Sales is a tough job. But for those working in today’s housing market, with 30-year mortgage rates north of 7.5% and the median home price hovering just below $400,000, getting buyers to sign on the dotted line is a major challenge.
Establishing rapport is a critical soft skill for A/E/C professionals, yet it is rarely taught in schools or at firms. So how can you create rapport with someone you’ve just met?
Once upon a time, in the twentieth century, the architecture, engineering, and construction industry deemed "sell" a four-letter world, and attempted to ban it from the A/E/C vernacular.
Seller-doer, doer-seller, closer-doer, rainmaker … all terms used to reference a technical professional (architect, engineer, scientist, construction manager, etc.) tasked with bringing in business to his or her firm.
The Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) and SMPS Foundation recently undertook a major research initiative to determine how A/E/C firms are handling business development - particularly when it comes to staffing the position between dedicated business developers and seller-doers.