Architecture Archives

Awareness, Knowledge, and Skill: Why the Distinction Matters

July 14, 2025 by Jim Rogers

In the world of professional services—whether you’re in architecture, engineering, accounting, or IT consulting—developing people is critical to success. But not all development efforts are created equal. When leaders say, “We did a training,” they might really mean they hosted a webinar. Or when someone says, “We just need to raise awareness,” they may be expecting behavior change that awareness alone can’t deliver.

To build capabilities that truly stick, it’s essential to understand the difference between awareness, education (knowledge transfer), and training (skill development). These terms are often used interchangeably, but they each serve a distinct purpose and produce different results.

1. Awareness: “I’ve heard of it.”

Awareness is the first step in any development process. It answers the question: Do people know this exists or that it matters?

Awareness campaigns might include:

Posters in the break room about cybersecurity threats
All-staff emails announcing a new DEI initiative
A five-minute segment in a staff meeting about client feedback trends

These efforts introduce a topic or idea. The goal is recognition, not deep understanding or behavior change. Think of it as planting a flag—raising visibility and starting the conversation.

Awareness is not a substitute for knowledge or skill. You can’t expect someone to manage scope creep better just because they sat through a slideshow about the problem.

2. Education / Knowledge Transfer: “I understand it.”

Once people are aware, the next level is education—what some call knowledge transfer. This is about explaining what something is, why it matters, and how it works. It’s cognitive: people gain insight.

Examples include:

A lunch-and-learn session on indirect costs in accounting
A recorded webinar explaining the basics of LEED certification
A slide deck showing the 7 steps of a project startup process

Education can create “aha” moments. It helps people connect dots. But like awareness, it doesn’t necessarily change behavior. Someone might understand what scope creep is and why it’s dangerous, but still struggle to push back on a client in the moment.

3. Training / Skill Building: “I can do it.”

Training is where capability is built. It focuses on developing skills through practice, feedback, and reinforcement. It’s not just about knowing—it’s about doing.

Effective training includes:

Role-plays on handling client objections
Simulations of difficult conversations
Rehearsing how to present a project scope to a non-technical client

This is where transformation happens. People get reps, make mistakes in a safe environment, and build muscle memory. Real training moves someone from “I understand what that is” to “I can do that when it counts.”

Why the Distinction Matters

When firms confuse these categories, they set people up to fail:

Raising awareness about client retention isn’t the same as training people to retain clients.
Educating someone on proposal best practices isn’t the same as helping them write a
stronger proposal.
Teaching technical managers about business development isn’t the same as practicing
conversations with potential clients.

If you want lasting change—new behaviors, new habits, better results—you need more than awareness or knowledge. You need skill development. You need training.

A Quick Recap:

Level	Description	Outcome	Example
Awareness	“I’ve heard of it.”	Recognition	Email about a new policy
Knowledge	“I understand it.”	Understanding	Webinar on project risk factors
Skill	“I can do it.”	Behavior change / Capability	Role-play on client negotiation

Turning Knowledge Into Action: The Seller-Doer Academy Difference

At Seller-Doer Academy, we don’t stop at awareness or knowledge—we train for skill. Our programs are built for technical professionals who never signed up to be “salespeople” but who need to build trusted client relationships and grow the business.

We eliminate the dread of business development by showing engineers, architects, accountants, and consultants how to approach it in a way that’s natural, respectful, and effective. Through guided practice, real-world scenarios, and actionable tools, we help professionals build the confidence and competence to apply what they’ve learned on the job—immediately.

If you want your team to stop dreading business development—and start getting results—let’s talk.

Reach out today to learn more about the Seller-Doer Academy and how we can help you people turn knowledge into action.

In Defense of the Value of LinkedIn for Seller-Doers

March 27, 2025 by Jim Rogers

During a recent Seller-Doer Activation training session about LinkedIn and how to use it effectively for business development, several participants questioned its value. Their skepticism derives from their being besieged by talent acquisition departments and headhunters. They perceived it as being of low value to them.

So, are they right? Has LinkedIn lost value for business development for A/E/C professionals? I would say resoundingly no. LinkedIn is still a valuable business development tool for A/E/C professionals—if used strategically. While it’s true that LinkedIn has become saturated with recruiters, job seekers, and a fair share of low-value content, it remains a powerful platform for seller-doers to build relationships, establish expertise, and stay visible to potential clients.

