Welcome to the newest blog on ENR.com, Marketropolis – The Hub for A/E/C Marketing & Business Development Insight!  The name draws inspiration from the Greek term “metropolis,” which was the mother city or hub for a colony.  It’s also a nod to the built environment in which we work, and a place to gain marketing and business development knowledge. 

But why should you care about marketing or business development?  It’s a new world out there - owners have become far more sophisticated when compared with a decade or two ago.  Their preferences for how they wish to be marketed or "sold" have changed, and they are increasingly looking for more knowledge and ideas on the front end of the business development process.  Technical staff that previously hid in the shadows until a proposal was shortlisted or project was won are now often the front-line staff, serving as the face of their company to a given client or prospect.

In Marketropolis we'll look at trends and best practices with business development (BD) and marketing.  I'll interview some of the industry's thought leaders, and share guest blogs of marketers that I greatly admire.  What do you need to know about Qualifications-Based Selection (QBS), how can technology help you win a project, and how do you move beyond the dreaded perception of being a commodity?  What's happening in the social media space and how can content marketing help clients find you and your firm?

These are some of the topics that we'll be addressing here in Marketropolis. 

But first, a little about me.  I’ve been in the industry for almost twenty-five years, and have been involved with the marketing and sales activities for engineering, architecture, and construction firms, pursuing work as both a prime firm and sub-consultant.  As a vice president of JDB Engineering and chief marketing officer for Nutec Group, I’ve gotten to experience the immense changes that have taken place in our industry, particularly in how we must sell and market our firms -- especially since The Great Recession.  I also have the honor of serving as the new president of the Society for Marketing Professional Services (SMPS) Foundation, an organization dedicated to research for the architecture, engineering, and construction (A/E/C) industry. 

I’ve been given this wonderful opportunity to represent my profession by the Society for Marketing Professional Services, which is the only organization in our industry focused on providing advocacy, networking, and business intelligence to help their members and firms gain a competitive advantage in the A/E/C marketplace.  So I want to give a big shout out to Ron Worth, CEO of SMPS, as well as Engineering News-Record's Jan Tuchman and Richard Korman for making Marketropolis a reality!

I’ve got a whole list of blog topics, but I’m really interested to hear your questions and thoughts as well!  You can always send me an e-mail at sbutcher@jdbe.com, or feel free to add a comment below.  I look forward to interacting with you and to this opportunity to provide knowledge about business development and marketing in the design and construction industry!