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In this very first episode of The Engineering Quality Control Podcast, I introduce the show, host, and goals for making this podcast extremely useful to you, because we know your time is valuable and we want this show to be worth tuning in for you.
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In this episode, we talk to Mary Ellen Bruce Large, P.E., D.GE, Regional Business Development and Client Care Program Manager at Nicholson Construction (formally the Director of Technical Activities for the Deep Foundations Institute) about the value of professional societies. She discuss five great benefits of joining professional societies and how engineers can get and stay involved.
“I hate sales!” “I could never sell anything!” I wish I had a dime—maybe a dollar—for every time I uttered phrases like that.
My first business coach helped me break that thought pattern. Here is how the thinking goes:
Did you sell anything? No.
Did you tell Chris you could help with the problem? Yes.
Did you have to take Chris down some long sales conversation to get his/her interest? No.
Will you close the deal? The likelihood is high.
Selling isn’t about selling in that icky, slimy way that you have perceived it. Selling is about you providing a friend/client/stranger with a solution to the problem they’re trying to address. In return for your help, you get paid.
Think back to the last time you had a marvelous buying experience. It doesn’t matter what you were buying — a car, prescription drugs, or a hot dog. What made that experience stand out for you, the customer?
Now, put yourself in the shoes of your customers. They are the clients who hire you or your firm to provide whatever services you or your firm offer. How would they rate their experience as your customer?
A few years ago, I asked that question to a group of engineering project managers (PMs). Here are a few of dozens of topics they raised related to providing excellent service to their engineering customers:
[Read more…] about Providing Stellar Service to Your Engineering Customers
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In this episode, the seventh in our Civil Engineering Entrepreneurs (CEE) series, I talk to Bonnie Moss, P.E., President at MBCO Engineering, LLC, as part of our Civil Engineering Entrepreneurs series about growing your civil engineering firm and why being proactive offers a business a lot of advantages.
[Read more…] about TCEP 178: Growing Your Civil Engineering Firm: Being Proactive, Not Reactive
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In this episode, we talk to Aaron Moncur, a mechanical engineer who runs a mechanical design firm called Pipeline Design & Engineering and the host of the podcast “Being an Engineer,” a podcast that collects and shares industry knowledge and best practices associated with the discipline of engineering. We talk about his career journey and how he went from being laid off to starting an engineering firm.
[Read more…] about TECC 250: From Laid Off to Starting an Engineering Firm
The 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.
As 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.
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.
[Read more…] about A Sustainable Sales Platform Starts With an Organization’s Values
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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.
[Read more…] about TCEP 151: Everything Civil Engineers Talk About Doing, but Never Get To Do
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In 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.
[Read more…] about TCEP 146: What Does Hostage Negotiation Have to Do With Consulting Engineers?
