It’s Not Enough to Just Show Up

Many of us develop a schedule defining what conferences our firm will attend. The question is, “Do you have a conference strategy?” This is a plan, with tactics that you chose to employ, to advance your business development efforts. Plan ahead, to avoid these mistakes:

1. Choosing conferences that focus on peer group attendance
   Many of attend conferences for continuing education, networking, advertising and/or political pressure. Conferences attended for the purposes of advancing your business development efforts should be focused on groups of clients—not peers or competitors. “Fish where the fish are.” It does you no good to look for clients in a room full of peers.
2. Showing up without a game plan
   Before you ever set your foot on the convention floor, determine your purpose. Is it to make introductions, to follow up on previous conversations, or to guard your clients? Each of these are good reasons for attending a conference, but you need to understand your goal going in. If it is to meet a client, identify who they are, if possible send an email or phone call beforehand to ask if they are attending and set up a time to meet. If it is a follow up, clarify what you’d like to follow up on (i.e., the introduction of a Thought Leader or the timing of a new opportunity). If you are attending to guard your clients, arrange coffee, lunch or other activities with them to keep them with you and away from your competition. Don’t just show up looking for people and depending on spontaneous interactions.
3. Getting a booth
   Booths can be expensive. In addition to the cost of the booth, there is the cost to produce the booth and the marketing materials within the space, including “giveaways and brochures.” Staffing is another expense: you can’t have an empty booth. Determine if a booth is necessary to achieve your objective. A booth’s purpose is to increase visibility, but if your main objective is to meet a key client or clients, a booth is a poor strategic investment.
4. Failing to understand the cost vs. the ROI Conferences can be expensive, especially if they are outside your regional area. You must account for travel, subsistence and other expenses/engagements while there. Don’t ignore the conference cost. Calculate it, and then analyze the cost of that investment relative to the achievement of your objective(s).

A few weeks ago, a new client of mine said he had been attending conferences for years with nothing to show for it. When I asked for the strategy, he replied, “I’ve just showed up and tried to run into people.” Conference attendance is much like the Belmont Stakes or the Preakness. It’s not enough to just show up.

Karen Compton, CPSM. Karen Compton is principal of A3K Consulting (Glendale, CA), a business development and strategic planning firm specializing in the architecture, engineering and construction industries. Ms. Compton is also the founder of Industry Speaks™, a web-based business-to-business portal that connects AEC firms with experienced consultants, provides peer reviews of consultants, reports on key industry trends, and publishes expert reviews of professional courses and books. Contact her at kcompton@a3kconsulting.com.

Three Things

Yesterday was a hectic day.  I completed a two day workshop with the executive management group of a southern California construction management firm.  The purpose of the workshop was to develop the foundations for the strategic business development plan, something this firm has lacked for a very long time.  You know the type.  Responsive, reactionary and losing!

A close colleague of mine has always of mine has failed to see the benefit of these working sessions for a long time.  His position is, “just win work.”  But, you can’t “win work” if you’re trying to sell to just anyone!  I liken it to this—you can’t get a dedicated Pepsi® drinker to drink Coke®.

At the end of a very long day, the elder statesman of the group said that as difficult as the process was he felt that it was thorough and productive.  He then went on to ask the following, which I share with you today.  “You’ve proven a lot today, but what three things do you want me to take away from this, if nothing else?  I didn’t even pause.

1. Be Focused.    Define the profile of the client that “buys” your firm NOT your firm’s services.   If you sold a product, you’d know the profile of your consumer—age, demographic, income, buy patterns and that’s who’d you’d market to.  Everyone else would fall by the wayside?  Why?  Because they don’t buy what you offer.

2. Have a Process.  It’s not enough to have a go-no-go process.  You need to have a sales process that includes client-specific plans, goals, milestones, quantifiable targets and yes a go-no-go decision making process.  You also have to hold each other accountable to commit to the process.

3. Apply the litmus test.   The purpose of your firm’s vision (not its mission), is to define what success looks like for your firm—revenue, profit, collaboration, etc.  It is NOT an internal marketing statement. Its purpose is invaluable.  It serves as the litmus test by which all difficult decisions MUST be tested.  If a firm’s vision statement is to “sustain long term growth and provide profitable returns to its employees”, then guess what?  Each project that is evaluated through that structure 9see above), must meet that litmus test—without emotion.

So, I ask you today…if you do nothing else in your marketing/business development efforts, does your firm do these three things?  If not, why not?  The answer may move you from responsive, reactionary and losing to strategic, deliberative and winning!


Karen Compton
Industry Speaks