Engineering Management Institute

UPCOMING TRAINING

business development

Be a Better You

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This is a guest blog by Pamela A. Scott

Better YouThe people who read this blog are educated, experienced problem-solving professionals, and, I’m assuming, really smart. That is what my 15+ years of working with engineers has taught me.  

However, for many of those engineers, their confidence wanes when it comes to non-technical knowledge, skills, and abilities.  

Does the idea of public speaking give you the shakes? Do you dread having to go to network events, even virtual ones? How much do you enjoy managing people, especially the difficult ones? Are you excited about business development and finding new work?

If you aren’t as confident about those skills as you are about technical knowledge and skills, read on. Here are two steps you can take to conquer your fears and become a better you.

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A Sustainable Sales Platform Starts With an Organization’s Values

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This is a guest blog by Mike Burns, PE, PgMP, DBIA

Sales PlatformAs with every phase of life, beginnings and ends are times for focused reflection on our successes and failures. Individually and as a member of a team, this analysis sets the stage for subsequent growth. This reflective planning rhythm has defined the last 10 years of my life, as I’ve strived to grow from events: the Great Recession, the Arab Spring, AECOM exiting the P3 / DBFM market, and in 2020, COVID-19. With my deepest sympathies for the devastating health and socioeconomic outcomes we’ve collectively faced this year, I remain cognizant of the fact that my privilege and support system have allowed me to navigate these challenges with limited pain. I hope that this brief discussion of my migration into a sales role helps you overcome the naysayers on your path.

sales platform

Whether seeking professional growth or facing the daunting task of finding a new job, there are often a series of devastating no’s before the next empowering yes. For me these included, “you are a developer, not an engineer,” “you’ve never worked overseas, in a corporate role, on a billion dollar program, etc.” Recently, “you’ve never been in a pure business development (BD) role.” Each of these no’s guided my outreach to mentors, discussions with colleagues, and educational desires. I leveraged their collective wisdom to evolve my professional approach, remaining focused on building teams, empowering individuals, and continuous learning; this approach has allowed me to remain engaged, enjoying life as a student and a teacher.

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TCEP 151: Everything Civil Engineers Talk About Doing, but Never Get To Do

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Maysill Pascal

In this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to Maysill Pascal, P.E., Regional Senior Engineer and Sales Manager at USW, a MENARD Group USA Company. We talk about her career journey and her traveling around the globe, and how that has helped her career, but also how she has dealt with it emotionally. She then also talks about the importance of pursuing your dreams by getting out there and doing what you always wanted to do.

Engineering Quotes:

Maysill Pascal

Maysill Pascal

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Maysill Pascal:

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TCEP 146: What Does Hostage Negotiation Have to Do With Consulting Engineers?

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Hostage NegotiationIn this episode of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk to Dan Oblinger about hostage negotiation. Dan explains how hostage negotiation fits into consulting engineering and also provides five specific ways that engineering firms should look at to evaluate their negotiation and communication abilities.

Engineering Quotes:

Hostage Negotiation

Here Are Some of the Questions I Ask Dan:

  • With the current situation in the United States, is it a challenge for you to go to work every day?
  • Can you talk to us about how you got into consulting with engineers and how you went to some AE companies and pitched the idea of negotiation to them?
  • What should civil engineering consultants look for to evaluate their negotiation and communication abilities?
  • Do you have a framework in your day-to-day hostage negotiations?
  • Are there specific strategies that you use in your negotiations?
  • Is there a challenging situation that you dealt with that you are open to sharing with our listeners?

Here Are Some Key Points Discussed in This Episode About Negotiation Culture in Your Civil Engineering Practice:

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TECC 210: Business Development Skills for Engineering Professionals

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Business Development SkillsIn this episode, I am taking you with me on a road trip to the offices of Burns Engineering in downtown Philadelphia where you will listen in on a conversation between myself and Laura Hughes. Laura practiced as an engineer earlier in her career but is now the Director of Business Development at Burns Engineering, Inc.  In the interview Laura provides strategies engineers can take to improve their business development skills. One example — she discusses why listening and leaving space in conversations is important instead of insisting on what you think they need. You can also view this episode on YouTube.

Engineering Quotes:

Business Development Skills

Here Are Some of the Key Points Discussed About Business Development Skills:

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TCEP 107: How to Achieve Sustainable Innovation in Development Projects

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Sustainable

In this episode, I talk with Chris Chi Lon Wan, the head of design of Masdar City, UAE. We had a great conversation around design management and sustainability and how to achieve innovation in development projects.

Engineering Quotes:

Sustainable

Sustainable

Here are some of the questions I asked Chris about sustainability:

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For Engineering Firms, It Takes More Than Talent to Win

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For Engineering Firms, It Takes More Than Talent to Win is a guest post by Christian HaringTalent

You’ve got plenty of talent and depth on your bench, and your sales team is doing a great job putting together compelling proposals. Yet too often, your team is cut in the final round, or turned away before you’ve even had a chance to show what you’re capable of. If you’ve been in this business for any length of time, you know every play can’t be a touchdown. Yet if you find yourself going up against the same competitors over and over again, or pursuing projects that aren’t an ideal fit, there’s one way to refresh that pipeline and win more business that few engineering firms appreciate or exploit. In fact, it’s probably the last aspect of your business that you would associate with winning anything, let alone new business: regulatory compliance.

Whether you see it as a growth driver or not, licensing and entity management are basically the playing field you provide for your business development teams. And at key moments throughout your firm’s corporate lifecycle, licensing influences your playbook as well, affecting agility, profitability, and performance long after the contracts are signed. By creating a favorable regulatory playing field, equipping your team, and embracing the power of compliance to enhance your brand, you can position your firm to win more of the projects you really want.

Own the Field

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TCEP 098: Management Skills that Civil Engineers Should Build

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Management SkillsIn episode 98 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I speak with Ben Walpole, a writer and editor for the American Society of Civil Engineers (ASCE) strategic communications team. We will talk about a few very important management skills that civil engineers should build in order to increase their effectiveness as civil engineering managers.

Engineering Quotes:

Management Skills

Management Skills

Here are some important management skills you should build as a civil engineer to increase your overall success:

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TCEP 096: A Specific Recipe for Building Seller-Doer Skills

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Seller-Doer SkillsIn episode 096 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I speak with Jim Rogers, author of Win More Work, and Co-Founder of the Seller-Doer Academy. Jim and I will be giving you a strategy for building your seller-doer skills which consists of three specific learning approaches.

Engineering Quotes:

Seller-Doer Skills

Seller-Doer Skills

Here are some key points discussed in this episode on building seller-doer skills:

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TCEP 088: Growing a Civil Engineering Company from the Ground up with Stephen Morse

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Civil Engineering CompanyIn episode 88 of The Civil Engineering Podcast, I talk with Stephen Morse, PE, LEED AP from Grant Engineering about growing a civil engineering company from the ground up. Stephen talks about the process he went through in growing his company from starting out in his apartment to now having a growing office in New York City.

Here are some of the questions I ask Stephen:

  • What made you decide to start your own civil engineering company?
  • Tell us about your experience of hiring your first employee.
  • What types of projects are you currently working on, and what is your involvement in those projects?
  • How many employees does Grant Engineering have?
  • Can you explain what the organization: “Engineers Without Borders” is?
  • What would you say to a civil engineer that might consider starting their own civil engineering company?

Engineering Quotes:

Civil Engineering Company

Civil Engineering Company

Here are some key points discussed on growing a civil engineering company:

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