High Speed Rail – The “Jersey Shore” and “American Idol” Theory
Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search, Inc
Managing Partner, CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Matt’s profile & connect with him on LinkedIn
MTV’s “Jersey Shore” would not be a success if people were not talking about Snookie & “The Situation.”
American Idol would not have been the huge success it was / is if people were not talking about Simon Cowell.
California High Speed Rail will ultimately be a huge success…because people are constantly talking about it.
So throw out all the research, that’s my theory and I’m stickin’ to it 
! Anything so controversial just might be worth fighting for, and infrastructure as important as a US High Speed Rail Program, let alone California High Speed Rail, will one day come to fruition…and it will be successful!
Last week in the course of conducting a search for a client of ours I was fortunate enough to speak with an executive level rail & transit engineering professional who had 40 years of experience and who has had his mind or hands on some of the highest profile mega rail and transit projects around the world. During the course of our conversation we started discussing the California High Speed Rail program. I asked him if he thought that a full and complete California High Speed Rail system would every come to fruition? His response was an absolute, “Yes!”
We discussed how what the public reads and sees are the drawbacks and potential downfalls of such a program, and as a result, the public feeds into the negativity and a strong opposition is created. The positive and meaningful impacts of such a project are never publicized. As we chatted, this executive made a very telling statement I think in that he suggested that look, people are talking about it. If people were not talking about it, then he would be concerned. The passion FOR the project and the build out of such infrastructure is equal to or greater than the passion AGAINST it; we just don’t hear about it. And those in favor of High Speed Rail initiatives not just in California, but nationwide, need to get some air time.
Every major industrial nation has High Speed Rail or is building High Speed Rail connections. Building out High Speed Rail is no small feat, but in my opinion, the benefits outweigh the negatives, and many of the negatives can be overcome. Spread the word about the benefits of High Speed Rail by sharing some of the information found here:
http://www.ushsr.com/benefits.html
http://www.elitegroup.tv/high-speed-rail/
http://www.time.com/time/health/article/0,8599,1957575,00.html
http://fastlane.dot.gov/2011/04/high-speed-rail-applications-draw-a-smart-crowd.html
http://dsc.discovery.com/cars-bikes/8-benefits-of-high-speed-trains.html
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Civil Engineering & Local Politics: Should You Run For Office?
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Carol’s profile & connect with her on LinkedIn
It is that time of year again and the political landscape is heating up! A Google search shows that past/current Mayors of Omaha, NE, City of East Orange, NJ and Norton, OH were/are civil engineers. Current Portland, OR Mayoral candidate, Steve Sung, spent 32 years as a civil engineer for the city of Portland. With two candidates for California and Indiana congress, civil engineers are “taking to the streets” to lead policy formation.
Recently I asked civil engineer and past Mayor of Frederick, Maryland, Jeff Holtzinger, for his thoughts on civil engineers and local politics. Here is his comment:
“Civil Engineers are a good fit to solve the problems many cities are facing with aging infrastructure and infrastructure that has been outpaced by growth. I also think the analytical thinking which is part of an engineering background gives engineers an advantage in problem solving.”
As our cities’ infrastructure decays, having a background in civil engineering seems to bring an added benefit to the political table. It would be interesting to see if cities with civil engineering trained Mayors have better infrastructure at the end of their term than similar cities.
What do you think?
Like this:
Your Civil Engineering Career: Defining Moments
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Ten Haken
Author, Do YOU Mean Business? Technical / Non Technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Strategies and Toolkit for the Sales-Engineering Interface
Connect With Babette On Linkedin
Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
What project defined you as a professional and as a person? I originally asked this question in a post on April 9, 2012 on Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog. The following insights, in response to this question, are offered this week by three members of the CivilEngineeringCentral.com LinkedIn group:
“I am an Industrial Engineer and since I graduated, I had worked with medical devices manufacturing corporations. In 2001, I was offered a government position as Director of Public Works for a municipality and that changed it all. I was in charge of more than 120 men covering construction, pavement, mechanic shop, heavy equipment, school transportation, etc. My employees were anything but highly educated. Some of them didn’t even know how to read or write. Some of them could only afford a bag of chips from the vending machine as a lunch. However, I had never learned more about construction, about commitment, good manners, respect, and life. They taught me about construction, about how to do things with nothing and I was able to teach them about processes and how to be really committed to serve our citizens. I saw so much need and poverty during those years. I experienced the reality of our world. I understood what ‘true public service’ is about. I worked there for three years and then moved to other government jobs. Now, I work again for the private industry but those years gave me a different perspective and a clear understanding of what really matters in life.” Aixa G. Lopez-Santiago, P.E.
