THE PODCAST FOR AEC MARKETERS

The PSM Show is the podcast for AEC marketers, business developers, leaders, technical staff, consultants, and clients who want to peek behind the curtain on what makes great architecture, engineering, construction, and specialty firms tick. While the focus is usually marketing and business development, we don’t shy away from the burning or difficult topics that affect our industry. We seek out practical advice from people who are making magic or making waves, with the intent of helping you make it all work better and easier.

267: Farm Sense

You’ve heard of common sense and street sense. Get ready for farm sense, as doled out by SMPS Weld Cox awardee, Donna Corlew, FSMPS, CPSM. Learn how this self-described farm girl got her start, what she sees as the biggest changes in AEC marketing and BD, and what today’s marketers can do for themselves to get ahead. Deirdre and Donna bless all the hearts in this uplifting look at our craft.  

A native Tennessean, Donna Corlew’s roots run deep in Southern hospitality, a culture of giving, and an abiding love of SEC football and Nashville Predators hockey. Don’t let that Southern twang fool you – under the surface lies the heart and soul of a Steel Magnolia driven by a passion for coaching and helping architects, engineers, and builders identify and maximize their unique talents and expertise. She works with AEC firms across the country to focus strategic vision and market research, grow connections and chemistry with clients and prospects, and help technical staff and marketing and business development professionals to thrive and win profitable work. With over 700 technical professionals trained as effective doer-sellers, Donna brings an understanding of the AEC market and a proven track record of performance and results.

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266: Conger Construction Case Study in Authentic and Intentional Leadership

In today’s episode, we have a case study on authentic and intentional leadership. Frank and Deirdre talk with Justin Conger, of Conger Construction, about leadership, decision making, culture, brand, and how marketing impacts a firm.

At the helm of Conger Construction Group, Justin Conger stands as a paragon of transformative leadership. His distinct approach, grounded in the principles of servant leadership, has been the compass guiding the company’s ascent in the construction sector. With the conviction that true leadership stems from serving first, Justin continuously places the needs and professional growth of his team at the forefront. This ethos has not only fostered a culture of mutual respect, trust, and empowerment within Conger Construction Group but has also been instrumental in its sustained business expansion.

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265: Leadership

Ever wonder what it takes to be a leader? Deirdre and Kathryn explore what leadership means, how to become a leader, and what it takes to go beyond a title to truly lead. They also look behind the curtain on how leadership decisions are made. They bring their education, personal experiences, and practical tips to unlock the secrets of good leadership.

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264: Developing Great Case Studies & Using AI To Help

What if your project summaries could proactively win work for you? Leslie Blaize, CPSM, is a case study specialist. She’s sharing the secrets to making a compelling case study document that speaks to your company, your client, and prospective clients with her 1 case study = 3 wins techniques.

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263: Organization Tips for 2024

Did you resolve to be better organized or have better follow-through in 2024? Frank and Kate share their tips for staying on top of email, scheduling, and to do items in practical, low key ways.

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262: Year-End Wrap-Up, Look Forward for 2024

As another year comes to a close, Deirdre and Frank recap highlights of 2023 and expectations for 2024. It’s a meaningful look at their professional and personal journeys. There’s a little arm-chair market forecasting, a little lessons learned, and a lot of fun in this episode.

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261: Coaching the Coaches – Advice for Interview Coaching Part 2

This is part two of a two-part series on interviews and interview coaching. Professional services marketers work with a team to position for a big pursuit, write a killer proposal and get shortlisted to interview. It’s the last step in the process to winning the pursuit… and, honestly, it can be a lot of fun and/or a lot of work. There are multiple personas involved, lots of moving parts, and lots of pressure. Deirdre Booth and Kathryn Ness are interviewed by Frank Lippert to help marketers set the stage for success with this important job function.

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260: Coaching the Coaches – Advice for Interview Coaching Part 1

This is part one of a two-part series on interviews and interview coaching. Professional services marketers work with a team to position for a big pursuit, write a killer proposal and get shortlisted to interview. It’s the last step in the process to winning the pursuit… and, honestly, it can be a lot of fun and/or a lot of work. There are multiple personas involved, lots of moving parts, and lots of pressure. Deirdre Booth and Kathryn Ness are interviewed by Frank Lippert to help marketers set the stage for success with this important job function.

