AEC Business Development - The Decade Ahead

This book is not truly a research effort - it's an anecdotal compilation of interviews, not properly cited or quantified, and not truly reflective of business development, the A/E/C industry nor the real estate market. It seems to be a knee-jerk reaction to a precipitous decline in work from 2007-10, when business development was a survival skill not a profession. The oft-quoted idea that the industry is moving to the closer-doer market was a 2008 phenomena where BD staff were fired to cut overhead!The book promises a 10 year look ahead but only gives lip service to relationships, BIM and Integrated Project Delivery - already industry norms. We see no cutting edge ideas, new practices, strategic initiatives. Where's the data? Where's the cost-benefit analysis of best practices?This is not what the top Business Developers are about, or the top firms' strategies. The SMPS Foundation is doing us a disservice by taking our money for an exceptionally poor and delusional product.

I work with a company that provides an online software solution for firms that work with the government. This book provided me with insight to not only what my clients have done during the last three years but also how they are preparing for the decade ahead.In chapter 10 it was great to see the agency perspective.Jay Bond added "The most important element for marketing to us is that the AEC firm needs to know something about us before contacting us. That is an important role that the marketing professionals can play. The principals and technical staff rarely have the time and energy to do that well, but when done well, when the marketing comes in knowledgeable, it can demonstrate more sincerity in meeting our needs than in meeting only their needs."The team that helped author this book did a great job researching and interviewing those at large firms as well as government agencies.I recommend this book for anyone in the AEC space.

This book provides great insight and perspective about current practices in the Architecture/Engineering/Construction industry. The first-hand accounts are especially helpful to Principals, Project Managers and technical staff, to acquaint them with the preferences and practices of both sellers and buyers of professional services. Clearly, the findings indicate trends that are compelling and will help firms determine what practices and strategies they should consider for future success. It's an easy read, and is likely to be shared and discussed in many A/E/C firms. Book reports may seem old-fashioned, but I suspect there will be many firms who make this required reading and expect professionals to report on what they found to be new information and how they should implement in their firms. This is definitely worth the read.