 Where is the best cheeseburger in your town? If you're vegan, where is your favorite vegan burger? Pause . . . imagine sitting down at your favorite burger joint. What does it smell like? What is the atmosphere like? Let your imagination run. Salivating yet? I am. My favorite burger in town is at Tropicana Bar & Grill. I put myself there in this little exercise. It's 8:00 AM on a Wednesday, and I just made myself hungry for that awesome cheeseburger. This imagination exercise is marketing. There is a nuance I would like for us to pick up on. I hopefully made you hungry for your favorite burger. I attempted to market your favorite burger by helping you answer the "why" question, not the "how" question. The "why" is your reason for enjoying a great burger. Your why has to do with hunger, flavor, and aroma. Your why has to do with experience. If I can successfully get you thinking about your "why" I can sell that burger to you more easily. But what if I tried to market this burger by answering "how" questions? I start by having you imagine the butchering of a cow. I explain the processing of meat and then how it is preserved and shipped. I then explain how the hamburger is grilled, at what temperature, and for how long. I add the details of the bun and condiments. I bet your taste buds are dancing with excitement! Yet, this is what too many engineers, architects, and contractors do to market themselves. Our instinct is to try and impress clients by answering "how" questions. The practitioners love to discuss the "how." I get it! The "how" is impressive. The intricate details of how infrastructure and buildings get designed and built are fascinating. But the "how" answers do not provide an experience. They do not move the soul or inspire. Learn to answer your client's "why." When I am sick, I want to feel better. I'm not interested in the chemistry of the medicine and the microbiology of how it works. I am only interested in feeling better. "How" my medicine is made and "how" it works is irrelevant to me when I am feverish, aching, and vomiting. "Why" I take the medicine is much more relevant. The "how" answers do not provide an experience. They do not move the soul or inspire. "How" you design a bridge is irrelevant to me when I just want an easier and safer way to cross the river.
"How" electricity gets generated and delivered to my home is irrelevant when I need my air to work on a hot summer day. Start reviewing your marketing messages. Are you trying to answer "how" or "why?" Review your website, brochures, blog posts, social media channels, and proposal documents. If you find you are answering more "how" questions, it's time to update. Start answering the "why" questions.
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 Jasper.AI Art It seems everyone is investigating and using Artificial Intelligence (AI) for A/E/C marketing. I have been ignoring the topic for most of 2023 concerning writing or presenting. I felt like an infant in my understanding of and use of AI most of last year. I have to admit, it was a bit scary and intimidating. Like many of you, I attended several programs and read plenty of articles and blogs trying to learn more. I started using various AI programs to see how they may work for me and my role. It may be helpful for me to share this brief excursion into AI. So, here is what I have learned thus far on my AI journey. AI is exploding! There are many AI programs and software options! So many it quickly becomes overwhelming. My best advice is to investigate and play around with the ones that are most compelling to you. Nearly all these programs have free trials so you can spend some time learning at no cost. Here are my favorites I use every workday.
The graphic associated with this post was generated by Jasper.AI art.  Hemingwayapp.com sample The above image illustrates both Jasper.AI writing and how hemingwayapp.com identifies opportunities for better writing. The quoted portion of this image is a direct writing product of Jasper.AI. Jasper continued to write for me based on my blog post. The yellow and red shaded text is identified by hemingwayapp.com as hard or very hard to read. The blue shaded text identifies adverbs. The purple shaded text identifies complex words or phrases and offers simpler alternatives. The greed shaded text identifies passive voice.  The ChatGPT image illustrates how generative AI will brainstorm ideas for social media posts on LinkedIn to promote this blog post.
Please leave a comment and let me know what AI programs you use and why. Let's learn together!  To celebrate 2023, here are the nine blog posts offered to professional AEC Marketers this year! From learning how to reject clients to determining the winability of a pursuit, you can find something of value.
Five Reasons I Can't Say "No!" Why do AEC Marketers have such a hard time saying, "No?" There are at least five reasons why. Uncovering your why can help you learn to say, "no," without losing your job. Red Light, Green, Light Communication in the workplace is tricky. There are land mines everywhere, especially when offering constructive criticism. Use "red light, green light" to deliver hard news effectively. The Art of Rejecting Clients! Good marketing often means turning down bad clients. Clients who scope creep you to death and treat you like a commodity need to go. Forgiveness You spend hours upon hours with your work colleagues and clients. As such, there will be opportunities for offense and hurtful behaviors. Learn how to forgive. Five Common Challenges for AEC Marketers Your challenge as an AEC marketer is to dig in and get to know your firm, your clients, and your markets. Once you understand your firm's value and market position, then you will be able to overcome these challenges and provide great marketing! Workweek Wars! Be the Unicorns Who Stay Refreshed, Creative, and Balanced As a professional services marketer, your workweek is an assault on your brain, body, and spirit. Many of us struggle to balance our work demands. We also juggle technological distractions and healthy lifestyle choices. Learn to improve wellness and and stay balanced. The Art of Business Development for Professional Services The heart of effective business development (BD) lies in the pursuit of trust-based relationships. Learn how to structure your approach to building great trust-based relationships. Project Winability It is frustrating to put time, creativity, and effort into what you know will be an un-winable proposal. Yet, most of us do it regularly. But you do not have to stay in this rut! Marketing is for Them, Not You! Qualifications on paper or dollars in a proposal will never convince a client to trust you. They will trust you because you have spent time with them. You must prove you are interested in helping them achieve their goals. |
AuthorGabe Lett, FSMPS, CPSM, LPC 
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The views and opinions expressed on this blog do not necessarily represent the views or opinions of Prairie Engineers.
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