giving everyone the opportu-
nity to recover from the Great Recession and ease
up on strategic marketing efforts a bit, our indus-
try is indeed cyclical. This means that boom times
eventually will evolve into more competitive times.
With that in mind, a few marketing truisms might
be helpful reminders as we look ahead.
Perception is Reality:
Your firm’s identity and im-
age in the marketplace are nearly always a com-
plex blend of fact and fiction. How you’re viewed
from the outside is rarely based on what you see
or know on the inside. Former American political
strategist Lee Atwater once said, “Perception is re-
ality; the facts won’t matter in next year’s election.”
While he was referring to a presidential campaign
at the time, his statement is just as relevant when it
comes to how people perceive your firm. It doesn’t
matter what the facts are, or what is actually true,
your firm’s image in the marketplace is driven by
personal biases and individual perceptions, mis-
guided or not. This theory, historically attributed to
Descartes, is also referred to as “metaphysical sub-
jectivism” – the understanding that reality is what
we perceive to be real, independent of any under-
lying truth.
The good news is that you do have at least some
control over how others perceive your firm in
terms of value, relevance, reputation, competition
and position in the marketplace. But it takes an on-
going effort and a proactive identity-development
plan to assure your success or failure in this area.
Firms that assume others perceive them as they see
themselves (all positive, of course) generally allow
the market to draw its own conclusions, but may
or may not be pleased with the results. On the oth-
er hand, those that take this reality seriously, and
make a consistent effort to strategically mold that
perception, tend to reap greater rewards.
Do not assume that just because you do good
work, have talented people or are a high-integri-
ty firm that the marketplace knows this to be true.
Without effective intervention, the broad-based
perception of who you are is likely less clear and
more out of focus than you know.
The Value of Strategy:
Someone once said, “If you
don't know where you’re going, any road can take
you there.” This is true whether you’re looking at
your life, your family, your career or your firm.
Without clear objectives, supported by thoughtful,
detailed strategies designed to help fulfill those ob-
jectives, most of us will end up somewhere we nev-
er intended to go.
Many firms spend time at the end of each year
assessing where they’ve been, and looking forward
to what they want to accomplish in the year ahead.
Unfortunately, however, focus is often lost before
the hard work of nailing down a strategy that sup-
ports those goals is finalized. Or, marketing efforts
ultimately revert to the habitual, but inefficient,
proposal chase. While creating a highly formal-
ized strategic plan is unnecessary for most firms
(the majority end up sitting on a shelf collecting
dust), what is necessary is an informal overview of
how you plan to get where you want to go, how you
will overcome the obstacles ahead, and where you
will find the necessary resources in terms of reve-
nue, staffing, research, outside support, etc. Further,
a detailed breakdown of the tactics that must be
implemented to fulfill your strategy and objectives,
paired with appropriate timelines, will go a long
way toward achieving your desired outcomes.
Marketing Expertise:
An expert is not always the
person who has all the “right” answers. He or she
is more often the thoughtful person who asks the
right questions, then listens with a desire to learn
and understand. It is natural to want to boast about
our capabilities and experience, or rush to share
our knowledge – particularly in interviews. Yet,
German language poet Rainer Marie Rilke once
said, “Be patient toward all that is unsolved in your
heart and try to love the questions themselves, like
locked rooms and like books that are now written
in a very foreign tongue.” While his words do not
apply directly to our work environments, his point
is worth pondering. Similar to the design process,
the quality of the “questions” we ask has the poten-
tial to bring forth a richer, deeper understanding of
that which was once “foreign” and/or unknown. So
rather than focus on having all the answers, ask-
ing more thoughtful, penetrating questions may
be a skill worth honing to unlock your clients true
needs and desires.
Leveraging Media:
Our media offer one of the most
powerful ways to communicate your message and
help others understand who you are. Thus, thought-
fully leveraged opportunities over time will not
only increase your firm’s visibility, but also help
you establish an identity you can build upon. But,
Cynthia
Kemper
Principal,
Marketekture
Colorado Pulse
