Marketers Take Flight

Making the right decision about what projects to pursue and when to walk away are difficult for even the most experienced A/E/C firms. Because of this, I looked for an expert when it comes to making go/no decisions. I sat down with Frank Lippert, FSMPS, CPSM of GO Strategies to talk about all things go/no go decisions. In fact, our conversation was so packed with great information, I split it into two episodes. 

In this first part of our conversation, we go through the go/no go decision-making process including:

• The different times in the pursuit lifecycle when you would or could make a go/no go decision.
• Considerations for proposal costs and the reasons for tracking the costs to pursue and win new work for your firm
• Different types of go/no go decisions
• The importance of understanding the client’s perspective and how to use that to make better go/no go decisions
• And, finally, the five questions to ask your team to make better go/no go decisions

Frank was also gracious enough to provide us with the go/no go sample templates as well as his famous coffee mug with the key five go/no go questions. Both can be found on the GO Strategies website. 

Stay tuned for the second part of our conversation. In the next episode, we will be talking about how to transform your go/no go form into a hidden pursuit plan. And, how to use your hidden pursuit plan to position your firm to win. 

Today's episode is sponsored by:

• MARKET-er's Place - Marketers Place is THE Place to get bite-sized training, templates, and resources specific to A/E/C firms. Find it here: https://www.marketerstakeflight.com/place. 

 Resources and links mentioned in this episode:

•  About Frank Lippert, FSMPS, CPSM and GO Strategies
• Go/No Go Form Templates
• GO Strategies Coffee Mug
• Develop a Go/No Go Process Self-Starter Kit
• How to Develop a Go/No Go Evaluation Process
• How a No-Go Decision Can Actually Increase Your Sales
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Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.

I am taking this week off from the Marketers Take Flight Podcast to celebrate Independence Day with my family. 

A new episode will be available on July 8th to talk about go/no go strategies with Frank Lippert, FSMPS, SMPS. 

I hope you enjoy a safe, healthy, and happy 4th of July!

Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.

#006 - What do you with your marketing materials when a key employee leaves your firm? Should you take them off your website, remove their blog posts, or take them out of a proposal you’re already working on?

What do you now do with those materials? Should you take them down or leave them up?

In this episode, I am going to share some experiences and give my opinion on how to handle these situations.

Today's episode is sponsored by:

• MARKET-er's Place - Marketers Place is THE Place to get bite-sized training, templates, and resources specific to A/E/C firms. Find it here: https://www.marketerstakeflight.com/place. 

Episode summary:

• Two stories from when a key employee left mid marketing campaign and after a website redesign.
• Considerations of what to do with your marketing materials when a key employee leaves your firm. 
• My stance on if that person who is leaving should be listed in the proposal.

What do you think? Do you agree or disagree with my opinions on how to handle marketing materials and proposals when a key employee leaves your firm? Leave your comments over on the show notes page at marketerstakeflight.com/6.

Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And, don't forget to download the app on iTunes or the Podcast app. Leave a review if you found value listening to this show. Your review will help our show grow and help us connect with more amazing marketers like you. Thank you for being awesome!

Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.

#005 - I had the chance to meet with Dena to answer questions about what to expect as clients move to virtual formats for shortlist presentations, how marketers can prepare their presentation teams, and some advice to minimize technical mishaps.

The conversation took place during one of the first weeks of quarantine and she was on the front lines helping firms prepare for the transition from in-person to virtual presentations and interviews.

I reached out to Dena because when it comes to firms winning more work from the shortlist presentation. She literally wrote the book on it (BE...The Winning Presentation, find it here). 

She was supposed to be traveling to London on vacation but instead has been on the front lines working with firms to prepare and rehearse for virtual presentations this past few weeks. 

Today's episode is sponsored by:

• MARKET-er's Place - Marketers Place is THE Place to get bite-sized training, templates, and resources specific to A/E/C firms. Find it here: https://www.marketerstakeflight.com/place. 

