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Book Club
 Mike Schultz & John E. Doerr’s
Professional Services Marketing:
How the Best Firms Build Premier Brands, Thriving Lead Generation Engines, and Cultures of Business Development Success
I found this to be a well-timed book that really takes into account the current challenging economic conditions. “Long as they might for the old days when all the marketing they had to do was hang out a shingle and all the selling they had to do was answer the phone when it rang, those days are gone. The ship has sailed. The parade’s gone by. The cheese has moved.“ Mike Schultz and John E. Doerr are Co-Presidents of Wellesley Hills Group, a management consulting, marketing, and business development firm focused on professional services companies.
The title is a mouthful, but once you dive in to Professional Services Marketing you’ll find that the advice is concise and to the point. However this is not light reading. The book is so comprehensive that I am starting to refer to it as my marketing catalog. The authors give the pros and cons for each strategy based on size and budget of the firm. They clearly understand the range of their audience. Plus, they back up advice with studies and figures.
As someone new to the marketing/business development world, I thought volunteering to do a book review would be a great way to get some direction. I found that and more with this book. It is so in-depth that I can see myself referring back to it for years to come. As a firm believer in utilizing social media in marketing, I would have liked to have seen a little more effort devoted the topic, but overall this book has inspired me to try new strategies at my firm. I would say it is a “must-have” book if you are in charge of marketing or business development.
About the Reviewer
Deborah Hayward is the Marketing Manager at STUDIO39. Established in 1993 by Joseph J. Plumpe, STUDIO39 combines the skills of landscape architecture, planning and urban design to create quality outdoor environments.
 David Allen’s Getting Things Done:
The Art of Stress Free Productivity
THE PRO
Book Review by: Stephanie Williamson
In this day and age everyone has busy schedules and a ton of “data” coming at them on a daily basis. One rule of thumb in the book, Getting Things Done by David Allen, is to apply the “do it, delegate it, defer it or drop it” rule to get your inbox to empty. This is an obvious action plan, yet how many of us don’t do it and end up with a mass of email in our inbox and the “Where shall I start” look of helplessness on our face? These emails or piles of paperwork are left behind on our desks and still weigh heavy on our minds. This weight is keeping us from reaching our heightened state of productivity and creativity as Allen states in the book.
I will be honest this book was not an easy read. As I began to apply some of the tactics, it became clear: I did not like reading something that I thought was “the obvious” while realizing my actions were not a reflection of “the obvious”.
This book reveals a six-level model for Reviewing Your Own Work in terms of altitude:
- Runway: Current Actions
- 10,000 feet: Current Projects
- 20,000 feet; Areas of Responsibility
- 30,000 feet: One to two-year goals
- 40,000 feet: Three to five-year visions
- 50,000+ feet: Life
There is always something to do and everyone always wants things turned around yesterday. How many times are we stuck on the runway with current actions?
Organizing and applying The Natural Planning Model can assist in eventually flying the friendly skies and living life to the fullest.
- Defining purpose and principles
- Outcome visioning
- Brainstorming
- Organizing
- Identifying Next Actions
I am the queen of making a “To Do List”… or two or three. However “Identifying Next Actions” hasn’t always been a strong trait when juggling more than five projects at a time. An example would be my bathroom tile project at home. This item ended up on a “To Do List” many times (For the sake of my dignity, I won’t mention how many) and I never did anything about it. Why? I just didn’t identify where to start! Within 5 minutes of identifying next actions; my bathrooms are being tiled as I write this today.
This book is the beginning of a life change; and much like a diet for the summer, implementing change is not always easy. The tricks, tools and obvious reminders that David Allen shares in Getting Things Done, have been proven to be well worth the not so easy adjustment. Within a couple weeks of applying “some” of this methodology my stress has decreased. Getting Things Done has become my “How To” guide and has helped me get back on the productive track when the endless projects and things to do come piling in without warning.
THE CON
Book Review by: Tara Connell, ECS
A couple of years ago I took a day long class on Effective Organization. I can only recall something about a turtle and cleaning out my inbox. Take it how you will, either I didn’t learn anything or I have memory issues. I did however go back and read through the materials and sadly, they were just as forgettable as I thought they were.
Every once in awhile I catch the bug for a new approach to organization and buy some new popular book. Recently, an industry peer recommended David Allen’s Book, Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress Free Productivity. I gave it my best gander, but by Chapter 4, I needed a break. I had the exact opposite desired effect of the book – I was stressed about taking time to read it.
Allen is considered the “Personal Productivity Guru” and I don’t doubt it in the least. But, I don’t operate like Allen and I suspect few people do. He is a master of extracting productive results from every spare moment of time. While brushing my teeth, I do not seek to work on my mental filing system. Sometimes, I just want to not think and brush my teeth.
