The “Encourage Build Grow” podcast, hosted by Randy Wilburn, recently had a remarkable guest, Lindsay Young, who is a seasoned expert in marketing and business development in the Architecture, Engineering, and Construction (AEC) industry. Since her college days, Young has specialized in construction marketing. The insightful episode touched upon various facets, from the increasing demand for collaboration between design and construction firms to the nitty-gritty of marketing strategies and industry outlook.
Marketing and Business Development
Lindsay Young emphasized the pivotal role that marketing plays in bridging gaps and facilitating collaboration between design and construction firms. As integrated project deliveries become more common, it is essential for design firms to strategically partner with construction firms that align with their ethos and objectives. According to Young, active listening and asking the right questions are crucial skills that help in driving the AEC industry forward.
“Communication is vital for any firm to succeed, and I often say that over-communication is better than under-communication,” said Young, who is also the chair of the SMPS Missouri Valley Regional Conference. The podcast explored the differences between marketing, business development, and sales. While marketing is the groundwork done before interacting with a customer, business development involves building relationships through face-to-face interactions. Sales, on the other hand, focus on the interview and proposal process, where a firm sells its expertise and team. Lindsay highlighted the importance of adopting a team approach during proposals and having a ‘go or no-go’ process to conserve resources.
Interviews and Hiring
The episode delved into tips for acing interviews. According to Young, the focus should always be on the client’s project and how the firm can overcome challenges. “Shake everybody’s hand, look them in the eye, and make a connection,” Young advised, emphasizing the importance of interpersonal and soft skills in building lasting relationships. Once a design firm grows beyond a certain number of employees, Young recommends hiring a specialized marketing person. For those wearing multiple hats in smaller firms, she suggests identifying strengths and weaknesses and possibly outsourcing or hiring part-time assistance.
Marketing Strategies
Young’s company, New Marketing LLC, specializes in helping firms that lack a dedicated marketing person, plan, or budget. They offer support in setting up marketing processes, procedures, and systems, while also providing expertise in website development. Lindsay stressed the importance of regularly updating websites for various reasons, including SEO, recruitment, and security. “Having SSL certificates and firewalls is non-negotiable,” she said, also encouraging the use of social media and email signatures to drive traffic to websites.
Website Optimization
The podcast didn’t shy away from providing actionable tips on website optimization. Young emphasized the importance of understanding what your clients are looking for and tailoring the content accordingly. “We’re living in a visual age; Instagram is a powerful tool for visual storytelling, especially for design firms,” Young added.
Industry Outlook
In the industry outlook segment, Young pointed out the uncertainty hanging over the design industry due to 2020 being an election year. However, she also highlighted areas with growth potential, such as the warehouse space market and Northwest Arkansas, particularly because Walmart is planning a new campus there.
Conclusion
As “Encourage Build Grow” nears its one-year anniversary, the host, Randy Wilburn, hinted at some exciting things planned for 2020, including a special episode before the end of the year. With its focus on creating better leaders, communicators, and people, the podcast has become a treasure trove of insights. Listeners can find episodes on various platforms like iTunes, Spotify, iHeartRadio, and Stitcher SoundCloud. For those who’d like to delve deeper, back episodes and an option for comments and messages are available on the podcast’s website, encouragebuildgrow.com. Writing a review is highly encouraged.