Why LinkedIn Still Matters for A/E/C Business Development

Here are five compelling reasons A/E/C professionals should have a LinkedIn presence and periodic engagement on the platform, whether seller-doers or not.

Networking & Relationship Building – LinkedIn allows professionals to connect with potential clients, partners, and industry influencers. This is crucial in the A/E/C industry, where relationships are paramount. Seller-doers can use LinkedIn to nurture existing relationships and build new ones, leading to business opportunities.
Demonstrating Thought Leadership – Regularly posting about industry trends, project successes, and insights into engineering challenges can position a seller-doer as an expert. This builds credibility with potential clients who may later need their expertise. Even if you don’t write the posts or articles yourself, you can simply reshare information of value—a practice called content curation.
Keeping Up with Industry Trends & Client Movements – LinkedIn is where professionals announce promotions, job changes, and firm mergers—useful intel for strategic networking, reconnecting with past clients, and staying abreast of your competition.
Referrals & Introductions – Unlike cold calls, a well-maintained LinkedIn presence allows for warm introductions and referrals between industry contacts.
Event & Conference Engagement – Many industry conferences and networking events have active LinkedIn discussions before and after the event. Engaging in these conversations can strengthen relationships with key decision-makers.

The Problem: Passive Use vs. Active Engagement

Most A/E/C professionals underutilize LinkedIn. They won’t see much value if they only have a profile but never engage. But those who post relevant insights, comment on industry discussions, and connect with key people see measurable benefits.

Rather than see LinkedIn as a lead-generation platform, treat it as a relationship maintenance tool. LinkedIn becomes much more useful if you use it to:

Follow clients and industry leaders
Share relevant technical insights
Engage with posts from existing contacts
Stay informed about project and personnel changes

The bottom line: LinkedIn can be a nuisance if used poorly, but it remains a valuable business development tool for seller-doers who engage strategically. If you don’t use it, you may be ceding visibility to competitors who do.

6 Key Attributes of Successful Seller-Doers in Professional Services: Insights from Industry Leaders

October 26, 2024 by Jim Rogers

Professional success in professional services industries is often attributed to a combination of technical expertise and personal attributes that set certain professionals apart. After interviewing over 40 highly successful individuals in professional services, some common traits emerged as critical to their achievements.

These attributes aren’t just buzzwords; they are qualities that shape how these professionals approach their work, build relationships, and ultimately thrive in their careers. Let’s delve into six of these key attributes.

Attribute #1: Passion

“Clients like passion. They want to be around you when you’re passionate, so find something that you’re interested in. Whether it’s the social aspect, or whether it’s the equipment, or whether it’s the technical papers, get into it. Stop dwelling on stuff that you don’t like and find something that you do like.” -Jeff Berk, PE, principal at engineering firm GHD

Attribute #2: Caring

The Oxford English Dictionary defines caring as “to feel concern or interest.” You can’t become a successful seller-doer without building lasting client relationships.

“My father and my mom used to say, ‘In order for you to succeed, we want you to be an A-student in society, and it’s okay to be a B-student in schooling.’ Be good with people.” -Saiid Behboodi, PE, principal of PBS Engineering & Environmental

Attribute #3: Ownership

With an owner mindset, you assume responsibility for finding opportunities to learn, sell, partner, and help clients. You take ownership of client relationships and the business’s success no matter what.

This sense of ownership and responsibility is why Dave DeLizza of Pennoni once traveled several hours through a severe snow and ice storm to meet with a potential client and his team. Almost 30 years later, Pennoni is still working for that client.

Attribute #4: Confidence

Confidence is the quiet assuredness that you know your stuff, can build relationships with people, and can win them over. Confidence begins with self-respect and authenticity.

People can tell the difference between authentic confidence and bravado. It was a lesson Laura Wernick at HMFH learned early: “I was trying so hard to be this perfect salesperson that I wasn’t perceived as being genuine.”

Attribute #5: Persistence

If you are never faced with fear or doubt in your career, then you’re not pushing through your barriers. If becoming a seller-doer were easy, then every engineering professional would be one.