“I was an independent consultant for Rand Engineering, the largest engineering company in Manhattan. We supported a seven story masonry building with needles while we gutted the old concrete slabs and changed all the old steel beams that had deteriorated in the basement. We also excavated the basement floor below the existing foundations which meant that we had also had to underpin the existing foundations. We then built a two-story luxury apartment in the space. Along with this we shifted a load bearing wall above the basement and moved it over four feet to align with the walls below by splicing the existing timber beams so that bearing could be maintained over the near wall. .. The contractors were Russian and a very reliable crew… The Architect was Canadian… Language presented no difficulty for the most part because most of the major decisions were imparted directly to the Contractor who spoke English and Russian. Other on site directions were imparted to the foreman of the crew who also spoke enough English to understand what was being said. I must say that at all times there was perfect coordination of all concerned and all went the extra mile to ensure the job was completed satisfactorily.” Richard Guy
“I began my Civil Engineering career in a design office where I quickly learned that you needed construction experience before you could become a good designer. I soon found myself working on the construction of the Verrazano Bridge. I could not wait to get to work in the morning and took every opportunity to walk to the top of the tower and take in the panoramic view realizing that this experience could never be duplicated.” Irwin Weinbaum
Sometimes we are involved in projects which end up defining who we are. Except it’s too early for us to realize this, especially while we are in the middle of that defining moment.
What is your defining moment?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Choosing Between Civil Engineering Job Offers
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Carol’s profile & connect with her on LinkedIn
Spring has sprung and there appears to be a sense of energy within the civil engineering job market. As a civil engineering recruiter, my phone is ringing from companies looking to hire, and from experienced civil engineers ready to make a job change. Fortunate candidates are finding themselves with multiple offers and career choices. The question is no longer “Should I leave my employer?” but rather “Which offer do I choose?”
Here are some suggestions to help guide you when choosing between job offers:
- TRUST INSTINCTS
If you are a strong analytical thinker, you are more likely to focus on the facts. That comes next. First, how did you feel when you left each interview? Do you remember? Just because one job may appear better on paper, that doesn’t mean it is the best job for you. Consider other factors such as environment, future colleagues, personality of supervisor, company culture. What does your instinct tell you? In which job will you feel the most enjoyment? Did you meet any potential colleagues? Did they appear stressed or friendly? Did you feel a good chemistry or good “vibe” when you walked in the company door?
- Think Analytically
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Your Civil Engineering Career :: A Lesson From Peyton Manning
Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search, Inc
Managing Partner, CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Matt’s profile & connect with him on LinkedIn
Change is good. Just ask Peyton Manning.
After 14 illustrious years with the Indianapolis Colts, 11 Pro Bowl Selections, 4 MVP Awards, and 1 Super Bowl victory, Peyton Manning has easily secured himself a bust in his image and a nicely fitted gold jacket in Canton. But even after all that success, earlier this month Peyton Manning and the Indianapolis Colts parted ways.
What can you, as a Civil Engineering professional, learn from Peyton Manning’s recent career situation?
*Hone your craft as a civil engineer, constantly strive to learn, surround yourself with other successful civil engineers and team members, take on challenges and challenge those around you to be better, be a leader, make a difference, treat people with respect, network. Peyton Manning mastered these traits as a professional athlete, and as a result, when the time came where he separated from his employer, he had many different options as a result.
*Should you lose your job, if you have the opportunity to do so, be sure to EXPLORE your options; just don’t take the first thing that is presented to you. Peyton Manning did have the opportunity, so he met with the Broncos, the 49er’s, the Titans, and maybe even a few others. After spending 14 years with the same team, he wanted to make sure he made a well thought out decision.
