Roadmap for Business Development & Marketing for the Class of 2020

The Leadership Institute Class of 2020 met this week for its second session – Business Development & Marketing: What it Takes to Win Work. Veteran A/E marketing expert Barbara Shuck provided a roadmap for business development and marketing. Barbara combined lecture with experiential learning to provide a robust, fast-past training.

To put their business development skills to the test, the Class of 2020 participated in a mock sales call exercise. Teams strategized their approach to the exercise then participated in a simulated meeting. To lend reality to the meetings, volunteers played the roles of clients. The facilitator and volunteers provided useful feedback and shared lessons learned. Many thanks to our volunteer clients: Emily Basalla, Brian Cater, Harry Farchmin, Greg Gunderson and Mary Beth Pettit.

"The most important idea I learned from this session was developing a win theme and staying true to it throughout the proposal and interview process."

A key piece to winning work is the ability to present clearly and effectively in proposals and interviews. The importance of non-verbal cues is as important as the information presented. Presentation coaching helped the Class of 2020 hone presentation skills through practice and feedback.