“I remember a statistic from SMPS that said it takes seven outreaches before you finally connect with somebody new. And most people give up after the first one. Until they say, ‘Quit bugging me,’ keep calling.” -Judy Nitsch, retired founder of Nitsch Engineering

Attribute #6: Assertiveness

Being assertive is vastly different from being aggressive. Assertive people look for opportunities rather than waiting for opportunities to be presented to them.

“We were opening Florida offices, and our executive team was going to walk the halls and study org charts to figure out who to send. I offered another way to select those who want to help us expand and said, ‘Why don’t we put out a call and ask? Let’s see who raises their hand.’ Similarly, when it’s time to look for our next business developers, I watch for those who raise their hands. They tend to have their antennae up for opportunities”. -John Mick

The road to success in the A/E/C industry is paved with more than just technical and communication skills. Personal characteristics and attitudes matter. By cultivating these traits, you enhance your personal development and position yourself as a key player in the industry.

Interested in learning more about becoming a successful seller-doer?

Click here to get my book on Amazon!

Understanding the Client Life Cycle from THEIR Viewpoint

September 26, 2024 by Jim Rogers

Understanding the nuances of client relationships is crucial for business development. In training programs at the Seller-Doer Academy, a recurring theme is: It’s not about you (the consultant); it’s about them (the client). Participants learn to recite the mantra, “It’s not about me; it’s about you.”

When we think about seller-doer activities, we use the terms marketing, business development, and perhaps even (gasp!) sales. Those terms reflect our perspective of what we need to do to gain clients. However, it is useful to consider the client lifecycle from their perspective of what they need- a demand-side view rather than a supply-side view.

Let’s explore the five stages of the client life cycle from the demand side and how to strategically align your activities with each stage to maximize your business development success.

Stage #1: Awareness

At this stage, potential clients are just learning about your firm. Your goal is to increase visibility and establish your presence in the industry. Activities include networking, social media engagement, and thought leadership. You establish thought leadership by writing articles or blogs and delivering presentations at conferences or private lunch-and-learns.

Stage #2: Interest

Once you have a potential client’s attention, the focus shifts to sparking their interest in your services. Share case studies, success stories, and insights that showcase your expertise and how you can solve their problems. When they see that you have helped other firms like theirs, they will comprehend that you can help them, too.

Stage #3: Consideration

At this stage, potential clients evaluate whether to work with your firm. Perhaps they invite you to talk to them in detail about a particular project or ask you for a proposal so they can weigh you against their other options.

Stage #4: Selection

Congratulations! They’ve selected you to help them achieve their project goals.

Stage #5: Commitment

Once working with a client, it’s your job to keep them. Deliver exceptional results, maintain regular communication, and seek feedback to ensure satisfaction and continuous improvement. Commit to the care and nurturing of the people within the organization because organizations don’t make decisions; people in organizations make decisions.

Understanding the client’s lifecycle from the client’s perspective and what you need to do to satisfy their needs at each stage helps direct your activities to build and sustain the relationship.

Interested in learning more about becoming a successful seller-doer?

Click here to purchase my book on Amazon!

Four Keys to Harness AI to Be More Competitive

January 18, 2024 by Jim Rogers

If you’re interested in learning how to harness the power of artificial intelligence to make your engineering or architecture firm more competitive, this post will give you the four keys to success.

Lately, my clients have asked me about artificial intelligence. Although I’m not an AI technologist, I gave them some good advice I’ll share in this post. That’s because, for 25 years, I was an organizational change management (OCM) consultant. OCM is a specific discipline in the software implementation industry. An OCM consultant’s job is to help company leaders get their people to assimilate new information technology, processes, and best practices to become more competitive.

I’ve taken my 25 years of experience as an OCM consultant and applied it to the unique challenge of assimilating AI, so here are the four keys to AI success:

Ready your organization for the new pace of change,
Optimize your knowledge sharing across the firm,
Get your house in order regarding data hygiene and
Mobilize a quick-strike AI task force.

Learn to Lead Change in a Fast-Paced Environment

First, success with AI isn’t merely about technology but rather the ability to be nimble, given the breakneck pace of change we’re about to experience. In this world, your only source of sustainable competitive advantage will be to be more agile than your competitors – to “outlearn” them. That means being able to lead change from the top.