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259: Finding What’s Next

Not sure what retirement holds for you? Or maybe you know someone that’s just a little uncertain about what’s next for them as they retire from professional services marketing? This podcast is for you. Frank talks to his friend and mentor, Laurin McCracken, who went from professional services marketing legend to one the top watercolor painters in the world in his retirement. This is a fun conversation about figuring out what to do in retirement, how to find fulfillment, and how to put your best professional services marketing skills to use for YOU!

In his first career, Laurin McCracken, FSMPS, was a renowned marketing and business development expert and a transformative leader in the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS). Today, Laurin McCracken, AWS, NWS, is a realist watercolorist. His approach to still life painting emulates that of the Dutch and Flemish still life painters of the 16th and 17th centuries. He is a signature member of more than a dozen watercolor societies including the American Watercolor Society and the National Watercolor Society. His paintings have won multiple awards and have been included in competitive and invited exhibitions around the world. His paintings are in the permanent collections of the Watercolor Museum, Fabriano, Italy, The National Museum of China in Beijing, The Museum of the University of Mississippi and other institutions.

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258: Career Path: Sedona Scheopner

Meet another TankGirl Marketing team member, Sedona Scheopner! Kate and Sedona talk about transitioning into AEC marketing, staying motivated, achieving balance, and even a little AI on this fun, getting-to-know-you chat.

Sedona brings five years of marketing experience and a lot of enthusiasm to the TankGirl team. She is passionate about learning everything about marketing for the AEC industry. Sedona is engaging and easily connects with people of all backgrounds, ages, and walks of life, making her a natural marketer. Her superpower is her ability to coordinate with teams and clients and she is a GI Jane of All Trades–contributing to proposal management, social media campaigns, graphic design, communications, and pursuit strategy.

Sedona is a member of SMPS Arizona and has a passion for learning. She soaks up training and webinars and brings back the things she learns to share with the TankGirl team.

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257: Good Research

Good research begins with a good framework. In the last of our Marketing/BD Plans series, Frank and Kate talk to Sarah Kinard of The Flamingo Project to get the facts about how to build those plans on good research. They talk about defining the use of the data before you start, reframing the questions to get out of the rabbit holes and back on track, and resources to get started.

Sarah Kinard, Head Bird at The Flamingo Project, is a strategic visionary who continues to build her career, shaping strategy for professional service firms. Through research, fractional CMO and strategy, she is known as a change agent, tackling challenges with implementation at a scale her clients can handle. Sarah’s curiosity, fail-forward/fail-fast approach, and desire to have fun in everything she does, are the hallmarks of how she “does it differently.” Sarah served as President of SMPS Dallas, Now North Texas in 2021-2022 and currently serves as Secretary for the SMPS Foundation.

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256: Good BD Plans

As part of our planning series, today we are discussing the ins and outs of Business Development plans. Why do you need one, what do they look like, what do you need to know, and how do you know if you have written a successful plan?

Deirdre interviews Frank about how a BD plan ties into your strategic and marketing plans and most importantly, how they  work together to accomplish great business development.

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255: Back to School with Marketing Plans

Following up on the case study in Episode 254, we decided that maybe a little back-to-school education on Marketing Plans would be a good idea. This episode talks about what goes into a really good marketing plan, how to create one, get buy-in for it, implement it and keep it going through it’s lifespan.

Frank interviews Deirdre and they talk about the lessons learned in doing a volume of marketing plans, in-house and as consultants. From marketing plans for expanding into existing markets and services to new market exploration, this podcast covers it all.

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254: Marketing Plans for Beginners

Marketing Plans are a great place where marketers set direction and prove their value. This podcast is a case study of a marketer writing their first marketing plan. We’ll talk about the real-life process, the highs and lows, and the outcomes personally and professionally. Katerina (Kat) Marovich joined Summit Engineering as an administrator and quickly became the firm’s sole marketer. Kat has tackled it all from rebuilding the website, planning and hosting events, and developing the firm’s Marketing and Business Development Plan.