*Keep a positive attitude. Your instinctive reaction is to become negative when you learn that you are laid off. Fight those feelings of negativity and bitterness off. Look back at all you’ve learned and accomplished and be proud of it. Then look forward. There are other organizations out there that are waiting to learn from you and all you have to offer. Look ahead at the potential for you to learn new skills, new techniques, new clients, new processes, etc. I am sure Manning is dealing with some difficult emotions after spending so many years in Indianapolis, that is natural. But he does not dwell on that. Peyton brings a great deal of success and knowledge to a new team, and he understands this. As much as he may learn a new system with new plays and new teammates, he of course has plenty to offer that will make the Broncos a better organization.
If you have ever seen Peyton Manning play, he is the master of the audible. 
From time to time in your career you will step up behind center and realize that YOU need to call an audible. You have the perfect plan laid out in your mind for that situation, but that situation can change in an instant. If you come prepared to work each and every day as Manning came prepared for game time, and there is a sudden shift in the situation, you will be prepared to call the perfect audible that will lead to pay dirt!
If your career calls for an audible, put yourself in the position to make the right call. A layoff or RIF can truly be a refreshing experience that can reinvigorate your career and maybe even lead you to the Hall of Fame…or at least an OPAL Award!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Taking Your Business to the Next Level
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Ten Haken
Author, Do YOU Mean Business? Technical / Non Technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Strategies and Toolkit for the Sales-Engineering Interface
Connect With Babette On Linkedin
Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
Sole proprietors and very small A/E firms spend their early years struggling to stabilize cash flow while prospecting to win new business, facilitate output and invoice the client. It’s an endless cycle, with the same person or a few people wearing multiple hats. And when they are busy “doing” usually the “selling” process suffers, and vice versa.
No matter how much your business has grown, and how many layers of infrastructure you’ve developed, generating and maintaining revenue stream is what it’s all about.
All businesses get “stuck” on a plateau of input, throughout, output and client mix: the formula that got them to where they are today but may not be enough to sustain them in the future. How can you build out your current successful business development platform so you remain nimble in the marketplace and poised to take your company to the next level?
1. Incorporate relevant trigger events into prospecting.
A/E firms are already tuned in to reporting sites listing news about building expansion, property development and municipal funding, to name a few areas of opportunity. These traditional areas of prospecting can be supplemented by gaining greater proficiency in Web search. Using alternative search engines, search methods, and terms can help your company identify “trigger events” or additional, relevant information about your industry and clientele. Sam Richter’s book, “Take The Cold Out of Cold Calling – Web Search Secrets” (www.samrichter.com) is an indispensable resource for sales and business development professionals seeking to differentiate their deliverables. Why prospect using the same information as your competition?
2. Help your clients build their businesses.
Your clients use the Internet to research your company, as well. Often sellers aren’t invited to sit down with prospective clients until the client creates their shortlist of potential vendors. So your business development person may enter the scene after your prospect has made decisions about the project. How can your company differentiate itself from the other “problem-solvers” or “consultative sellers” who are out there competing in your space? Is your website a billboard or “informational?” Do you offer White Papers or Press Releases which are up to date? Are you using social media? Prospects may not all be technical, don’t want to read your website from cover to cover, and need to understand the relevance of unlabeled photo portfolios. Website and media content should establish an initial – and valuable – dialogue with your customers that goes beyond problem solving. Help them understand how doing business with your company makes their company more robust.
3. Look at yourself from your clients’ perspective.
Connect yourself to your company’s revenue stream. Many companies develop a great workflow infrastructure for handling won business. However, that infrastructure would be non-existent if it weren’t for the BD folks identifying these opportunities and the clients funding your output. Look at yourself from the outside looking in, as your potential clients see you, rather than from the inside looking out. While you are responsible for the A to Z of your job description, your clients have a bigger context into which they place your company. They only are interested in how your company’s A to Z impacts their company’s A to Z. How are you, and your company, helping your clients answer the question: What’s In It For Me?
4. Treat internal colleagues like they are prospects, because they are.
Make your vertical structure more horizontal; poke holes in departmental silos. Depending on where we sit around the table, we see the same things differently. Just as vendors have Lunch and Learn sessions to inform companies about new products and services, start a Lunch and Learn group at your company. These sessions place everyone’s role into the broadest possible cross-functional context. It literally pays to have everyone on the same page. What insights can your business development folks provide for your project engineers on the types of issues and questions they hear from current and prospective clients? How might your business development folks benefit from listening to how their inaccessibility impedes workflow and profitability? Everyone’s communicating this company-wide A to Z, and not just the one defined by the scope of their job description, may become the competitive differentiator your company is looking for.