Conversation Highlights:

• The formats and technology that clients are using as they transition to virtual presentations and interviews.
• Dena’s key advice for marketers to help prepare their technical teams to present virtually. Especially, since many of us cannot meet in a conference room at the office to prepare.
• The differences in preparing for a presentation vs. preparing for an interview.
• The ways that she is seeing to keep the presentation interactive and keep the client engaged throughout the presentation.
• We also covered how to prepare and test the technology including Wi-Fi, different meeting platforms, and how to prepare for the worst-case scenarios.

Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And, don't forget to download the app on iTunes or the Podcast app. Leave a review if you found value listening to this show. Your review will help our show grow and help us connect with more amazing marketers like you. Thank you for being awesome!

Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.

#004 - Today I am going to be talking about a subject that I believe doesn’t get mentioned enough in our industry. I am also going to get vulnerable with you a bit. I am going to open up and share some of the feelings I’ve had in the past and sometimes still have that I haven’t really shared before. And, definitely haven’t shared on a national stage or in public like on a podcast. 

I am going to talk about imposter syndrome. I am going to share the textbook definition, then share what I really think it is, why some of us feel it and some of us don’t. Then I am going to talk about my personal struggles and the times when I felt like an imposter. 

Of course, I won’t leave you hanging. I will give you some strategies to use when you are struggling with this idea of imposter syndrome. 

Today's episode is sponsored by:

• MARKET-er's Place - Marketers Place is THE Place to get bite-sized training, templates, and resources specific to A/E/C firms. Find it here: https://www.marketerstakeflight.com/place. 

1. The WHY I felt compelled to talk about this subject in the first place.
2. The "textbook" definition of imposter syndrome  - I share the definition according to Wikipedia for imposter syndrome. And, then share what I think that means for A/E/C marketers.
3. A few stories of when I felt like an imposter.
4. Strategies to overcome imposter syndrome thoughts. 

Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And, don't forget to download the app on iTunes or the Podcast app. Leave a review if you found value listening to this show. Your review will help our show grow and help us connect with more amazing marketers like you. Thank you for being awesome!

Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.

#003 - In this episode, we are talking about cutting the fat out of our proposals so they can fit within our page limits.

How many times has a project manager given you a draft that is 10 pages long, but you only have a page limit of 5 pages? I know that’s happened to me on many occasions. They know it’s a page limit of only 5 pages but they just CAN’T cut anything else out. It’s all “critical” to their approach. 

If you have been faced with this, you might not even know where to start. Or, you might not feel comfortable cutting text from the technical professionals. You don’t want to remove a sentence that’s important to the technical approach or could put your firm at risk. 

So, where do you start? How do you cut the proposal fat, but not the meat? 

That’s exactly what we are going to talk about today. I am going to give you some ideas to edit the writing and some layout tips and tricks to help you reduce the original draft content to at least get it somewhat closer to your page limits. Maybe, even fit within those page limits.

1. Editing and grammar tricks - The most effective way to fit your content into strict page limits, is to edit the text. Actually cut text out. However, you can’t just start cutting without being scared of losing valuable content. But, yes you can! That’s what I call cutting the fat. These are the extra words, phrases, and repetitive information that shows up in almost every proposal draft. I share some tips to help you cut the fat when you edit your proposals.
2. Layout and typography tricks - There are several layout and typography tricks you can do as well. The obvious ones are reducing the font, margin, or header and footer sizes. Again, these may be dictated by the RFP. So, I am going to share some of the other tricks I have used in the past to fit into my page limits. 
3. Cut the Fat, Not the Meat Checklist - I have put together a free checklist that summarizes all of the tricks and advice I cover in today's show. You can get your copy by heading over to marketerstakeflight.com/3. 

• Cut the Fat, Not the Meat Checklist

Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And, don't forget to download the app on iTunes or the Podcast app. Leave a review if you found value listening to this show. Your review will help our show grow and help us connect with more amazing marketers like you. Thank you for being awesome!

Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.

#002 - In this episode, I cover proposal content, specifically how to take your proposal content from boring to compelling. I share techniques around persuasion, writing, and how to infuse creativity into your proposals. 

