AEC Marketing for Principals

On this episode of AEC Marketing for Principals, hosts Judy Sparks and Katie Cash are joined by Chief Economist Evelina Roseman to talk about the economic impact of COVID-19 and living in this time of transition. Roseman is an economic thought leader with demonstrated successes in global business planning, innovation, and B2B/B2C program management. She serves corporate and small business executiv...

On this special episode of AEC Marketing for Principals, host Katie Cash is joined by Smartegies Executive Vice President, Donya Edler, to talk about the importance of corporate communication during a social movement. 2020 has brought a lot of uncertainty and unrest, so how should firms address these topics the right way and what can we do to evoke change throughout the AEC industry? During the ep...

View the Smart Notes for this Episode Kicking off season 2 of AEC Marketing for Principals, Marvin Woodward, the Deputy Director for the Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission, joins hosts Judy Sparks and Katie Cash to discuss how GSFIC is shifting their procurement process. The state of Georgia is actively living in the liminal space in the wake of COVID-19. The agency has adopted remo...

During this special AEC Marketing for Principals episode, host Katie Cash discusses how AEC firms can pivot their interview presentations to the virtual world. Public and private owners are continuing to leverage technology and transition their procurement process to online virtual experiences. So, how can shortlisted AEC firms inform, influence, and entertain the selection committee virtually and...

During this special AEC Marketing for Principals episode, hosts Judy Sparks and Katie Cash discuss how AEC firms are pivoting their marketing strategies as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Smartegies recently put on a webinar for leaders in the AEC industry answering the question, “How do you market during a pandemic?” This episode is an excerpt from our webinar. Prior to the webinar, Smarteiges...

What You Will Learn: The key takeaways from season 1 of AEC Marketing for Principals Jere Smith’s advice for the proposal process Judy and Katie’s approach to the formal presentation Marvin Woodward’s insights about winning work with GSFIC Brenda Christman’s advice for in-house marketers Larry Callahan’s take on the industrial market in the Southeast Dave Loeffel’s perspective on multifamily devel...

Click Here for the Full Transcript View the Smart Notes for this Episode ARCO specializes in industrial development, an industry that has been moving in a new direction as recent trends in e-commerce, cold storage, and sustainability continue to grow stronger. In that space, Jake Stefan and his team have built a strong reputation for the innovative, solutions-based approach that ARCO brings to eve...

Click Here for the Full Transcript Many seller-doers at boutique firms assume marketing responsibilities, but there comes a time where half-hearted marketing starts to hinder productivity without yielding any results. Owners often ask themselves if they need a marketing department, but hiring a team is inevitable if you plan to grow. AEC firms can benefit from building a marketing team because whe...

Highlands Residential is an apartment development company specializing in multifamily developments that target an empty-nester clientele. By focusing on recently-retired individuals, aged 55 and older, Highlands’ founder and CEO, Dave Loeffel, can deliver destinations unique to the desires and needs of this age exclusive audience. Experiential living is a hot trend in multifamily right now, and Lo...

Click Here for the Full Transcript For 70 years, Pattillo has focused strictly on the vertical of industrial development, erecting over 1000 facilities of quality and scale while building a significant portfolio of prime industrial real estate. However, the explosion of e-commerce is creating an entirely new set of needs and unique problems that must be met by developers with no playbook and limit...

Click Here for the Full Transcript When it comes to AEC marketing, account based marketing (ABM) is changing the way that AEC firms communicate with their high-value accounts by improving efficiency and increasing booked revenue. For the longest time, relationships took precedence when design and construction firms sought out new business, but everyone has those relationships now. ABM is the new s...

Click Here for the Full Transcript Although account-based marketing (ABM) is a recently adopted practice in the design and construction industry, many firms have been employing strategies of account-based sales (ABS) for some time now. If you are unfamiliar with the concept, account-based sales uses conventional one-to-one sales tactics but focuses strictly on higher-end clients that are spending...