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Are You Capable of Becoming a Civil “Lin”gineer?
Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search, Inc
Managing Partner, CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Matt’s profile & connect with him on LinkedIn
Whether you are a New York Knicks fan, a basketball fan, a sports fan in general, or not a sports fan at all, I trust you have at least heard the name “Jeremy Lin” over the past couple of weeks.
Jeremy Lin grew up in the United States and led his Palo Alto High School basketball team to the California Division II High School hoops title. There are over 300 Division 1 colleges in the United States and do you know how many basketball scholarships he was offered? Zero. Zilch. Nada. He ended up playing ball at Harvard where he averaged 16.4 points, 4.5 assists, and 2.4 steals his senior season. A star in the Ivy League, he entered the NBA Draft and do you know how many phone calls he got? Zero. Zilch. Nada. He did enter the NBA as an undrafted free agent and prior to his joining the New York Knicks earlier this year he was cut two times in 15 days. Imagine getting hired, getting fired, being lucky enough to find another job quickly, and then being fired again…all within 15 days! The Knicks eventually picked him up, and due to injuries of two of their star players, Lin left the confines of the last seat at the end of the bench with the obscure view and finally got his chance. He came off the bench and scored 25 points, leading his team to victory. Two nights later he got his first career start and tallied 28 points. And then, in his first start on the road he scored a double-double with 23 points and 10 assists. There is so much more to this story, but it’s a great story and he has been the Knicks star player ever since he had the opportunity to get in that first game.
This is a story about opportunity that we can all learn from. Maybe you’ve been hired and fired or laid off by a couple of civil engineering firms; maybe you are being pigeonholed into a task or technical skill set that forces you to maintain a low profile; maybe you are in a corporate culture that is not your cup-of-tea; or maybe there are too many layers or too many other more experienced co-workers insulating you from advancement…maybe you are sitting at the end of the bench at your company. You know your potential, you have great ideas as to how to achieve great success, you know how to make other people successful, you are just waiting in the wings to seize that opportunity. Your opportunity will come – you just have to find it. And if that opportunity does not come to you – then you need to go to IT. 
Maybe your supervisor is promoted or moves on to another company – use that opportunity for a little self promotion and request that opportunity to take his or her place. Maybe you are contacted by a recruiter for an opportunity that may better position yourself for that next step in your career taking you one step closer to your full potential – return that call! My point is – don’t ever lose site of your goals – keep working hard and doing good work and treating people right; but don’t work so hard with your nose so close to the grindstone that you never look up to see that opportunity. Hone your craft technically; find a mentor; engage in networking events; give presentations. This way, when a path is cleared for you, no matter how tight it may be, you are able to take advantage of it and do great things, just like Jeremy Lin has.
And this is how you can become a Civil “Lin”gineer. Hmmm, I wonder if I can trademark that?
Now, when this does happen, don’t expect to amass over half-a-million Twitter followers in less than two weeks like Jeremy Lin (chances are you are probably not even on twitter). And don’t expect your first set of plans you stamped to sell on eBay for $21 G’s (as did Jeremy Lin’s rookie basketball card). And don’t expect to make the cover of ENR two weeks in row (Jeremy’s face recently graced the cover of Sports Illustrated for two consecutive weeks)…though one day, that just may happen!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Civil Engineers and Architects: Work Burn-Out. Get Motivated!
By Carol A. Metzner
President, The Metzner Group, LLC and
Managing Partner, A/E/P Central, LLC home of CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Carol’s profile & connect with her on LinkedIn
Whether you are employed or looking for a job, undoubtedly you have experienced work burn out. It is inevitable at some point. Most of us crave security: we want to know we can pay our bills and play along the way. That is usually enough motivation for me. BUT, there are days, I admit, that I find myself staring at the computer and the phone despite having a great deal of work on my desk.
