Local v. the Best

“I need a local presentation coach. Do you have a recommendation?” Yes, I do, but “Why does local matter? Shouldn’t you want ‘the best’?”

This client’s mistake was failing to acknowledge and properly use technology to find the best consultant, instead of the closest. The best one I knew (in my opinion) was in California. The fact that the client was on the other side of the U.S. in an engineering company shouldn’t have mattered at all. Too often, we think that all of our consultants have to serve us locally. Much of that is the nature of our business—we need a local civil engineer or local person to do community outreach. But the truth is, this is a global community.

In the age of technology, marketing consultants in Texas are writing proposals for firms in the West, accounting firms in Georgia are providing services to firms in the mid-West, and that is how it should be. Our quest shouldn’t be for the local firm unless local is the best. This is especially true of back-of-house functions that are largely managed via e-mail, video conference, Go To Meeting® or other platforms.

Accountants, marketing professionals, information technology specialists and even many human resources functions are managed effectively every day and at a lower cost via a virtual or distance provider. Ask yourself:

1. Is local necessary or preferred? If it is preferred, then what’s the trade off? If you’re in Canada and you need someone with expertise in Canadian law, then this might not apply. But, ask the question.

2. Is there a cost saving or benefit? Too often we assume distance costs more. Today, distance often costs less. There is no travel time and there is efficiency to be gained when an individual can focus on the task for which they are the best qualified.

In the end, the client hired the presentation coach from the West, and scored higher than they ever had. A winning choice!

Karen Compton, CPSM, 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.

Women Leading the Way - SMPS Panel January 16

The Society for Marketing Professional Services, Los Angeles Chapter event this Wednesday will be moderated by Industry Speaks™ founder Karen Compton, CPSM.
Panelists are Lydia Kennard, President, KDG Construction Consulting and Former Executive Director, Los Angeles World Airports; Martha Welborne, Executive Director, Countywide Planning, Metro; Miriam Mulder, City Architect, City of Santa Monica; and Janet-Marie Smith, Senior VP of Planning & Development.

Schedule:
7:30am – 8:00am Networking and Registration
8:00am – 8:15am Breakfast
8:15am – 9:30am Program

The Number 10

Just think about it….10 years ago Smartphones®, Facebook®, LinkedIn and YouTube® didn’t even exist.  Yet…in that short period of time these advances in technological communications have changed the world.  In that same 10 year period, our industry has seen change too with the advent of sustainable design, building information modeling, interactive presentation formats such as Prezi® or Keynote® and the merger or acquisition of several prominent architecture, engineering and construction firms.

What the next 10 years will hold is yet to be defined.  But, some things we know are sure. Today’s mid-level project managers and job captains will grow into roles as associates, principals and partners within firms, and clients and owners within organizations.  Why is this important to consider?  The next generation of professional is technology driven.  They communicate indirectly through email, texting, and social media and frequently (i.e., 20+ times/day) as compared to the generation of 40 something plus professionals that communicate directly via phone, over lunch or drinks and infrequently (i.e., 10 times/week).

The big question becomes how will this affect our industry?  More importantly, how will it affect our ability to develop relationships with our clients and find resource professionals to help us grow our businesses?   While I don’t purport to know all of the answers, there is one thing I do know: we must be part of the change we want to see in our industry.  

What changes do you see that may affect the way in which we grow and develop our practices?  How do you see yourself as engaging in that change?

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!