Click Here for the Full Transcript Aaron Wright built an impressive resume on the technology side of construction with major firms like Robins & Morton and Hoar Construction. But his passion for all-things-building transcended his role and inspired him to explore all facets of the industry. Wright always saw a need for a platform that was dedicated to construction video content and three years...

Click Here for the Full Transcript As an international, best-selling author and the authority on emotional intelligence, Brent Darnell works with technical seller-doers in the AEC industry to help them master critical people skills and become service-focused leaders. Emotional intelligence plays a significant role in the workplace today, but it is not what it seems at face value. Emotional intelli...

Click Here for the Full Transcript When you are marketing and selling professional services to Owners, it’s important to know what they are looking for and how your AEC marketing strategy should reflect that. Smartegies recently conducted a survey in order to better understand procurement processes, buying preferences and online habits of some of Georgia’s most coveted public sector and institutio...

Click Here for Full Transcript As the Assistant Vice President of Facilities, Design, and Construction at the Georgia Institute of Technology, Scott Jones runs a progressive operation that oversees all of Georgia Tech’s design and construction projects. The institution consistently releases around $450M-$500M in AEC projects per year, and competition to be awarded those contracts is fierce. Jones...

Click Here for Full Transcript In this day and age, you have the ability to build and scale your business without a sales force, and AEC firms are finally adopting an innovative approach to digital and inbound marketing after seeing it work in so many other industries. Developing an effective marketing plan starts with putting the right people in place because your marketing leaders need to mainta...

The Georgia State Financing and Investment Commission (GSFIC) , was created by a constitutional amendment in 1972 and is responsible for the proper application of proceeds from general obligation debt and the issuance of all public debt by the State. No agency or authority can incur debt or employ other financial or investment advisory counsel without Commission approval. Click Here for the Full T...

There is a common misconception in the AEC industry that sales, marketing, and business development all serve the same purpose, but ‘sales and marketing’ are not synonymous and they represent completely independent efforts in your growth strategy. In this episode of AEC Marketing for Principals, Judy Sparks and Katie Cash have broken down each term so that you can understand the different roles th...

Episode 8: Click Here for the Full Transcript In the engineering industry, mastering the art of communication as an individual can help move the needle for an entire organization. At Morrison Hershfield, Scott Steiding did just that. He became well versed in the language of his technical staff and leadership, which led to successive prosperity, heightened brand awareness, and strong, inter-departm...

Oftentimes, when we talk about digital marketing with our clients and prospects—that is, principals of AEC firms and their teams—we see an immediate glaze go over the faces of the people in the room. Why? Because there is a widely held assumption within the AEC industry that digital cannot solve real business challenges like lead gen, driving sales, or recruiting top talent. Click Here for the Ful...

About Judy Sparks Judy is the founder, CEO, and President of Smartegies LLC. Founded in 2008, Smartegies is a specialty marketing agency that has helped more than 150 companies across North America build stronger brands, implement effective communications, and develop winning strategies and proposals. Judy has worked in B2B marketing and sales roles exclusively since 1993, specializing in the AEC...

About Tracey Sibley As Brasfield & Gorrie’s Vice President of Marketing, Tracey Sibley leads one of the nation’s largest and most respected construction industry brands. Brasfield & Gorrie provides general contracting, design-build, and construction management services for a variety of markets including healthcare, commercial, institutional, federal, municipal, industrial, infrastructure,...

Click Here for the Full Transcript Since guesting on our podcast, Donya Edler has joined Smartegies as our new Executive Vice President. She brings over 25 years of professional marketing, communications, and human resources experience in both the public and private sectors. Throughout her career, she has experienced several mergers and acquisitions with very different outcomes on employee trust a...

About Judy Sparks Judy is the founder, CEO, and President of Smartegies LLC. Founded in 2008, Smartegies is a specialty marketing agency that has helped more than 150 companies across North America build stronger brands, implement effective communications, and develop winning strategies and proposals. Judy has worked in B2B marketing and sales roles exclusively since 1993, specializing in the AEC...