Work burnout is not only a problem for you, but the effects on your projects, colleagues, department, company and clients can be irreparable. Getting back to work with true enthusiasm can be a job in itself, but is critical no matter what your financial state. Here are suggestions that may help:
- Take a break. If you can only leave the office at lunchtime- then do it! Get some space between you and your office. If you are not able to break during the day then leave work at a reasonable time.
- DO NOT TAKE WORK HOME WITH YOU! If you are looking for a job, then stop at the start of the evening.
- Prioritize tasks. Are you overwhelmed and stressed? De-motivation can occur when the tasks are many or too difficult and the light at the end of the tunnel looks like the proverbial train. Set priorities. Every task cannot have the same sense of urgency-even if clients are demanding it be so.
- Set intermediate goals and reward yourself when they are achieved. Motivation increases when rewards are received. Give yourself something positive when you meet a goal.
- Enlist the support of colleagues, friends or family. Perhaps you don’t want your office mate to know how unmotivated you really are…most of the time they have noticed. Talk about it with them. Most people are helpful and will be supportive.
- Tell yourself to be positive about work. Yes, we all participate in “self talk.” Usually it is negative but this time have positive conversations with yourself!
- Get back to work. Just jump in and before you know it goals will be achieved, projects will be completed and your motivation will come back.
When I asked several professionals how they pull themselves out of the burn-out track, they offered helpful ideas:
- Placing yourself at the place in time when you were most passionate about your work. Remembering specific experiences that made you thankful to be doing what you do.
- When you burn out… time to take a break and find yourself and what you love to do again… sometimes it’s returning to what you have always done, sometimes it is reinventing yourself, and sometimes it is returning to the roots of what you always loved but gave up to do something you’ve been doing for so long that now you are ready to return to past interests.
- Step back. Re-evaluate and find your desire for what you do.
- I segment my day (morning especially) into 50 minute periods with a 10 minute break that does NOT include answering email. A little Pilates, read the newspaper (not online), walk. Then another 50 minutes of focused work, etc. And when I’m really burnt out, I take a mental health day and simply enjoy myself reading, whatever. NOT thinking about work.
- If the opportunity exits, I would ask to be put on special projects. This has given me the opportunity to work with different people and feel like I’m contributing and solving problems.
- I find a way to help someone who’s just getting started in their career. To start with, the stuff I take for granted knowing just through experience makes me seem like a god to them and they absorb it like a sponge. I’m usually able to connect them with someone useful within my own network. There are many times through the years where this sort of “pay it forward” approach has come back to reward me ten-fold in addition to brightening up the day I initially helped them.
- I hit the refresh button and take myself on a “vacation” —- A walk , chat with a friend or a little reading or a little research into family history. It is the “away” time that allows me to refocus.
- Sometimes a change of workplace is required.
- We must take care of ourselves mentally & physically…whatever it takes for us to keep balance in our work & home life. Make the time to relax & do things that are fun for you…whatever you define it to be.
- One of the best ways I have found to eliminate burn out is to listen to classical music. It really helps to de-stress me – even on the very intense days. And, it gets the creative juices flowing. That is the most consistent way I can think of to get unstuck.
What has helped you to get your motivation back on track?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
The Brazilian Infrastructure Boom
Matt Barcus
President, Precision Executive Search, Inc
Managing Partner, CivilEngineeringCentral.com
View Matt’s profile & connect with him on LinkedIn
It was not too long ago that the infrastructure and construction boom in the UAE and the surrounding Gulf Region was all the rage. Take a look at this segment from a Discovery Channel special on Dubai to see what I am talking about:
Over the course of my conversations with civil engineering professionals I always like to ask what their take is of the marketplace and how things are going in their regions and where they see the next big area of growth (from both a disciplinary and geographical perspective). Over the course of the past week or so I have spoken with engineering professionals and executives at numerous consulting firms who alerted me to the fact that Brazil is booming and the demand for new and upgraded infrastructure is strong; as a result, they had recently, or were in the process of, setting up shop there. Now, that same demand can be said for the US as well, but as you well know, the Federal government all the way down to local municipalities are so strapped for cash that nothing much is being accomplished when it comes to improving our infrastructure. So while we sit around with our hands tied as our interstate highway system is at or exceeding capacity, while more and more US bridges become structurally deficient, and while the concept of a US high-speed rail system continues to receive much scrutiny and criticism, Brazil has a World Cup to host in 2014 and an Olympic Games to host in 2016; can you imagine the beating that their infrastructure will take (even if it is only for small period of time)? And with these major events come a true sense of urgency for all things infrastructure …and more importantly, the deep pockets to support them! Brazil’s National Development Bank (BNDES) will likely lend $29B for infrastructure in 2012, and the Brazilian government is projected to spend $25.3B on their national rail network alone by 2014.