Traditionally, A/E firms have thrived without urgently adopting the latest technologies – you could take a wait-and-see attitude and move at your own pace. It will be impossible to do that with artificial intelligence. Professional services firms are getting benefits from it now. If you wait until 2025 to figure it out, you’re not going to be one year behind; you’re going to be three years behind. So, leading change and overcoming resistance will be the key to success.

To be agile, leaders and managers must learn the framework for leading change. The field-tested methodology created 20 years ago, the ADKAR model for leading change, includes tools and templates. We’ve adapted their tools to develop a playbook for A/E firms to adopt AI. Suppose your firm hasn’t trained leaders and managers to implement strategic change. In that case, you must develop this capability to succeed in the new, lightning-fast business world that AI, such as ChatGPT, has already ushered in. Part of the leader’s job will be to foster a more collaborative culture, where people are willing to share ideas for the company’s tremendous success rather than hoard knowledge to make themselves more indispensable.

Knowledge Sharing Processes and Systems Are Essential

The second key is to optimize your knowledge sharing throughout the firm, whether using collaborative workspaces like Microsoft Teams and SharePoint or other third-party software to help with knowledge management. Information systems are essential to knowledge sharing, as are people – in the form of a community of practice.

A community of practice (CoP) is a group of people who share a common interest or concern and learn how to do something better through regular interaction. I’ve created seller-doer communities of practice within my client organizations to reinforce the training that they’ve received through the Academy. You’re going to need an AI community of practice. Hang on to that thought because I’ll talk about your task force getting started here in a minute.

Once you’ve developed and tested new applications, you must be able to deploy them quickly; thus, knowledge sharing will be vital.

Data Integrity and Completeness

Third, if you haven’t heard the phrase ‘garbage in, garbage out,’ you’re getting ready to hear it a lot. If your house is not in order regarding data, you will get garbage out of AI, and people will get frustrated and not want to use it. So now is a perfect time to do some data cleanup; ensure it’s thorough, accurate, and structured in a helpful way for AI. The data may be in your ERP, CRM, data warehouses, or even PDFs in SharePoint. Without clean data, people will bang their heads against the wall and give up. Or worse, poor data will yield wrong answers and create problems for your company. So, knowledge cleanup and data cleanup are critical pieces of this.

Mobilize an AI Task Force

And fourth, mobilize a quick-strike AI task force. You may already have some informal pockets of activity in your organization – some you don’t know about. But there are good and bad ways to go about it. The bad ways will squander resources. The biggest enemy of your AI task force will be wasted time. You will have to put some of your best people on this. Some of these will be your most highly utilized people, maybe some of your highest people on your rate card. They’re going to be involved in figuring this out and rolling it out, and the most significant thing is What you don’t want to happen is for them to waste their precious time. If they waste time, it costs you money, it can create frustration or stress them out, create more organizational stress than is necessary, but that could lead to frustration and people abandoning trying to assimilate AI into your firm. And that’s going to be costly.

Again, an excellent, easy start this year without going whole hog is to get organized and define a process for taking on different applications of artificial intelligence, which will be a massive key to success.

Summary

So, here’s a quick recap:

Learn the art and science of leading change,
Optimize your knowledge-sharing systems and processes,
Get your data cleaned up and organized, and
Mobilize an AI Task Force to get jumpstarted without wasting time and money.

Those are the four keys to success. We have created a service offering likely to be available for only a year, so now’s the time to take advantage of it. It’s called the AI Jumpstart for A/E, and we’ll guide you through these four different keys to success and help you get organized and mobilized to start productively using AI and get it rolled out and assimilated through your organization.

The building blocks you put in place to become a more agile organization will be valuable: knowledge management system and clean data. All those things are of tremendous value, even outside the realm of artificial intelligence. You may have even been talking about change leadership, knowledge sharing, and data cleanliness for a long time. So the time to tackle them is now – you can’t put them off any longer. We’re here to help you with it with AI Jumpstart, which gets you going productively in just 90 days. Go to aijumpstart.ai to learn more about how we can help you roll out AI immediately.

Level the Playing Field with Strategic Alliances

February 15, 2023 by Jim Rogers

Steve Osborn, P.E.
Founding Principal, CE Solutions

One of the 44 executives I interviewed for the book, Steve Osborn, Founding Principal at CE Solutions, Inc., struck out years ago to create his own firm. In the early years, he faced some limitations deriving from the size of his startup. He shared how he overcame that obstacle and landed a dream client by creating a joint venture with several small- and mid-sized firms. This post is an excerpt from my interview with Steve.