1. Persuasive Proposals - Proposal content should position your firm to win – It’s a sales document. It needs to persuade the reader that your firm is the best firm for the project. The reasons to select your firm should be crystal clear and obvious to the reader with enough information to allow the decision-makers to back up their decision.
2. Ways to Differentiate Your Firm - There are different ways you can differentiate your firm. Those include what you offer, how you design, create or deliver it, what you offer that better aligns with your client's goals, and what the client will get that they don't get from your competitors. 
3. Proposal Audience - Before you start writing a proposal, it's important to understand some key things about your audience. I break those key things down in the episode.
4. Compelling Writing - Now that you know the proposal is a sales document and needs to be persuasive, let's dive into the specifics of how to develop your content, specifically your writing. We discuss how to use features and benefits to make your proposal writing more persuasive and client-centric.
5. Infusing Creativity - As proposal managers, we sometimes get stuck when it comes to infusing creativity into proposals. Often, we are limited by our own firm brand guidelines and the client’s requirements. We can get into a creative rut, especially when we are constantly working under tight deadlines and often working on multiple proposals at once. I share five ways to infuse creativity into your proposals to make them more compelling. 

https://www.marketerstakeflight.com/2

• Kick Your Creative Mind Block
• HubSpot Article - 9 VR Marketing Examples That You'll Want to Steal for 2020
• Envato Elements (Graphic Design Templates)

Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.

#001 - The wait is finally over! I am pumped up to introduce the first episode of the Marketers Take Flight podcast.
 
This show is for any marketing, communications, or business development professional working at an A/E/C firm. While the majority of the content will be geared to those folks either early in their career or new to the A/E/C industry, there will be a variety of content that’s valuable to both rookie and veteran professionals. 

Now today’s episode is going to be a bit different than the norm. I’m going to be going over a quick introduction of who I am and introduce the Marketers Take Flight show, what it means to me, and how I hope it helps you. And also some of the formalities of the show. 

I am also going to share one simple tactic you can do TODAY to move closer to achieving your goals.

If you would like to get the links and show notes for this episode, head to:
https://www.marketerstakeflight.com/1

Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And, don't forget to download the app on iTunes or the Podcast app. Leave a review if you found value listening to this show. Your review will help our show grow and help us connect with more amazing marketers like you. Thank you for being awesome!

Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.

This is a brand new podcast so I wanted to spend a few minutes talking about all about, who it's intended for, a little bit about my background, and most importantly, the WHY. Why you should carve out a little of your time to listen to this podcast.

Over the past 15 years, I have forged relationships with marketers across the country at all levels from marketing coordinator to CMO and firm president. I want to use these relationships to provide you with inspiring insight at every level of your career. I want you to learn from people who were just where you are right now and where you want to go next. My goal is to provide a wide variety of roles and perspectives of facets of marketing at A/E/C firms. This includes marketers from small firms and a department of one, to mid and large firms. As well as marketing managers just promoted to seasoned professionals in the c-suite.

There will be a heavy emphasis on proposals, yes because that is the majority of the work of a marketer at an A/E/C firm but we will explore other situations and challenges. These include topics like making better go/no go decisions, pursuit strategies, truly differentiating your firm in proposals, preparing for shortlist interviews for starters. 

I will be sharing real-world, practical solutions related to the complexity of marketing A/E/C firms, including proposals.

If you're responsible for marketing and proposal management at an architecture, engineering, and construction firm, this podcast is for you.

Check out this episode on our website, Apple Podcasts, or Spotify. And, don't forget to download the app on iTunes or the Podcast app. Leave a review if you found value listening to this show. Your review will help our show grow and help us connect with more amazing marketers like you. Thank you for being awesome!

Want more AEC marketing goodness?

• New to proposals? Download my FREE “RFPs for Beginners – The Ultimate Proposal Management Checklist.”
• Stop planning, start creating with my FREE “Ultimate AEC Content Marketing Starter Kit.”
• Follow Lindsay on LinkedIn and Instagram.
• Collaborate with other AEC Marketers in our Facebook Group.
• Purchase bite-sized, on-demand templates and training at the Marketers Place.
• Enroll in online training: The Proposal Pro or Content Marketing Clarity.