Professional friendships are built upon a number of valuable facets—reliability, availability, proactivity, and so forth. A good way to get closer to people no matter the setting is by asking questions. Tweak these however you like, but here are some conversation points to get the ball rolling with your clients – current or potential.

MARKETLINK Principal Stephanie Craft caught up with Chuck Hack, a Lionakis principal and owner, to learn more about how he and Lionakis’s leadership have created and fostered a marketing mentality within the firm.

We’ve talked before about the necessity of generating, maintaining and following up on leads. It’s a marketing task that requires daily and ongoing activity to ensure your firm is well-positioned to secure new work. While the internet makes finding project and client leads easier, the amount of information a marketer can find in a manner of seconds can be overwhelming. IMS is a leader in advance notice public leads specifically for architects, engineers, and construction management professionals.

As we continue to adapt to the new paradigm, we must adjust to the limited ability to meet face to face, while remembering how important this activity is to creating a longstanding relationship. Here are six suggestions for pivoting and making the most of your business development efforts.

Google My Business or GMB, isn’t just nice, it’s essential for any growing business. A current, optimized, efficient, clean, original GMB listing can instantly build or improve your online reputation. 

Business leaders who'd like to move from good to great will find inspiration in Jim Collins’ famous book, Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap... and Others Don't.

Defining moments shape our lives and, in the case of Amber Winn, come in the form of books. Although it may be happenstance that she found The Power of Moments by Chip and Dan Heath, she’s grateful that a colleague suggested it for the SMPS Emerging Professionals Group (EPG) book club.

Are you afraid to emerge from your winter hibernation unable to contact new prospects? Don’t be afraid. Get ready to feel confident when preparing to contact new prospects!

“The research that this book is based on is so applicable to both marketing and technical staff for professional services firms,” explains Keri Hammond, FSMPS, CPSM, “It is specifically written for individuals at professional service firms that want to become a rainmaker.”

At MARKETLINK, we practice the macro to micro approach to business development: Go from high-level to detailed when identifying and implementing business development strategies. And don’t just guess at where you are going, use research to make sure your strategies are on point.