Jim: Can you tell me about a pursuit that you had – whether it was a dream project or client – and what you did to win it?

Steve Osborn: Sure. The first one that comes to mind was when CE Solutions was probably seven or eight years old – so we were a lot smaller and probably had five or six people. We had a relationship with someone who was a project manager for the city because when I worked at a larger firm previously, we did a big project with this individual. Indianapolis was getting ready to expand the existing convention center, which was a fairly significant project – around $275 million. This gentleman I’m referring to was assigned the project manager role and led the selection process. He worked with advisory councils of notable city officials and outside consultants that were assigned by the mayor and the governor.

It was a pretty interesting and high-profile group of folks. Through SMPS and other activities over the years, I developed relationships with quite a few of those individuals. It just kind of happened that they were the ones involved with this process – but I had a really good relationship with the individual who was leading the selection process.

There was no way CE Solutions would get selected by themselves to provide structural engineering on a $275 million project. We just didn’t have the portfolio developed yet – didn’t have enough staffing capacity to do it. However, it was a project that fit really well into our core mantra of making a difference in the communities where we live and work – so we were looking to get involved somehow.

The governor, at the time, was really promoting Buy Indiana – wanting to keep it local by helping firms that wouldn’t ordinarily get projects like that and find creative ways to get them involved. I put the old thinking cap on and started kicking it around with some of my fellow clients and folks that were also pursuing this architecturally – and came up with the idea of putting together a joint venture with a couple of our competitors of like size and mind. I reached out to other competing structural engineering firms of similar size and a geotechnical engineering firm, and the four of us put together a joint venture called Structural Alliance.

I laid the idea out in front of the individual who was spearheading the selection process, and he said, “You know, this looks really interesting. You’re making my job really easy. This is exactly what the governor is talking about – helping firms like yours and others who wouldn’t get the job on their own and creating a way to maybe be involved.” He said, “I can’t guarantee anything. There’s a lot of people involved in the selection process.” All I was looking for was, “Does this make sense? Is this something we should pursue before we go and invest a lot of money in the formation process and everything else?” He gave me the encouragement to go ahead and do it without any guarantees, and we knew we were at risk.

Lo and behold, we were selected. We didn’t get the master structural contract, which would have been a really long shot for us – but we had people pulling for us for that role. In the end, they said even though we were all established firms, we hadn’t worked together as a joint venture, and this would be our first project, and it’s a fast-track project. It’s a high-profile project. They didn’t want to put us out there and stretch us too far – but they gave us an associate role, which they really didn’t have to do. It was an extraordinary achievement, in my opinion, and a huge success. It was nice to have the JV partners all sitting in the room that day when the selection happened, and it was announced publicly. It was a great day.

The Importance of Networking

February 8, 2023 by Jim Rogers

Joe Viscuso, SVP and Director of Strategic Growth

One of the 44 executives I interviewed for the book, Joe Viscuso, SVP and Director of Strategic Growth at Pennoni, discussed starting his own company early in his career and how networking positively impacted his success. This post is an excerpt from my interview with Joe.

Joe: After I left college in ’73, I went to grad school and took night classes. Six years later, once I had completed my graduate degree and had my PE license, I started my own company – so I was relatively young at the time.

One of my early decisions was that I wanted my own business. For six or nine months, I left consulting and worked for a fast food restaurant called Gino’s, which at the time had even more restaurants than McDonald’s.

The economy was not in good shape. I saw that they were trying to shed potential sites rather than build restaurants. I decided I would form my own business – and it was right in the middle of a recession, which was probably even crazier.

Many of my peers were members of ASCE, ASME, and several other trade organizations — and to me, as a business developer, that never made sense. How would I get business if I was in a room full of people just like me, looking for the same kind of business?

I decided that I needed to take another course of action to develop my business. I joined the Chamber of Commerce and the Economic Development Council — business associations where people might be looking for people like me. That early career decision turned out to be one of my best because I was in a room full of like-minded people who, when you peel the onion, are all looking for business and to make connections. Rotary was another great one for me.