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253: Department of One

How do you find balance and success as a department of one? Vicki Menard, Maggie Thornton, and Jodi Sommers share the challenges and advantages of being a solo marketer with guest host, Kate Robinette. Variety is the spice of life. Vicki Menard is the marketing director for Todd Construction. She has been using her storytelling skills in the construction industry for the past eight years, since transitioning from a long career as a daily newspaper editor and reporter. She is the proud mother of adult identical twin daughters and a descendant of Oregon Trail pioneers. Maggie Thornton, CPSM, oversees marketing and business development for Westlake Consultants. Her core responsibilities include day-to-day marketing and proposal development, firm communications, business development planning and recruitment efforts, as well as helping to develop company initiatives, practices, and policies. She joined Westlake Consultants in 2010 and was named an Associate Principal in 2020. Jodi Sommers, CPSM, LEED Green Associate, is a textbook example of a serial solo marketer. She was the first marketer hired at four separate AEC companies, where she ran her department of one. She has represented architects, contractors, sustainable design firms and a wide variety of engineers, energy analysts and commissioning providers. She recently started her own consulting firm – Jodi Sommers Marketing – where she provides marketing strategy and consulting for AEC firms with a special emphasis on cause marketing, which is the art of supporting nonprofits and achieving marketing and employee engagement goals simultaneously.

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Your Hosts
Frank Lippert, FSMPS, CPSM

Frank Lippert, FSMPS, CPSM

Founder/Partner, GO Strategies

Frank Lippert, FSMPS, CPSM, is the founder/partner of GO Strategies, LLC. He provides strategic pursuit planning, strategic market capture planning, and functional seller/doer training to clients throughout the US. Frank is all about helping teams work more effectively and more efficiently with processes, schedules, and tools that keep A/E/C firms’ business development strategy and marketing efforts on track. He has worked at small, medium, large, and mega-sized engineering companies in his 30 years in the A/E/C industry. He speaks regularly at SMPS, ACEC, WTS, APWA, and SAME conferences. Frank has served as the SMPS Society chapter delegate and Society president. He has been recognized as an SMPS Fellow (FSMPS) and is a Certified Professional Services Marketer (CPSM).  

Frank’s infectious energy, humor, and storytelling makes learning about marketing and business development fun, engaging, and memorable. 

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Deirdre Booth, FSMPS, CPSM

Deirdre Booth, FSMPS, CPSM

President + Lead Strategist, TankGirl Marketing

Founded in 2011, Deirdre Booth is the President + Lead Strategist of TankGirl Marketing. Strategy First, this is where Deirdre lives and breathes. She is always thinking about the bigger picture and how we can move your goals down the battlefield to the win. She is intimately involved in every project, lending her 20 years of AEC marketing experience across the nation.

Deirdre has the unique ability to take high-level ideas and develop solid strategies for success. Whether it is creating and implementing a strategic vision, or digging deep to win a specific project, she ensures the team is always ready for battle with the right strategy to execute the plan. For over 20 years she has focused on business /marketing planning, strategic project pursuits, and supporting firms through the implementation of the tactics needed for success.

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GUEST HOSTS

Kate Robinette, CPSM

Kate Robinette, CPSM

Partner, GO Strategies

Kate Robinette, CPSM, is a partner at GO Strategies, LLC. Her superpower is combining marketing and business development with people management and leadership. This wild mix unlocks employee engagement, potential, and growth. She is the creative force behind GO Strategies’ Dynamic Workplaces®, turning the same skills that help build meaningful relationships with external customers to improve the employee experience and company culture. Kate helps people work smarter, have more fun, and reach their goals.

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Kathryn Ness, CPSM, CPLC

Kathryn Ness, CPSM, CPLC

Partner, GO Strategies

Kathryn is a partner with GO Strategies, LLC. and brings energy and vitality to her clients that promotes the mission of “making everything about marketing and BD easier.” With 20+ years in the A/E/C industry, Kathryn brings an in-the-trenches perspective on how things work and how things can work better. She is a Certified Professional Life and Work Coach and has been trained as a Working Genius facilitator. Her sense of humor is balanced with a sense of getting the job done. Kathryn has presented at conferences and for SMPS chapters, regional conferences, and other A/E organizations. 

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Hosts Emeriti

David Lecours

David Lecours

Principal, LecoursDesign

David Lecours helps Architecture / Engineering / Construction (A/E/C) firms attract and retain great clients and talent. He is Principal at LecoursDesign, a branding, and digital marketing consultancy.

David has been a TEDx presenter and speaks at conferences worldwide. David is also passionate about surfing, pickleball, and succulents.

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Josh Miles

Josh Miles

Consultant and Fractional CMO

Josh Miles is a brand-obsessed consultant, keynote speaker, and caffeine addict. Josh is the author of Bold Brand 2.0, a veteran of the TEDx stage, and hosts Obsessed Show andPSM.Show podcasts.

Josh is a long-standing advocate for bacon, loves to cook keto, hit the gym, and photograph new places in his travels.

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