Allen speaks of a zen like philosophy of “freeing one’s mind” and that has a nice warm feeling to it for about a minute. In the non-stop, always abuzz A/E/C industry, I rarely know one person who exhibits zen-like qualities. In fact, I don’t think I want to be perceived that way either. But, these qualities, Allen assures his readers, are the keys to “doing, delegating, deferring or dropping” the tasks that need completion in your day-to-day life. This rule will help to eliminate stress and anxiety of being overwhelmed with our challenging jobs and lives.
Allen demonstrates the concepts of his book in an easy-to-read flow chart on Page 32. It is an excellent reference for the average person looking for more “organization”. In fact, I consider it the best part of the book and worth $15 price tag.
 Purple Cow: Transform Your Business
by Being Remarkable
By Seth Godin
Seth Godin has become a modern day marketing guru who has successfully published nine bestselling marketing books. Why is he so successful? He's a purple cow.
Instead of enforcing the tried and true marketing mediums such as TV and print advertising, Godin informs the reader that these strategies are no longer effective for capturing the attention of post-consumption consumers. Sure, Coca Cola and Budweiser can churn out commercial after commercial, but who's listening? Rhink about the last website you navigated or the last newspaper you flipped through, can you recall a singled advertisement? Godin emphasizes that we already have everything we need or want, so we no longer have the need to research new products and services, nor do we have the time. In order for your product or service to be noticed and sought after, it quite simply has to be remarkable, or a Purple Cow.
Consider the companies that have successfully launched a popular product or service, such as Google. Google doesn't advertise on TV, websites or in print. Their search engine became popular through word of mouth and is now the most used search engine on the internet. The product is remarkable because its homepage is simple and the service is easy to use. Google is a Purple Cow.
How can we apply this thinking to our industry? Godin stresses that you should never try to market to everyone, but instead choose a niche that would be interested in your service. Consider a new service your firm might have that could be considered remarkable compared to your competition. Did you just a complete an innovative pilot project that other clients could benefit from? Does your firm provide a service that your competitors do not? If your service solves a problem, who would have this problem? Once you find niche of potential clients that would most benefit from your service, you'll need a few big "sneezers" to get the word around about your this remarkable service. This is when conventional marketing strategies such as advertisements may actually work if you focus on advertising in publications that appeal to your niche. If your product truly is remarkable, the sneezers in this group will spread the word so that it grows outside of the niche as well.
Even though the majority of this book is catered to marketing a product instead of a professional service, there a plenty of valuable lessons to be learned from Godin. Purple Cow is a great short read infused with Godin's light humor and clever anecdotes. It is truly a remarkable book that will inspire you to be remarkable as well.
About the Reviewer
Amanda Sanderson is the Marketing Assistant at GeoConcepts Engineering, Inc..
 Rain Making
Attract New Clients No Matter What Your Field - 2nd Edition
By Ford Harding
Rain Making is a book for professionals who are interested in learning how to develop their career. Its easy to understand focus on marketing tactics and strategies makes it an excellent tool for developing successful marketing strategies for an individual or company.
The term "Rain Maker" has been around for years. It is often used, rarely understood, and almost never implemented properly. Rain Making addresses the fundamentals of what makes a rain maker, from building business and developing relationships, to creating new jobs. The focus is not simply on understanding how to become a rain maker, but how to clearly identify a path for implementation.
The 2nd edition of Rain Making is divided into four sections: Marketing Tactics: How Professionals Build Reputations and Generate Leads; Building a Network: How Professionals Develop a Sustainable Source of Leads; Sales Tactics: How Professionals Advance and Close a Sale; and From Tactics to Strategy: What Works and What Doesn't.
The first section on Marketing Tactics is a 'must read' for individuals looking for a fresh and relevant perspective on building business. It clearly articulates the various types of marketing tactics, their purpose, and their proper use.
The second section on Building a Network contains simply the best chapter I have read on Networking. If you have time to read only one chapter in a book this next year, this is the chapter I would recommend. It provides an easy-to-use approach to networking that is worth the purchase of the book in and of itself.
The third section on Sales Tactics gives a great review of the basics of sealing the deal, including presentations, writing a proposal, and quoting a fee.
The final section, Strategy: What Works and What Doesn't, carefully articulates plans for both individuals and corporations that are intertwined with a sense of purpose and strategy. The section is written towards what can be done today, not simply lofty plans for the future that will be forgotten in a week.
So, if you are looking for a book that will motivate and educate you on the tactics and strategy for becoming a Rain Maker, and provide you with useful tidbits that you can start the day you finish reading, I highly recommend Rain Making by Ford Harding.
About the Reviewer
Tim Klabunde is the Director of marketing at William H. Gordon Associates, a Washington DC Top 20 engineering firm based in Chantilly, Virginia.
 Your Marketing Sucks
By Mark Stevens
"This book was given to me by an executive at a previous job when I first walked into marketing shoes. Great insight on cutting out the myths, getting to results and spending marketing dollars wisely! Now with a company that is 5 years young; this book is still a reference guide I keep close by!"
About the Reviewer
Stephanie Williamson is the Marketing Director at TRINITY Group Construction.
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