It’s like going to a high school dance. It’s tough to ask that first girl to dance, right? It felt similar because I was the rookie in the room. A lot of folks were older and obviously more seasoned than me — I was a little intimidated. It took me a year or two to realize that age wasn’t a factor because we all shared a common element — everyone was looking to grow their business.

Something that can be frustrating is not having instantaneous results. But then six months later, “Joe Brown” would call me and say, “Hey, I met you at a Rotary luncheon. My brother is building a building. He’s going to need some civil engineering services, and I thought of you.” Then all of a sudden, the connections start to happen. I learned that you don’t necessarily get instantaneous gratification.

Anytime I joined an organization, I usually made it through the ranks. I became very involved. I have been on executive committees and eventually became the board chair of quite a few organizations.

Participating In Professional Societies

February 1, 2023 by Jim Rogers

Steve Osborn, P.E.
Founding Principal,
CE Solution

One of the 44 executives I interviewed for the book, Steve Osborn, Founding Principal at CE Solutions, Inc., discussed his involvement in professional organizations. He credits these organizations for attributing to his professional development. This post is an excerpt from my interview with Steve.

Jim: Thinking back to the early part of your career, was there something that you were intentional about in terms of developing skills that later helped you in sales, business development, and marketing?

Steve Osborn: The first company I worked for after I got out of school was very supportive of my participation in ASCE. I was pleased that they supported that. A lot of it was on my own time, but a lot of it was on company time. I learned so much from a leadership standpoint – how to run meetings, communicate, manage, and organize events. I went through all the different leadership roles up to the president and got to experience it from each position, including committee activity.

As my career developed, I reached a point where I was with a different firm, and my responsibilities included managing and overseeing the production of the vertical market. The company I went to was primarily focused on the horizontal or transportation business, and the owner wanted to expand their business into the vertical or building side of things. I came on board to do that. All of sudden, my role changed. I was responsible for finding business, as well as helping grow and manage a division of business for a firm. I had no formal business education – I have a degree in civil engineering.

So I looked for ways to get smart quickly and for mentors. Through ASCE, I got a chance to build relationships with some of the business owners of civil engineering firms around the city. I took advantage of those relationships. I met with them, asked questions, and considered them mentors. During that time, I got introduced to an organization called SMPS (Society for Marketing Professional Services) and immediately saw that it would be a target-rich environment for me as a consultant. There were client opportunities and relationships within that organization.

There was also great educational programming for exactly what I needed, which was marketing professional services. I got involved in SMPS and went through the leadership structure. I’m still active today and also an SMPS Fellow. I go to their national conference every year. It helps me build the business. I learned a lot about how to do business development and marketing in our profession and also how to build a network. It was really important to me at the time of starting my own business because I built it around the knowledge and relationships that I developed through the SMPS organization. I have grown my business by continuing to stay active in that organization – learning and gaining knowledge.

We’re also a member of ACEC and have been for years – ever since I started the business. The difference is ACEC is a firm membership or company membership, whereas SMPS is an individual membership. I was active in ACEC before I started my firm, too, but I really needed to build a client network, and I didn’t see that in ACEC as quickly as I did through SMPS.

Jim: At what point in someone’s career do you think it might be of value to join SMPS?

Steve Osborn: It makes sense for anyone who has a responsibility to develop and maintain client relationships to be a participant in SMPS meetings and learn their best practice in that regard. If you have marketing professionals in your organization that are active members of SMPS and have that body of knowledge close at hand, there can be internal training without the engineers having to go to those meetings. But every once in a while, it certainly doesn’t hurt to expose them to that sort of thing, especially if there’s a good webinar or session on a particular subject about client relationship management – even technical writing.

We talk about SMPS a lot in our organization, and our marketing professionals share knowledge internally. Our senior-level folks are the ones that have a lot more front-line client relationship responsibility – but every once in a while, we’ll take one of our young people to a meeting. We encourage them to participate as well. They aren’t necessarily members, but it doesn’t prevent them from going to a meeting here and there.

Creating a Service-Driven Culture

January 25, 2023 by Jim Rogers

Steve Osborn, P.E. Founding Principal, CE Solutions

One of the 44 executives I interviewed for the book, Steve Osborn, Founding Principal at CE Solutions, Inc., discussed how he has created and continued to sustain a service-driven culture within his company. This post is an excerpt from my interview with Steve.