With the onslaught of visitors expected, the infrastructure will need to meet the demands. Airport expansions are underway often with monorail systems; construction of hotels, stadiums, commercial and retail centers is booming; rail, urban transit systems and traditional highway and roadway projects are abundant, and there is a healthy investment in water and wastewater infrastructure. And, according to an October 2011 article on Investopedia.com,
“The sporting events are just the beginning to Brazil’s infrastructure build-out. Last year, outgoing president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva, launched a $900 billion infrastructure plan which focused on improving transportation, electrical supply and the nation’s ports. Similarly, current President Dilma Rousseff, has also pledged to improve infrastructure via massive public works plans.”
With all of the investment in infrastructure, Brazil will be poised for economic growth for generations to come.
If it hasn’t already been pounded into your head by now, we are a global economy and as opportunities arise in overseas markets for a struggling civil engineering and construction community here in the US, why not take advantage of these types of opportunities? What has YOUR company done to get a piece of that pie? And from a career standpoint - if you are looking for adventure, what a great opportunity!
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
Understand Your Clients’ Motivations – Part 2
Featured Guest Blogger: Babette Ten Haken
Author, Do YOU Mean Business? Technical / Non Technical Collaboration, Business Development and YOU
Sales Aerobics for Engineers
Strategies and Toolkit for the Sales-Engineering Interface
Connect With Babette On Linkedin
Read The Sales Aerobics For Engineers Blog
[This is the second of a two-part series. Part 1 was posted on 1/23/2012 on the Sales Aerobics for Engineers® blog. Click here to read it! http://bit.ly/wDZE3S ]
Do we really understand each other?
If you are a civil or other type of engineer involved in the sales process (which means all of you), or if you are a business development professional working for a civil engineering firm, sometimes client relationships really frustrate us!
Part 1 of this two-part series addresses what happens when our clients “go away” or disappear after what we feel is a sure-fire, slam-dunk win for us. A lot of time, it’s because we make assumptions about the way the sales close is progressing. From our perspective, not theirs.
Why else might our clients disappear during the business development or design/engineering process? Just when we thought we had them from “hello!”
One reason we are frustrated is that our customers do not make decisions in a straight line.
The straightest path towards winning business for your company is not that straight line. Of course you spoke with the CEO, another civil engineer, or their company’s business development professional, and said all the stuff you were supposed to say, created empathy and “connected”, determined what their focus and priorities were, and their timeline and budget for making the decision to do business with your company. So the next logical step should be to ask for their business and sign that contract.
Except it never quite happens that way, the majority of the time. Because there are a ton of other factors impacting your client’s ability to give you the thumbs up. And they are never going to share these factors with you, no matter how well you know them, how frequently you golf with them, no matter how many interesting bits of information you share with them.
Our customers do not make decisions the same way we do.
So while your company may have sold you on “how great they are” as a solutions provider, you are not the one making that decision to sign that contract, are you? Clear the business development process of all of your own biases and baggage. You bring a lot of “you” into the business of winning business for your company. Identify a number of potential, sometimes illogical, and certainly not straightforward, paths your customer may take on their way to signing that contract.
Consider their revenue stream and prior years’ profit margins, the number of projects and commitments they already have on their own plate, the human assets on board to oversee and manage projects, the cost of logistics and raw materials, whether they have a diverse presence in the marketplace or whether they rely on a niche market. Where does your design solution fit into their overall business and market mix? How does your design solution solve a current business priority? (Hint: this is not the same as solving a discrete project’s needs)
We are too myopic in our client relationships. It’s not about you and them. It’s about you in relation to them and their business universe.
Where do you fit into their constantly shifting, dynamic business universe? Something to think about, isn’t it?
civil engineering jobs :: civil engineering resumes :: civil engineering blog :: civil engineering discussion
