BuiltEnvironment

Getting the new business ready to go

Wow! There sure are a lot of things to do to get a business up and running:

-- Legally form an LLC -- check

-- Licenses and permits -- check

-- Federal Employer ID number -- check

-- Corporate banking -- check

-- Write and design brochures and business cards, and send files to printer -- check

-- Research and develop first mailing list of potential clients (200+) -- check

-- Draft letter and produce individual letters for potential clients -- check

-- Make sure the family and friends knows what you're doing (one of them could have a lead for you) -- check

-- Make sure your professional colleagues know what you're doing (same reason) -- check

-- Stuff letters, business cards and brochures in envelops -- check

-- Put postage on envelopes and mail -- check

Breathe!

OK, now that The Siben Consult, LLC (TSC) is officially in business and doing things to actually generate new business, it's time to tell you that my website is back up (www.sibenconsult.com) and the blog is operational.

If any of you from architecture, engineering, planning, environmental, surveying or construction management firms want to know more about my company and how it can help your company set and achieve goals, please take a look at the website or contact me at 559.901.9596.

I hope to be working with a lot of you in 2007.

Happy New Year!

Marketing is about tomorrow!

In putting together brochures for the newly-recreated The Siben Consult, LLC (TSC), I was struck by the idea that while projects in an A/E/C/Environmental firm are about today, marketing and business development are really about tomorrow.

In fact, all marketing and business development activities are focused on making sure we have work tomorrow. Whether we're talking about positioning, maintaining and growing our client relationships, attending trade shows, or developing qualifications packages, advertising, newsletters, technical and cost proposals, short-list presentations or any other vehicles to communicate our image or capabilities, all of these efforts are undertaken to secure assignments to work on tomorrow.

Therefore, all strategic activities are truly part of marketing and all marketing activities are really strategic. This makes a good case for having the initiation and development of strategic planning activities reside in the marketing department, as well as the leadership of the efforts outlined in those strategic plans. How else do you develop, monitor and refine a marketing plan that succeeds as a roadmap for achieving the goals set out in the firm's strategic plan?

Perhaps marketing directors should actually aspire to be named "Chief Strategic Officer," a title which would be a more accurate description of their role.

Return of The Siben Consult, LLC

Just a quick posting to let everyone know that The Siben Consult, LLC (TSC) has been re-formed in Visalia, California, and is now open for business.

The services are very similar to those TSC provided in Texas a few years ago, but with a stronger emphasis on the strategic and organizational/management side of things.

Please check out the firm's website (www.sibenconsult.com) or drop me an email at bernie@sibenconsult.com

Best wishes to all for a wonderful - and safe - Holiday season, and a healthy and prosperous New Year!