Jim: What do you do within your firm to instill your values within your employees?

Steve Osborn: I’ve been lucky because I started the firm from scratch by myself and have been able to grow it organically. The hiring process is probably the most important thing we do since we’re a service provider. It’s important to have that culture — that foundational philosophy and those principles instilled in people when they come on board here. Our recruiting process is very intentional.

During the interview process, we talk a lot about what our firm is like, what’s important to us, what our foundational principles are, what our brand attributes are, and how we deliver service. We can tell by listening to people if they align with us. We look for the character values and attributes that we want. We’ve had really good success with that.

We create a lot of opportunities for those individuals to grow quickly. We involve them in client contact and give them all the responsibilities of project management upfront. The only thing that they don’t have is experience — but they have all of the other qualities that we’re looking for in a strong project manager. So we allow them to manage their own projects under the supervision of an experienced senior professional.

They can then be responsible for their work. We develop and prepare them. By the time they’re ready to take their PE exam, they’re very comfortable, prepared, and have a high success rate of passage. Then they get their own projects and fly solo after that.

Our clients have complimented us on that approach. They think it’s pretty unique that we give young individuals that many opportunities at an early age. They enjoy working with them as well. The young professionals are the point of contact, but they know they’ve got the senior guy next to them. Our young people get excited about that opportunity.

Perseverance Builds Confidence

January 18, 2023 by Jim Rogers

One of the 44 executives I interviewed for the book, Laura Wernick, AIA of HMFH Architects in Boston, shared her experience building confidence as a seller-doer. This post is an excerpt from my interview with Laura.

Jim Rogers: The middle game of business development is the hardest part of this, in my opinion. If you can think of a time when you first took ownership of that middle phase and led a potential client or a potential project through to fruition – how did you learn how to do that?

Laura Wernick: I don’t think my path was a particularly easy one. I can remember very clearly talking to a potential client and then feeling very crushed when we weren’t shortlisted for the project. But maybe what I did is a useful tip for others. I followed up and said, “Geez, you know, I was disappointed. I was excited about this project.” And I remember very clearly the person saying, “Well, Laura, you’re a nice person but you seem kind of awkward. And I wasn’t always comfortable talking with you.” Whoa, that was a tough one.

Jim Rogers: Wow. Unvarnished honesty there.

Laura Wernick: I was trying so hard – And it can take a while for many of us to be comfortable, to find ourselves, and to speak as ourselves. You’re trying so hard to be this perfect salesperson that you’re not perhaps perceived as being genuine or true to yourself. It was a bit of slow learning perhaps. It takes a little while and maybe some maturity for many of us to become ourselves.

It’s hard to be a good marketer if you’re not comfortable in your skin and comfortable with who you are. I think that’s something that people can learn – And it takes time. It takes encouragement, trial and error, and learning what your natural voice is.

Jim Rogers: Trial and error yield wisdom and confidence.

Laura Wernick: Absolutely.

Jim Rogers: I think it takes care of itself over time. You can’t just tell somebody, “Don’t be nervous when you’re talking” – It doesn’t work.

Laura Wernick: I believe the key to all business development is being persistent over time, trying to learn from your mistakes, and sticking with it. That’s always the hardest thing because often the gratification is long delayed. When you finally make that sale and close a deal, it’s a wonderful feeling, but there are a lot of dead ends and sowing a lot of seeds before that final contact can be made sometimes. And I think that persistence and sticking to it is really hard.

Jim Rogers: Beyond just building the gravitas and confidence that comes with experience – Was there anything that you did intentionally to study some of the skills that you needed to acquire? Such as training or finding the right coach or mentor to help you learn and develop those skills.

Laura Wernick: I was always looking to others as role models. Fortunately, one of my partners loves doing business development, and it always helped me to talk, connect, and ask questions. I found that partner to be my greatest role model. My greatest learning technique was seeing others do it and then doing it myself over time. You become more sophisticated in how you spend your time, what works, and what doesn’t work for you. I’m very active in a range of professional organizations now, and when I see other people, I study how they reach out to people and what they are involved with. That’s been my pathway – Learning from my peers or from people who have been doing it for a while. I study their approach and what works for them – And then try to make it work for who I am.