The AGC Business Development (BD) Forum brings together Business Development professionals in one place, for one purpose: to advance the Business Development function in the construction industry. We create business opportunities by sharing the latest techniques and tools of Business Development; follow and report on trends in the construction market; and connect a network of professionals invested in building better businesses. In addition to BD and Marketing professionals, the Forum’s members include Construction Executives, Operations and Pre-construction professionals, from General Contractors and Specialty Contractors, nationwide.
Business Development
April 1, 2018
Kara Tanek, GLY Construction, Inc
“It used to take me 45 minutes to prepare for my meeting, now it takes me five!”
“You’re getting rid of a spreadsheet? Revolutionary!”
Since going live with our new customer relationship management (CRM) system, our firm recognizes that comments like these are our reward for a job well done. Like many A/E/C firms, we had a CRM system, but after 20 years, the data had become unreliable and the system was considered a necessary evil by the few who continued to use it. When we decided to transition from our legacy CRM system to something new, we had more questions than answers. Here is how we set out to answer those questions.
March 1, 2018
Ida Cheinman, Substance151
Rebuilding a website is no easy endeavor. Fortunately, if you ask the right questions at the onset of the project, you will keep your team on track and your soon-to-be new website on the road to exceptional.
February 1, 2018
Matt Handal, Founder of Help Everybody Every Day
In a fiercely competitive environment, as we’ve been experiencing over the past few years, small differences can play a major role in whether you win or lose a proposal competition.
Let’s be honest with ourselves. We all provide the exact same services our competitors do. And for the most part, our qualifications and experiences are the same.
January 1, 2018
Christopher Halapy, Shook Construction
Clients’ needs and expectations relative to the services provided by their design and construction partners are evolving. Savvy clients have increased their demand for turnkey services and a higher level of detailed information far earlier in the project planning process. Beyond programming, owners are looking to understand milestone dates, disruption of ongoing operations, and a firm cost for the project, all earlier than this information is typically provided.
November 1, 2017
Jenny Grounds, BOUDREAUX
The idea of performing market research can often feel like a burden for small marketing groups. The everyday tasks already on your to-do list can easily fill up a 40-hour work week. Where do you find the time to research, compile, and analyze piles of data on top of everything else? Market research doesn’t have to be complex or require robust, expensive studies to be effective. By breaking it into small, manageable pieces, you can gather information that will directly benefit your A/E/C firm without overtasking your teams.
October 1, 2017
Ida Cheinman, Substance151
It’s time that professional services firms faced a couple of hard truths: First, no one wants to subscribe to an e-newsletter, and second, a single email is not going to make the phones ring.
Companies spend significant resources on online marketing only to be left wondering why it’s not working. It’s not surprising. Gaining traction through content alone is not easy—especially if you want to do more than build awareness.
September 1, 2017
Anne Liberto, General Building Contractors Association
Everyone wants and values their business relationships, but how do you establish effective business relationships? Is it just about meeting people? You meet someone, talk, and you have a relationship. Seems easy, yet effective business relationships take dedication and commitment. The following are key to building effective business relationships.
August 1, 2017
Anne Liberto, General Building Contractors Association
A brand is NOT a logo. Or a tagline. Or an identity system.
A brand is an expectation of experience and a promise delivered.
It’s the perception others have about your company – its people, culture, products, and services.
Your company builds its brand, or rather the percepton of its brand, with every customer contact, planned or unplanned. Every interacton, no matter how insignificant, shapes your brand’s perception and drives your customers’ behavior.
Rebranding is about taking control of what your audiences think – and say – about your brand. It’s a tool for changing existing perceptions and for defining and differentatng a brand, turning it into the most powerful competitive advantage and a weapon against becoming a commodity.
A rebrand implies fundamental changes in thinking about your brand before you get involved in tactical details of execution.
July 1, 2017
Lindsay Andrews, Kokosing, Inc.
For many construction companies, marketing supports the Business Development department in winning new work. This includes responding to project opportunities through the creation of statements of qualifications, proposals and presentations. Depending on company size, perations staff or team members working in different departments such as HR or Accounting may have marketing responsibilities. In some cases, companies haven’t needed a marketing department until now. If you’re just setting up your marketing department, planning it to support Business Development is priority No. 1. Here are some tips to help you lay the foundation and set your company up for long-term success.
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