New Tools, New Technology: Why Now?

Large firms, understandably, have advantages in the marketplace. They have extensive networks of associates that can provide them with the “best business advice” to achieve their business objectives. But, small (minority, women-owned, emerging growth) firms don’t have those connections. It’s not for lack of trying...it’s for lack of time. Small businesses are focused on what they do, not the back office functions—legal, marketing, information technology, finance, human resources. Yet without these professionals, our designs, engineering solutions and facilities would be little more than a heap of sketches on a floor. So, how does one close the gap?

The full article on Industry Speaks™ tells why the online portal was created and how it addresses small firm needs. (Reprinted from the 40th Anniversary Magazine Issue of the National Association of Minority Architects, October 2012.)

AIA Webinar on Business Development Gets Overwhelming Response

Topic: Business Development Planning
Enrollees: Almost 900 from AIA’s Practice Management Knowledge Community
Follow-up questions: A record-breaking 10 pages worth
Presenter: Karen Compton, Principal, A3K Consulting; Founder, Industry Speaks™
Takeaways: Simple formulas, metrics and variables, plus expert advice!

The response to October's AIA webinar shows firms are urgently seeking quality information to plan for the future.

Missed learning about the metrics, how to use data to analyze and plan, and the top impediments to effective business development? Check out the PDF of Best Practices in Business Development Planning, and a log sheet of questions and answers, on the AIA KnowledgeNet webpage.

Presenter Karen Compton will post extended answers to selected questions after the New Year, for subscribers to Industry Speaks™. Check back soon!

Industry Speaks Resets

New features and content are being added to the Industry Speaks™ main portal, which is being relaunched after more than a year of development and testing. Stay tuned for an announcement!

Speak for Yourself

The Division of the State Architect provides design and construction oversight for K–12 schools, community colleges, and various other state-owned and leased facilities. Additionally, the DSA, as it is also called, sets standards for accessibility, structural safety, fire and life safety, and historical building codes and standards.  The guidelines are utilized in various public and private buildings throughout the State of California.  This month, the DSA will be proposing changes to various building codes and standards that affect the buildings you design and construction. 

But, before these changes can take effect, the State Architect wants to hear from you!  As part of an effort to disseminate and share the proposed code and standards changes with the design/construction community and to elicit feedback that would be instrumental in shaping such policy, Industry Speaks has developed, Speak For Yourself—a free, on-line site that allows you to review the proposed code changes and post your comments by section for the review of the Division of the State Architect.  Over the next several weeks, each section of the Building Codes and Standards will be posted for review and comment. 

Read once or read often.  Read the entire document ( a little at a time) or only the sections that effect you.  But, more importantly, Speak for Yourself and post your comments, changes and ideas. It’s simple. Log on to www.industryspeaks.com and click on the Speak for Yourself banner.

It’s your turn…go ahead and speak for yourself!


Karen Compton
Industry Speaks

Do You Really Want To Have A Foreign Affair?

Contrary to popular opinion, the grass isn’t greener on the other side.  It’s true of situations in life and it’s true in business.  To those comparing the domestic dusty plains to the international green pastures, the BRICK (Brazil, Russia, India, China and Korea) markets may appear green. But, upon closer examination they are fraught with their own challenges—differences in business culture, contract law, design and construction standards, and process, as well as, the need to develop a process for developing new business.

It goes without saying that the easiest way to branch out into overseas business is if a client (domestic) wants to take you there.  But, what if you still want to “go international” but don’t know how to proceed.  What do you do?  My best recommendation is to meet with the U.S. Department of Commercial Services.  The U.S. Commercial Services is the trade promoting arm of the U.S. Department of Commerce’s International Trade Administration. They are located in over 100 U.S. cities and in more than 75 countries in order to assist U.S. companies in getting started in exporting or increase sales to new global markets.

U.S. Commercial Services is able to provide information regarding compliance, market access, standards, policies, barriers, and competitiveness in order to support and inform your decision to explore an overseas expansion.  Additionally, they able to offer prospective companies low to moderate cost information via conferences, seminars, trade missions, and training.

U.S. Commercial Services is not just for the export of goods.  It is a viable and strategic way of exporting intellectual property in the form of design, construction and engineering.  For more information or for the U.S. Commercial Services office or location near you, go to www.trade.gov

A foreign affair may be in your future.

REALLY? IT’S NOT ABOUT YOU

Networking. Most of us think of this “painful” experience as having to ‘work a room” to develop relationships with people that you don’t know, so that they can help you win work. WRONG.

Networking is the process of developing relationships with individuals that can help YOUR CLIENTS SOLVE THEIR PROBLEMS.  This may come as a shock, but, it’s not about you! It IS about your client.

If you can only ask your client one question, ask them what keeps them awake at night.  While you may secretly be hoping that it’s an engineering or design dilemma, don’t be surprised if it’s a business problem.  Maybe they just lost their city manager or administrative vice president; maybe they're facing a union negotiation or just “politics as usual.”  What keeps your clients awake may have nothing to do with your firm or its business line.  Yet, if you are able to solve it, offer a solution or point them in the direction of a resource, and you will become that thing we all want to be—the trusted advisor.  So, how do you do that?

Don’t limit your networking events to events where you will meet your peers and colleagues.  Peer to peer networking doesn’t get you very far.  This is peer to partner networking.  Consider tangential relationships—legal professionals, accountants, human resources, governance and leadership professional—the list is endless.  But, the rules are the same:

1.     Talk less about yourself and more about them; find out what do they do and for what type of client.

2.     Learn types of clients that are best for them.

3.     Understand how you might be of benefit to their business or their professional success.

4.     Finally, whether you see a partnership or not, take their card.

Last week, I had a client ask me if I could refer them to an attorney who could review their existing contract language to see where their agreements might be “weak”.  Believe it or not, I had some referrals and I solved their problem.  Can you solve your clients problems?

A New Idea in This Economy? Are you crazy?

Yes!  I am crazy!

In summer of 2010, phone calls kept streaming into our offices from architecture, engineering and construction clients (current and past) looking for consultants with special skills. They asked for marketing professionals, accountants with experience in the FAR, attorneys with specialties in water intrusion, and more. As if I “had the answers,” they were calling me! While each firm’s need was different, every referral request had one common criterion: “They must know our industry.”

We knew the industry, and we saw an opportunity to meet this demand. With a team of dedicated staff, we designed a searchable database that allows firm owners, small businesses, and emerging practices to find consultant and professional resources that fit their needs. They can read or post reviews of service providers or even recommend one. Today, this database is known as Industry Speaks.™ Our tag line is simple: “Consultants that speak your language.”

I later found out from friends of mine that lead professional associations that they can’t provide recommendations.  Their organizations are concerned about “conflict of interest” or being perceived as “playing favorites.”  So, where does that leave the millions of firms each day trying to find solutions?

The truth is, every day we each have a choice to make.  We can be part of the group of people who complain about why something doesn’t exist or why “they” can’t solve our problems.  Or we can do the thing that drove us to be creators—we can solve our own problems. 

Which choice did you make today?  It’s not too late…be part of a movement to change something that “they” haven’t.  Join us at IndustrySpeaks.  Be part of our Industry Ideas.  We’d love to have you.

Watch our instructional video to learn how you can increase the competitive advantage of your company today!